In the early morning, on the small clearing on the back mountain Kakashi usually used for training—which was actually a short distance from the main training ground—Naruto was waiting with Satsuki.
The reason they weren't directly at the training site was probably "thanks" to those two overly enthusiastic, or rather, extremely noisy, youthful master and disciple.
Since Kakashi would be late as usual, Naruto would wait with Satsuki until Kakashi leisurely arrived.
Perhaps because this was the first time she would be separated from Naruto for a long period of training, Satsuki seemed particularly clingy.
After quietly enjoying the breakfast Naruto had carefully prepared, Naruto estimated the time, thinking Kakashi should be arriving soon, and prepared to get up and leave.
Seeing Naruto about to go, Satsuki suddenly reached out, gently took Naruto's wrist, shook it slightly with a small movement, looked up, and whispered.
"Naruto... today, you... will come to pick me up too, right?"
This was something the two of them had agreed upon long ago, but Satsuki's eyes clearly showed a hint of cautious pleading, as if she was afraid he would forget.
Facing this sudden, heart-touching display of affection, Naruto responded almost without hesitation, using his most affirmative tone.
"Mm, of course. We agreed."
Hearing this definite answer, Satsuki lowered her head slightly, a small, yet clearly happy, curve forming on her lips. Then she softly replied.
"...Mm. Then I'll wait for you."
Then, as if having made some kind of decision, Satsuki took a deep breath, suddenly looked up, her dark eyes gazing directly into Naruto's, her tone becoming exceptionally serious as she spoke each word.
"Naruto, I will... study very, very hard."
She paused slightly, her voice unconsciously becoming even softer, carrying a hint of shy warmth, "...So, I will also... miss you very, very much."
Finally, before truly turning to leave, Satsuki naturally took a half-step forward, reached out, and gently and carefully adjusted Naruto's forehead protector, which was slightly askew, ensuring the Konoha symbol was squarely between his brows.
"Your forehead protector is a bit crooked," she explained softly.
After all this, Satsuki finally looked up and gave him a shallow, gentle smile, her usually somewhat cool eyes now seeming to hold the faint glow of early morning.
"Alright. Then... see you tonight."
With that, Satsuki finally turned and ran with firm steps towards the training ground, her figure soon disappearing into the morning mist and tree shadows of the forest.
Naruto, left alone, felt his cheeks flush slightly, uncontrollably. He subconsciously raised a hand and gently touched the edge of his forehead protector that Satsuki had just adjusted.
Satsuki... what's gotten into her today? How could she be... so gentle?
Precisely because it formed a huge contrast with her usual obvious "pride," these inadvertently revealed, already very cute actions were magnified countless times in Naruto's eyes, appearing exceptionally moving and gently tugging at his heartstrings.
On the other side, Satsuki arrived at the training ground, her face still bearing a faint blush that hadn't completely faded, clearly still feeling a bit shy about her proactive actions when parting with Naruto.
She deliberately ignored Might Guy and Rock Lee, who were passionately encouraging each other and undergoing high-intensity physical training in the center of the field.
Kakashi, leaning against a nearby tree trunk reading a book, moved his gaze from make-out paradise, glanced at Satsuki as she approached, and greeted her in his characteristic lazy tone.
"Yo, Satsuki, you're here. How is it? Your strategy of using 'following instinct' to increase your presence, which you came up with yourself, did it make Naruto more interested in you?"
"...Besides that, don't you have any other questions about training, Kakashi?"
Although her earlobes were still slightly red, Satsuki's tone quickly returned to her usual coolness when addressing Kakashi.
However, Kakashi wasn't about to let the topic go easily. He closed his book, his tone carrying good-natured teasing.
"Well, don't be so shy. As your teacher, I fully support you two developing a more intimate relationship."
Facing Kakashi's direct teasing, Satsuki's mind involuntarily replayed Naruto's stunned, then slightly blushing, expression. She turned her face slightly, with a hint of uncertainty, but still admitted in a low voice.
"It should... more or less... be a little effective, right...?"
— — — — — —
Meanwhile, after trying to suppress the subtle stirrings in his heart caused by Satsuki's uncharacteristic gentleness, Naruto also arrived on time at the forest clearing he had agreed upon with Jiraiya. However, looking around, he did not find Jiraiya's figure.
The agreed time had passed, and while Jiraiya was laid-back, he usually wasn't late without reason... Naruto probably guessed where his future teacher might have gone.
After a brief search, Naruto indeed found his target behind a dense thicket. Jiraiya was squatting there, his body leaning slightly forward, continuously emitting suppressed, infatuated chuckles.
"Heh heh... so beautiful... heh heh heh... it's like paradise..."
Naruto sighed helplessly, following Jiraiya's focused gaze towards the stream nearby. Sure enough, a small group of young women were playing by the water, dressed in cool swimsuits, and Jiraiya's eyes were fixed on them.
Well, although it was essentially still peeping, it was similar in nature to watching women in swimsuits on a public beach; at least it wasn't illegal, just prone to causing discomfort to others... Naruto decided to wait patiently for a while.
Finally, accompanied by the girls' chatter, "Ah, we're tired of playing, and so hungry, let's go back to the inn to eat!" they successively left the stream.
Only then did Jiraiya slowly stand up, reluctantly, brushing the grass off his knees with a lingering sense of enjoyment. Turning around, he met Naruto's calm, long-waiting gaze.
Realizing that his drooling, perverted appearance from moments ago had likely been fully observed by his future disciple, Jiraiya's old face instantly felt a bit awkward. He strategically coughed violently twice, trying to cover his embarrassment.
"Ahem... Oh! Naruto, you're here! Just in time!" He quickly straightened his back, adopting a serious master's posture, and awkwardly changed the subject, "Well then, without further ado, today I will teach you a very, very powerful Ninja technique!"
He made no mention of what he had been "observing" earlier, as if that moment of impropriety had never occurred.
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