Chapter 12: TSoL Chapter 12 - Wonderful Day
Walking along the streets of Konoha, Naruto and Tenten felt a little confused, because due to their lack of experience, they didn't understand very well what friends should do together.
Fortunately, Naruto and Tenten solve such embarrassing moments directly, and therefore, they simultaneously asked:
"So where would you like to go?"
"So where would you like to go?"
Hearing each other's questions, they suddenly looked at each other:
— Ha?
— Ah?
Seeing such a strange synchronicity in the reaction to the same question, they looked at each other in surprise, and burst out laughing:
"Pfft… Ha-ha-ha-ha! Oh kami, we must look so ridiculous right now." Tenten couldn't help noticing their ridiculousness as she smiled slightly.
"Yeah, that's a little embarrassing," Naruto scratched his nose in embarrassment, smiling back at the girl.
Suddenly, a good idea came to Naruto's head and he asked:
"You know, I think I know what we could do."
"Really?" Tenten was glad Naruto had an idea.
"Yeah," a satisfied Naruto nodded his head, and continued, "from the moment I started training with you in the use of throwing and melee weapons, I always wanted to visit a weapons store to learn more about it. And if it's not difficult for you, you could show and tell me something interesting. What do you say?"
After looking at Naruto with a bit of confusion, Tenten blinked her eyes slightly, and then a bright smile bloomed on her face, and nodding her head sharply, she replied:
"That's a great idea! Oh! I'll bring you to my family's shop! I'll show you our extensive collection, and even some of my personal rare babies!"
Saying so, she took Naruto's hand.
"Come on, hurry up, our store is not very far from here," with these words, she pulled Naruto, surprised by her enthusiasm, along with her.
Naruto was about to say something, but suddenly, an illusory scroll appeared before his eyes with a written message from the system:
[Secret mission received. Title: Mother's Will.]
[Goal - Unknown.]
[Reward - Optimization of thought neural channels. (Effect: 5% Improved thinking and reaction speed.)]
[Punishment for failure - The next mission will not have a reward.]
[Would you like to accept? (Yes / No) ]
With a blank face, led by the hand of a contented Tenten who did not notice his expression, Naruto fell into a complete stupor, while in his thoughts he literally shouted:
"WHAT THE HECK IS THIS MISSION DATTEBAYO!?" Naruto's face twisted in confusion, "What does your 'Would you like to accept' mean, System-chan? You didn't even tell me the purpose of the mission. And what with this name... How does this relate to my mom?
In his opinion, this was too strange, even for his bizarre system-chan.
And then, much to Naruto's surprise, the system deigned to answer him:
[The setting of missions and goals is based on the ability of the owner, and the will of his ancestors, left in the legacy of the seal. The Seal of Legacy system does not issue missions that exceed the owner's current capability.]
"Yeah, right…" Naruto had a lot of doubts inside, but he still decided to think about it better, "okay, so what do we have? The mission is called secret for a reason, since the target is unknown… well... for me at least. The reward doesn't sound very impressive, but if I remember my last sparring with Kiba, where I barely had time to react and avoid his last attack, then having this improvement, I will be able to react in such situations much better." here he turned his gaze to the line of punishment, "as for the punishment, it is not as serious as the previous ones, but this is only at first glance. If the next mission is really difficult, then in fact, I will risk for nothing, and if I fail, I will also receive a new punishment. So what should I choose then?" Naruto tensed inwardly, "damn, I don't like to think so much, even though I swore to start using my head more often."
Taking a deep breath, Naruto was filled with determination, and finally made a decision:
"Okay, Naruto Uzumaki is not someone who runs away from his problems, and Namikaze Naruto Uzumaki is even more so!"
Finishing his thought, Naruto accepted the mission.
[Mission accepted.]
Receiving no further explanation or messages, Naruto smiled wryly, reproached for his naive hope, and returned his full attention to his day with his new friend again. Fortunately, the system did not report a time limit for this mission, so everything should be fine.
When he finally reached the right store, Naruto glanced at the sign above the entrance, and squinted his eyes, trying to read the name, but the calligraphy and chosen characters were quite bizarre, which completely discouraged him from understanding what was written. But, remembering that calligraphy is an important part of Fuin's art, he left a note in his head to deepen his study on this issue.
Entering the store, Tenten loudly called out to the person behind the counter.
"Father! I brought a friend to show him our range of weapons, do you mind?"
"Hmm? Tenten, is that the friend you were talking about?"
Tenten's father was a very large man in his forties, with a small scar on his face and light stubble. In general, he created an extremely strong image of a harsh father. He looked at Naruto appraisingly, and immediately recognized his identity. Luckily for the blond, the man didn't show any negative emotions about it, which made Naruto happy.
"Yes dad, this is Naruto Uzumaki, he is my friend and training partner," then the girl turned to the blond and said, "Naruto, this is my father, Togata." Although he looks menacing, he is actually quite soft and kind.
Looking at this stern man, Naruto found it hard to believe that this was indeed the case. But he is definitely not the type to judge a person by their appearance, so he decided to completely trust his friend.
"Nice to meet you, Togata-san." with a carefree smile, Naruto held out his hand to the man.
Raising an eyebrow, Togata glanced at the boy with slight interest, after all, people often perceive him as a criminal due to his stern appearance, and usually show caution around him. Who would have thought that it would be Naruto, the person around whom not the most pleasant rumors circulate, that would react normally to him.
Smirking to himself at some irony, and finding their situation slightly similar, the man shook Naruto's hand and said:
"Likewise, Naruto-kun. Glad my daughter was able to find a good friend. Be kind, look after her, you may not tell from her, but in pursuit of her dream, she became a little tomboy."
"DAAD! Stop embarrassing me!" Tenten puffed out her cheeks and looked at her father indignantly.
"Hahaha, sorry, sorry, I was just worried that with your tough training regimen, you wouldn't be able to make friends. I have never been so glad that I was wrong in my judgments."
Seeing such a warm atmosphere between Tenten and her father, Naruto smiled warmly, becoming more and more convinced how great it is to have a family. The idea that his new dream would be to have a large family, and not the title of Hokage, became stronger and stronger in his head.
After several more verbal skirmishes with her father, Tenten finally began to show Naruto their entire range of products, and tell various historical facts, supplemented by her father, who was free due to low clientele. After that, Tenten took Naruto to her private room, which made the blond slightly embarrassed since it was his first time in a girl's room, but tried not to show it. Fortunately, he learned to hide his emotions a long time ago.
"Look! These are my precious babies, each of which has been in the hands of significant people from the shinobi world before." Tenten was very proud of her little collection, her face beaming with self-satisfaction.
Naruto glanced at the three different blades, the look of which reflected the countless battles they'd been through.
Naruto's eyes also lit up and he asked:
"Wow! They must have been wielded by really cool ninjas!"
"Um, um!" Tenten nodded in response with a satisfied face, after which she said, "All three blades belonged to the disciples of one of the Swordsmen of the Mist. My father and I had to work very hard to get them. And although they are no longer particularly suitable for battle, and also of no use to shinobi, but for me they have a completely different value, as a weapon master and collector."
Looking at the way Tenten looked at the weapon, Naruto couldn't help but ask:
"Hey, I've never asked you before, but I really wonder why you train so hard? What is your dream?"
Hearing his question, Tenten shifted her gaze to her childhood photo on the bedside table nearby, and taking it in her hands, she replied:
"You know, originally, I shouldn't have entered the shinobi academy at all." Tenten looked a little melancholy as she looked at the photograph in her hands, which showed herself at the age of about six years old with a large book on medicine in her hands and a bright smile on her face.
Naruto looked a little surprised and asked:
"Shouldn't have? What do you mean?" Naruto cocked his head to the side, slightly confused.
Smiling slightly, Tenten replied:
"Well, it's simple, I was born in an ordinary family, and other than selling weapons, my parents had nothing more to do with shinobi," then stroking the framed photo with her thumb, the girl continued, "when I was young, I was an ordinary child without special aspirations, and there was not even a thought about becoming a ninja," then she put the photo in its place, "but everything changed when I heard about her!"
"Her?" Naruto was surprised again.
"Yes, about her," then she opened the drawer of the bedside table, and from there she took out the very book that was in the photo, and opening it, she showed Naruto the photo in it, and said, "Here it is - Tsunade Senju!"
"Tsunade...? OH! It's one of the legendary sannin, I've read about them." thanks to his memory, Naruto quickly remembered the information about them.
"Yes, she is," Tenten looked very enthusiastic when talking about her, "when I learned about what she had achieved, how much she had brought to the world of medicine, and what power and authority she had achieved in the world of shinobi, I was simply amazed. I couldn't even imagine that one woman could achieve such heights and strength at the kage level," saying this, she hugged the book, "when I read and learned about her achievements, she became a real idol for me, and I wanted to follow the same path. I persuaded my parents to buy me this very book on medicine, and after reading it, I convinced them to send me to the shinobi academy."
Then suddenly, Naruto noticed how Tenten's expression became a little sad, after which she continued the story:
"Unfortunately, our origins do matter, and my chakra manipulation talent, as well as the amount of chakra, was extremely low. It was obvious that I couldn't become a medical ninja no matter how hard I tried. At least not without the constant help of an experienced ninja, which, unlike the clan children, my family definitely couldn't afford," sighing, she regained her smile, and confidently said, "but even so, even if I can't become a strong kunoichi treading the path of a medic ninja doesn't mean that I can't become a strong kunoichi by going the other way. That is why I decided to dedicate myself to bukijutsu. Luckily, my father's shinobi weapons business helped me a lot."
Naruto nodded and said:
"Become a great kunoichi like Tsunade Senju?" Naruto thought for a moment, holding his chin with his hand, and nodding as if to confirm his thoughts, he replied, "I think this is a good goal." I'm sure you will definitely succeed!"
Smiling slightly, Tenten scratched the bridge of her nose in embarrassment, and replied:
"Thank you," here, the girl turned her gaze to the window, and said, "you know, I sincerely hope that one day, when I become stronger, I can meet Tsunade in person and chat with her. Tell her about how she inspired me and how much effort I put into training, despite the fact that I'm not very good with chakra. It would be great to get some guidance from her."
Seeing her dreamy expression, Naruto rose to his feet and confidently stated:
"Allright, seeing how important it is for you, I just can't help but help you with your wish," Naruto smiled brightly at the surprised Tenten, and added, "I promise that in the future I will personally bring Tsunade to you so that you can meet, this is a promise!"
"A promise…?" A startled Tenten looked straight into her blond's blue eyes and couldn't help but notice the growing hope.
"That's right! It's a promise and Naruto Uzumaki never goes back on his words dattebayo, believe it!" giving her a thumbs up, Naruto gave her his most confident smirk.
Looking at him, Tenten's heart was filled with pleasant warmth, and with a flash of faith, she smiled brightly at him in response, and said:
"Then, I thank you for your help! In return, I promise to do my best to become the strongest kunoichi in the world!"
Maintaining this spirited atmosphere, they chatted a little more, and after a while left Tenten's house, and again walked through the streets of Konoha.
This time, Naruto decided to take Tenten to one of the shops that he used to frequent quite often.
"The joke shop…?" Tenten was a bit surprised, "Is there really such a shop in Konoha? Why are we here?"
Smiling slyly, Naruto replied:
"Remember I said how I tried to attract attention to myself in various ways?"
Looking at Naruto strangely, Tenten replied:
"Yes... Stop! Don't tell me these ways were…"
"Pranks!" Naruto finished for her, giving her a mischievous smile.
Tenten looked slightly interested, but remembering his previous words, she asked:
"Didn't you say that you wouldn't do this anymore, since you are no longer interested in attracting attention?"
Naruto smiled in embarrassment, and scratching the back of his head, he replied:
"Well, actually it's not to attract attention, but rather for fun. Every once in a while a good prank won't hurt anyone. Plus, I'm really good at it."
"I see…" with a slight sigh, Tenten shook her head with a slight smile.
Naruto looked at her and asked
"So, do you want to prank someone?"
Thinking about it, Tenten thought that she had never done such a thing, and something like that could really be a good friendly pastime, so she nodded and replied:
"Okay, I just hope we don't get caught for this."
"Ha, don't worry! When it comes to pranks, I have complete confidence in my stealth."
(An hour later.)
"Ha-ha-ha, that's what I call professional work!" Naruto's happy voice echoed down the street.
Tenten couldn't help but smile as well as surprised at how Naruto had caught this chunin. The prank consisted of Naruto using a cardboard kunai, inside of which was hidden a smoke bomb with the ability to detonate with slight compression.
As soon as a random chunin noticed a kunai lying on the roof of a civilian house, he immediately decided to remove it. But, as soon as he took it in his hand, the smoke bomb detonated, and the kunai burst like a balloon, covering the frightened chunin with smoke.
Out of surprise, the chunin stepped back in the opposite direction from the kunai, but to the surprise of both the chunin himself and Tenten, all this had already been foreseen by Naruto, and it was in that place that he had already pulled a fishing line, which the chunin stumbled over straight. What's more, the fishing line caused a sack of flour from an extension on the roof to fall on top of the chunin, showering him with flour. After that, the man jumped to his feet, all white and angry, looking around, trying to find the one who arranged this annoying situation, but to his regret, he never found anyone, since Naruto and Tenten had long since disappeared from the place of their "crime".
Responding to Naruto's words, Tenten said:
"You know, Naruto. It was a very well-crafted trap. I think if you take it seriously, it can help you very well in a real fight. A well-designed trap can help you win a battle even without a fight."
As a future weapon master, Tenten could see great potential in her blond friend's skills.
"Really?" Naruto seemed extremely surprised as this had never crossed his mind before.
"Uh-huh, I think that if you can figure out a way to set traps during the fight, then your opponent will obviously have a hard time dealing with you." smiling warmly, Tenten nodded her head.
At that moment, they came to the hokage monuments, and having climbed the stairs leading to the top behind the heads of the kage, instead of the benches standing there, they climbed onto the heads themselves and sat right on them, looking at the territory of Konoha.
Naruto thought about Tenten's words and said:
"Hmm… I think that might actually be an interesting way to fight. I guess I could come up with a couple of tricks up my sleeve…" after thinking for a second, the blond immediately came up with a couple of funny ideas, "Oh! I can already see the reaction of people who will experience all my playful and inventive genius, he-he!"
Naruto's sly and playful smile clearly amused Tenten.
Today was an unusually fun day for a young girl. She had never had such a good time with anyone. She was finally able to open up to someone, and to her happiness, Naruto supported her desire.
Suddenly, Tenten realized that even though she told about her goals, she never found out about Naruto's desire. Looking at him, the girl finally asked:
"You know, Naruto…" Tenten caught the blond's attention, "After I told you about my dream, I would also like to know about yours. Why are you trying to get stronger?"
Hearing her question, Naruto really thought about it, and while maintaining this thoughtful look, he answered:
"Honestly, if you had asked me about this two weeks ago, I would have confidently answered that my dream was to become Hokage," taking a short pause, Naruto looked at Tenten, and smiling bitterly, continued, "but now, after some series of events, I am no longer sure that this is really what I want."
Naruto shifted his calm and thoughtful gaze to the village, and closing his eyes took a pause, allowing the wind to play a little with his hair, which had recently grown well without a haircut.
At this time, Tenten, who was sitting next to him, looked at him without looking away, while catching herself thinking that at the moment he looked really attractive.
Realizing that this was not the time or place for these rare thoughts of hers, the slightly reddened girl shook her head, pushing such thoughts aside, and returned her calm look to the blond. And it was just in time, as Naruto opened his eyes, and not noticing the girl's worries, continued his answer:
"You may not know, but from early childhood I live without parents."
"Ah…" Not expecting such a statement, Tenten gasped.
Smiling slightly at her reaction, Naruto continued.
"At that time, I constantly looked at other children with their parents, and could not help but envy their happy life. I've always wanted to experience what it's like to have a family." Taking a short pause again, Naruto chuckled and said, "I guess this was my dream even before I decided to become Hokage." Naruto leaned back and put his hands behind his head.
Seeing this, Tenten did the same, laying down next to him and looking up at the sky, she asked:
"So if you don't want to be Hokage anymore, then now your wish is…"
Naruto smiled slightly and replied:
"If you thought that my desire would be to have a family, you would be only partly right," turning his head towards the girl lying next to him, Naruto met her gaze, and smiling embarrassedly, said, "Actually, I want not just a family, but a very big family!"
"A very big… family?" Tenten didn't quite understand what he meant.
"Yes, big. Big enough to restore my clan! This is my current dream. No... My goal!" Naruto sounded very confident.
Surprised, Tenten frowned and repeated:
"Your clan…? Do you have one?" the girl thought for a second, and quietly spoke the name of her friend, "Uzumaki Naruto… Uzumaki…"
Finally, something began to reach Tenten, and somewhere, in the back of her memory, an old book she had read on an introduction to fuinjutsu surfaced, which every novice seal master should have read. And it was in this book that there was a whole five-page introductory chapter dedicated to a certain clan that made the greatest contribution to the development of the art of fuin seals.
And as soon as this almost forgotten memory surfaced in her head, she immediately remembered the name of the clan in question.
"Wait… UZUMAKI!?" Tenten jumped up abruptly and bulged her surprised eyes at Naruto.
The blond, amazed by her reaction, also jumped up from the ground, only not from shock, but from fright. He looked at her strangely and replied:
"Um… yeah…? What's with your reaction, didn't you know my name?"
"No! Oh, I mean yes! But… I just didn't know that these were the same Uzumaki! Damn, how could I forget the name of the clan that almost literally invented fuinjutsu!" Tenten looked extremely surprised and confused.
Finally realizing what had happened, Naruto asked:
"Ah, so you know about the Uzumaki clan?"
"Of course I know! Anyone who studies the seals must know about them, this is part of the story, albeit a rather sad one…"
Then the girl again returned her thoughts to the fact that Naruto bears the name of this clan, and asked:
"So it turns out you're going to rebuild the Uzumaki clan?" the future kunoichi's eyes seemed to sparkle with anticipation.
"Yes, that's right. I really plan to revive my clan. And for this, I need to not only become a strong ninja, but also become a real seal master. And this is not to mention the presence of a large family."
Looking at Naruto with bright eyes, Tenten said:
"So I'm getting help with fuinjutsu from a member of the Uzumaki clan, and I didn't even know about it? Wow, I'm honestly a bit embarrassed."
Looking at her with a slightly amused, but more confused look, Naruto scratched his cheek in embarrassment, and said:
"Ah, it's nothing special, I'm basically still learning myself, so you and I aren't much different. Well, anyway, I know your dream, and now you know mine."
Hearing his words, Tenten thought of something, and immediately lit up, she said:
"Right! You promised to help me in my dream, and I promise to help you in yours. Even if I am not the strongest or most influential person, but I promise to support you and help you in your goal."
A little surprised by her words, Naruto was slightly embarrassed, and with a slight blush, he asked:
"Help with the clan... and with the family...?" Naruto wasn't sure what she was talking about, so he decided to ask directly.
After looking at Naruto for a while, and slightly blinking her eyes, not quite understanding what the matter was, Tenten replied:
"Well… yes, you promised to help me, so I promise to help you with the formation and revival of your clan!"
She said it with such a smile that Naruto turned even redder and didn't even know if he understood correctly that she offered him what he thought or not. Since he didn't quite know how else she could help him with the formation and "rebirth" of his clan.
Tenten herself did not see anything strange in her words, and after they parted ways, Tenten abruptly stopped on the way to her house, and with a red and panicked face, she suddenly realized her past words:
"W… WHAT THE HELL DID I TELL HIM? Oh kami!" Taking a deep breath, she thought, "I hope Naruto didn't think I was weird? Uuh... How can I look into his eyes after this..."
The girl was so embarrassed that steam was literally coming out of her head. Now she understands why Naruto had such a reaction. But then, she remembered the most unexpected, and at the same time exciting moment for her:
"He… really accepted my words… and said that… he's counting on me…" Tenten's cheeks turned red again, which she wanted to hide quickly, so she quickened her pace to hide in her room as soon as possible. When she got to her room, she buried her head in the pillow, thinking about how wonderful today was for her.
At the same time, red-faced Naruto was studying the message that had appeared from the system.
[Mission "Mother's Will" completed successfully.]
[Goal - Successfully complete your first date.]
[Reward - Optimization of thought neural channels. (Effect: 5% Improved thinking and reaction speed.) Implementation time is 12 hours.]
After reading everything that was written, Naruto shouted indignantly:
"WHAT THE HECK IS THIS MISSION?" Naruto clearly had enough embarrassing things.
"And what is this vague goal? When did a walk with a friend become a date, and by the way, what are the criteria for a successful date, System-chan?"
Having received no response from the system, Naruto decided to ask the question to the next person associated with this mission - his mother.
With those thoughts, Naruto hurried back to his apartment, thinking about what a wonderful day it was for him along the way.
* * * * TSoL * * * *
This chapter was more about building a closer relationship between Naruto and Tenten, so there was nothing more to it than their interaction, but I hope you enjoyed it anyway.
In the next chapter, we will return to training, and see how Ino will now feel about Naruto, and how this will affect the others.
* * * * *
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