In the anime, they made tree-hopping look effortless. They just leaned forward, arms trailing behind them like aerodynamic rudders, and flew through the forest. In reality, or at least in my current reality with the "Netorare Situation System," it was terrifying.
"Keep up, Naruto!" Sakura Haruno shouted from three branches ahead. "Why are you so slow today? Usually, you are the first one rushing off!"
I gritted my teeth, digging my sandals into the bark of a massive oak tree. Thanks to the "Tree Climbing Practice" memory I had purchased, my chakra stuck to the wood, preventing me from plummeting to my death. However, I lacked the finesse. Every jump felt like a leap of faith.
("Easy for you to say, Sakura,") I thought bitterly, wiping sweat from my forehead. ("You did not wake up this morning with the motor skills of a toddler and a system that turns your girlfriend into a walking disaster zone.")
Hinata Hyuga was running parallel to me. She moved with a grace that made my heart ache. She was light, silent, and efficient. Every now and then, she would glance at me with worry, slowing her pace to ensure she didn't leave me behind.
"Are you doing okay, Naruto-kun?" she asked softly, leaping over a protruding root.
"Just pacing myself, Hinata," I lied through my heavy breathing. "Captain Yamato said it is a long mission. Conserving energy. Strategy."
"I see," she smiled, clearly buying my nonsense. "That is very smart of you."
Ahead of us, Captain Yamato signaled for a halt. We landed in a small clearing bisected by a wide, rushing river. The water was churning white against jagged rocks, looking cold and unforgiving.
"Alright, everyone," Yamato said, his eerie eyes scanning the perimeter. "We need to cross. The bridge up ahead is out, likely destroyed by the bandits we are tracking. We will walk across the water. Standard formation."
My stomach dropped.
("Walk on water,") I thought. ("I did not buy that skill yet. I only have Tree Climbing. If I try to step on that water, I am going to sink like a stone.")
I quickly opened the System interface in my mind.
("System, how much for the Water Walking skill?")
"Water Walking Control requires seven hundred Shy Points," the System replied.
("Seven hundred? I only have three hundred! You are price-gouging me!")
"Supply and demand, Host," the System said flatly.
I looked at the river. Kiba Inuzuka was already stepping onto the surface, the water rippling beneath his sandals as if it were solid glass. Akamaru barked and trotted after him. Shino Aburame followed silently. Sakura stepped out with perfect control.
"Coming, Naruto?" Yamato asked, looking at me.
"Ah, Captain," I said, scratching the back of my head and putting on my best 'knucklehead ninja' grin. "I was thinking... maybe I should practice my balance? I will... uh... take the logs?"
Yamato stared at me. "You want to hop on wet, slippery logs across a raging river instead of just using chakra?"
"It is training!" I insisted. "Youth! Passion! Like Bushy Brows Lee says!"
Yamato sighed, clearly too tired to argue with my unpredictability. "Fine. But do not fall in. The current is strong."
He turned his back to me and stepped onto the water, standing in the middle of the river to supervise the crossing.
I looked for a path across the rocks and fallen logs. It looked treacherous.
Hinata hesitated on the bank. "Naruto-kun, if you want, I can help you across?"
"No, no, I got this," I said, stepping onto a mossy rock. "You go ahead."
Hinata nodded and stepped onto the water. She moved gracefully toward the center of the river where Yamato was standing.
Just then, Kiba, who had already reached the other side, decided to be funny.
"Hey, slowpokes!" Kiba yelled. "Catch!"
He picked up a large, smooth stone and skipped it across the water surface. It was a good throw. The stone bounced once, twice, three times.
The third bounce, however, veered wildly off course due to the uneven current. It flew straight toward Hinata’s legs.
"Warning," the System chimed. "External Projectile Detected. Target: Hinata Hyuga. Proximity to Male Target: Captain Yamato. Initiating Rito Effect: The Slippery Slope."
("Oh no,") I thought, watching in horror from my rock.
Hinata, sensing the stone, tried to dodge. Under normal circumstances, a Hyuga prodigy would have easily sidestepped it. But the "Buff" was active.
As she shifted her weight, a small fish—I kid you not, a literal fish—leaped out of the water at that exact second and slapped against her ankle.
Hinata gasped. Her chakra control flickered. The water beneath her left foot suddenly lost its tension. Her foot plunged through the surface, while her right foot stayed on top.
She spun violently.
"Kyaaa!"
She fell forward, sliding across the water surface like a human curling stone. She was heading straight for Captain Yamato.
Yamato, displaying the reflexes of an elite Jonin, turned around. He saw Hinata hurtling toward him. He raised his hands to catch her or use Wood Release to stabilize her.
"Wood Style: Four Pillar..." he began.
But physics was on a lunch break. Hinata’s flailing hand slapped Yamato’s forehead protector, knocking it down over his eyes. Blinded, Yamato stumbled back.
Hinata slammed into him.
The force of the impact knocked Yamato off his feet. They both splashed spectacularly into the river.
But they didn't just fall in. The current caught them, swirling them around a large rock. When they resurfaced a second later against the bank, the scene was a masterpiece of misunderstanding.
Yamato was sitting in the shallow water, leaning back against the mud. Hinata had landed effectively in his lap, her arms wrapped around his neck to keep from drowning. Her wet clothes were now clinging tightly to her skin, making her hoodie slightly translucent.
To make it worse, Yamato’s hand, in his attempt to push himself up, was firmly pressed against Hinata’s lower back, looking like he was pulling her closer.
.....
...