Uchiha Itachi hadn't anticipated the situation would unfold like this before coming here.
Seeing the girl's dejected expression, Itachi's already sensitive nature was overwhelmed by guilt.
I was clearly spying… well, not really spying, just… ugh, anyway, it's my fault, right?
Itachi, at six years old, was still a child. Though precocious, he wasn't yet capable of deep-seated scheming.
If this were a few years later, after he'd witnessed Obito kill his comrades, things might be different.
After all, even then, Itachi could already mask his anger from his father.
"That's not the case. You didn't disturb me at all. Please, let me explain. I'll tell you everything that happened that day."
Uchiha Itachi finally decided to tell the truth.
Looking at the polite Uchiha Itachi, even Naraku could see the guilt within him.
What exactly was he feeling guilty about? Could it be that she had acted too convincingly?
She was a bit of a monster...
Wait.
She couldn't soften. She was a green tea bitch, a white lotus, and she couldn't give up like this. It was for her life, for the pure, blue world.
She had to con him!
"Alright, let's talk while we train, then."
Naraku smiled, a smile like a beautiful white lotus.
...
A few minutes later.
"So that's how it is. Does this mean you train around here every day? You're working so hard. Is it so you won't disappoint the clan leader?"
Uchiha Naraku continued to pummel the tree, freely pouring out the sweat of her youth.
Finally, with a loud CRASH.
Poor Tree Number One could no longer bear the weight and collapsed to the ground, without even leaving a last word.
Naraku then moved to another spot and found Tree Number Two, which was already trembling.
Then, she threw out a left punch, followed by a lightning-fast right punch that struck Tree Number Two's body.
Big Tree No. 2: ...
"No, actually… well, I suppose so."
Uchiha Itachi hesitated as he spoke. After silently throwing four shuriken, he added:
"I think… some things, I mean in the entire ninja world, some things are wrong. But without strength, you can't stop anything, so…"
Naraku looked at Uchiha Itachi in surprise. How old was this boy? Six or seven? Already thinking so deeply?
Although Naraku felt she might be able to brainwash Itachi early, their relationship wasn't that close yet, so she didn't respond.
"Naraku, are you training in the Konoha Steel Fist Style? That's amazing for a girl."
Seeing Naraku's surprised and hesitant expression, he realized his words might have been a bit strange. Maybe she didn't like talking about these kinds of topics.
He simply changed the subject.
"Steel Fist Style? I don't know much about it, I just train like this."
[Congratulations Host, your Rallying Cry skill has reached the novice proficiency level.]
Hearing the system's notification, Naraku smiled happily.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Itachi, who was training with shurikens while sneaking glances at Naraku, was also affected by her joy.
Training with Naraku made the tedious practice seem…more interesting?
"Naraku, why are you working so hard? Is it also because you don't want to disappoint your father?"
Naraku was taken aback by Itachi's words.
For what? Of course, to beat you until you're bawling your eyes out in five years!
Of course, Naraku wouldn't tell him that.
"It's not… My parents are gone. They were unfortunately crushed by falling rocks during the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox Incident…"
Perhaps because of the original owner's memories, when she spoke about this, even though it was a green tea act, Naraku managed to make it sound genuine.
[Your favorability with Uchiha Itachi has increased, rewarding 10 currency.]
Seeing more currency come in, Naraku smiled. Before Itachi could even comfort her, she continued on her own:
"But it's okay, it's all in the past. It's just that sometimes I think, if I had the power back then, maybe I could have changed that tragic ending."
"So, I understand what Itachi-kun said. Some things, if you don't have the power, you can't change anything."
Uchiha Itachi stared blankly at the beautiful girl before him. She was so strong, so optimistic! Even though her parents were gone, she kept striving for her dreams.
She was truly amazing!
[Your favorability with Uchiha Itachi has increased, earning 40 currency.]
(40 points, wow!)
Naraku watched Itachi, stunned by her words. She was secretly pleased.
Indeed, her guess was completely correct. How long had it been?
Fifteen minutes? She'd already earned 70 currency points, plus the 10 she'd gotten last time.
Naraku even thought that if she put in a little more effort, it wouldn't be difficult to get enough points for a lottery draw today.
After spending some time together, Uchiha Itachi felt that his relationship with Naraku had improved considerably.
He still had his father, mother, and Sasuke for company, but the girl in front of him was all alone.
Thinking about this, Itachi secretly vowed that if he had time, he would come and often keep Naraku company, chatting and training.
As a friend…
Time flew by, and half a month had passed in the blink of an eye.
As dusk approached, Uchiha Naraku was still sweating profusely in the training ground.
Haymaker, Knockout Blow!
Chakra quickly gathered in her hands, and Naraku's figure moved like a small cheetah, rapidly approaching a huge rock.
Then, Naraku leaped high and slammed her fist onto the massive stone.
The powerful force of the punch enveloped the entire rock, instantly shattering it.
Naraku flipped backwards and landed steadily on her feet.
She had been training with the skills brought by the Sett Card for a while now.
Yes, following Rallying Cry, Naraku had unlocked two more skills: Haymaker and Knockout Blow.
In addition, Naraku's attribute values had also improved somewhat.
But most of the improvements came from the rewards of the lottery. In these two weeks, Naraku had done three lotteries, and she had drawn:
10 Chakra, 10 Taijutsu, 10 Speed.
In short, gacha is king, and training is only useful for increasing proficiency.
So now, for Naraku, Uchiha Itachi is the most important aid to getting stronger.
As for the oath he made earlier, he'd long since tossed it to the back of his mind.
After all, well, you know how it is.
Currently, Naraku's stats are as follows:
[Character Card: Uchiha Naraku] [Character Management - Not Activated] [Character Attributes] Chakra: 45 (Genin) Taijutsu: 50 (Chuunin) Speed: 40 (Genin) Genjutsu: 15 (Academy) Skills: Three Body Techniques (Proficient), Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique (Mastered), Rallying Cry (Proficient), Haymaker (Expert), Knockout Blow (Expert). Currency: 40 points. Naraku nodded in satisfaction as she looked at her attribute panel.
The biggest change was his relationship with Uchiha Itachi; the two were now quite familiar with each other.
They often trained together or simply chatted.
Calling them friends wouldn't be an exaggeration at all.
In the forest on the edge of Konoha.
Four agile figures were leaping through the trees.
Suddenly, the man in the lead waved his hand, and all four of them stopped in unison.
"Konoha is ahead. Everyone, be careful. This infiltration mission is of utmost importance."
Four people stood on the trees, all dressed in dark ninja attire. They all wore matching headbands on their foreheads.
On the headbands were three clouds floating in mid-air.