Chapter 181: Prelude to Opening the Heart
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
In an instant, Naruto's figure began multiplying across the training ground like bamboo shoots after rain! Shadow clones nearly filled half the training ground, surrounding Satsuki in the center, each assuming a combat stance.
Satsuki saw Naruto actually use ninjutsu on this scale, scanning the densely packed "Narutos" around her.
The next moment, the shadow clones moved! Like a tidal wave, they rushed toward Satsuki from all directions, launching a siege!
Satsuki gritted her teeth, her body spinning and dodging like a whirlwind, fists, feet, elbows, and knees all becoming the sharpest weapons!
Bang! One clone was struck in the chest by her elbow, sent flying backward, but didn't disperse—just staggered to steady itself before charging again! Smack! Another clone was swept in the neck by her roundhouse kick, similarly only pushed back several steps! Thud! Her straight punch knocked back a frontally attacking clone, but that clone shook its head and closed in again!
Her attacks were precise and swift, each time effectively repelling enemies, but... only repelling. These shadow clones seemed unusually "durable"—not a single one disappeared with a "poof" from her attacks.
Watching Satsuki begin to show signs of breathlessness under the clones' siege, her movements still fluid yet carrying a barely perceptible urgency, Naruto mixed among the clones while directing the attacks and spoke up with deliberately mocking tone:
"Hey! What's wrong, little Satsuki? Your punches are too weak, aren't they? So soft they can't even disperse shadow clones?"
"You're being a bit too weak. Really disappointing."
However, Satsuki still pressed her lips tightly, focusing entirely on dealing with the seemingly endless stream of shadow clones, apparently unaffected by his words.
Naruto's eyes sharpened as he decided to release his ultimate move. He took a deep breath and said clearly in a voice just loud enough for Satsuki to hear: "I... don't like weak women."
This sentence was like pressing a switch. The next moment—
Satsuki's eyes instantly transformed into the three-tomoe Sharingan! A cold and powerful chakra suddenly erupted from within her!
The next moment, Satsuki's attack method instantly changed! No longer just repelling—Bang! Poof! This time, her fist contained real power, directly dispersing a charging shadow clone into smoke!
Her movements became faster, each strike inevitably causing a shadow clone to disperse!
At the same time, her hands were rapidly forming seals! Just as she cleared the clones before her, Satsuki took a deep breath, her chest expanding—
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
An enormous fireball radiating terrifying heat suddenly shot from her mouth, blasting toward the remaining densely packed Naruto shadow clones ahead!
BOOM—!!!
The scorching flames instantly devoured all clones in its path, the violent explosion and heat distorting the air itself! Smoke dissipated rapidly like ice thrown onto a sizzling hot plate!
With just one strike, the remaining dozens of shadow clones were completely cleared!
Naruto appeared in the distance using Body Flicker, watching the massive roaring fireball and instantly cleared battlefield, feeling the oncoming heat wave. Rather than fear, he showed an extremely satisfied smile.
"Now that's more like it."
---
Satsuki breathed heavily, her chest rising and falling continuously. The three-tomoe Sharingan in her eyes had long since faded, returning to their original pitch black.
That all-out burst of power had nearly exhausted all her chakra, her body also feeling waves of weakness and soreness from overexertion.
After finally casting aside all concerns and truly entering a shinobi battle, Satsuki ultimately lost to Naruto's incredibly resilient Adamantine Sealing Chains.
Now, with the battle ended and restraints released, fatigue came flooding in like a tide. Satsuki slowly crouched to the ground, burying her flushed face between her knees. The intense battle had temporarily cooled her mind, allowing relatively calm thought.
A question floated to the surface: what exactly had she just been doing?
Why... did restoring their relationship to normal... require fighting like this first?
In a state where she could think calmly, Satsuki finally belatedly realized this point. Naruto seemed to have used this method to forcibly pull her out of that overly immersed, anxious "love-brained" state, reactivating her combat instincts and competitive spirit as a shinobi.
However, after understanding this, an inexplicable sense of grievance uncontrollably welled up.
It seemed this "love-brain" was completely incurable.
Why... did it have to be this way? Even though her rational mind understood Naruto did this for her good, to break the stalemate, emotionally she still couldn't help feeling a little resentful.
Honestly, since long, long ago, she hadn't liked the feeling of crossing swords and fighting with Naruto at all... it made her heart very uncomfortable.
Watching Satsuki curled up on the ground after the battle, radiating dejection and grievance, Naruto put away his combat sharpness and slowly walked forward.
"Alright," his voice returned to its usual gentleness, "looks like I won this time. Let's go, I have some things I want to say to you."
He looked around. "But let's change locations. This place isn't quite suitable."
With that, Naruto naturally extended his hand, wanting to help Satsuki up.
However, Satsuki shrank back like a petulant child, avoiding his touch. She buried her face deeper, her voice muffled from between her knees, carrying obvious sulking: "...You go first. Don't worry about me. I want to be alone for a while."
Seeing this stubborn yet vulnerable Satsuki, Naruto had already decided that no matter what, he had to make things clear today—he couldn't delay any longer.
So without any hesitation, he bent down directly, his arms passing under her armpits and behind her knees, easily lifting the weakened, nearly weightless Satsuki in a princess carry, then adjusting to carry her steadily on his back.
"Ah!" Satsuki was startled by this sudden action, instinctively crying out softly.
"Not happening," Naruto said without looking back. "We must talk things through today. I won't leave you here alone to overthink."
Satsuki lay on Naruto's back, her whole body freezing. Her cheeks instantly flushed uncontrollably red. She could clearly feel Naruto's body warmth through their clothes, could even hear his heartbeat.
She instinctively wanted to struggle, say something petulant like "put me down," but her body craved this warmth and sense of security, unable to produce even the slightest resistance.
Finally, she only twisted slightly in token protest before completely giving up, letting Naruto carry her exhausted body step by step away from the training ground.
And that small grievance from the combat method and being "forcibly" pulled from her comfort zone rapidly melted in this dependence and intimate contact. Replacing it was an indescribable fullness and peace filling her heart.
She quietly pressed her burning cheek against Naruto's back, closed her eyes, and felt this warmth that belonged only to her.
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