As Ayame waited, Naruto finally came running back this time holding a large scroll in his hands.
He had just made a visit to the bank to withdraw some money from his account to help Ayame out.
He burst into the shop, out of breath but still grinning.
"Here, Sister! Take this! It'll solve your problem!" Naruto said smugly, handing the scroll to Ayame.
Ayame blinked in confusion. "Naruto... what's inside?"
Naruto puffed out his chest. "Money! You said you were short on funds to hire staff, right? So I brought some of mine. Now the store doesn't have to close!"
Ayame stared at the scroll, then back at Naruto. His enthusiasm was contagious, but his actions were... strange.
She sighed. Naruto was far too naive.
She knew how tough his life was, and yet here he was—offering all his savings just to help keep the shop open. Her heart warmed at the thought.
But still, she couldn't accept his money. And even if she did, it likely wouldn't be enough to solve their staffing issues.
But before she could refuse, Naruto spoke again.
"There's fifty million ryo inside! That should be enough to keep the store open, right?"
"..."
"W-What?" Ayame froze. "Naruto… how much did you say was inside the scroll?"
"Fifty million ryo," he repeated, completely serious.
Ayame looked at the scroll, then at Naruto—suspicious.
He had to be joking… right?
There was no way Naruto had that kind of money.
To prove he wasn't joking, Naruto channeled a small amount of chakra into the scroll.
The secondary seal formation inscribed inside the scroll lit up the moment he poured his chakra in.
The seal glowed faintly, and a number appeared on the surface in bright, bold characters:
50,000,000
Ayame's jaw dropped.
"It's real!" Naruto said proudly. "See? That should be enough, right?"
"It really is fifty million ryo! N-Naruto… where did you get this kind of money?! You didn't steal it, did you?!"
Naruto frantically waved his hands. "No way, Sister! I swear it's mine! I'm rich now!" he said, puffing out his chest like a proud peacock, clearly enjoying the moment far too much.
Ayame narrowed her eyes. She was even more suspicious now. "Explain."
Feeling the pressure of her gaze, Naruto scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"Uhh… mission settlement. That's all!"
'So that's it…' Ayame sighed deeply. She had genuinely feared he might have taken someone else's money just to help them.
"Naruto… I still can't accept that much money."
"Please, Sister Ayame, just take it!" Naruto insisted. "Just think of it as a lifetime subscription! For Ichiraku Ramen! I won't pay for ramen anymore—I'll just eat here every day for free! That way it's fair, right?"
He grinned. "Besides, I still have a lot more, so don't worry!"
Ayame stared at him for a long moment, then finally let out a heavy sigh.
"Alright, Naruto. I'll take it—but only on one condition: once my father recovers, I'll pay you back. As for your lifetime ramen subscription… deal."
"Yes! That's the spirit!" Naruto gave a big smile and immediately resumed slurping down his miso ramen.
After stuffing himself to his heart's content, he stood up to leave.
At the door, he turned and gave Ayame a grin.
"Sister Ayame, please take care of Uncle Teuchi. You make good ramen, but Uncle Teuchi still makes the best ramen."
SMACK!
A flying slipper suddenly smacked him in the back of the head. Causing Naruto to wince in pain.
"WHAT did you just say?!"
Naruto turned slowly to see Ayame standing there, a menacing aura around her and her face twitching with fury.
He froze. "Ah… I meant… I meant both of you are amazing! Equally amazing!"
"YOU BRAT!"
Without another word, he bolted out of the shop at full speed.
ε=ε=┏( >_<)┛
He ran all the way home possibly in record time.
Up on a nearby rooftop, a hidden ANBU agent sighed. "He really spent fifty million on ramen… this kid's priorities are terrifying."
What Naruto didn't know was that the moment he handed over the scroll of money, several Anbu were already watching him.
Under the Hokage's orders, they had been watching over him for days to keep Danzo at bay.
Now that they had seen Naruto give such a large sum to Ayame, they were bound to report it to the Third Hokage immediately.
Root Headquarters
In the shadows of Root's underground base, Danzo sat silently, listening intently to the report.
Naruto Uzumaki. Fifty million ryo.
Danzo's smile twisted into something even more sinister.
"So the boy's sitting on a fortune…" he murmured. "And if he spent fifty million, he probably has more… double, maybe."
He tapped his cane slowly against the floor, scheming.
Hiruzen had forbidden him from interacting with the jinchūriki—but he never said anything about taking his money.
"If I can't control the vessel… I can still control the resources."
His eyes gleamed.
"I'll pay Hiruzen a little visit."
And with that, Danzo stood, grinning to himself as he walked toward the Hokage Tower.
Hokage's Office
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind his desk, puffing gently on his pipe, listening to the report from the Anbu assigned to monitor Naruto.
As the details unfolded, his brows furrowed deeper and deeper.
And then came the final blow.
"...He handed over fifty million ryo in exchange for a lifetime supply of ramen."
The Hokage's face darkened instantly.
"Fifty… million… for ramen?!"
The silence in the room grew heavy.
With that kind of money, Naruto could've bought land, built a business, anything! But he spent it all on unlimited ramen?
But that wasn't even the most pressing issue right now.
The bigger question was: where did Naruto get that kind of money in the first place?
Hiruzen thought through every possibility, and as he did, a cold chill ran down his spine.
No way…
He remembered the stash of his lifetime savings—hidden in a concealed vault a few block away from Naruto's apartment.
He broke out into a sweat.
Don't tell me… he found it?!
If Naruto had discovered his hidden savings and spent it on ramen, Hiruzen wasn't sure if his old heart could take it.
Please let it be something else… anything else…
Still, regardless of where the money came from, he had more concerns.
Especially that man his old friend and eternal headache—Danzo, who would undoubtedly act after hearing this.
Hiruzen sat at his desk, anxiety still gnawing at his mind. If Danzo had caught wind of the money, he would definitely show up…
Speak of the devil!
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The unmistakable thud of a cane striking the stairs echoed through the hallway.
'Here we go again…' Hiruzen sighed, already rubbing his temples.
BANG!
The door to the Hokage's office burst open again—slammed wide by none other than Danzo, just like every other time he showed up.
"Danzo!, I'm the Hokage" Hiruzen snapped, resisting the urge to throw his pipe at him.
"Fuck you, Hiruzen! At least let me fucking walk into the room before you start your 'I'm the Hokage' crap!"