"You... you actually listened to me! You really got a dog! Haha! That's excellent taste!" Kiba said excitedly, his voice filled with the joy of finding a fellow enthusiast.
Naruto smiled and obediently took Kogane gently out of his backpack, placing it on the ground. He was also a little curious, wanting to see how the Inuzuka clan, who naturally dealt with canines, would interact with this special little one.
Kiba skillfully squatted down and slowly extended the back of his hand in front of Kogane's nose. This was a standard, friendly signal for a dog to get familiar with a scent.
However, Kogane merely tilted its head slightly, its yellow eyes glancing at Kiba's hand with a hint of confusion, and it didn't lean in to sniff like a normal puppy.
"Oh ho, it's quite a proud little one." Seeing this, Kiba wasn't annoyed; instead, he nodded knowingly, stood up, and didn't rashly try to pet its head.
He knew the principle of interacting with canines—first, let the other party remember your scent, which was a basic "self-introduction." Kogane's reaction had clearly expressed its attitude; it didn't like overly casual contact with strangers.
"Come, try this. This is Akamaru's favorite snack; it tastes amazing!" Kiba didn't give up, pulling out a meticulously crafted treat, resembling high-quality dog food, from his Ninja tool pouch and offering it to Kogane with a coaxing tone.
Unfortunately, Kogane remained unmoved, not even lingering its gaze on the snack for a second. It simply walked, with elegant and unhurried steps, back to Naruto's feet.
"Hmph, Naruto, your child is really aloof," Kiba scratched his head, his tone tinged with a bit of frustration, but more with surprise, "It's even colder than my older sister's partner. But well, that's how dogs are; as long as they're loyal and dependent on their owner, it's fine!" He quickly became cheerful again, laughing heartily.
"Sorry, sorry," Naruto quickly smoothed things over, bending down and gently stroking Kogane's head, "Maybe it's because this child is a girl, so her personality is more cautious and careful."
"A girl, huh... No wonder..." Kiba's gaze fell on the two meticulously braided "pigtails" naturally formed by the fur beneath Kogane's ears.
Naruto braided them for it, didn't he? He muttered to himself, "I wouldn't have thought this guy had such a girlish heart... But... its fur color is incredibly beautiful, and its well-proportioned, agile physique is perfectly balanced. As an expert who grew up with dogs, Kiba keenly sensed that Naruto's little dog was absolutely outstanding, even stunning, in the canine aesthetic system."
"Oh, Akamaru, don't just stand there, come meet a new friend!" Kiba said to his partner, who had been resting on his head, "This is Naruto's dog; you two can play together later...?"
However, when Akamaru obeyed the command and lightly jumped down from Kiba's head, Kiba noticed that Akamaru seemed a bit off. Beneath the white fur on its cheeks, its skin appeared to have an abnormal flush.
Moreover, Akamaru's round, black eyes were now staring unblinkingly straight ahead—at the slightly larger, uniquely elegant blue Kogane.
— — — — — —
Ultimately, this first meeting concluded with Akamaru in a somewhat dejected state. Just now, when Akamaru bravely walked up to Kogane, Kogane didn't walk away directly as it had with Kiba, but merely stood quietly, offering basic courtesy.
However, whenever Akamaru tried to get a step closer, such as attempting to gently nudge the other with its nose or lean its body closer, Kogane would subtly and very naturally turn its body or shift half a step, perfectly avoiding any overly intimate contact.
This was not out of disdain or hostility—after all, as a being revered as a "hero," it naturally carried an inviolable pride and reserve.
Kiba realized that his Akamaru was completely captivated by the other's unique, aloof demeanor and appearance, but matters of the heart, even between dogs, ultimately couldn't be forced. He watched Akamaru's increasingly despondent look, almost drooping its ears, and finally couldn't bear it, reaching out to stop his partner, who was still trying to approach.
Because he discovered that his good friend had also become a "fellow dog owner," Kiba almost completely forgot the complex emotions he initially felt towards Naruto. Those emotions were deeply intertwined with a dream he buried deep in his heart, a dream he rarely spoke of to others—to become Hokage.
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