Konoha, Bike Shop
"Damn nut..." mutters an annoyed Naruto, as he tries to fit a part of a bicycle he's assembling. The boy is the perfect image of a professional mechanic, dressed in his blue overalls, stained with grease, and surrounded by multiple tools in his workspace.
It's still early and the store is an hour away from opening, but since it's a day off at the academy, Naruto likes to get ahead on work, to lighten the load on the days when there are classes. Today is a day like any other at work, however, the boy is struggling with a particular nut that just won't fit.
"What's wrong, Naruto? Are you having trouble with a part?" comes the calm voice of Touki, who has just entered the shop via the staircase leading to the second floor.
"Good morning, Touki-san," the boy greets, his attention still on the work he's doing. "This part won't fit properly, and the locking nut won't screw on... This is the third time this has happened. They're the new models, but I can assure you the quality of the finish keeps getting worse."
"Hmm, that doesn't sound right. Let me see," Touki says, then approaches where the boy is working and observes the problem closely, "Well, clearly the hole for the nut is offset by a couple of millimeters, which makes it very difficult to get the nut in. If you continue like this, you'll end up forcing the main structure and it could cause the frame to break with prolonged use… Better take apart what you've built so far and return it to the box. I'll have to return this defective product."
"Touki-san, why is this happening more often?" the boy asks as he begins to disassemble the bicycle.
"Well, because the bicycle business is doing very well, which is making manufacturers look for easier and faster ways to build more. Unfortunately, this tends to lower the quality of the products, and we have these problems… But don't worry, over time these small errors should be fixed through the imposition of quality controls," the man replies. "By the way, I see you're getting ahead on your work today."
"There's combat practice at the academy tomorrow, and I usually end up very tired and unwilling to do this kind of work."
"Naruto, I'm surprised you thought of that beforehand. Karin often paints a very different picture of you than what I've seen for myself," Touki comments, sounding amused.
Naruto reacts a little offended, "Karin-chan keeps telling me I'm stupid, but I'm just a little slow, believe it. When I become Hokage, everyone will realize how magnificent I am."
The man nods and puts on a thoughtful face, "But Naruto is almost a man now, and he even has a job where he earns good money. Everyone should stop looking down on you."
"Exactly," the boy exclaims, "I even invite my friends over for lunch and share my imported snacks with Choji."
"So the problem is with the girls, perhaps?"
Naruto assumes a thoughtful posture, half-closing his eyes. "Now that I think about it, it's the girls and Sasuke who bother me the most. But that guy is mean to everyone, so he doesn't count."
Touki crosses his arms, striking a wise-guy pose. "So the problem is that you radiate the aura of a fool around with girls."
The boy makes a surprised face, widening his eyes. "What do you mean?"
"It's simple, Naruto. I've seen you interact with your classmates, and you seem very desperate for attention, especially with some of the girls. Maybe they think you're desperate. Many say girls don't like desperate boys," the man clarifies.
"But… But I am the way I am. Do I really look desperate?" the boy asks, very worried.
"I think I've seen you try to get that Sakura girl's attention before, acting like a real idiot, I must admit."
"It can't be… But I like Sakura-chan. I can't help it," the boy tries to defend himself.
"And she likes you back in some way?"
"Ugh… She likes Sasuke, everyone knows that," you can see the sadness in the boy's eyes.
"So that's the problem. No one believes you're a serious person if you're chasing a girl everyone knows already likes another guy."
"But what can I do?"
"Very simple, Naruto. You need to find a girlfriend who isn't Sakura," Touki replies seriously.
"But I like Sakura-chan."
"You think you like Sakura. Romantic relationships are between two people and require much more than just liking the person. Now, I'm not telling you to fall in love with the first girl who comes your way, but to look at it from the perspective of a ninja teammate," the man explains, causing the boy to pay close attention to what he's saying. "Just as a teammate is someone with whom you must risk your life and complete missions side by side, a girlfriend or wife is a partner in life with whom you can share the good things, someone who will be there for you through thick and thin, someone who will always support you in your decisions and accompany you in your life project, hopefully until the end of your days."
"Wow, I want something like that?" the boy comments.
"Everyone wants that, but it's hard to achieve, and you often won't find it on the first try. That's why you need experience."
"Experience?"
"Exactly. Find a nice girl who won't make fun of you, and ask her out on a date. Put your best foot forward and try to win her over. Maybe you'll like her, maybe you won't… Maybe everything will go well, or maybe it will all end in failure."
"That sounds terrifying," Naruto's face shows great fear.
"Unfortunately, it's the only way if you want to find someone now, because the alternative is to try to become a person with great fame and power, although at that point women will seek you out for that and not for your personality, not to mention how long it will take you to achieve it, if you ever do."
"I don't know if it's the time to think about those things," the boy says with a very doubtful tone.
"Weren't you going to become Hokage? A Hokage isn't afraid of that kind of thing," Touki's tone changes to a more energetic and provocative one.
"Of course I'm going to be Hokage, believe it. But I don't have any girls in mind I could ask out," the boy replies, a little embarrassed.
"How about that Hyuga girl, I think her name is Hinata. She's quite pretty, and I've never seen her make fun of you," the man suggests.
"Hinata-chan?"
"What, she's ugly and unpleasant?"
"No no no, not at all, it's just that I hadn't thought of her that way," the boy says thoughtfully.
"Let's do something. If you ask her out and she accepts, I'll give you two days off with pay to get ready and go on the date. Also, as a symbol of my respect for you, I'll give you a biker jacket with your logo customized," Touki suggests, in his typical salesman's tone.
"Really?" Naruto reacts quite excitedly, unaware of the sinister smile Touki put on when he saw the boy a little more convinced to do what he suggested.
"Of course, my dear Naruto…"
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