Chapter 031: Another Unfortunate Soul Rescued

Since that fateful meeting, Naruto’s circle of friends gained a new member. Sasuke, for his part, was a little reluctant—after all, Naruto had defeated his unbeatable and gentle older brother, whom he idolized. Yet his father, Fugaku, insisted that Sasuke spend more time with Naruto, and even his brother encouraged it. So, with no other choice, Sasuke begrudgingly found himself drawn into Naruto’s company.

But Sasuke was, after all, still just a child. After seeing some of the wondrous machines in Naruto’s laboratory, he was instantly captivated. And when he saw Hinata, and realized she was even more proficient with the machines than he was, his competitive spirit flared up.

“I’ll prove it! The Uchiha clan is the best—far superior to the Hyuga!” Sasuke challenged Hinata.

Hinata, for her part, was simply puzzled.

She didn’t even realize Sasuke was provoking her.

One day, Naruto was walking Sasuke home, and just as they neared the Uchiha compound, something unexpected occurred.

“Your face is so familiar. May I know your name?” asked a girl with long, jet-black hair, who seemed to appear out of nowhere, blocking Naruto’s path.

She looked older than Naruto appeared to be. Among his peers, Naruto was tall and sturdy, but he only reached the girl’s chest.

“Huh? And you are…?” Naruto paused, immediately recalling who she was.

He remembered this unfortunate soul—three years ago, when Hinata had been kidnapped by Cloud ninja, this girl had been caught up in the incident as well, and it was Naruto who had rescued her.

“Oh! You’re Sister Aki!” Sasuke exclaimed. “You finally talked!”

Upon seeing Sasuke, Aki Uchiha grew nervous, nodding awkwardly before turning her attention back to Naruto.

Her large eyes brimmed with hope; she seemed desperate to know Naruto’s name.

“My name is Naruto Uzumaki. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Aki Uchiha,” Naruto said, smiling as he extended a hand for a handshake.

Aki nodded anxiously, grasped Naruto’s fingertips, gave a gentle shake, and quickly turned to leave.

Naruto watched her retreat, puzzled, while Sasuke kept chattering excitedly.

“See, Naruto, you really are something! Sister Aki actually spoke to you, and even shook your hand! Hardly anyone in our clan ever talks to her!”

Naruto scratched his head. “Is this Aki someone important? Is she some sort of famous artist?”

Aki was quite pretty—in fact, the entire Uchiha clan was known for their looks, and she was considered one of the standouts. In his previous life, during his military service, Naruto had witnessed many performance troupes come to entertain the troops, and had even been tasked with their security. Many renowned artists braved great danger to bring comfort to the front lines. Among them were legendary young dancers—graceful, breathtakingly beautiful, and possessing a kind of national allure. To be honest, Naruto dreaded their visits; after a round of performances, the entire unit would be assigned grueling tasks just to exhaust them, lest they spend the night listening to the howls of wolves outside.

But that was a digression…

Aki Uchiha had delicate features, but compared to the artists Naruto had seen, she still fell short—though she was far more attractive than the idols popular in enemy nations. Perhaps she was an idol of the Uchiha?

“Not really!” Sasuke shook his head. “It’s just that she’s really hard to meet. Even if you do see her, she doesn’t talk—she’s difficult to get along with.”

After listening to Sasuke’s explanation, Naruto learned that Aki was an orphan in the clan—sickly and bullied from a young age. She’d always been withdrawn, and after leaving the orphanage, she lived alone on the edge of the clan compound.

Three years ago, after some misfortune, her personality changed. She stopped trusting anyone, not even her own kin. The clan’s welfare office couldn’t even find her to deliver her allowance. She was as elusive as a ghost, only appearing before a few elderly women to take on odd jobs for a day’s meal.

Sasuke couldn’t fathom why Aki would approach Naruto of her own accord.

Naruto found it strange, too.

But the next day, when he saw Aki standing alone outside his laboratory, he understood.

“Three years ago—it was you who saved me, wasn’t it?” Aki nervously twisted the hem of her clothes, voice barely above a whisper. “All this time, I’ve wanted to thank you, but I never could find you. Until today, I…”

She fumbled for words, her face flushed bright red, bowing repeatedly in apology and gratitude.

Naruto, half amused and half exasperated, hurried to stop her and led her inside.

“Was my disguise really that poor? How come everyone can tell it was me who did the rescuing?”

He poured her a cup of tea, teasing.

Aki shook her head vigorously. “No, that’s not it! Actually… actually…”

Naruto realized that Aki possessed a peculiar intuition—she could sense a certain indistinct feeling from him. She had recognized it three years ago, and today, upon feeling it again, she knew he was the one who had saved her.

It was a mysterious, almost metaphysical thing—rare and unpredictable. Even with all his experience, Naruto had never encountered anyone else quite like Aki.

She was honest to a fault. After expressing her gratitude, she hadn’t even touched her tea before preparing to leave.

But as she stood up, her legs gave out and she collapsed back onto the sofa, dizzy and lightheaded.

“Low blood sugar? Did you skip breakfast?” Naruto quickly fetched some snacks for her.

“Actually, I haven’t eaten since yesterday,” she murmured, nibbling on the snacks like a little squirrel. “Lately, it’s been hard to get work…”

What a cursed world this shinobi land had become! Even a child so young had to find work to survive—and couldn’t, leaving herself so hungry she fainted.

Naruto realized he had to do something—not just for this girl, but for countless others like her.

After considering for a moment, he said, “I need two apprentices here, and I’m still one short. Would you like to join me? Food, lodging, and a salary are all included.”

What kind of person do you think I am? To take food and a job from the one who saved my life? I’m not so shameless!

That was what Aki wanted to say, but the offer was simply too generous—at least to her. Just having food and a place to stay was tempting enough, but the monthly salary Naruto offered was nearly as much as a full-fledged chunin would earn with a month of hard work.

Lord Uzumaki truly was merciful—time and again, pulling her from the depths of despair.