69novels Chapter 29 You Are My First Friend
Chapter 29 You Are My First Friend
"Hmm?" Upon hearing Nohara Rin's words, Uchiha Ike let out a nasal sound and looked over with some surprise: "A friend?"
Meeting the boy's gaze, Nohara Rin's fingers, which were rubbing the ends of her hair, froze, and her ears grew increasingly red.
She looked away, her voice so soft she could barely hear herself: "No, it's nothing..."
"Thank you, Lin."
A clear, melodious voice gently interrupted the girl's murmur.
Rin Nohara tilted her head, pointing somewhat confusedly to the purple markings on her face: "Thank you...me?"
"Um."
Nohara Rin's eyes widened suddenly, and she asked, "Why?"
"Because..." Uchiha Ike crossed his arms, rested his chin on them, and said with a smile, "You are the first person who wants to be my friend."
Nohara Rin blinked rapidly, taking a few seconds to understand the meaning of those words.
"Really!?" Nohara Rin covered her mouth in surprise and almost stood up from her chair.
She originally thought that Uchiha Ike had very few friends, and that they were limited to those in the Ninja Academy.
After all, the Uchiha is such a large and prestigious ninja clan. Even if Uchiha Ike is aloof, he must have one or two close friends who grew up together in the clan, right?
There really weren't any...
But she realized the next second that her attitude was wrong.
This is clearly not a good thing no matter how you look at it, so why am I acting so happy?
So she lowered her eyebrows, pursed her lips, and asked sympathetically, "Really?"
[A joyful cheer from Rin Nohara has been detected!]
[Gain 15 points and increase defense by 3%!]
"..."
Uchiha Ike glanced at the word "jubilant" on the system, then looked at Nohara Rin, whose face was full of worry.
After a two-second silence, he nodded affirmatively and said, "Really."
Okay!
Nohara Rin clenched her fist under the wooden table and silently cheered herself up.
"Then, Ike-kun," she raised her oval face, looking expectantly at Uchiha Ike, "are we friends now?"
Her tone was as gentle and quiet as ever, but it carried an inexplicable unease.
"Actually, I should be the one asking that question." Uchiha Ike looked somewhat worried, cautiously glancing at Nohara Rin: "Are you really willing to be friends with someone like me?"
"Of course I'm willing!" Nohara Rin said decisively.
Hearing her answer without any hesitation, Uchiha Ike smiled sincerely.
#
Half an hour later.
At the entrance of Uchiha Ike's house.
"I'm so sorry I got your blanket dirty, I'll definitely wash it clean and return it to you!"
Nohara Rin hugged the brown blanket she had soiled, her cheeks slightly flushed, and kept bowing her head to apologize.
Actually, she rarely cries, but she didn't sleep well all night yesterday. In addition, her physical condition has been unusual these past few days, and she had been exposed to the cold wind outside the Uchiha Pond for so long, so her emotions suddenly became unusually fragile.
When Uchiha Ike returned, instead of apologizing, she received emotional support first.
Furthermore, noticing that his expression was off, the other person retrieved this warm blanket from the bedroom...
This thoughtful gesture made Nohara Rin unable to hold back her tears.
"It's alright, it's alright." Uchiha Ike waved his hand with a light laugh, then asked with concern, "Do you know the way? Do you want me to give you a ride?"
Nohara Rin nodded, her delicate oval face beaming with a gentle smile:
"Don't worry, Mr. Chi, I know the way. I'll just walk slowly."
"Aren't you supposed to be practicing? Go ahead and get busy... Good luck!"
She clenched her fist at Uchiha Ike, striking an adorable cheering pose.
Uchiha Ike nodded upon hearing this, said no more, and closed the door.
"Thank you for your encouragement, Rin Nohara. I will do my best."
After saying that, he turned and left.
Watching Uchiha Ike's receding figure, Nohara Rin pouted unhappily.
"Why are you still calling me classmate...?"
However, feeling the warmth of the blanket in her arms, her displeasure quickly disappeared, replaced by a faint blush hidden by the purple pattern.
"Never mind, I'll have him change it next time I come to return the blanket."
#
The Forest of Death.
Towering trees, some tens of meters tall, intertwine and crisscross, creating a unique landscape.
Vast expanses of leaves obscure the sky, and gnarled roots, thicker than an adult man's waist, entwine and monopolize all the sunlight and soil, making the entire space resemble a verdant cage.
This is the Forest of Death, a forbidden zone for life that no sentient being would venture into.
But now, beneath the once desolate shadows, two figures are constantly colliding and intersecting, shed the sweat unique to youth.
call out!
That's the sound of a hand chopping through the air.
boom!
That's the sound of fists slamming together.
boom—
This was the dull thud of a huge force being embedded into a tree trunk.
Creak, creak...
This is the sound of friction coming from inside the tree trunk.
Not long after.
The entire giant tree trembled violently, and then Matt Kai, dressed in a green tracksuit, sprang out from the trunk.
He performed five or six backflips in the air before landing steadily on the ground, the whole routine was incredibly skillful and fluid.
Once he had steadied himself, Matt Kai looked up, a broad smile on his face, and gave a thumbs-up to the figure perched on the branch:
"Ike-san, your strength is truly amazing!"
Faced with Might Guy's praise, Uchiha Ike smiled noncommittally.
In the past two days, he has been making time to train in the Death Forest with Matt Kai.
He did acquire a lot of taijutsu and ninjutsu, but if he doesn't adapt properly and tries to cram at the last minute during battle, it will look like he's practicing drunken boxing.
Just like the immense force he had seized the opportunity to unleash earlier, before he could even use it skillfully, it was cleverly deflected into the air by Might Guy.
Then Matt Kai flew higher than the giant trees in the Death Forest, shouting that it was so much fun and exciting. After landing, he begged him to do it a few more times.
Uchiha Ike felt that Might Guy was humiliating him, treating him like a human suicide machine, right?
Despite his red and warm appearance, his progress over the past two days of training has been quite remarkable.
He is now proficient in using all the abilities on the panel and can use them in combination at will.
"This time it really was all hard work and sweat..."
Uchiha Ike sighed, wiped the sweat from his forehead, glanced at the time displayed on the system, and realized that it was almost dinner time.
Let's call it a day.
He clapped his hands, jumped down from the branch, came to Matt Kai, grinned, and gave him a thumbs up: "Kai-san, thank you for sparring with me these past two days. You've really worked hard."
"Chi-san, I'm not tired at all! Seeing how quickly you've improved makes me genuinely happy, and..."
Matt Kai shook his head vigorously, tears welling in his eyes, and said, "This is the first time someone has asked me to be their sparring partner."
At this point, he rubbed his hands together and looked at Uchiha Ike with anticipation: "Am I your first friend, Ike-san?"
Uchiha Ike hesitated for a moment, then the formula "friends ≠ best friends" instantly flashed through his mind, before he decisively nodded and said:
"That's right, you are my first true friend!"
"A close friend...?"
Matt Kai's tears flowed down his face instantly, as if they were free.
His finger trembled as he pointed towards the setting sun, speaking firmly and forcefully:
"This is... youth..."