Just as Choji turned his head—
Thump! Thump!
His heart skipped a beat.
There, outside the shop, sat the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.
Golden hair. Bright blue eyes. Soft, glowing skin. She had a peaceful expression on her face as she smiled and chatted casually with Sasuke.
Her hair was short, a little boyish maybe, but Choji didn't care. To him, she looked like someone from a dream.
Choji's jaw dropped. A blush bloomed across his round cheeks.
"Shikamaru…" he whispered, tugging at his friend's sleeve like a child seeing candy. "I… I think I'm in love."
Shikamaru, lost in thought about an earlier incident, blinked.
"You what?" he asked, eyebrows raised.
He was about to make Choji repeat himself, but one glance at his friend's dazed, love-struck face told him he'd heard it right the first time.
Choji kept sneaking glances in the same direction.
He followed his gaze, narrowing his eyes.
Sasuke was definitely sitting with someone. From their angle, the figure's clothes were partially visible —
Orange jacket. Spiky blond hair.
Choji hadn't noticed. But Shikamaru—well, he noticed everything.
It didn't take a genius to realize who that "girl" really was.
From a distance, sure, it could be mistaken. Delicate face. Calm smile. But the clothes and hair gave it away.
That wasn't a girl.
That was Naruto.
Shikamaru stared blankly for a moment, then rubbed his forehead like he was already getting a headache.
"…Choji," he said carefully, "let's go."
"H-Hold on," Choji murmured dreamily, eyes still glued to the scene. "That girl's kinda…"
Before he could finish, Shikamaru grabbed his arm and started pulling him away.
"You'll thank me later," he muttered, dragging his lovestruck friend down the street.
Choji resisted slightly, looking back. "But—!"
"Nope. Not another word."
Behind them, Naruto shivered suddenly. He looked around, confused.
"Why do I feel like someone just misunderstood something… "
Meanwhile…
After hearing Naruto's full story, Sasuke stood up without a word and walked away.
Naruto blinked. Hey! Don't you have anything to say? You just left like that? he thought, frowning.
In his mind, Sasuke instantly transformed into a gossip-hungry old aunt—one of those types who listens to juicy stories and vanishes without saying a word. Naruto puffed his cheeks in irritation.
Still, it was peaceful again. He had finished eating, so he just sat back in his seat to relax.
That's when he noticed a strand of black hair on the table.
It wasn't his. It had to be Sasuke's.
And just like that, a lightbulb went off in Naruto's head.
Wait a second… I still have an empty slot for bloodline development!
He had two slots on the panel and had only used one. His main goal? Collect as many DNA samples as possible.
Bloodlines. Kekkei Genkai. He'd read all about how they boosted power and unlocked rare abilities. If he wanted to catch up—and surpass everyone—this was how.
His fingers brushed the black hair.
Suddenly, a soft golden glow shimmered before his eyes as the panel lit up.
---
[Golden Panel Interface]
[Analyze]
[Samples]
---
Naruto clicked on Samples and immediately saw the newly added hair listed.
He selected Analyze, revealing two slots:
Slot 1: Uzumaki Bloodline — Developing...
Slot 2: [+] — Empty
He selected the empty one. A prompt appeared:
[Insert Sample]
Without hesitation, Naruto confirmed the black hair as the sample. The screen flashed.
---
[Analysis in Progress…
Time Remaining: 10 Hours]
---
"It's even longer than the last time," Naruto muttered, slumping back in his seat.
Still, it was no big deal. If this worked, he'd gain access to Sasuke's bloodline. Maybe even the Sharingan.
Just thinking about it made him grin.
He looked up at the sky, the clouds lazily drifting by.
Everything felt lighter.
He got up, dusted off his pants, and made his way home. Everyone else had already headed back, and tomorrow would be another busy day.
The next morning...
Naruto hadn't even opened his eyes properly before his hand shot out, fingers swiping through the air.
"C'mon, c'mon…" he mumbled groggily.
With a soft golden shimmer, the familiar panel appeared before him, hovering in the air like a glowing scroll.
---
Sample Identified: Uchiha Lineage
Kekkei Genkai: Sharingan
Chakra Nature: Fire, Lightning, Yin
Time Required: 5 Years
[ Develop Bloodline ]
---
Naruto sat up straight, wide-eyed. "Five years?!"
His jaw dropped.
"Seriously? Even my Uzumaki bloodline only needed eight months—and that started at 60%!"
The panel glowed softly, uncaring.
Naruto leaned back, groaning. "Five whole years… that's a joke, right?"
He stared at the number. It didn't change.
Still, as annoyed as he was, he couldn't deny the excitement bubbling up inside.
This was the Uchiha bloodline. The Sharingan. One of the most powerful Kekkei Genkai in the world.
How could he not take this chance?
Grumbling, Naruto tapped the button.
---
[Development Initiated…]
[ Development Panel ]
• Uzumaki Bloodline
Purity : 62.05%
Time Remaining: 7 Months, 29 Days
• Uchiha Bloodline
Purity : 0.01%
Time Remaining: 4 Years, 11 Months, 29 Days
---
Naruto stared at the glowing progress bars, then let out a long exhale.
"It's gonna be a long ride," he muttered. "But worth it."
His eyes lit up. "If I train hard, like yesterday, I might be able to cut down the time. A year, maybe?"
It was wishful thinking. But he liked wishful thinking.
He threw off his blanket and jumped to his feet. The sun had barely risen, but he was already fired up.
"No more wasting time!" he said aloud. "Gotta finish my missions, then start serious training."