Naruto: Blacksmith

Naruto's right eye and left cheek were swollen, his left eye was a massive blue bruise, and his mouth looked as if he had overdone Botox. His entire head was so inflamed it was hard to recognize him.

Just looking at his face, you wouldn't know who he was.

"Naruto, don't you look a bit… swollen?"

Kuro abruptly slammed the desk and stood up, waiting for Naruto to tell him who had attacked him so he could take revenge.

How dare they beat up my brother like this?

Chōji was equally outraged, crushing his bag of chips in his fist.

Shikamaru, on the other hand, disapproved of the situation with a sigh.

"It's not… they don't think… #$@," Naruto tried to explain, but his words were unintelligible.

It sounded like he was missing a tooth; his speech was so garbled no one could understand him. Everyone stared, stunned, trying to decipher what he was saying.

At that moment, Kiba leaned over with Akamaru perched on his head and pointed toward the podium.

"He said he tried to calm them down, but they hit him from both sides."

Everyone followed his gaze and saw Ino fighting with Sakura and a group of girls.

Immediately, they turned their heads away, pretending not to see anything.

Better not to mess with violent girls. Naruto was the perfect example of why.

Shikamaru, however, was curious.

"How did you understand what Naruto said?"

The question caught Kuro and Chōji's attention, and they also turned to Kiba. Even Naruto widened his swollen eyes.

Kiba smirked and gave Akamaru a thumbs-up.

"Akamaru gets it. He can pick up on what people want to express."

"Ah, I see…" everyone murmured, suddenly understanding.

Kuro's eyes lit up as he looked at Akamaru.

"Can I hold him?"

"No."

Kiba rejected the idea immediately.

"The dogs of our clan are companions who fight alongside us. During their early stages, we have to stay close to strengthen the bond."

"I get it…" Kuro scratched his head in mild disappointment. "Can I pet him, then?"

Kiba hesitated for a moment before nodding.

"Fine, but don't try to take him."

"Thanks."

Kuro reached out and stroked Akamaru's head. At that instant, the system's alert echoed in his mind.

[Special material "Dogs Containing Madness Hormones" detected.

These materials allow the creation of the special drug "Madness Hormones."

Do you wish to proceed with the crafting?]

...What?

Kuro froze.

Akamaru is… a material?

This had never happened before.

Every time he touched a material, the system identified it automatically. But until now, it had never considered a living creature as a material.

For example, Naruto's body had immense potential for crafting, but the system didn't activate that function while the tissue remained part of his body.

But now…?

For others, this might seem trivial, but for Kuro, it was an alarming sign: his system was changing.

Today, it's a dog, but what happens if one day it's a person?

The thought deeply unsettled him. If the system urged him to kill to forge special items, could he resist that temptation?

As if responding to his concerns, the system issued a new notification.

[Creatures with self-awareness and significant intelligence will not be considered as materials.

The host has the ability to adjust the judgment criteria as preferred]

A panel appeared before his eyes with a slider.

On one end was blue, representing "Do not judge as material," and on the other end, red, representing "Judge as material."

The slider was stuck on the blue end, labeled "Humans."

Though it was the first time Kuro had seen this panel, he immediately understood its purpose.

The current position indicated that any creature with intelligence below that of humans could be considered a material.

Kuro thought for a moment and decided to move the slider further to the left, ensuring no conscious creatures could be considered materials.

Once he made the adjustment, he released Akamaru and patted him again.

This time, the system remained silent.

Thank goodness…

Kuro sighed in relief.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Kiba eyed Kuro suspiciously.

"I'm fine."

Kuro pulled his hand back, observing Akamaru, who was still lying on Kiba's head with his eyes closed as if nothing had happened.

"Why won't you let me pet him?" Naruto reached out enviously toward Akamaru despite his swollen face.

Akamaru opened one eye, glanced at Naruto indifferently, and barked a couple of times.

"Translation: 'I'm a very good dog!'" Kiba said proudly, baring his teeth in a grin. "Of course, Akamaru isn't just any dog."

"Hey, don't you have a puppy at home you could give me?"

Kuro looked at Akamaru enviously.

In his past life, he loved dogs and had several of them. Now, he only had a crow, which wasn't even his.

Naruto also cast a hopeful look at Kiba, but Kiba scratched his head, looking a bit embarrassed.

"It's not that I don't want to, but without our clan's secret methods, it's impossible to train a dog to be your companion. Even for ninjas, it's tough."

"That's fine. I'd settle for a regular dog."

"Hmph, and you?" Kiba looked at Naruto disdainfully. "You can't even take care of yourself, and you want a dog? Keep dreaming."

Naruto pouted while Kiba turned to Kuro. "When Lariat has her next litter, I'll give you one. But you have to raise it properly."

Lariat was one of the Inuzuka clan's strongest ninja dogs. Even her weakest puppies were remarkable.

"Thanks," Kuro said with a small bow.

"What?! That's not fair!" Naruto protested.

At that moment, the bell signaling the start of class rang. However, no one made a move to return.

...

Though autumn had arrived and the weather was cooling, the morning sun still offered comforting warmth.

On the academy building's balcony, Kuro, Shikamaru, and the others lounged in the sunlight.

Chōji, as usual, sat on the ground, eating as always.

Kiba looked at the sky, slightly worried.

"Hey, if so many of us skip class together, they'll catch us."

"Relax," Chōji replied between bites. "Nothing will happen."

Naruto clenched his fist confidently.

"This spot is a secret. Even if Iruka-sensei finds out we skipped class, he won't know where we are."

"…"

Kuro and Shikamaru exchanged glances, bewildered by Naruto's absurd confidence.

Where does he get these ideas?

Did Ebisu teach him this?

Suddenly, Shikamaru looked at the sky with a relaxed expression.

"Sigh… I just want to graduate with everyone, become a regular ninja, find a wife who's not too pretty or too ugly, have two kids, retire when they grow up, and spend the rest of my days playing shogi."

Kuro couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at that declaration.

Sure, Shikamaru. In the future, you'll be the Hokage's secretary and complicate your life more than anyone.

He had to hold back from saying it aloud, letting a slight smile cross his lips.

________

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