The room grew brighter and brighter.
Outside the window, cicadas chirped and sparrows sang.
Summer had arrived.
Chapter 13: I have already received the best thank you gift… Naruto's foundation, needless to say, was practically non-existent, a blank slate.
His potential was infinite.
Therefore, even with tutoring, this was an absolutely impossible task.
Fortunately, Hinata's patience also seemed endless.
Sometimes, Naruto himself felt he was too stupid, wondering why he always failed to understand, but Hinata maintained her gentle, shy smile, continuing to explain diligently to Naruto.
"Sorry, Hinata, am I too stupid?"
Hinata shook her head.
"No, Naruto-kun, I've never thought that…"
"Really?"
"Hmm… I, I've actually always admired Naruto-kun…"
"Admired me? For what?"
Hinata's cheeks flushed as she thought for a moment, then whispered,
"Naruto-kun is always so optimistic, cheerful, and full of energy. No matter how others see him or what they say about him, he never gets discouraged. He doesn't care about people's ridicule, and he never gives up, even against the genius Sasuke."
Naruto looked at Hinata's small face, opened his mouth, but then hesitated.
"Hinata, actually, I'm not as good as you say, and it's not that I don't care what others think, it's just…"
"I can't explain it well, but I just want to prove myself and show everyone who looks down on me."
Hinata smiled gently: "That's why Naruto-kun is so amazing…"
Looking at the girl's smile, Naruto's heart stirred slightly.
"Hinata, this is like the first time you've said so much…"
Hinata's face grew even redder, and she lowered her head.
"Because this is what I've always wanted to say to Naruto-kun."
"You might not remember, but once, when I was being bullied by a group of bad kids, it was Naruto-kun who stood up and saved me…"
Naruto rubbed his chin, recalling carefully.
"Hmm… Was there?"
Hinata smiled: "Of course there was. Since… since then, I've always paid attention to Naruto-kun. Your strength, your optimism, your effort, and your never-give-up attitude have all been my motivation to encourage myself…"
To a sensitive person, Hinata's words would have amounted to a confession.
But Naruto was completely unfazed, instead crossing his arms proudly.
"Is that so? Heh, it seems I really am amazing!"
Hinata nodded gently: "Yes, of course…"
Naruto immediately gained confidence, and then a sudden thought struck him.
"Ah!"
"I almost forgot about that!"
He suddenly remembered that he had gained his first ability, Knowledge Absorption, yesterday.
As long as he entered a state of complete concentration, he could greatly improve his understanding and mastery of knowledge!
Hinata tilted her head slightly.
"What?"
Naruto confidently patted his chest.
"Hinata, next, I'm going to go all out!"
"Don't be surprised!"
Although Hinata didn't understand what he was saying, she still nodded.
"Hmm… Okay."
Indeed.
Once Naruto entered a state of complete concentration, with the Knowledge Absorption ability, his understanding of Hinata's explanations instantly improved by several levels.
Not only was it less obscure, but he could even apply what he learned to similar situations.
This made Hinata both surprised and delighted.
The entire morning passed quietly as the two of them tutored.
Hinata glanced out the window.
The sun was high in the sky.
She said somewhat flustered: "Naruto-kun, I… I only took half a day off, it's time for me to go back."
"Took time off? Isn't today the weekend?"
Hinata said helplessly: "Yes, I asked my father for time off…"
"Because…"
"Anyway, I need to complete a lot of training this afternoon, so I probably won't be able to continue tutoring Naruto-kun."
"If there's another opportunity, I'll let Naruto-kun know in advance."
Even Naruto, as thick-headed as he was, could understand at this point.
He scratched his head and chuckled dryly: "You're, you're right. I can't just think of myself; Hinata also needs to train hard!"
"But… are you just leaving like that?"
"I haven't even expressed my thanks yet!"
Hinata stood up, walked to the door, and with a shy, flushed face, looked back and smiled, waving at Naruto.
"No… no need, Naruto-kun."
"I've already received the best thank you gift."
She said goodbye, then turned and left with a flushed face, and soon the hurried sound of her going downstairs could be heard, as if she was very embarrassed, like a fleeing little rabbit.
Naruto watched from the window as the girl, covering her sun hat, ran off downstairs, and for a moment, he was also a bit confused.
"Hinata…"
"She's a strange one, but…"
"Besides Iruka-sensei, she's the second person who's been so kind to me…"
Although Naruto was thick-skinned, he was still very clear about who treated him well.
"Hmm, when I get to school, I'll properly express my gratitude to Hinata!"
"Congratulations, Host! After a morning of tutoring, all subjects have improved to a certain extent!"
Naruto grinned.
He didn't need the system to tell him; he could feel that he seemed to understand a lot of new knowledge.
Hinata's patient explanations, coupled with the Knowledge Absorption ability under his complete concentration, and of course, his own efforts… this morning's tutoring was practically equivalent to half a year of his own study!
Of course, before this, he wouldn't have learned much in half a year either.
Current Academic Skill Proficiency
Academic Skills:
Physics (48/100)
Chemistry (39/100)
Mathematics (40/100)
Language Arts (52/100)
History (46/100)
English (58/100)
Biology (52/100)
Moral Education (44/100)
Ninja Principles (52/100)
Naruto checked his current attributes. All his academic subjects, compared to the initial scores of twenty or thirty, could truly be described as a complete transformation and rapid progress!
Almost all subjects had increased by 10 to 20 points!
To be honest, even if he were to take an exam right now, Naruto's academic scores, while not likely to reach the top ten, would at least be at a lower-middle level.
He was no longer the Diao Che Wei at the bottom of the class.
Naruto stretched with a big yawn.
At least System Bro was reasonable; he basically didn't cause trouble during this morning's tutoring, nor did he issue any Lightning Release baptism warnings.
Clearly, he also understood the necessity of his tutoring… Naruto stretched with a big yawn.
Although he hadn't truly trained, these academic subjects were more torturous to him than performing Clone Technique three hundred times.
One was physical, the other mental.
Naruto saw the sun directly overhead, and the system immediately prompted that it was time for lunch.
He quickly prepared a lavish meal for himself, wolfed it down, and thought to himself, next time I should invite Hinata to eat with me… "Host, you studied academic subjects this morning. This afternoon, please immediately proceed to the Konoha Village Ninja training ground to begin Taijutsu training!"
"Taijutsu?"
Naruto didn't refuse; he nodded obediently, cleaned up the mess, changed into suitable training clothes, and headed towards the Konoha Ninja training ground.
Before he even arrived, he suddenly heard a terrifying sound.
Bang, bang, bang—
Bang, bang, bang!
"What is that? An earthquake?!"
Naruto pushed aside the bushes and secretly peeked, seeing a guy with a watermelon haircut and thick eyebrows furiously attacking a wooden stake, punching, kicking, and gritting his teeth!
It was as if he was burning with passion, burning with life itself!
"Such, such a terrifying guy!"
"Does he need to go to such lengths?"
"Host's Taijutsu training is very simple; you just need to work a little bit harder than Rock Lee in front of you!"
Naruto: "???"
"So you want me to die?!"
Chapter 14: Simple Training with Rock Lee! Please give a monthly vote!!!