Chapter 4: This dead last Actually Has Sharp Eyes?
After school, Uzumaki Naruto casually tossed his bag over his shoulder, stuffed his hands in his pockets, and hummed an unknown tune as he swaggered out of the school gates with an arrogant gait.
[Refreshed. This feels so good.]
Naruto felt the Chakra within his body. Yesterday, while cheering for Hinata on the playground, the feedback from her favorability came at just the right time; those difficult Chakra circulation routes in his body were much smoother now.
[The system didn't lie to me; pursuing girls really is the primary productive force. Cultivation? Even dogs wouldn't do it.]
Just as he was thinking this, two familiar figures appeared in his line of sight. Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka.
This pair of plastic besties were currently walking side-by-side. Although they seemed to be chatting and laughing on the surface, their words were laced with hidden competition.
"Ino Pig, Sasuke-kun looked at me for an extra second today. Did you notice?"
"Stop dreaming, Broad Forehead. He was looking at the birds outside the window."
The two engaged in a war of words, neither willing to back down.
Naruto stopped in his tracks, his eyes instantly lighting up.
[Oho, so these are the reserve candidates for the Golden Flowers of Konoha.]
His gaze bypassed the noisy Sakura and landed directly on Ino.
The long-haired blonde girl was wearing a short, purple midriff-baring top. Although her figure hadn't fully developed yet, the curve of that waistline...
Naruto subconsciously swallowed his saliva, his soul beginning to feel restless.
[Even though she's still fighting with Sakura over jealousy, if you ask me, that Sasuke kid is truly blind.]
[Look at Ino—tsk tsk—that slender waist. They aren't even in the same league, alright? Especially when she wears that midriff top, those back dimples are faintly visible... When she grows up, she'll definitely be the Belle of Konoha Village, a walking hormone.]
Further up the street.
Ino, who was about to retort to Sakura, suddenly froze.
Her head buzzed, and immediately following that, a golden light screen unfolded in her field of vision.
[ninja world sky screen · Activated]
[host: Ino Yamanaka]
[Current Linked Target: Uzumaki Naruto]
Before she could figure out what was happening, a string of shameless commentary scrolled across the light screen in that lazy and unique voice.
[Now look at Sakura—tch—she's just a landing pad right now, and in the future... at best she'll be a washboard. Ino is different; she's a growth stock. It would be such a waste if a top-tier girl like her ended up with that fake-smiling, paralyzed-facedSai later. Why don't I... hehe, let me think, if that waist started swaying...]
Ino's brain went "vroom," and she nearly dropped her school bag on the ground.
Sakura, who had been bickering with her, turned back strangely. "Hey, Ino Pig, why did you stop talking? Did I hit a sore spot?"
But Ino didn't hear a word Sakura was saying.
Her face turned beet red at a speed visible to the naked eye. She subconsciously reached out to cover her exposed midriff.
That voice... belonged to Naruto?!
Where was he looking?!
Waist... back dimples? And he wants to see me sway?
This perennial dead last, who usually looks like an idiot, actually has such lewd trash in his head?
More importantly, in his heart, he actually described the arrogant Sakura as worthless while praising her as the Belle of Konoha Village? He certainly has good taste, but that still doesn't change the fact that he's a pervert.
"Per... Pervert!"
Ino's cheeks were burning as she suddenly turned her head, her eyes quickly searching through the crowd.
Sure enough.
A dozen meters away, Naruto was standing there with his head tilted at a forty-five-degree angle toward the sky, seemingly admiring the sunset clouds. However, the wretched smile on the corners of his mouth that he hadn't had time to pull back gave him away instantly.
However, before Ino could rush over to punch him, that so-called heavenly curtain erupted with piercing golden light once again.
[Target Detected: Ino Yamanaka.]
[Psychological State: Extreme shame, mixed with a sense of vanity from having her figure recognized by a "dead last she originally looked down on."]
[Judgment: This was an extremely successful LSP-style aesthetic strike.]
[Rewards are being distributed...]
A surge of mental energy poured into Ino's mind out of thin air.
This energy was cool and clear, possessing a strong sense of penetration.
The difficulty of the Yamanaka Clan's secret Mind Transfer Jutsu lay in the projection speed and accuracy of spiritual energy. At this moment, Inowas horrified to find that her spiritual energy had become incredibly sharp and precise.
Everything in her field of vision slowed down.
She could even clearly see the frequency of a fly flapping its wings dozens of meters away. If she wanted to, her spirit could instantly occupy the fly's body before it could even react.
[Reward Obtained: Mental Secret Technique · Mind Transfer Jutsu casting speed +30%]
[Bonus: Enhanced Perception Sensitivity]
This...
Ino was stunned. The hand covering her stomach slowly lowered, and most of the anger in her heart dissipated, leaving only disbelief.
Just by being praised by that idiot through his fantasies... I became stronger?
The elders in the clan might not even be able to increase their casting speed by ten percent after practicing for over a decade, yet I... just broke through so inexplicably?
The way she looked at Naruto changed. It was no longer with the previous disdain and disregard, but as if looking at a monster—both fearful and curious.
What on earth is he?
Meanwhile, Naruto was completely unaware of this.
[Ding!]
[Detected target "Ino Yamanaka" experiencing a roller-coaster-like emotional fluctuation.]
[Congratulations to the host for obtaining the reward: Slight increase in maximum Chakracapacity.]
[Current Favorability Judgment: This person is quite interesting.]
"Comfortable."
Naruto chuckled, completely ignoring Ino, who was staring at him in a daze, and turned to whistle as he ducked into a nearby alley.
This was only the beginning.
He hadn't even finished casting the net for his fish pond yet.
Left where she stood, Ino's entire body was still trembling slightly.
"Ino? What are you looking at?" Sakura followed her gaze in confusion, only seeing an empty alley entrance. "That way... it seems like only that idiot Naruto just walked past, right?"
"It's nothing."
Ino took a deep breath to calm her heartbeat. She subconsciously straightened her back, making her proud curves even more prominent.
"I just suddenly feel that... some people's eyes are indeed much better than a certain guy who only knows how to act cool."
Sakura:???
Did this woman take the wrong medicine?