7
On the Influence of Looks on Sweet Talk
At the dining table, Luke focused on eating his noodles without deliberately engaging in conversation with Naruto.
Due to the importance of the Nine-Tailed Jinchuriki, Naruto was always under the surveillance of Anbu ninjas. Their duties included monitoring the seal status of Naruto Uzumaki, his mental state, and any suspicious individuals he came into contact with.
The last point was to prevent potential spies from other countries from causing trouble through the Jinchuriki.
They didn’t interfere with other matters—whether he was being bullied or treated kindly—without orders from their superiors, they wouldn’t take action rashly.
Theoretically, interacting with Naruto wasn’t as dangerous as one might imagine, especially for someone like Luke, who had a clean background and was a native of Konoha.
However, it was certain that if he had too much communication with Naruto, the information would naturally end up in the hands of the Third Hokage and Danzo. Even if he passed scrutiny without any issues, there was no guarantee he wouldn’t get dragged into something.
Thus, Luke’s attitude had always been one of neither rejection nor closeness, and it remained the same now.
His cheat code had just arrived, and Luke had only improved from being a weakling to cannon fodder level. He was far from having the freedom to do as he pleased. Until he had enough strength, he wouldn’t take unnecessary risks.
He could afford to be a little cocky, but only a little.
After finishing his ramen, Luke showed respect to his future father-in-law by drinking the last of the broth. He nodded and smiled at Ayame, who came to collect the bowl.
“It was delicious.”
Ayame blushed and nodded. “If you like it, come often. Your place is nearby, so it’s convenient.”
Luke smiled and nodded, half-jokingly adding, “I will. But it’d be even more convenient if I could take you home with me.”
To be honest, that line was a bit cheesy.
But when it comes to sweet nothings, no matter how elegant, meaningful, or touching they are, if the speaker is unattractive, it comes off as greasy!
Conversely, if the speaker is handsome enough, even the cheesiest lines can sound delightful to a girl. That’s the difference appearance makes.
Seeing the young girl in front of him blushing deeply, Luke figured he’d flirted enough for the day. Ignoring his “little brother’s” protests, he stood up to leave.
“I have things to attend to at home, so I’ll take my leave now.”
The Chakra paper in his pocket was waiting for his attention!
After Luke left, Ayame tucked back a stray strand of hair that had come loose from working and bit her lip, muttering softly, “Luke-kun was really something today, saying all those embarrassing things.”
“Is his name Luke, Ayame-neechan?”
Naruto, who had been watching Luke’s retreating figure, asked.
“Yes, Chuan Luke. He’s the son of the owner of the Chuan shop next door.” Ayame patted Naruto’s head. “Do you like Luke-kun, Naruto?”
Naruto nodded frankly and said without hesitation, “I like him. He doesn’t look at me with weird eyes. I want to be with him.”
Ayame’s face darkened as she removed her hand from Naruto. As an adult woman, she patiently guided him to prevent the child from developing misunderstandings.
“Little Naruto, you can’t just say ‘be with’ anyone. Those words are only meant for the opposite gender. You’re a boy, so you should only say that to girls.”
“Why?” Naruto asked, puzzled.
Ayame smiled. “You’ll understand when you find yourself constantly watching someone. Naruto, your feelings for Luke-kun are probably more like a younger brother’s admiration for an older brother.”
“What does ‘admiration’ mean?”
“Ah, how should I explain it to you?” Ayame also found it difficult to describe.
Just then, an older boy with an expressionless face leading a younger tsundere boy happened to walk into the shop at the perfect moment.
Their conversation grew clearer as they approached.
“Didn’t I come back to be with you right after the mission? Don’t be angry anymore.”
“Stupid brother! You broke your promise – you clearly said you would teach me Ninjutsu today.”
“Please forgive me, Sasuke.”
Smack!
Witnessing this warm and somewhat sweet brotherly relationship, Ayame’s eyes lit up as she pointed at the younger Uchiha boy.
The boy was rubbing his forehead where his brother had flicked him while simultaneously seeking attention with a coquettish look.
“For example, those Uchiha brothers – the younger one probably admires his older brother very much.”
Naruto looked over and made eye contact with Sasuke, who was pouting in anger.
Sasuke: ╯^╰
After thinking for a moment, Naruto roughly understood the meaning of the word, then pointed at the tsundere young master and said, “I’m not that spoiled.”
You might not be spoiled, but you love playing pranks.
Ayame laughed awkwardly and turned back to her work. The shop was getting busy, and she didn’t have time to keep chatting with children.
Naruto buried his head in his noodles, unaware that the child he had just described as “spoiled” was staring directly at him, having clearly overheard the comment.
How dare a mere commoner brat insult the great Uchiha clan – you’ve chosen death!
…
Back in his room, Luke locked the door and took out the Chakra Paper from his pocket, ready to test his attributes.
Chakra attributes are divided into seven types: water, fire, earth, wind, lightning, yin, and yang. Among these, yin and yang are relatively rare and cannot be detected by test paper. The remaining five attributes cause different reactions in the test paper.
Fire attribute makes the paper burn, wind attribute splits the paper down the middle, lightning attribute makes the paper wrinkle, water attribute makes the paper wet, and earth attribute makes the paper crumble.
Based on chakra attributes, a concept called “Kekkei” has been derived – literally meaning inherited through bloodline.
When a Ninja masters multiple chakra nature transformations to the peak and successfully fuses them, it generates new power. This power transforms the Ninja’s body, allowing this power to potentially be inherited through bloodlines.
“Kekkei” includes three types: Kekkei Genkai, Kekkei Tota, and Kekkei Mora.
The differences between them are minimal – they simply represent progression based on the number of chakra attributes involved in the Kekkei. Two chakra attributes make Kekkei Genkai, three or more make Kekkei Tota, and having all attributes makes Kekkei Mora.
Being born with multiple attributes indicates you might possess Kekkei Genkai, but this doesn’t guarantee it.
Luke channeled chakra into the Chakra Paper. The originally smooth, dry test paper suddenly wrinkled, then became soaked with water.
“Lightning and water.”
Luke looked thoughtfully at the Chakra Paper in his hand. Normally, most people only have one attribute.
He wasn’t originally any genius either. The only explanation for appearing with two chakra attributes was that the cheat code had stacked the attributes from the other two Lukes onto him.
He himself should have the lightning attribute, while the pirate Luke provided the water attribute. As for the Death God Luke, there’s reason to suspect he would provide the yin attribute as soul power – though the test paper couldn’t detect it.
“What’s the combination of lightning and water again? Seems like it’s Storm Release.”
If I remember correctly, in the original work, Darui, the Fourth Raikage’s subordinate, was a user of Storm Release with quite impressive power. Then Madara also showcased “Sage Art: Storm Release Light Fang” once, directly cutting through the Truth-Seeking Ball Staff.
Luke nodded with satisfaction. Storm Release was quite good too, and could serve as a goal to strive for.
But at this stage, it’s better to focus mainly on chakra refinement. Transforming chakra nature to the point of synthesizing Kekkei Genkai is a distant matter—don’t even think about it without reaching Kage level.
Refining chakra is still more cost-effective. Without a blue bar (chakra pool), even the most powerful ultimate move can’t be used.
Set a small goal: achieve one unit of chakra first!