Days of hard work always pass quickly.
In the blink of an eye, several days quietly slipped by. On this day, Naruto finally met the new companion Kiba had been talking about for a long time—Akamaru.
At this time, Akamaru was still tiny, fluffy, like a moving white furball, looking very cute. Naruto felt like he could gently pick it up with one hand.
However, Naruto didn't actually do that; he just crouched down curiously and extended a finger for the little guy to sniff.
Akamaru timidly came over and touched his fingertip with its wet nose.
Inuzuka Kiba seemed very happy, holding Akamaru as if showing off some treasure. He patted his chest and told Naruto, "Listen, Naruto! Akamaru's food allowance must be higher than mine! It needs the best meat and nutrition!"
However, seeing Kiba's serious expression, Naruto didn't agree to charge extra.
He smiled, rubbed Akamaru's small head, and shook his head.
He wasn't bringing meals for Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba, and Shino every day to earn money.
For Naruto, it was simply because he wanted to do it.
His friends liked his cooking and were willing to pay for the ingredients themselves, so he would continue to cook for them.
This warmth passed between lunchboxes was far more precious than any money.
It was only when he gathered with his friends Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba, and Shino, laughing and sharing food, that Naruto truly felt from the bottom of his heart how vibrant and real this world, and he himself within it, truly were.
The sense of detachment when alone, the deliberate feeling of playing a role, would quietly melt away in this pure interaction.
He clearly felt that he was truly alive in this world, breathing its air, embracing its sunlight.
This was no longer a phantom dream from a screen in his previous life, but his personal experience.
He possessed the extraordinary ability he could only imagine and envy in his previous life—Chakra, and through his own efforts and talent, he had even initially mastered Wood Release.
Although his current Wood Release was still very immature, its power could probably only barely manage some landscaping and sprout a few vines, far from the legendary power of Deep Forest Emergence... but he could clearly feel that he had been making progress recently.
Both the fusion ratio of Chakra and the subtle control over life force were steadily improving.
This tangible "growth" and the "sense of reality" brought by his friends together formed the solid foundation supporting him to continue moving forward.
"By the way, Naruto."
Inuzuka Kiba said, while lifting Akamaru, who was squirming restlessly in his arms, onto his messy head, letting the little white dog lie there steadily. Then he looked at Naruto with expectant eyes,
"Can you secretly teach us a couple of moves?"
He gestured with his hands.
"Those two moves you used against Sasuke in the practical class earlier, 'swish—bang!' They were super cool!"
His voice wasn't quiet, and Sasuke, sitting in the front row in the middle, heard it clearly, especially the words "against Sasuke" which were particularly grating. He abruptly turned his head, glaring coldly at Inuzuka Kiba.
Instead of being afraid, Inuzuka Kiba became even more smug. He forcefully put his arm around Naruto's shoulder and, facing Sasuke's direction, flashed an extremely punchable, provocative smile, as if saying, "Yeah, I said it, what are you gonna do?"
Naruto, caught in the middle, felt a bit helpless. He truthfully said, "Those are Guy-sensei's taijutsu, called 'Leaf Whirlwind'. Since he's our teacher, he should teach them to everyone in the upcoming practical classes, right?"
Following Kiba's gaze, Naruto naturally saw Sasuke's extremely displeased look, as if he was about to rush over and hit someone, but he didn't intervene much, nor did he push Kiba away.
Inuzuka Kiba seemed oblivious to Sasuke's murderous gaze, still grinning and deliberately gesturing with his hand as if pressing something down:
"Not that Whirlwind Kick (Whirlwind Kick), I'm talking about the move after that—the one where you 'bang!' and pinned him to the ground with one hand! That one's even more amazing!"
Bang!
Uchiha Sasuke could no longer hold back. He slammed his hand on the desk and stood up abruptly, his cold gaze like a knife directed back at Inuzuka Kiba. The air in the entire classroom seemed to freeze.
A surge of anger burned in his chest: I admit I might not be able to beat that monster Uzumaki Naruto right now, but do you think I can't beat you, Inuzuka Kiba?!
"Alright, Kiba."
Nara Shikamaru, standing nearby, sighed helplessly and spoke up, finding such pointless provocation utterly troublesome.
At the same time, many female classmates who admired Sasuke also cast angry glances at Inuzuka Kiba, and a chorus of dissatisfied whispers rose in the classroom.
However, Kiba didn't care at all.
He knew very well that among those glaring at him, the classmates with family backgrounds didn't need to be taken too seriously, because four out of their small group of five were future family heirs, and their family relationships were complex and intertwined, so they wouldn't truly fall out over such a small matter.
As for the civilian Ninja, there was even less need to worry about them.
Everyone knew that after graduation, they would likely go their separate ways, and their interactions would become very infrequent.
As for Sasuke?
Inuzuka Kiba had long been annoyed by his constantly sullen face, as if everyone owed him money!
Normally, he wouldn't provoke him because he couldn't beat him and was afraid of getting beaten up, but today was a good opportunity to satisfy his urge to talk back.
"Enough, Kiba."
Seeing the atmosphere growing tenser, Naruto also spoke up to dissuade him.
He patted Kiba's shoulder, signaling him to stop.
Naruto knew very well that although Kiba was talking excitedly, with Kiba's current strength, he really couldn't beat Sasuke, who had already activated his Sharingan.
If they really fought, Kiba would definitely be beaten badly.
"Sasuke, I apologize to you on Kiba's behalf."
Kiba was the one who started the trouble this time, so they should apologize.
"Hmph!"
Seeing Naruto step in to stop Kiba's further provocation, Sasuke knew that a fight wouldn't happen today.
With a heart full of anger and unwillingness, he let out a cold snort and finally sat back down, but his back remained stiff, clearly still angry.
Seeing this, Naruto gave Kiba a slightly warning glance.
Kiba immediately received the signal, somewhat sheepishly withdrew his hand from Naruto's shoulder, scratched his head, and mumbled softly.
"If you really want to fight in the future, you can come to me for practice anytime."
Naruto looked at Kiba and said seriously, "But you really can't beat Sasuke right now, so don't provoke him actively."
"Hehe, I know, I know!"
Kiba immediately put on his grinning expression again and bumped Naruto with his shoulder.
"It's because you're standing right here! If you weren't, I definitely wouldn't be like this."
He said this with righteous indignation.
Truly a childish temper.