... What a fix!
Naruto's heart was instantly filled with huge question marks, and he was completely stunned. This isn't right, is it? Why would the Third Hokage intentionally arrange for me and Satsuki to fight? Isn't this kind of electronic lottery system manipulable?
Making me and Satsuki fight internally, isn't this clearly meant to reduce Konoha's advancement slots in advance? Or is it... this thing is really completely random? Then the luck is too bad!
In the stands, Kakashi's usually lazy, half-closed eye instantly widened, staring at the electronic screen in disbelief. What a joke... This match result is like a cruel joke played by fate.
And at this moment, Satsuki's mind was in chaos. How could this happen... How could her luck be so bad?! Why, of all people, is it Naruto... Not to mention whether Satsuki can beat him... Satsuki doesn't want to fight Naruto at all... Should she... just concede?
But then, a strong sense of unwillingness surged into her heart. Is her Chunin Exams going to end in such a humiliating way?
However, the thoughts of the onlookers outside the arena, who didn't deeply understand the special relationship between Naruto and Satsuki, were completely different.
Whether it was the Jonin in the examiner's seats or the squad leaders, they all cast their gazes towards the center of the arena with great interest, anticipating what kind of fierce sparks would fly from this duel, which the Third Hokage had hailed as between the "Strongest Genin" and the "Uchiha Genius."
Under everyone's gaze, the two walked to the center of the arena, each with their own thoughts. Gekkō Hayate briefly announced in his characteristic weak voice, lingering with a cough, "Then... please begin." He then retreated a few steps, leaving the space to the two combatants.
But—one second, two seconds, three seconds... Time quietly passed, yet the two on the field still stood opposite each other, without any movement.
Are they being wary of each other, looking for weaknesses? Someone guessed.
No, if one were close enough, one could clearly see that Uchiha Satsuki's face was not tactical calm at all, but obvious unease and indecision.
Naruto noticed Satsuki's state. She looked... more distressed than he did. Is it because she doesn't want to fight me?
Combining Satsuki's prolonged inaction, he quickly understood her inner struggle.
A peculiar feeling surged into Naruto's heart. This was the Uchiha Clan, born with battle-loving blood... yet now they would resist fighting because they didn't want to hurt the opponent. Of course, this reason was probably only because the opponent was Naruto that she would be like this.
So, how should he choose at this moment? Concede proactively, giving Satsuki the victory and the chance to advance? Or remain silent, waiting for Satsuki to concede first, allowing him to advance?
...No, neither of these methods is the optimal solution. No matter the outcome, this hastily concluded duel, which never truly engaged, would become an irreparable regret in both of their Chunin Exams memories.
Thinking of this, Naruto made up his mind. He absolutely couldn't let it end this way. He had to ensure that Satsuki's exam left no unwillingness or regret!
Outside the arena, seeing that the two hadn't moved for a long time, most of the audience looked puzzled and started whispering to each other.
Sakura and Uchiha Fugaku in the stands both watched the movements in the arena anxiously. Kakashi, on the other hand, listened helplessly to Might Guy's incessant commentary beside him. "Why hasn't Naruto started sweating the youth? With his strength, that Uchiha kid shouldn't be his opponent, right!"
Kakashi at this moment even felt a little envious of Guy's abnormally thick skin.
Finally, just as Satsuki made some kind of decision, took a slight breath, and was about to raise her arm to concede—
"Wait, Satsuki."
Naruto's clear voice rang out, interrupting her movement.
Looking at Satsuki, who froze at his words and looked at him with confused eyes, Naruto continued. He not only wanted to break the current stalemate but also to make Satsuki understand that their battle was not a meaningless internal struggle, and at the same time, he wanted to help her shed that unnecessary burden.
"Are you perhaps thinking that fighting me here is meaningless, just consuming each other's strength?"
"Or even... you think that if you win against me, it will embarrass me, and if you lose to me, it will make you seem unworthy of standing beside me, right?"
Struck so precisely in her thoughts, Satsuki stiffened, as if bound by invisible threads. The struggles she tried to avoid by conceding, the unspeakable dilemmas, were now laid bare by Naruto in such a direct way, making a wave of hotness, mixed with shock and embarrassment, rush to her cheeks.
Naruto didn't give her a chance to hide, his gaze firmly locking onto her eyes that tried to evade, and continued, "But you've got one thing wrong. Our purpose in standing here today has never been to 'defeat' each other."
"Instead, it's to prove to each other—to prove that every step we've taken, every drop of sweat we've shed, has its irreplaceable value."
At this point, Naruto scratched his hair a little awkwardly, his tone tinged with self-deprecation. "Haha, sorry, I just said so much profound stuff again. I'm clearly the worst at this kind of lecturing..."
But this hint of awkwardness was quickly put away, and he brought the topic back to the core.
"Satsuki, do you remember when we first started training together?" His tone softened, carrying the warmth of memory, "Back then, we would spend an entire afternoon climbing trees just to master a basic C-rank Ninjutsu, falling and getting covered in mud."
He deliberately brought up their shared past, when she was still green, clumsy, yet incredibly diligent, his words carrying warm teasing and a clear contrast.
"But now, you can stand here with dignity, advancing with me into the final preliminaries of the Chunin Exams. This in itself is a magnificent flower that has already bloomed proudly."
When did Satsuki stop wanting to fight Naruto with all her strength? This question flashed through Naruto's mind. Clearly, back in the Ninja Academy, she was always the most eager to spar with him, and in every practice, her eyes sparkled with excitement and competitiveness.
It was after that night... after the Uchiha Clan massacre. That day, the system kept prompting Satsuki's soaring favorability as if it had malfunctioned.
Since then, Satsuki never proactively sought Naruto for training again, and even during taijutsu practice at the academy, she became gloomy and hesitant in her attacks.
"And this battle today," Naruto's voice pulled her thoughts back to reality, "is not for us to fight to the death, to contend for that sole fruit called 'victory.'"
"It is another flower, a flower called 'respect'—respect for our initial meeting, respect for our growth along the way, and also respect for this Ninja path we have chosen together."
"Only by letting these flowers of effort continually bloom can we truly usher in that 'fruitful' season someday in the future."
Finally, he stepped back, solemnly raised both hands, and steadily formed the "Confrontation Seal."
This gesture was both the ritual for the start of a Ninja duel and his sincere, undeniable invitation to Satsuki.
"So, Uchiha Satsuki."
"Please show me everything you have. Your hesitation, your progress, your determination... present all of your 'process' from this journey to me without reservation."
"This is the highest respect I, as your only fellow traveler, can give you."
He gazed into her eyes, making a solemn promise.
"And I, too, will respond to you with my whole self."
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