The steam in the ramen shop had not yet dissipated, but Satsuki had already hastily put down her bowl. Her fair cheeks were still flushed, and even the tips of her ears were tinged with a faint pink.
After the heart-pounding incident just now, she simply couldn't face Naruto calmly anymore.
"I-I'm leaving now..." Satsuki said quickly with her head down. She pressed a few bills under her bowl and hurriedly got up. She frantically lifted the curtain and let it fall, leaving only a gentle breeze to brush past the empty seat.
Old Man Ichiraku came over to clear the dishes. Seeing the extra money on the table, he couldn't help but shake his head and sigh. "Honestly... I said it was my treat today..."
"This kid is just too shy."
Naruto leisurely finished his second bowl of ramen. This time, he didn't pay but sincerely thanked Old Man Ichiraku. "Thanks for the treat! Your congratulatory ramen is the best, dei ba you!"
Stepping out of the ramen shop, twilight had already enveloped Konoha. Naruto didn't go straight home but turned towards the Hokage's Office. His steps were unhurried, but his thoughts grew deeper.
Skiing? He knew, of course, that it was just a clumsy excuse. He wasn't so dense as to not understand a young girl's feelings.
To be honest, Naruto didn't mind Satsuki's budding affection. In fact, when he saw those little boys fawning over Satsuki today, a strange feeling of annoyance had welled up in his chest—even though he was 100% sure Satsuki would reject them.
So, why did he pretend to believe that flimsy explanation?
The answer was simple: it wasn't the right time yet.
Naruto looked up at the streetlights that were beginning to flicker on. Although children in the ninja world generally matured early, and it wasn't uncommon for them to be engaged at a young age, he still felt that before they truly grew up, some feelings should be taken slowly.
Crossing the street, Naruto soon arrived at the Hokage's Office. He pushed open the office door and, as expected, saw the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had not yet finished work.
So, what was Naruto's purpose in coming to see the Third? The answer was simple—he was here to "ask for a gift."
That's right! Today was the big day of the school opening. In terms of lineage, the Third was the teacher of his dad's teacher, Jiraiya, so strictly speaking, he should call him "Grandmaster."
Since he was his grand-disciple, on an important occasion like the start of school, shouldn't his grandmaster show some gesture of goodwill?
After these few years of interaction, Naruto was already convinced that those conspiracy theories about the Third were purely over-interpretations. In all these years, he had never been wronged in terms of food, clothing, or shelter.
In the morning, he had Might Guy to sweat with him, and in the afternoon, he had Satsuki to train with. The loneliness of the original story had disappeared with the company of these two.
It was worth mentioning that, according to regulations, everyone a jinchuriki came into contact with had to be strictly vetted. But when the ANBU had reported Might Guy's frequent contact with Naruto, the Third's first reaction was not to suspect the beast's identity, but to worry that Naruto would be led astray—what if one day Naruto also started wearing a green jumpsuit and talking about "youth" all day...
Perhaps because Guy-sensei was too unique, even that guy Danzo hadn't made a fuss about it.
Anyway, Naruto had made up his mind. If Orochimaru were to launch his "Konoha Crush" plan in the future, he would definitely find a way to save the Third.
After a while, after the ninja who delivered the ninjutsu scrolls had left, the Third's gift was unexpectedly generous. The high-level ninjutsu scrolls that ordinary ninja needed to complete numerous missions to redeem were now neatly lying in Naruto's bag.
Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu, Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall, Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Technique, Lightning Style: Thunderclap, Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bullet, Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet... it was an incredibly luxurious collection.
It made sense. After witnessing the duel between Naruto and Satsuki today, which was far beyond the level of their peers, the Third must have felt that it would be a waste for such talent not to learn more powerful ninjutsu.
The night breeze blew past. Naruto looked up at the starry sky, his thoughts gradually clearing. Now that some of the story's characters had appeared one after another, his plan was very clear.
First, he needed to establish a good relationship with the "Konoha 9" and Iruka that he could now contact, earn more system points, and at the same time, work hard to master these newly acquired powerful ninjutsu to increase his strength... because he knew very well that in a few years, there was a major event that had to be changed no matter what.
The Uchiha Clan Massacre.
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