fynovel Chapter 59 1 years
Chapter 59 1 years
As night fell, the enticing aroma of barbecue wafted from the restaurant. Naruto, Shikamaru, and Choji sat around the grill, the sizzling meat pieces dancing on the hot plate, Choji's face flushed with happiness.
After the meat was grilled, Choji enthusiastically distributed the slices to everyone's plates. Of course, he got the largest portion. Although Choji was greedy, he didn't mind sharing the food with his friends—except for the last bite, when he quickly grabbed the last slice of grilled meat.
Shikamaru lazily watched the flickering flames on the grill. He remembered his father's words before he started school: "There are many rumors about that child in the village, but you must see for yourself."
Looking at Naruto's profile as he attentively listens to Choji's explanation of barbecue techniques, Shikamaru thinks Naruto is a pretty good guy.
The next day, in a classroom at the Ninja Academy, Naruto prepared to treat everyone to ramen as promised, but he was also thinking about expanding his circle of friends. Besides Shikamaru and Choji, he specifically invited several other classmates.
First, there's Ya, this restless and unruly boy.
Upon hearing Naruto's invitation, Kiba readily agreed without hesitation. Ever since witnessing Naruto and Sasuke's taijutsu duel, which was comparable to that of a formal ninja, Kiba had been filled with curiosity about this blond boy.
Then, Naruto turned his gaze to Shino, who was standing quietly in the corner, and extended an invitation as well.
Shino raised his head slightly, remained silent for a few seconds, and then nodded gently in agreement.
At noon, Naruto and his group were busily preparing to head to Ichiraku Ramen. Satsuki also joined the group, and just when everyone thought everyone was there and ready to leave, Naruto suddenly stopped.
Because when he looked around, he realized that the sunglasses-wearing boy who had been like a background figure had disappeared.
The others looked at each other in bewilderment, only then realizing that one person was indeed missing from the team.
Naruto hurried back to the classroom, and when he opened the door, sure enough, in the far corner of the classroom, Shino was looking down, muttering something to himself.
Why wouldn't I go to dinner? If you're wondering why... I'm waiting for the invitation I was promised...
It seems that the setting of Shino's weak presence in the original work still applies in this timeline. And Shino is actually more concerned about being ignored than people think—which is why he stubbornly waits for someone who will take the initiative to discover him.
"Shino!" Naruto called out deliberately, raising his voice, "Why aren't you here? We're all waiting for you! Let's go get some ramen!"
Shino's body stiffened abruptly. He slowly raised his head, his sunglasses reflecting the sunlight, obscuring his expression. But Naruto noticed his shoulders trembling slightly, and the corner of his mouth beneath his collar seemed to twitch gently. If one looked closely, the parasites hidden in his clothes suddenly came to life, leaping excitedly.
This was the first time someone had noticed him being alone... the first time someone had paid attention to him...
Shino slowly stood up, his movements much stiffer than usual. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end he only nodded slightly.
【Ding! 】
[Congratulations, host! You have established an initial bond with the original character "Shino Aburame"!]
Points earned: 100!
Sunlight streamed through the classroom windows, illuminating Shino's slightly trembling figure. Naruto looked at Shino ahead, a warm feeling welling up inside him. This was the third comrade he had successfully forged a bond with, following Shikamaru and Choji.
After parting ways at the barbecue restaurant last night, Naruto couldn't wait to check his system points. He had 900 points remaining, plus the 300 points contributed by Shikamaru and Choji, bringing his total to 1200 points—just enough for a ten-pull. However, the results were somewhat disappointing; he only drew basic chakra enhancements and taijutsu boosts, without any legendary items that would dramatically improve his strength.
No problem, Naruto thought, looking at the 100 points he had just gained. Adding those to his remaining 200, he now had 300 points saved up. Now that he had successfully made friends with these companions, all he needed to do was let their friendships deepen naturally.
The noren curtain at Ichiraku Ramen was lifted, and several children sat in a row at the counter. Uncle Ichiraku's enthusiastic greetings echoed throughout the restaurant. "Naruto brought his friends today! Welcome! Come, come, sit here."
On a high stool, Naruto watched as bowls of steaming ramen were brought out one after another. He drank two bowls of tonkotsu ramen himself, one for each of the others, while Choji already had ten empty bowls piled up in front of him—a record that astonished even the old man at Ichiraku. It's a pity there's no Rinnegan among them.
Fortunately, the Third Hokage gave him enough living expenses... Naruto patted his bulging wallet and secretly rejoiced. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Satsuki secretly reaching for his small purse, and he quickly stopped the fair little hand.
"What are you doing?" Naruto asked in a low voice.
Satsuki's ears instantly flushed crimson. She turned her face away. "Huh? I didn't do it on purpose to help you! Father just happened to give me some pocket money... I didn't know where I spent it... so you got lucky."
Naruto was already immune to such standard tsundere remarks. After skillfully offering Sasuke a way out, he readily paid the bill.
Choji patted his round belly and thanked him repeatedly, and even the usually lazy Shikamaru said, "I'll treat you next time."
Back at the Ninja Academy, during the afternoon taijutsu class, Iruka clearly learned from his previous mistake and never paired Naruto and Satsuki together again. Satsuki reluctantly practiced with the other students, who couldn't even touch her; Satsuki defeated them in a single round, her eyes constantly drifting towards Naruto.
Naruto, on the other hand, easily defeated the little kids who came to spar. Then the school bell rang.
As night fell, two figures appeared again at the agreed-upon training ground. Sasuke's fingers flew across the moonlight as he performed hand seals, while Naruto was intently practicing the advanced ninjutsu given to him by the Third Hokage. Through constant practice, he could now complete the 44 hand seals of the Water Dragon Bullet Technique in just 10 seconds.
"Next, let's try simplifying it to four seals..." Naruto wiped the sweat from his forehead, looking at the densely packed notes on the scroll.
Cherry blossoms in spring, cicadas chirping in summer, maple leaves in autumn. Days passed by at the Ninja Academy, Naruto's strength steadily improved, and the bonds he formed with those around him deepened. As the last snowflake melted, Naruto already looked forward to the new year's story.