Naruto: Naruto's Uchiha girlfriend is too arrogant

Chapter 181 The Prelude to Opening One's Heart

boom!boom!boom!boom!

In an instant, Naruto's figure began to spring up like mushrooms after rain on the training ground! Shadow clones almost filled half of the training ground, surrounding Sasuke in the center, each of them assuming a fighting stance.

When Sazuki saw that Naruto had actually used such a large-scale ninjutsu, he scanned the densely packed "Narutos" around him.

The next moment, the shadow clones moved! They surged towards Zuo Yue from all directions like a tidal wave, launching a siege!

Zuo Yue gritted her teeth, her body spinning and shifting like a whirlwind, her fists, feet, elbows, and knees all becoming the most lethal weapons!

Bang! One of her clones was struck in the chest by her elbow and sent flying backward, but it didn't dissipate. It just staggered and regained its balance before charging forward again! Snap! Another clone was swept across the neck by her spinning kick, and was similarly only knocked back a few steps! Thud! She knocked back the clone that was attacking from the front with a heavy punch, but the clone shook its head and closed in again!

Her attacks were precise and swift, each one effectively repelling the enemy, but... that was all. These shadow clones seemed to have become exceptionally "resistant," none of them disappearing with a "poof" from her attacks.

Seeing that Satsuki was starting to pant under the onslaught of the clones, his movements, though still fluid, revealed a hint of barely perceptible impatience, Naruto, mixed in with the clones, directed the attack while speaking, his tone deliberately sarcastic.

"Hey! What's wrong, Satsuki? Your punches are so weak! They're so soft, you can't even break through a shadow clone?"

"You're too weak, aren't you? That's really disappointing."

However, Zuo Yue kept her lips tightly pressed together, focusing entirely on dealing with the endless stream of shadow clones, seemingly unaffected by his words.

Naruto's eyes narrowed, deciding to unleash his final attack. He took a deep breath and spoke clearly, in a voice not loud but loud enough for Sasuke to hear, "I... don't like weak women."

These words were like flipping a switch. The next moment—

Satsuki's eyes instantly transformed into three-tomoe Sharingan! A cold yet powerful surge of chakra erupted from her body!

The next moment, Zuo Yue's attack method changed instantly! No longer a repulsion, bang! splat! This time, her fist contained real power, and with one punch, she directly smashed a charging shadow clone into a cloud of white smoke!

Her movements became faster, and with each attack, a shadow clone would inevitably disappear!

At the same time, her hands were rapidly forming hand seals! Just as she cleared away the clones in front of her, Zuo Yue took a deep breath, her chest expanding—

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

A gigantic, scorching fireball, radiating terrifying heat, suddenly spewed from her mouth and slammed into the remaining, densely packed Naruto shadow clones in front of her!

boom--!!!

The scorching flames instantly engulfed everything in their path, and the violent explosion and intense heat distorted the air! White smoke billowed and dissipated rapidly, like ice cubes thrown onto a scalding hot iron plate!

With a single strike, the remaining dozens of shadow clones were completely wiped out!

Naruto teleported to a distance, watching the massive fireball roaring towards him and the battlefield instantly cleared, feeling the heat wave rushing towards him. Far from being afraid, he revealed an extremely joyful smile.

"That's more like it."

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Satsuki was breathing heavily, her chest heaving. The three-tomoe Sharingan in her eyes had faded, returning to its original pitch black.

Her unrestrained burst of power had almost exhausted all her chakra, and her body felt weak and sore from the excessive exertion.

After finally setting aside all concerns and engaging in a true ninja duel, Sasuke was ultimately defeated by Naruto's incredibly resilient Adamantine Sealing Barrier.

Now, the battle was over, the restraints were gone, and exhaustion washed over her like a tidal wave. Zuo Yue slowly squatted down, burying her burning cheeks between her knees. The intense battle had temporarily cooled her mind, allowing her to think more calmly.

And a question then arose in my mind: what exactly was I doing just now?

Why... do we need to have a fight like this to restore our relationship to normal?

In a state where she could think calmly, Satsuki finally realized this belatedly. It seemed that Naruto had forcibly pulled her out of her overly immersed and anxious "love-struck" state, reactivating her fighting instincts and competitive spirit as a ninja.

However, after realizing this, a strange sense of grievance welled up uncontrollably in my heart.

It seems this "love-obsessed" mentality is completely incurable.

Why... did it have to be this way? Even though she rationally understood that Naruto was doing it for her own good and to break the deadlock, she couldn't help but feel a little resentful.

To be honest, ever since a long, long time ago, she has never liked the feeling of facing Naruto with swords and fighting each other... It makes her feel very uncomfortable.

Naruto looked at Satsuki, who was curled up on the ground after the battle, exuding a sense of dejection and grievance. He then suppressed his fighting spirit and slowly walked over to her.

"Alright," his voice returned to its usual gentle tone, "it seems I've won this time. Let's go then, I have something I want to tell you."

He looked around. "However, let's go somewhere else. This place isn't quite right."

As he spoke, Naruto naturally reached out his hand, wanting to help Satsuki up.

However, Zuo Yue, like a child throwing a tantrum, abruptly pulled her hand away, avoiding his touch. She buried her face even deeper, her voice muffled from between her knees, clearly tinged with sullenness. "...You go first. Don't worry about me. I want to be alone for a while."

Seeing Satsuki's awkward and vulnerable state, Naruto had already decided that he had to make things clear today no matter what, and couldn't delay any longer.

Without any hesitation, he bent down, put his arms under Zuo Yue's armpits and knees, and easily lifted Zuo Yue, who was not very heavy due to exhaustion, into a princess carry. He then adjusted his position and carried her steadily on his back.

"Ah!" Satsuki was startled by this sudden action and instinctively let out a soft cry.

"No way," Naruto said without turning his head, "We have to get this straight today. I'm not going to leave you here to overthink things."

Satsuki, lying on Naruto's back, froze completely. Her cheeks instantly flushed red uncontrollably; she could clearly feel the warmth of Naruto's body through his clothes and even hear his heartbeat.

She instinctively wanted to struggle and say something like "put me down," but her body craved the warmth and security, and she couldn't muster even the slightest thought or action to resist.

In the end, she only made a symbolic slight twist before giving up completely, letting Naruto carry her tired body away from the training ground step by step.

The slight resentment I felt due to the fighting style and being "forced" out of my comfort zone quickly melted away in this reliance and intimate contact. In its place was an indescribable sense of satisfaction and peace of mind.

She quietly pressed her burning cheek against Naruto's back, closed her eyes, and savored the warmth that belonged only to her.

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(Because the author wrote this during their break at work, the remaining two chapters will probably be posted late at night.)