"Isn't the method a bit too simple? Are you sure this will work?"
The little Uchiha loli, who called herself 'Moon', frowned, stood in position according to Naruto's instructions, and her small face was full of doubt.
The training method Naruto taught her was too simple, just subtle changes in adjusting her stance, controlling her wrist strength, and some calculations for throwing angles. This was far from the 'secret that could instantly turn someone into a throwing master' she imagined, and it wasn't even as good as the techniques her older sister occasionally taught her on a whim.
Sister...
At the thought of the black-haired girl who always wore a high-collared clan uniform, Moon's eyes involuntarily dimmed for a moment. Her sister had promised to teach her shurikenjutsu, but each time she would just lightly poke her forehead and say in that gentle yet distant tone, "Next time."
Then she would leave with that annoying Shisui, leaving her alone to practice against the wooden target.
"What's wrong?" Naruto deliberately drew out his tone, "I heard the Uchiha Clan are all geniuses. Could it be that you don't have the courage to try, to support your talent?"
"What?!"
Moon suddenly looked up, her dark eyes instantly burning with fighting spirit, "Of course not! Bring it on, I'll show you the power of the Uchiha!"
She puffed out her cheeks and struck a pose, looking as if she were facing a formidable enemy.
So easy to coax...
Naruto suppressed a smile, looking at the bristling little Uchiha. Her focused expression, with her lips pursed, inexplicably reminded him of the proud black cat from a cat cafe in his previous life, who clearly wanted to eat dried fish but insisted on waiting for someone to put the food on the ground before gracefully approaching.
After silently complaining in his heart, he casually picked up a few smooth pebbles from the ground, lightly weighing them in his palm, feeling their weight and shape.
"Are you ready?" Naruto confirmed with his eyes that the other party was ready, then flicked his wrist.
"Whoosh!"
The pebble drew a sharp arc, flying straight towards Uchiha Moon.
Moon's eyes narrowed, like a kitten locking onto its prey. Her slender fingers already held a shuriken, and she flicked her wrist to throw it almost at the same moment the pebble flew towards her.
"Bang!"
Metal and stone accurately collided in mid-air, emitting a crisp impact sound. The pebble, split in half, fell to the ground.
"Hmph!"
Moon proudly puffed out her small chest, the corners of her mouth unconsciously turning up, revealing a slightly smug expression.
"It's not over yet, take this!"
Naruto's movements were continuous; this time, three pebbles flew out in a triangular formation. Moon quickly drew new shuriken from her ninja tool pouch, her arm moving rapidly.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
Three crisp sounds rang out almost simultaneously, and tiny sparks erupted in the air.
As the practice progressed, their rhythm became faster and faster. The sounds of pebbles and shuriken colliding echoed through the forest, and the occasional sparks appeared exceptionally bright in the twilight.
Naruto began to change his strategy. He no longer threw in a straight line, but instead made the pebbles fly out at various tricky angles; some were thrown high, arcing in a parabola, some skimmed rapidly along the ground, and some even suddenly collided and changed direction mid-flight.
Moon was a little flustered at first, missing several shuriken in a row. But she quickly adjusted her breathing, began to predict Naruto's throwing trajectories, her small body flexibly changing positions, and the angles of her shuriken throws became increasingly precise.
Indeed...
Naruto marveled inwardly. Although the girl in front of him was still young, her keen insight and rapid learning ability truly lived up to the name of an Uchiha genius.
Actually, this method was quite clunky, essentially rote memorization, but this clunky method was very suitable for the training of a genius.
And if an ordinary person were to throw small pebbles, this guy would probably get bored immediately, because there was basically no difficulty. But the one responsible for throwing was Naruto, who was also a genius, and both of their rhythms kept up well, forming a tacit sense of rhythm.
— — — — — —
As time passed, the afterglow of the sunset gradually stained the sky red, and the light in the forest became soft and hazy. Their shadows were cast crisscrossing on the ground.
Naruto wiped the sweat from his forehead, feeling a slight soreness in his arm. Today's practice was much more engaging than he had expected; he had only planned to casually practice shuriken, but he hadn't realized how much time had passed back and forth with Moon. But the gains were tangible; stimulated by Moon, he tried many new throwing angles and ways of exerting force, and his feel was much sharper than when practicing alone.
Indeed, having someone to practice with makes a difference...
He bent down and took two leather water bags from beside his backpack, casually tossing one to Moon.
Moon instinctively reached out and caught it. If it had been a few hours ago, she would have awkwardly refused, or at least said something to show off. But now, she just silently unscrewed the cap and tilted her head back to drink.
The cool water moisturized her parched throat, and Moon finally realized how much she had sweated. Several strands of her long black hair clung to her neck, and the back of her clothes were slightly damp.
Could it be that this is truly a hot-blooded shonen manga? Despite such a long period of high-intensity training, her body didn't feel particularly tired; instead, she felt a refreshing sense of fulfillment.
"Alright,"
Naruto put down his water bag and let out a long sigh, "Thank you for practicing with me today. The sun is almost setting, are you going home now?"
Moon nodded lightly, screwing the cap back on her water bag. "...Mm, Mom should be almost done with dinner. What about you?"
"...I don't have parents, so I made my own bento." Naruto scratched his cheek, "I'm pretty hungry, I'll probably eat by the river."
Hearing this, Moon paused. She hadn't expected that the golden-haired boy her age was an orphan. Although they had just met, these words still brought a subtle pang of sadness to her chest.
Eating alone... it must be very lonely.
Dusk deepened, and the evening breeze rustled through the treetops. Moon suddenly spoke, her voice a few shades softer.
"I see..." She paused, "If I go back now, dinner probably isn't ready yet. I... I'll stay with you for a little longer."
As if feeling that this was too direct, she quickly turned her face away and added, "Of course! This is just because I'm very free right now!"
Naruto blinked, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, which then turned into a warm smile. "Then I'll rely on you." He pointed in the distance, "The riverside at night is very beautiful, you know."