Chapter 32:- Hinata's Future Path

Naruto explained further, "Although I'm from the Uzumaki clan, I haven't learned any specific Uzumaki clan techniques yet. It was only recently that I discovered our natural talent for Fuinjutsu, which is easier for us to learn. But despite not knowing these clan techniques, I don't consider myself weak." Hinata nodded in agreement; Naruto certainly didn't seem weak to her.

"This is my point," Naruto continued. "I'm not saying you should abandon your clan's techniques. Absolutely learn them. But don't limit yourself to just that. If you change your mindset, you have the potential to become one of the best."

Naruto believed Hinata had the potential to reach or even surpass the strength Sakura had by the end of the war. "There are so many Jutsu out there beyond what your clan specializes in. For instance, mastering Elemental Nature transformations could be really beneficial for you. Imagine combining that with Hyuga clan techniques to create something new and more powerful." His words were encouraging, intending to inspire Hinata to explore a broader range of shinobi skills.

Naruto gently prompted Hinata, "So, Hina-chan, what's your decision? Take as much time as you need. This is an important choice for your future."

After a moment of contemplation, Hinata replied with a newfound determination in her voice, different from her usual shy demeanor, "Naruto-kun, I've made up my mind."

Naruto looked at her encouragingly, "What have you decided?"

Hinata's eyes held a spark of resolve as she stated, "I want to discover which natural element I have an affinity with. I want to learn and master that element."

Naruto's face lit up with a proud smile at her decision. "Alright," he responded warmly, pleased with her choice to explore and expand her abilities beyond the traditional Hyuga techniques. This was a big step for Hinata. 

While Naruto and Hinata were engaged in their conversation, unbeknownst to them, a silent observer had been watching them intently. Overhearing their discussion, this observer, Sarada, found herself intrigued by the idea of further developing her fire style techniques.

Suddenly, their conversation was interrupted as Sarada approached them. "Naruto...!" she called out, her presence catching both Naruto and Hinata by surprise.

"Hey, Sara-chan," Naruto greeted her with a friendly tone.

Sarada, observing them for a while, had noted how effectively Naruto was teaching Hinata. This observation sparked her curiosity about Naruto's own strength.

In her typically straightforward and cold manner, Sarada challenged, "Naruto, fight me."

Naruto, taken aback, responded, "What?"

"I said…" Sarada began to repeat her challenge.

"No, I heard you," Naruto interjected, "Are you sure about this?" Both Naruto and Hinata looked at Sarada with a mix of surprise and curiosity, not expecting such a direct challenge from her.

"I am very serious. I wish to fight you." Sarada said seriously. 

"Alright. I will take you on." Meanwhile, Hinata felt that this would be a very good chance for her to know just how powerful Naruto really was.

-

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Scene change____

Sarada and Naruto faced each other, their eyes locked in a steady gaze. Sarada swiftly pulled out several shurikens and hurled them towards Naruto.

With quick reflexes, Naruto grabbed a kunai and deflected the shurikens with ease, creating a series of metallic clanging sounds.

However, just as he skillfully dodged the shurikens, Naruto was caught off guard by a large fireball heading his way. Reacting swiftly, he dodged to the right, narrowly escaping the fiery attack. But in that moment, he felt something wrap around his foot. It was a network of thin, hair-like wires.

Naruto was taken aback. "When did she set this up?" he wondered. It dawned on him that this had been a trap set by Sarada while he was preoccupied with the shurikens. She must have used a shadow clone to lay out this trap without him noticing.

Naruto realized that Sarada had carefully planned this strategy, using her initial attack as a diversion to set up her real trap. It was a clever move that showed her tactical thinking.

As Naruto had predicted, the thin wires were not just a simple trap; they were linked to several explosive tags. Suddenly, with a loud boom, the tags detonated, engulfing the area in a cloud of black smoke and loud noise.

Sarada, who had been watching from a distance, emerged from her hiding spot, filled with uncertainty. 'Did my plan work?' she wondered, scanning the area for any sign of Naruto.

As the smoke from the explosion began to clear, she saw Naruto's figure disintegrate into white smoke, revealing that it was actually a log of wood.

'Substitution Jutsu!' Sarada realized immediately, her senses heightening. She spun around, only to find the tip of Naruto's kunai gently touching her neck.

"It's over," Naruto declared calmly, marking the end of their brief but intense battle. The sudden ending left Sarada both surprised and impressed by Naruto's quick thinking and skill.

Sarada, while not entirely surprised by her defeat, hadn't anticipated losing to Naruto so swiftly. She reflected on the brief encounter, realizing it was less of a battle and more of an attempt to merely land a hit on Naruto. 'I expected this outcome, but I didn't think I'd lose this quickly,' she thought, a bit disheartened yet acknowledging the gap in their skills.

Naruto, noticing her contemplative state, offered, "Do you want to try fighting again?"

Sarada shook her head, her determination clear in her eyes. "No, it's my loss. Another fight won't change the outcome," she admitted, accepting her defeat gracefully. She recognized that another battle wouldn't alter the fact that Naruto was stronger.

"If there's nothing else, then I'll be going," Sarada said, turning to leave. As she walked away, a new resolve formed in her heart. She was now more determined than ever to train harder and become strong enough to defeat Naruto one day. This encounter, though brief, had given her a new goal to strive towards.

"So Hina-chan let's continue our training." 

-

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Scene change____

It was around 8 in the evening when Kushina approached Naruto with a request. She held a large packed lunch box in her hands, filled with enough food for Sarada to enjoy both for dinner and the next morning's breakfast.

"Naruto, could you please deliver this to Sarada?" Kushina asked, offering the lunch box to her son.

"Sure thing," Naruto replied, though he had a different plan in mind.

With a swift hand gesture, he summoned a shadow clone. "Shadow Clone!" A duplicate of Naruto appeared, ready to carry out the task. He handed the lunch box to his clone.

Kushina observed this and smiled, appreciating the clever use of the jutsu. "That's a smart way to use shadow clones," she commented with approval.

While the clone set off to deliver the packed lunch to Sarada, Naruto and Kushina sat down for their own dinner. Kushina tenderly fed Naruto. 

Knock!!! Knock!!!!

Sarada took a full minute before finally opening the door. Initially, she seemed quite annoyed about being disturbed, but her expression softened when she saw it was Naruto standing there.

"Why are you here?" she inquired, curiosity replacing her initial annoyance.

Naruto couldn't help but notice that Sarada's hair was slightly damp, with a few strands clinging to her face and neck, giving her an unexpectedly alluring and attractive appearance.

"I've brought you dinner and breakfast for tomorrow. Mom sent me over with this," Naruto explained, holding out the packed lunch box with a friendly smile.

Sarada took the lunch box from him, feeling a sense of gratitude towards both Naruto and Kushina for thinking of her. She hesitated for a moment, seemingly searching for the right words. Finally, in a soft, almost shy voice, she said, "Um... Thank you." Her appreciation was evident, though she seemed a bit awkward expressing it.

Naruto's face lit up with a playful grin as he heard Sarada's quiet thanks. He leaned in closer, almost teasingly, and asked with a mischievous tone, "What was that you said?"

Sarada's cheeks turned a shade of pink, flustered by how close Naruto's face was to hers. She didn't realize that the person in front of her was actually a shadow clone of Naruto.

Hmph!!!

With a huff of embarrassment, Sarada quickly said, "Goodnight," her voice carrying a mix of annoyance and shyness. She hastily shut the door right in the face of the grinning Naruto clone, wanting to put some distance between them.

Naruto's clone continued to smile, undeterred by the door closing on him. In the next instant, it vanished into a puff of smoke, completing its task of delivering the meal.

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Note from the Author - This chapter also marks the official end of Volume 1. I did not expect this volume to be this short. Now that I have reached the end, I feel this volume should have been at least 50 chapters long.

This volume was all about Naruto settling down in Leaf Village and getting close to all the girls. This is why I showed very less of Danzo and other villains and Anti-heroes in this volume. 

After this - the next 5 to 10 chapters will be special chapters. You can consider them a part of volume 2 if you want. - They are more like the side stories of this novel. 

With the end of this volume, this also officially marks the beginning of the time skip that I had planned out. I won't reveal much about what will happen in the time skip, I am sure you all can already guess from knowing the canon events in Naruto. But the thing that I would like to mention is that I will make the 'Naruto bridge' arc as small as possible. 

I already feel that many Naruto novels have been written about this arc. There is no need to repeat this arc. After reading so many Naruto novels, especially this arc, I have really grown tired of this arc.

I have read about Male Haku and female Haku. I have read about the side character's mother becoming the MC's woman. In short, the number of times that I have read about this arc in so many novels is just too many to count. 

I will try to show the Arc as differently as possible while aligning with Naruto's current character. I don't know if writing this arc brings a curse to novels or not (I hope not), but I have read many novels that were dropped right after this arc. 

That's all from my side, See you in the next chapter!!!