[Blue Lock] Chapter 18 - One Final Break

Ego Jinpachi had always been transparent about the criteria that he used to evaluate everyone at Blue Lock. One of the first things that he had told everyone during their first selection was,

“Your abilities have been quantified and ranked by me according to my arbitrary and biased decision-making.”

Did it sound petty and unreasonable? Most of the players at Blue Lock would immediately say yes, especially those who had been kicked out, unable to pass the selections. 

But Ego seemed not to give a damn about anyone’s opinions and complaints. By now, he had cemented in everyone’s minds the idea that no matter how much they cried about it, it would be useless. He did not care about their excuses. He only cared about results. He only cared about them scoring goals.

Therefore, after Uzumaki Naruto returned to Blue Lock and Ego gave him a spot on the starting 11 right away, Otoya Eita knew better than to make a fuss with Ego, despite the fact that he got relegated to a substitute.

That, however, did not mean that he was pleased with the fact that he would warm the bench during the match against Japan’s U20 national team. On the Tuesday of their final week of training, in the morning, Otoya challenged Naruto to prove that he was better. 

The last two weeks of training had been filled with intense physical training, but not only. A surprisingly large number of hours had been spent on Ego imparting his knowledge of tactics and football theory to them. 

With that being said, the Blue Lock players often played football matches against each other, too. Seeing as there were 35 people who had passed the final selection, they often made teams of 11 and competed against each other. 

Much to Eita’s surprise, the blond not only accepted his challenge, but he even looked happy about it. 

And that’s how Otoya Eita ended up less than half an hour later with a thousand-yard stare in his eyes, in outright disbelief as he watched Uzumaki Naruto score a second individual goal. 

“How the hell . . .?” Otoya muttered. 

Twenty minutes, 1 assist and 2 goals. 

Ikki Niko, who was one of the two CBs in Blue Lock’s starting eleven, was utterly helpless to stop him. 

Even Kenyu Yukimiya, who had stolen Isagi Yoichi’s spot in the starting eleven and was famous as the 1-on-1 Emperor, failed 3 out of 5 times to stop Naruto’s charge along the touchline. 

In contrast, the only thing Otoya had achieved during those 20 minutes was 1 assist to Itoshi Rin, who scored. 

The difference between their performances was so stark, he could not even bring himself to be angry anymore. He could only stare numbly at Naruto, who was celebrating his second goal together with Nagi and Nishioka. 

⁂

By 10 am, the match came to an end, and most of the boys left the pitch, going to have a shower and to relax. 

But Naruto stood behind. Going to the bench

“Naruto, are you not coming?” Nishioka asked. 

“You guys can go ahead. I’m staying behind to practise some more,” he said. 

Nagi groaned when he heard him. But, knowing how stubborn the blond was and how hard he worked, they did not try to change his mind. 

“Don’t overdo it,” Hajime Nishioka advised him. “If even that demon, Ego, is giving us rest days, then you better make use of them. Our bodies need time to rest and recuperate.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll stop after lunch,” Naruto said as he grabbed a basket filled with footballs and went to the edge of the pitch, not far from the corner. 

Nishioka shrugged his shoulders and was about to leave when he noticed the blond acting peculiarly. Curious, he stopped in his tracks and watched him. 

Grabbing a ball from the basket, Naruto took a few steps back before raising the ball above his head and throwing it in with all his strength. 

“Holy shit!” Nishioka said, eyes wide from shock. 

The blond had thrown the ball so hard that it flew from the touchline even further than the goal, reaching almost to the other end of the penalty box. 

“Hm, I threw it too hard,” he muttered before turning towards Nishioka. “Hey, can you help me out for a bit? Don’t worry; you don’t have to run or anything.”

Still amazed by what he had just witnessed, Nishioka momentarily forgot about his tiredness and walked to him. 

“Dude, are you a gorilla? What was that throw??”

Naruto snickered. 

“Stop overreacting and help me train my accuracy a bit. If you do, I’ll give you an assist like this during the match versus U20 Japan.”

The shorter boy waved him off. 

“Forget it. With my height, I’d never win an aerial duel against the likes of Aiku.”

They laughed together as they imagined that scene. 

“Then maybe you could stay outside the box and try a long-distance shot while they’re all cluttered together near the goal area.”

Nishioka shook his head. “I don’t have that brute power of yours. Save your throw-ins for taller guys like Nagi, Rin, or Kunigami.”

Nonetheless, he jogged to the penalty box, in front of the goal, and shouted:

“Alright, I’m ready; you can throw.”

Grabbing another ball, Naruto took a couple of steps back before throwing it again.

⁂

“Ego-san, you have to see this!” Anri, a young woman with short auburn hair, suddenly called out to Ego, who was, for once, seated and eating at a table instead of doing it on his chair. 

“What’s wrong, Anri-chan?” he asked as he walked over with his plate of curry in his hands. 

Turning his eyes to the large screen, even Ego showed a rare expression of surprise. 

“His throw-ins are like a cross,” Anri said in disbelief. “Are we sure he’s really just a high school student??”

“Technically, he dropped out of school a few weeks ago. But yes, he is only 18 years old,” Ego replied before sticking his spoon into the food and starting to eat again, his eyes never leaving the screen. 

For the next four minutes, Ego and Anri watched together as Naruto threw in nearly 30 balls, all of them reaching the goal area. 

When it looked like Nishioka was about to leave, Ego momentarily put down his plate of food and grabbed a microphone. 

“Uzumaki, Nishioka, hold on for a moment.”

The two boys glanced up in surprise towards the screen hanging from the ceiling of the stadium.

“Ego-san? You were watching us?” Nishioka asked. 

Normally, Ego did not bother the players during the rest days; he usually left them to their own devices. Resting, both physically and mentally, was extremely important for professional athletes. 

Ignoring the short boy’s meaningless question, Ego talked to Naruto:

“What’s your longest throw-in distance?”

Naruto scratched his temple. 

“I don’t know? I’ve never really measured it.”

“Then do it now. I want to see just how far you can throw. Try increasing your distance from the penalty area, bit by bit, until your throw-ins can’t reach it anymore. As for you, Nishioka, stay where you are.”

It was supposed to be a day of rest, not training, but Nishioka did not dare to say a word of complaint. He obeyed Ego’s instructions right away. 

As for Naruto, he was brimming with motivation. The fact that Ego Jinpachi seemed to pay attention to him and wanted to guide him even during their rest days made him happy. His improvement as a winger became downright impressive ever since he started training the way Ego had told him to. 

Ten minutes later, Anri and Nishioka were shocked to see Naruto actually go to the middle of the pitch. 

He used his own shirt to wipe the ball as well as he could and tested his grip on it a few times before taking eight steps back or so. 

He raised the ball above his head, gripped it tightly, and ran toward the touchline. Just before reaching the line, he did an outrageous front flip and hurled the ball with incredible force.

Leaving aside the fact that he was a teenager, even more than 99% of the football players in their physical prime were simply incapable of achieving something like that. It was a nearly 60-metre-long throw. 

“Reminds me of that time when Rory Delap struck terror in Ars,” Ego said, a wide, unsettling grin on his face.

“Are you talking about that time when the Ars manager was measuring the length of grass on the pitch and demanded throw-ins to be banned?” she asked, giggling at the reminder of it. 

That incident had become a meme and an iconic moment of the Premier League when a relatively minor team like Stoke City defeated a giant club like Ars in the 2010 FA Cup. Rory Delap’s long throw-ins had terrorised Ars, even leading to the scoring of one goal. 

Ego flicked her forehead, making her squawk in pain. 

“Think of the possibilities of such long throw-ins, Anri-chan,” he said, bearing the same unsettling grin on his face. “With that sort of strength, every single one of his throw-ins would be no different from an indirect kick or a corner kick. Do you know how many throw-ins are given on average in a game?”

Anri rubbed her forehead, which had become red. 

“I don’t know,” she said, pouting. 

“Between 30 and 60 throw-ins, of which 75% are in the opposing team’s half. To put it in simpler terms so that even someone like you would understand –”

“-Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?” she interjected, offended.

“– Our team would get somewhere between 11 and 22 throw-ins in the opponent’s half. With Uzumaki’s long throws, that is no different from having between 11 and 22 indirect kicks.”

Anri had realised the potential of it too, but hearing it being put in actual numbers hit differently. 

“It looks like we need to adjust our tactics a little bit,” Ego said, grinning. 

⁂

It was noon. Having already taken a shower, Naruto went to the canteen. He was in the middle of wolfing down his food and scrolling through social media when his phone started vibrating. 

He groaned in irritation when he saw that it was not a number from his contacts. 

“Another phone call?” asked Isagi from across the table. 

“Man, you’ve been getting so many calls lately,” Nagi also said, not looking up from his own phone. He was scrolling through a manga. 

The blond stood up from the table and went outside the canteen so that he would not bother the others who were eating. He may have been an orphan, but it was not as though he had grown up in a jungle. He did have a modicum of manners, and he had begun paying attention to his behaviour a lot more ever since he started dating Saeko. 

Once he was out of the mess hall, he answered the call. 

“Hello?”

An old and familiar voice came from the other end of the call, speaking extremely fast:

“Naruto, please don’t hang up again! I got involved with some bad people. Please listen, I only-”

The blond instantly terminated the call and also blocked the number, too. The caller was none other than his godfather, Jiraiya. Although Naruto had threatened him with violence and told him he did not want to see him again, the old man had been pestering him with phone calls for weeks, calling him from a different number every time. 

‘Figures that a fucking scammer like him would have so many phone numbers,’ he thought in contempt as he returned to the mess hall. 

“Just another scammer,” Naruto told his friends as he got back in his seat. 

“Maybe someone is playing a prank on you?” Nishioka chuckled. 

“I’m tempted to change my number if this shit keeps up,” said Naruto in annoyance before taking a big bite out of a roasted chicken breast. 

He had no idea how Jiraiya had found out his phone number, but it was becoming increasingly annoying with every passing day. 

Soon, their lunch came to an end, and the boys headed back to their dorms. But while the rest just plopped themselves in bed tiredly from the exhaustion they accumulated over the previous days of intense training, Naruto changed into a different set of clothes. 

“Hey, what’s with the get-up?” asked Nishioka when he saw him not only dressing up nicely but even trying to fix his unkempt hair. 

“I’m heading out.”

“Does Ego know about it?”

“Of course.”

“. . .Damn, he’s really giving you special treatment,” he said in envy. “I forgot the last time I went out in the city to have fun.”

Naruto shrugged his shoulders, but he did not contradict him. Even he could see that he was being favoured by Ego. 

“See you guys later,” he said, and left in a rush. 

⁂

Thanks to the car sent by Mr Busujima, Naruto’s trip from Blue Lock to Tokyo had been smooth and uneventful. 

The driver often glanced in the rearview mirror at the athletic young man in the back curiously; as a long-time employee of the Busujima family, he was aware of Naruto’s identity. Alas, the young man was too absorbed by his phone to entertain any small talk. 

Even during this car trip, he was studying videos that analysed various world-class wingers from modern football. 

Currently, he was watching a video about a particular Egyptian forward who had joined Elverpool a year and a half ago, instantly becoming a sensation in his debut season by scoring over 40 goals. 

Time flew without his notice, and soon, they arrived at their destination. It was a very large building with an octagonal shape, resembling somewhat a Japanese temple. 

Its name was Nippon Budokan, the famous martial arts arena from Tokyo that often hosted all sorts of sports events. 

That day, Saeko was going to participate in a local kendo tournament, and Naruto came there to support her. Unfortunately, by the time he arrived at the arena, the event had already started; he could not meet her right away. Due to a traffic jam on the highway, he had arrived late. 

Dressed in their traditional uniforms and wearing their protective gear, it was very difficult to distinguish the competitors' appearance. If not for the announcements introducing both fights and naming the colour of the ribbons they were wearing, he would not have recognised Saeko when she stepped into the Shiai-jo, the competition area. 

The spectators seemed to come alive when Saeko Busujima’s name was announced. 

Over the next few minutes, he finally got to see for himself that it was not only her father’s name that had made Saeko popular. This was the first time he had watched a kendo competition in person, but even he, as a layman, could tell that his girlfriend was in an entirely different league compared to her opponent. 

“It’s like an adult toying with a child,” he heard someone mutter. 

“They should just let her compete with the men,” another spectator chuckled. 

⁂

“Saeko! Over here!” Naruto waved and called out her name to make himself seen in the large crowd. 

The girl’s face lit up, and, dropping her shinai bag and her duffle bag on the floor with a thud, she let out a squeal and jumped up into his arms. 

“You came!” she said, her voice filled with excitement. “When you didn't arrive on time, I thought you wouldn't make it!”

Saeko’s pure joy at seeing him was like an injection of serotonin for Naruto. He laughed as he hugged her back and lifted her off her feet. 

“Sorry, there was a traffic jam. But I gave you my word that I would come, didn't I?”

Due to his mixed ancestry, with his bright blonde hair and his strong and athletic body, Naruto naturally stood out like a sore thumb among the Japanese. Quite a few people glanced at him curiously as they passed by. Some of those looks, however, turned into frowns when Saeko jumped into his arms and didn’t let go for nearly half a minute. 

“People are starting to glare at us. We better get going,” he said with a chuckle, rubbing her back softly. 

Public displays of affection were generally frowned upon in Japan. In most circumstances, a quick hug, couples holding hands, and even a peck on the cheek were considered acceptable, all the more so in recent years. Anything that went beyond that, however, would draw other people’s displeasure, especially the elderly. 

“Let me carry these for you,” he offered as they walked to pick up her bags off the floor. 

Saeko smiled at him. 

“Okay, you can take the duffle bag. Leave this to me.”

“Are you sure? I don’t mind carrying them both.”

“What kind of samurai lets others take their sword?” Saeko asked, a hand on her hip, making him laugh. “Besides,” the girl continued, “You need to have one of your hands free.”

“What for?”

“So you can hold mine, duh,” she said, as she took his free hand in hers and then quickly rose on her tiptoes, pecking him on the cheek. 

She giggled happily at seeing the faint blush on his face and pulled on his hand, dragging him after her. 

Now that the kendo competition was over, they were going to spend the rest of the day together, going on a date. 

Leaving her luggage with the driver and instructing him to go home, Saeko only grabbed her long umbrella and her purse from the car before taking Naruto’s hand and leaving. 

⁂

It was the 12th of February. Valentine’s Day was just around the corner, and shops all over Tokyo were filled with girls looking for gifts to give to their male friends, family members, and other acquaintances.

Since it was already close to 4 pm, they did not have enough time to wander around as much as they would have liked. Still, Saeko was not going to miss out on the opportunity to take Naruto to a chocolate shop.

The tradition of women giving chocolate to men on February 14th was so popular in Japan that there were shops dedicated entirely to chocolate and other sweets made from it. It was estimated that around 20 percent of Japan’s annual chocolate consumption happened on that single day.

He wasn’t crazy about sweets, but he did not mind having them once in a while. Even if he did, he would not have been able to turn down Saeko’s smile whenever she offered him chocolate. He was completely whipped.

When they stepped out of the coffee shop, it was raining. Saeko opened her elegant umbrella and happily linked her arm with his, walking shoulder to shoulder. 

That day, Saeko was wearing a rather simple outfit consisting of black heeled boots, a noir wool overcoat, and a dark green scarf, but she was so pretty that she made his heart flutter whenever he looked at her. 

“Where to now?” he asked.

Traditionally, the man was supposed to plan the date, but he was more comfortable letting her take the lead. He wasn’t used to hanging out in the city with friends, and she was confident enough to say what she wanted without hesitation.

“You have to be back at Blue Lock before 10 pm, right?”

“Yeah. I’ve got training again tomorrow.”

“Then let’s go to Tokyo Tower first.”

Thankfully, it was only a light drizzle, not a heavy downpour, so they were able to walk at a relaxed pace, having a great time chatting. 

They did keep in touch every day through social media, text messages, and phone calls, but talking in person was different. Due to Naruto always being away at Blue Lock, it was hard for them to meet, so they treasured every single moment they could spend together. 

“How was the kendo championship? Did you enjoy it?”

“Honestly, it was hard for me to keep track of who was scoring. Sometimes, they moved their swords so fast, it was crazy. But your fight was the easiest to watch. That other girl never stood a chance.”

She laughed as Naruto told her some of the comments he had heard other people make in the stands. 

“No wonder you beat up those drunkards to a pulp with a damn umbrella when we first met,” he said, snickering. 

“Hey! Don’t dig up my dark history now! Forget it! You should forget it right away!” she said, her face reddening in embarrassment at the reminder of that night. 

“How can I? You ruined the only hoodie I had!”

She pouted as she looked up at him, but Naruto smiled as he quickly leaned down, stealing a kiss.

⁂

“I haven’t been here since I was in primary school, and I’ve never been here at night,” said Naruto, his voice tinged with awe when they arrived at the Tokyo Tower and took the elevator to the highest observation deck. 

Considering that it was February and that it was past 5 pm already, it was dark outside. The sight of Tokyo’s bright cityscape spreading below their feet was breathtaking. 

Intertwining her fingers with his in a lover’s hold, Saeko smiled at him:

“I knew you would like it.”

She squeezed his hand gently as she gazed at him. This was just the first of the many trips they were going to go on together. She wanted to travel with him everywhere. She wanted him to be happy and enjoy his life as much as she did from now on. 

Though she did not say it out loud, her eyes spoke volumes about her feelings. At that moment, disregarding the unwritten rules about PDA in Japanese society, Naruto raised his hand to cup her cheek and pressed a lingering kiss on her lips. 

“I’m so lucky I met you, Saeko,” he said as they rested their foreheads against each other. 

“No, I’m the lucky one,” she said, raising herself on her toes to peck him on the lips one more time. 

The girl was positively jubilant, and she wanted to capture that moment of happiness forever. And she did just that, taking out her phone and snapping dozens of pictures and even filming some short clips together with him. 

It was around half past 6 when their tour of Tokyo Tower ended. 

To his surprise, a taxi was already waiting for them when they came out of the tower. 

“Take us to the Love Hotel Hill in Shibuya, please,” Saeko said.

The driver did not make a big deal out of her request, but Naruto was inwardly startled. It was evening, and Saeko was taking him to the Love Hotel Hill in Shibuya. . . it was not difficult for him to understand what the likely scenario was. He glanced at her, who was seated next to him in the back, but the girl averted her eyes, too embarrassed to meet his gaze. Her bright red ears, visible even in the semi-darkness of the taxi’s interior, betrayed how shy and self-conscious she must have felt. 

The trip by taxi had been mostly silent, as the two of them did not feel comfortable chatting in the presence of a stranger. Luckily, it was a relatively short distance, only five kilometres or so. 

When they arrived at their destination and got off, he glanced at her questioningly.

“Are you sure about it?” he asked, his throat suddenly becoming dry and his voice hoarse. 

Though she was still not meeting his eyes, Saeko nodded firmly. 

“Yes.”

The two teenagers were so embarrassed that they were completely quiet as they walked towards one of the many buildings decorated with vivid pink, red, and yellow neon lights. 

“Good evening. May I see your IDs, please?” the man at the reception asked. 

After the receptionist made sure that they were both 18, and Saeko brought her phone close to the card reader to rent a suite for 3 hours, the receptionist handed them a key card with a polite bow.

The elevator ride and the short walk to their room were so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. Even after stepping inside and closing the door behind them, they just stood there, frozen, unable to even look at each other.

Saeko, in particular, felt like she was on the verge of fainting. She had been quite brave and daring in planning to spend their evening at a love hotel, but now that she was actually there, her heart was beating so hard that she felt dizzy.

In the end, it was Naruto who broke the ice. He stepped closer to her and tentatively wrapped his arms around her. 

“Saeko?”

“Yes?” she answered in a small voice. 

He raised her chin gently to make her look at him. Her flushed face and her trembling lower lip were so adorable that he found it impossible to contain his smile. He lowered his face to hers and kissed her softly. 

Minutes passed as they kissed slowly, embracing each other lovingly.

Soon, their nervousness faded, and desire took over. 

Saeko started unbuttoning her long black coat, letting it drop on the floor, and Naruto momentarily pulled back from the kiss to take off his jacket and his hoodie, throwing them aside haphazardly.

But when he glanced back at Saeko, he unconsciously uttered:

“Whoa. . . !”

The outfit that Saeko had chosen to wear underneath her long noir overcoat that day left him dumbstruck. He had never seen someone dressed in something as racy as that in real life. 

He swallowed hard, his eyes drawn to the black lace choker around her neck, then to her collarbone, and to the deep, voluptuous cleavage shown off by her tight black top.

Her midriff was bare too, her toned stomach and narrow waist making it hard for him to tear his eyes away. 

But when his gaze dropped lower, his breath hitched in his throat. She was wearing a black leather mini skirt that clung to her hips like a second skin, leaving little to the imagination. And just below it, thin garter straps held up a pair of thigh-high stockings, the black lace digging softly into the tender flesh of her bare thighs. 

"You're incredible," he said, his eyes lingering on the final piece of her outfit, a pair of mid-length black boots with high heels that highlighted her long legs.

Understanding how much thought and effort she had put in for the sake of this date, for his sake, Naruto felt, not for the first time, that he was the luckiest man in the world. 

‘Did I save the world in my previous life or something?’

His face looked like he could hardly believe that a girl as amazing as her had fallen in love with him. 

Saeko’s confidence soared at his honest, utterly awestruck reaction, but a moment later, his lips were upon hers. It was a hungry, ravenous kiss, and his hands started roaming all over her exposed waist, her ass, and her bare thighs, seemingly not knowing what he wanted to touch more. 

The girl moaned into his mouth, and one of her long legs coiled around his waist as she started pressing herself tightly against him. He made it easier for her when he suddenly grabbed her ass, holding her in his arms as he instinctively carried her to the closest wall for leverage. 

She locked her legs around his waist and wrapped her arms around his neck as she tilted her head and deepened their kiss. Her tongue slipped through his parted lips, and he started grinding with even greater need against her, her actions driving him mad with desire. 

⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂

AN: you know what comes next lol. But after the Culture stuff, we'll jump straight to the final match vs Japan's U20 national team.

Sorry for the long delay in getting this chapter out. I hope you enjoyed it. Until next time!