[Blue Lock: Tempest] Chapter 6 - Visit (Patreon)

Chapter 6 - Visit

When Team W’s goal celebration was finally over and the VAR whistled for the players to get back to their positions and start the game again, Naruto was stupefied to realize he couldn’t stand up at first. Once the adrenaline rush passed, it was as if his body’s operating system had been shut down. He felt more exhausted than ever, and his injured ankle was pulsating with pain as well.

It took all his willpower to force himself to his feet, but when he finally stood up, Ego’s voice was unexpectedly heard from the speakers:

"Uzumaki Naruto, you’re too injured to continue playing. I suggest you sit out the rest of the match."

Knowing how stubborn Naruto was, his teammates and Ego alike expected him to argue against his decision, but the blonde actually complied.

"Uh, okay."

It just went to show how spent he really was.

A few moments later, two men wearing the Blue Lock staff uniform came on the pitch with a stretcher and carried him out, taking him directly to the infirmary to get his right ankle checked out.

⁂

"How is it, doctor?" Naruto asked when the doctor came back with the X-ray picture in his hand. An injury was the last thing he wanted at that moment, while he was in the middle of Blue Lock’s eliminatory selection.

"Nothing serious, don’t worry. It’s not even a sprain; it’s only a bruise. Put some ice on it and keep your foot elevated for today. Avoid straining your ankle in the next two days, and you should be as good as new. It would be a good idea to use these crutches until you can walk without any pain."

"I understand. Thank you."

Getting up from the infirmary bed, Naruto bowed in thanks to the doctor, and after getting his crutches, he left.

Once he was out of the doctor’s sight, he put his weight on the injured leg to test the level of pain. He winced a bit at the feeling.

"Shit."

It didn't hurt as much as it did right after he was fouled, but he couldn’t see himself playing to even half of his capability if he had to run and shoot while bearing that kind of pain. He dearly hoped he recovered in time for the next game.

"You should listen to the doctor and avoid putting weight on that foot," a voice was heard from behind, and Naruto was surprised when he turned and saw who it was.

"Mr Busujima? How are you here?"

"What can I say? I love football. Saeko told me she wanted to see you-"

"Otousan!"

"-and that was the perfect excuse I needed to make a visit to Blue Lock."

The middle-aged man’s jovial mood made quite a contrast with the embarrassed look on his daughter’s face.

"By the way, that goal that you just scored was absolutely phenomenal!" Mr Busujima suddenly said, gushing with excitement. "Reminds me of Roberto Carlos’ goal against France back in the late 90s. Gah! I can’t wait to show the footage to my friends!"

If his hands weren’t holding onto his crutches, Naruto would’ve rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment at seeing how a man more than twice his age was fanboying over him.

"Thank you," was the only thing he could think of saying. "Also, I want to thank you for-"

"I know what you want to say, but it’s not worth mentioning. It’s the least I could do for you since you agreed to keep my daughter’s secret. Besides, you’ve won me over as a fan. As long as you work hard with your talent, I wouldn’t be surprised to see you playing for a first-rate team two years from now!"

As if he was only now realizing that he was showing more excitement and emotion publicly than was proper for someone of his age and social standing, Mr Busujima fake-coughed into his fist and cleared his throat.

"Ahem, if you weren’t injured, I would’ve asked you to give Saeko a tour of the facility, but, looking at the crutches in your hands, it seems like that foul hurt you more than I expected."

"It’s not that bad," Naruto said. "It’s only a bruise. The doctor said I should be fine in a day or two."

Mr Busujima smiled at his words, but then his smile turned into a teasing grin as he looked at his daughter.

"Hear that, Saeko-chan?"

"I think Ego-san is waiting for you in the conference room. You better hurry up!" Saeko shooed him away with a straight face.

"I’ll come looking for you again in half an hour or so," Mr Busujima said with a chuckle. "Have fun."

Now that the jovial and charismatic middle-aged man left, an awkward silence was instilled between the two teens as they looked at each other.

Although barely two weeks passed since she last saw him, Naruto had gone through quite a few changes. Instead of that shabby orange hoodie and washed jeans he used to wear before, the Blue Lock uniform looked much better on him. The skin-tight fabric also showed that his body had filled out significantly with the nutrition and physical training he underwent at this facility.

As for Naruto-

‘Why did she want to see me?’

He couldn’t quite understand why someone as pretty as her would want to do anything with someone like him. Her long, lustrous purple hair was tied in a high ponytail, revealing her pale and slender neck, and somehow, the casual blue jeans and white blouse she was wearing only made her beauty stand out more.

"Um-"

"Hey,"

They both started speaking at the same time, only for them to stop and look at each other awkwardly again.

"Would you like to see the gym first?" he said.

"Ah, yes, sure."

As he slowly walked with his crutches towards the gym, Saeko said.

"You don’t have to listen to my father if your ankle hurts too much. We could sit somewhere and chat."

"I’m okay, it’s not that bad," he assured her. "Your father said you wanted to see me?"

In spite of his lack of experience with girls, even he could tell that that wasn’t the best thing to bring up considering her embarrassment previously.

To his relief, Saeko didn’t make it awkward.

"I was curious," she said, tucking behind her ear one of the bangs not tied in the ponytail, "Have you trained in martial arts before?"

"I haven’t. Why do you ask?"

"That night, you caught my attack so easily. And you even disarmed me."

"...It was just an umbrella," he said, chuckling.

"But that umbrella was more than enough to beat up those drunkards!" she muttered as she looked to the side, flushing slightly because of his laughter.

"I’ve gotten into some scuffles a few times… but no, I didn’t get any proper training. I didn’t really have time or money for that before."

At that moment, they happened to reach the gym too.

"It’s very well-equipped," she said as she looked at the large variety of machines, weights, and bars in the gym.

"Do you work out for Kendo too?" he asked.

"I do. Although Kendo is more about endurance, precision, and speed, strength is also very important for explosive movements. Strength improves speed too. I have very strong legs and core."

"I can see that."

"Err, thank you," Saeko said, inwardly both surprised and embarrassed at how blunt he was about complimenting her body.

A moment later, however, if the way his face started getting redder was anything to go by, it appeared that he realized what he just said too.

"Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that-"

She started giggling at how he was fumbling with his words.

"No need to apologize," she said with a grin. "It's good to know that you love my legs though."

"...Let’s go to the cafeteria next."

She actually started laughing out loud at that.

"Smooth change of subject," she said, still giggling.

"Oh, shut it," he grumbled good-naturedly.

Half an hour later, the two teens arrived on the empty field and took a seat on one of the benches at the side of the field.

"Sorry if I stink," he said when she sat down next to him. "I was in the middle of a match and then went straight to the infirmary. I didn’t have time to shower or get changed."

He wasn’t one to care about what others thought about him in general, but Saeko was so beautiful that it was making him feel super self-conscious.

"You’re a lot more polite than the impression you gave off when we first met."

"Now you’re the one being rude," he joked lightly. "But seriously, what made you come to Blue Lock?"

Sneaking a glance at him from the corner of her eye, she said:

"Honestly, I was just curious. Do you know how rare is it for guys and girls our age to not know who I am?"

"..."

At his poignant silence, she chuckled.

"Okay, I admit, it sounded arrogant coming from me. But that wasn’t my intention. Let me show you," she said, taking out her phone.

"You have the same phone as the one that your father gifted me," he said in surprise.

"Dad doesn’t care about smartphones all that much. I’m the one who chose the model for you. It’s the best Samsung that came out this year."

"Oh, thank you."

"More importantly, look, here," she said, and a soft vanilla scent wafted from her hair as she leaned in closer to show him her phone.

It was her social media profile. His eyes widened at her number of followers.

"Holy fuck! Two million followers?!" He was so taken aback that his real self unconsciously slipped out.

She grinned in satisfaction at this reaction.

"You must be earning a fortune just from ads and promoting stuff! You got all those followers just from kendo?"

"Some from Kendo. Some from my part-time modelling job. Some follow me simply because of my father. You might not know, but he’s a very famous kendoka. He’s won the Japan Kendo Championships four times. He’s one of the best to ever do it. He’s the one who trains me; my achievements in kendo are all thanks to him."

"So you’re like a celebrity."

"More like I’m ‘internet famous’. But do you see what I mean? That’s why my father and I were so surprised when you said you didn’t know who we were. It’s super rare to see young people who live under a rock in this day and age. It’s like encountering a legendary Pokemon in the wild."

They both laughed.

"How about you make an account too? You’re going to need it sooner or later anyway. With how good you are, I’m sure becoming famous is only a matter of time for you. It’ll be a good way to interact with your fans. You can earn lots of money from that. And we could also keep in touch more easily that way," she added at the end as an afterthought.

"I could do that," he said, seemingly oblivious to her intentions. "But I don’t know how much time I’ll have to stay on social media while I’m here at Blue Lock."

Looking at her, he said in a very serious voice:

"I can’t screw this up. This is my shot, my once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make it big. There are many talented guys here at Blue Lock - according to Ego-san, I’m not even in the upper half of the rankings. I don’t know how accurate his ranking is but I need to give it my all. I will become a Professional Football player no matter what."

"Ah, I understand."

"But I guess it wouldn’t hurt to use for a few minutes in the evening before going to sleep," he added when he heard how dejected she sounded.

It was almost dangerous how much persuasive power a beautiful girl could have over a boy who was not used to being in the company of one.

"Brilliant!" she said, visibly perking up at his quick change of heart. "I’ll make sure to boost you! And if Dad can get the footage of the goal you just scored today, you’ll get thousands of followers in no time!"

"There’s no need for that! The only reason I’m even going to make an account is because of-"

This time around, he caught himself before he could blurt out an embarrassing line again.

"Because of? Don’t leave me hanging," she said with a grin, knowing full well what he was just about to say. She pounced on the opportunity to poke a bit of fun at him.

Fortunately for him, he was saved from answering that question as Saeko’s phone started ringing. It was her father - it was time for them to leave.
⁂

He had been so absorbed by Saeko’s company that Naruto had completely forgotten about the fact that the football match between Team W and Team Y was still ongoing when he was taken to the infirmary. It was only after having a shower and returning to the dorms that he was reminded of it.

Noticing the downcast and quiet mood in the common bedroom, he could already guess what the result must have been.

"Hey, dude. What happened to the match?"

"We lost. How could we have won with only 10 players on the pitch? They scored one more goal after you left," Tokita said with a shrug and let out a long sigh.

"What’s with the crutches?" Yusei Amazora asked. "Was the foul that bad?"

"Maaan, please don’t tell me you’re going to sit out the next match too! If we lose again, we’ll be disqualified!" Fuwa said pleadingly.

"It’s not that bad; it’s only a bruise, but the doctor said if I don’t put my weight on it, I should recover enough to play in two or three days. When is our next match?"

"We’re up against Team Z next, three days from now."

⁂

Two days later, on the other side of Building 5, half of Team Z’s members were watching a footage with great attention.

"I thought Baro was incredible, but what the hell is with this guy?" Isagi Yoichi muttered in disbelief after he watched for the fifth time how the Number 9 player from Team W scored a goal from nearly 40 meters away.

"We’re up against a damn monster next," Kuon said, a nervous look on his face.

"Don’t lose heart, namusan! If Team Y could beat them, we can too!"

"The monk isn’t wrong for once. We’ll follow their strategy. All we have to do is shut down Number 9’s offence, and they’re done. He isn’t getting past me. I’m going to mark him for the entire duration of the game."

Using the remote control, Kuon changed the scene to the Team W vs Team Y match where Uzumaki Naruto cut past Ikki Niko, dribbled past Team Y’s winger with a Ziddane Turn and nutmegged the midfielder, all the while never losing his pace.

"You’re saying that you, alone, will be enough to stop him?" Kuon asked.

Raichi clicked his tongue, but even with how confident he was in his abilities, he couldn’t guarantee it.

"I agree with Kuon. We can’t approach this match carelessly. We need a proper strategy," Kunigami also said.
⁂

"I just finished my classes. I’m going straight to a photo shoot now."

"Another modelling gig? What’s the theme this time?"

"It’s for the young adult autumn collection at a shopping mall in Tokyo. By the way, would you like to come see me during one of my photoshoots?"

"I’d rather come to see you during your kendo practice."

Saeko’s joyful laughter brought a smile to his face too.

"Smooth, very smooth. You’re getting better at this. But I’m serious, it would be so cool if you could come."

This time, Naruto hesitated before giving her an answer.

"I would, if I could. But nobody can leave Blue Lock until the selection is over."

"Whoa, it’s like you’re in prison over there."

"To quote Ego-san, Blue Lock is not a prison, it’s an opportunity. Nobody is keeping us here by force."

"You seem to respect him a lot… You’ve only been saying good things about him."

"I do. All other football clubs overlooked me up until now, in my last year of high school. But Ego-san gave me a chance despite the fact that I was from the slums."

"Speaking of, how is your ankle? Has it healed?"

"It’s not at 100%, but it’s better. I was just about to go on the pitch for some light training when you called me."

At first, he had been reluctant to make a social media account in order to keep in touch with Saeko when she made that suggestion. However, since he was not allowed to do any physical effort until his ankle recovered and since there were no other forms of entertainment at Blue Lock, he ended up creating a social media account, and he found himself spending most of the past two days chatting with her via text messages.

Now, they were even speaking on the phone. He wasn’t exactly sure what made someone like Saeko take an interest in him, but he was enjoying the time he spent with her more than he ever thought possible.

"Ah, why didn’t you say so from the start? I wouldn’t want to keep you away from training!"

"It’s okay," Naruto said, smiling. "But I have to go now. Have fun at your photoshoot."

"Thanks. I’m going to send you some photos too when I get them from the photographer if you want to."

He smiled as he recognized the teasing tone in her voice.

"You’ll never hear me say no to that."

"Hahaha!"

He wasn’t the only one smiling widely; Saeko’s smile was just as large on the other side of the phone call.

"Alright, I won’t keep you anymore. Good luck with your training. Don’t push yourself too hard."

"I’ll be careful, thanks."

"Talk to you later tonight?"

"Definitely," he said, surprising himself with his prompt answer too. "One thing before I go. There is a chance for me to come to see you while I’m still at Blue Lock. But I’m telling you beforehand that it’s very difficult so don’t get your hopes up."

"Oh? I’m intrigued."

"There’s a reward system for scoring goals. If I scored 10 goals, I could exchange those points for a day outside."

"Oof. That’s really tough."

"I know, right?"

"If there’s a will, there is a way. Do your best!"

"I thought you said not to push myself too hard?"

"You know what I mean!!"

"Haha. Alright, talk to you later."

"Texts or voice call? Or maybe a video call?"

"Video call? Ugh.."

"What? Are you embarrassed?"

"A little," he admitted. "I’ve never talked to a girl like this before."

"Now you’re making me embarrassed. Geez. I’ve never talked to a boy like that either, but you don’t hear me saying it."

"You just did it now."

In spite of how they said their goodbyes two times already, it was as if they couldn’t put the phone down. In the end, it took the two teens another 15 minutes to end their call.

When Naruto finally went on the pitch to train, he was still smiling at the thought of Saeko. But as his foot touched the ball, all the distracting thoughts disappeared from his mind. Instead, his mind went to what Ego told Team W the previous day:

"Finding your weapon is the first requirement of being a striker. The next step is to polish your weapon and improve it. Make it stand out. Let’s take the world-famous Argentinian striker, Lionel Messi as an example. His weapon is his unique and graceful speedy dribbling. And how fast he swings his leg on his left-footed shot. In those aspects, he’s the most prominent player on the planet. But merely imitating Messi won’t make your weapon shine because each and every one of you has a different weapon."

Thinking of those words, Naruto told himself: ‘I’ve always known what my weapons were: my shooting and my athleticism.’

‘I made full use of my athleticism in the last match,’ he thought as he recalled how he had pressed the opposing team all by himself for nearly 15 minutes, running himself ragged in order to get the ball. ‘And my shooting was…that free kick was fucking amazing.’

He had rewatched his own free kick more than a dozen times. He was still having a hard time believing it was he who had scored such an amazing goal.

Ego’s words once again came to his mind:

"The world’s best striker must be able to reproduce their goals. The more dramatic a goal is, the more impressive it is. But tons of players can score those one-off goals, those one-hit wonders. Why can’t they reproduce their goals? It’s because those goals were the products of luck."

That’s why, in the present, he was continuously shooting towards the goal from a similar position, trying to replicate the free-kick goal he had scored against Team Y.

‘How do I take such a shot consistently?’

He knew how to add spin to the ball, but, unfortunately, more often than not, the ball went off target or got stopped by the dummies serving as the wall. He was having a hard time finding the perfect balance between power and spinning force. He wasn’t great at mental measurements and calculations, so the best he could do was repeatedly kick the ball and persevere through trial and error until his body got the feeling of it. So far, his success rate had been less than 10%.

Nonetheless, he wasn’t discouraged. After getting that flash of inspiration during the match against Team Y, he was sure it was only a matter of time until he was able to replicate that shot consistently. He had full confidence in his talent and his capacity for hard work.

Deeply immersed in his training, Naruto lost track of time. It was late in the evening, but he had yet to come back to the dorms. After getting a quick dinner, he went back on the pitch, practising his free kicks.

But while he was still on the pitch, a knock was heard on the door of Team W’s dormitory.
⁂

"Why would we go along with such a scummy tactic?" Tokita said when he heard the proposal coming from Team Z’s traitor.

"Yeah, you lost against Team X miserably but we beat those guys. Realistically, your team won't stand a chance against us," Wanima also said.

"You beat those guys? Or was it that Number 9?" Kuon said snidely.

At the mention of Naruto, the twin’s face darkened.

"Look, Team W has improved a lot. Frankly speaking, I can’t tell who will win between our teams tomorrow. But think about it: if you lose this match, all of you will be disqualified - because, let’s face it, there’s no way you will beat Team V. Your only way to qualify is by beating us. If you take on my offer, all of you will pass, and I will pass too as the top scorer. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. It’s a win-win scenario for all of us," Kuon said.

"What about Uzumaki?" Amazora asked. "Will he agree to this? The way I see it, he" - and he gestured towards Kuon - "might not get be able to score even if all of us just let him do it. You saw Uzumaki's pressing in our last match, that dude is crazy."

"For real, if that foul hadn’t left him with an injury, I would have been firmly convinced he’s a cyborg."

"Yeah, he's stubborn and has the stamina to run for days."

"...Let’s just not tell him about it," Wanima said eventually. "That thug is too dumb to work together with us on a scheme like this anyway. We’ll figure out a way to give you the ball while he’s too far from you to intervene."

Although the others didn’t verbally agree with his words, their silence was an answer too. They decided to keep Naruto in the dark about their plans.

⁂⁂⁂

AN: some fluff and relationship build up in this chapter. Back to football in the next. Hope you enjoyed it. Until next time!