[ Achievement Unlocked ]

[ Name of the Achievement: "David vs. Goliath" ]

[ Rewards: Choose among the following.

[ 1- Tenten's Thousand Weapons. ]

[ 2- A Chain Quest related to Tenten. ]

[ 3- Random Item Box. ]

As Naruto's eyes scanned the screen in front of him.

Whoa, this is a first!

"Alright, let's break this down," Naruto thought to himself, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"Option one: Tenten's Thousand Weapons. Hmm," Naruto mused, imagining himself surrounded by a sea of shiny weapons.

"But seriously, what am I going to do with a thousand weapons? I mean, if it were a thousand boxes of ramen, now that would be a treasure trove!"

He chuckled at his own joke before a lightbulb went off in his head.

"Wait a second! I could sell them back to Tenten... and buy a mountain of ramen!" He laughed at the thought, but the practical side of him knew better.

Nah, she'd probably just throw them at me for trying.

"Option two: A Chain Quest related to Tenten. Now, that sounds more like it!" Naruto's eyes sparkled with the prospect of adventure. "Exp, leveling up, and probably more rewards at the end. This one's got potential."

"And then, there's option three: Random Item Box."

Naruto scrunched up his face in distaste. "Anything 'random' just spells trouble. I mean, knowing my luck, it'd probably be a box full of... homework." He shuddered at the thought, a fate worse than death.

[ Player Selection: Naruto has selected option 2. ]

[ Status: Please wait until the quest is Initiated. ]

Naruto's moment was abruptly interrupted by a cough, and he suddenly realized all eyes were on him.

"What?" he asked, genuinely confused.

"Did I hit you too hard? You were poking things in the air and smiling like a retard," Tenten teased.

Naruto nearly facepalmed.

He had completely forgotten he wasn't alone.

"Wait, didn't I have Spirit Possession? Why did I do something as dumb as trying to use the system in front of everyone... Oh, it deactivated?"

He thought to himself, then sighed in relief realizing at least the system wasn't visible to anyone else.

"Anyway, this fight was a draw," Tenten declared, trying to bring the conversation back to the matter at hand.

"No, you lost," Naruto countered, unable to let that comment slide.

"As if. I just didn't go all out against you," Tenten shot back, her pride not allowing her to admit defeat.

Naruto and Hinata exchanged deadpan looks, clearly not buying Tenten's claim. It was then Lee, unable to contain himself, burst out, "Tenten! That's not the truth. You went all out and you lost to Naruto-kun's youthful spirit!"

Naruto couldn't help but sweat drop. "Thanks, bushy brows," he said, his voice dripping with confusion.

Tenten's glare shifted to Lee.

"Lee, I am your teammate, you should support me," she insisted.

"I cannot support a lie!" Lee exclaimed passionately.

"That's right, Lee. We don't support lying women!" Gai joined in.

"Yeah, Gai sensei, we don't support women!"

Gai quickly corrected him with a hard smack.

"No, Lee! I said lying women!"

"Yes, Gai sensei," Lee replied, a bit chastened as he took out a notebook and started writing, presumably a reminder to himself about the difference.

Everyone just stood there, sweat dropped at the scene that just unfolded with Lee and Gai. Breaking the awkward silence, Tenten finally spoke up.

"Anyways, I'll admit it, I underestimated you and you won!" she conceded, acknowledging Naruto's victory with a hint of reluctance but genuine respect.

Hearing this, Naruto couldn't contain his excitement and cheered loudly, "Yatta!"

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Suddenly Tenten's demeanor switched to be completely serious.

"Oh, and thanks for helping my dad out with those deliveries while I'm away on a mission. I appreciate it a lot."

"Yeah, sure," said Naruto bashfully. He wasn't used to receiving such a genuine thanks from anybody. It had never really happened before.

"Uh, so I guess we kinda got off on the wrong foot? I'm Uzumaki Naruto – future greatest Hokage of Konoha."

His hand extended.

Tenten almost wanted to laugh at the words, but then regarded the tone in which he said it. It wasn't just some open, empty statement, no, it possessed the same level of conviction that Lee had whenever he said he would beat Neji, or the same level of belief that Neji had when he said that Lee's fate was determined. It was the same factual manner that Gai-sensei said he was the greatest taijutsu specialist in Konoha, and the same manner in which she had said she would become a strong kunoichi.

She smirked.

"Tenten – future greatest Weapons Mistress of Konoha."

They shook, and naruto once more flashed another grin.

"You know, you're the first real Genin I've met and you're pretty cool. If all Genin are like this I can't wait to get my headband too."

She blinked.

Once.

Twice.

Thrice.

"Oh yeah! You're still in the academy."

Naruto looked at Tenten's words in confusion.

"How did you head-butt a thrown shuriken in mid-air and redirect it enough to bounce off another one?"

That – that sort of innate Shurikenjutsu skill was outright insane! It took key focus and concentration to pull something like that off, and even after a year of practice, Tenten could only so much as bounce one Shuriken off another enough to go in a small weak curve, whereas her goal was to learn out to endlessly ricochet them back to back, to the point she would be able to make them go in a perfect circle if need be.

"I – uh… It's a secret! A great secret from the one and only Uzumaki Naruto!"

"Naruto, you are an Academy Student?"

"Uh… yeah? What did you think I was?"

"An extraordinarily gifted street rat."

"Oi –"

"What kind of aspiring ninja wears a torn jacket with hammers duck taped to it?"

"Fair enough."

"And what is that posture? Is that a taijutsu stance or is the ground recoiling from your sexual advances?"

"Ha, big woof coming from the gal who lost to the orange-wearing hammered sex offender... Wait, that sounded way cooler in my head."

Tenten sighed.

"Alright, looks like we're going to have a lot to work on."

"Work on what now?"

Tenten cracked her knuckles.

"You probably don't know how you pulled off that trick with the shuriken, but I know it's not luck. I'm going to figure out how you did it and repeat it if it's the last thing I do."

Naruto blinked.

"…what?"

A notification popped up on Naruto's screen.

[ Alert: Chain Quest ]

[ Quest Title: Tenten's Ambition ]

[ Objective: Train with Tenten, a kunoichi aspiring to be the greatest weapon specialist, for a week. Demonstrate extraordinary shurikenjutsu skills. ]

[ Rewards: Dungeon Key, Feat "Weapon Master" ]

[ Penalty for Failure: SEVERE DIARRHEA. ]

Naruto's jaw dropped as he read the rewards.

A dungeon key and a feat were too good to pass up.

He made the right choice with option 2.

"Tenten, you can do whatever you want in your free time but for now we have to train." Neji said as he turned to Naruto.

"You and that talentless trash can run along now. Real ninja have training now," said Neji, his voice was ice cold when he spoke.

Just as Naruto was gearing up for a confrontation with Neji, Hinata intervened, grabbing his shirt.

"Let's go, Naruto-kun," she urged softly, her voice tinged with concern.

Naruto let out a sigh, the tension in his body easing as he looked at Hinata.

He realized that getting into a fight wasn't worth it, especially not with Hinata worriedly looking at him. Reluctantly, he stepped back, deciding to leave the situation behind.

"I still say you're a jerk but that's fine. We should hit the road anyway. See you around Stabby-girl, Bushy-brows, and Super Bushy-brows."

Naruto ran to join his friend before the weapon girl could turn him into a pincushion again.

As they walked away, Naruto turned to Hinata, his curiosity evident.

"What was that guy's problem?"

"That's Neji. He's the most talented in the Hyuga clan," Hinata replied, her voice soft.

Naruto frowned, not wanting to admit it, but knowing Neji's level was formidable.

"Still, that doesn't explain why he's such a jerk to you."

Hinata hesitated.

"I'm from the main family... and he's from the branch family."

"So, he's jealous?" Naruto guessed.

"No, he hates me. He believes I don't deserves to be the clan heir," she said quietly.

Naruto scoffed.

"Bullshit. You can easily surpass that guy."

Hinata blushed at his confidence in her, but deep down, she doubted her ability to match Neji.

Naruto's words, though encouraging, felt like a distant dream.

Noticing Hinata's silence and doubt, Naruto asked, "Do you want to surpass Neji?"

Hinata hesitated. "I don't know," she admitted softly.

Naruto stopped walking, his gaze intense. "When you decide you want to surpass him, let me know. I'll help you."

His voice was serious, filled with a determination that surprised Hinata.

She wanted to laugh it off, but there was something about Naruto's earnestness that made her believe, even if just for a moment, that it might be possible.

Naruto turned to Hinata with a curious look on his face.

"Hinata, can I ask you something?" he said.

"Yeah," Hinata replied, her voice soft and shy.

"Use your eye thingy on my finger," Naruto instructed, pointing towards where the system window appeared to him.

Hinata used her Byakugan to look at Naruto's finger.

After a few seconds, the two of them were quiet.

"So?" Naruto prompted, eager to hear her observation.

"What?" Hinata was completely lost.

"Is there something above my finger?" Naruto pressed, hoping for some confirmation of the system's presence.

"No," Hinata answered honestly.

Naruto couldn't help but grin, realizing that the system was truly invisible to others.

Hinata stood in disbelief, unsure if what was happening was a joke.

Naruto paused, then sighed heavily and slapped his face lightly.

"Hinata," he called softly.

"Yes?" Hinata responded, her voice a whisper.

Naruto handed her a small box, which she took hesitantly.

"Look, I don't have many friends, so this whole friendship thing is new to me. Iruka sensei said I should give you a gift. I tried to think of something, asked Mr. Higurashi for advice, and... here." He finished, catching his breath as Hinata smiled and opened the box.

Inside, she found a beautiful necklace, designed like the Yin and Yang symbol, crafted from two metallic features—one orange and the other purple. Hinata noticed a small engraving on the necklace: "To the best girlfriend ever."

Her face turned a deep shade of red, and she looked like she might faint as she stared at Naruto, her breath caught in her throat.

"What?" Naruto asked, looking concerned as she pointed to the engraving.

"Yeah, so, you're a girl and my friend, so... girlfriend," Naruto explained, a bit awkwardly.

Hinata couldn't help but laugh—so hard that tears began to roll down her cheeks. She clutched the necklace to her heart and managed to say, "Thank you."

Naruto sighed in relief, happy to see her reaction. Hinata looked down at the necklace again, her eyes lingering on the word "girlfriend." She didn't have the heart to explain the usual meaning to Naruto; in fact, she didn't want to.

She cherished this moment just as it was, confusion and all.