"No, never… I will never let Iruka-sensei die!"
At this moment, the Sasuke in front of him seemed to have transformed into the evil Mizuki once again! Naruto roared angrily and burst out with a murderous intent. He used all his strength to strike at Sasuke, finally knocking him to the ground!
He was breathing heavily. "Sasuke…" Naruto had never expected that the person who would finally enlighten him would Sasuke. Although, it was just the Sasuke in his dream. But…
"Thank you, Sasuke," he whispered to the dream-figure anyway.
After his inner turmoil was resolved, Naruto no longer hesitated. The sentimental and merciful Naruto would no longer appear. He would be kind when he should be kind, and he would be ruthless when he should be ruthless!
Naruto slept soundly.
…
The next day, early in the morning, Naruto ran to his window, looking downstairs from time to time, hoping to see that familiar figure. It wasn't until a petite and frail figure wearing a sun hat finally appeared that Naruto smiled in surprise. "Hey, Hinata!" He waved his hands vigorously at her.
Hinata heard his call, gently held the brim of her sun hat with one hand, looked up at the morning sun, and faced the boy she had been thinking about. She also showed a shy but sweet smile. The warm sunlight fell on their heads, bodies, and clothes, casting a faint golden glow.
"Hinata, please sit down," Naruto spoke casually to the shy and reserved Hinata.
Hinata looked at the prepared desk and the two nearby chairs, blushing and nodding.
"Thank you for helping me with my studies. i regret not paying attention in class, and I've missed a lot of classes. I don't know what to do!" Naruto scratched his head.
Hinata smiled gently, lowered her head, and said, "Don't worry. I've already promised to help you, Naruto-kun."
"But…"
"What's wrong, Hinata?"
Hinata lowered her head and whispered, "What happened to Naruto-kun before… I… I was really worried…"
Naruto was stunned for a moment, then realized what she was talking about. "Ah, that incident you're talking about, hahaha, it's already handled don't stress yourself over it.!"
"That being said, thinking about how dangerous it was for Naruto-kun at that time, I… I…"
Naruto looked at Hinata's shyly lowered head, and her eyes filled with worry and concern, and he couldn't help but feel as if he had been hit by something. "Hinata, were you… worried about me?"
Hinata's face turned even redder when she heard him ask so bluntly. But she still mustered up her courage and nodded. "Um…"
Naruto's heart moved, and he stared at Hinata. Being stared at so intensely by Naruto's eyes at such a close distance, Hinata felt her whole body getting hot, and her cheeks were burning. "Naruto-kun, what's wrong with you…"
Naruto suddenly said sincerely, "Thank you, Hinata. I used to think that Iruka-sensei was the only one who cared about me, but now it seems that there is also you." He scratched his head and gave an awkward laugh. "Ah, I don't know how to put it, I just feel very warm and happy!"
Hinata felt warm inside when she heard that. "It's… because we are classmates… and… and…" Hinata clenched the corner of her clothes, and the words she wanted to say were on the tip of her tongue, but she didn't dare to say them.
But Naruto spoke for her openly. "Hinata, no need to explain! I know what you mean!"
"Wh-what? Naruto-kun, you… you understand my feelings?"
"Oh, of course! You mean to say that we are not only classmates, but also good friends !"
Hinata was speechless. Although she felt a little disappointed, Hinata also breathed a sigh of relief. Asking her to confess to Naruto now and make it clear that she liked him was indeed beyond her ability to bear.
Then… Hinata blushed and smiled sweetly. "Yes, yes… Naruto-kun, we are classmates and good friends."
Hinanta felt happy because she got Naruto to finally notice her. It was a huge step up from being a stalker.
Naruto laughed. "Thank you for being my friend, Hinata! Not only did you help me with my studies, but you also cared about me. I really don't know how to thank you enough!"
"No, that's not necessary…"
"To show my gratitude properly. I've decided to cook for you at noon today!"
Hinata's heart was pounding. *'Naruto-kun wants to cook for me?!'*
"So, are you touched? Hahahahaha, this is my first time cooking for someone else!"
Hinata's heart was pounding. "Ah, that's an honor…"
Naruto suddenly scratched his head. "Oh, that's not right. It seems I did it once for the Third Hokage. But that's not important!"
Hinata didn't care about that. After all, elders like the Third Hokage didn't count at all. She was still the first person of his age he would be cooking for. Moreover, she was the first girl. That was enough.
Thinking of this, Hinata suddenly became more motivated and immediately opened her textbook. "Well, then come on, Naruto-kun. Let's start making up for your lessons."
"Okay!"
So, the two of them sat side by side and quickly got down to business. The refreshing summer sunshine and the clean windows reflected the figures of the two people.
…
The morning passed quickly. Hinata couldn't help but admire him. "Naruto-kun, you've made great progress. You've improved so much compared to before. It's only been a week or two, it's really amazing."
Naruto's eyes suddenly filled with tears but he tried to hide it quickly to avoid embarrassing himself infront of hinata.*'Hinata, oh Hinata, you don't know the hardwork I endured for my improved grades!'*
However, given Naruto's prideful personality, he would never show it in front of Hinata. He laughed out loud three times, pretending to be very proud of himself. "Hahahahaha, of course! I, Uzumaki Naruto, am a true genius!"
Hinata's eyes sparkled. This seemingly childish scene was still sparkling and charming in the eyes of the girl who secretly loved him. Moreover, she sincerely believed that Naruto was a genius. In terms of strength, he had jumped from being the last one to completely defeating her in their last ninja sparring match, making her admit defeat with conviction. Not to mention, he had single-handedly killed a renegade Chunin, Mizuki-sensei! Regarding his literature grades, they had gone from the original 20 or 30 points to at least 70 points now, and in such a short period of time. This was actually genius level pace.!
The girl's admiration made Naruto even more delighted. It was as if he had really become a hero. Of course, in Hinata's heart, Naruto was already her hero.
"Good! The morning's make-up classes are done. Hinata, you should take a break. I'll cook for you myself to thank you for your help!"
"Um." Hinata's voice was still weak and mosquito-like, but it was full of happiness and sweetness.
Naruto was already familiar with the process and quickly prepared the ingredients, ready to show off his cooking skills. But… even with Hinata's gentle nature, she still couldn't sit still. "Naruto-kun… can I help too?"
Naruto said hurriedly, "You are a guest, and you are also my benefactor. How can I let you work?"
"But… but, I feel a little embarrassed to just sit here like this."
Naruto scratched his head. "Okay, then you can help me with some simple things."