Click.
The chopsticks in Zuoyue's hand made a soft sound.
Naruto...want to make friends? Satsuki's eyes narrowed slightly. The image of the blonde girl running away in panic this morning suddenly flashed through her mind.
She slowly put down her chopsticks, a perfect smile curving her lips. Sunlight streamed from behind her, casting soft shadows on her delicate face, making her smile appear exceptionally profound.
"I see... So, who does Naruto want to be friends with?"
Naruto pointed excitedly to the porridge-haired boy and the chubby boy at the back of the classroom. "Look at those two! I told you yesterday, they're the heirs of the Nara and Akimichi families!"
His voice was filled with barely concealed anticipation, "That's the next generation of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, if only I could become friends with them..."
Satsuki's gaze followed the direction Naruto was pointing. Shikamaru was leaning lazily against the window, while Choji was intently unpacking his bento, his face filled with anticipation for the food.
...Is he a boy?
This discovery made Zuo Yue's eyes widen slightly. She suddenly realized something—could it be…?
In the social circles of Konoha, Sasuke is known as the daughter of the Uchiha clan, while Naruto is just an orphan with high talent but no background... What if their family backgrounds don't match in the future...?
Satsuki's heart suddenly raced a little... If Naruto wanted to gain a foothold in Konoha, he really needed to build his own network of connections.
I see... He even considered things that far ahead...
"Oh, I see." Satsuki's voice suddenly brightened, and she nodded. "You're right, we should get along well."
Naruto was taken aback. He hadn't expected Satsuki to agree so readily. He felt that something was off about Satsuki's reaction, but he was also puzzled by her sudden good mood.
"Then... I should go over there?"
"Okay, go ahead." Satsuki smiled and waved, watching Naruto walk towards the back of the classroom.
Chapter 58 Butterfly and Deer
Naruto, carrying a lunchbox and wearing a sincere smile, came to the back of the classroom and stopped in front of Shikamaru and Choji.
"You're Shikamaru and Choji, right? I'm Naruto Uzumaki. Would you like to have lunch together?"
Shikamaru raised his eyelids and slowly sized up Naruto. "Yeah, I know you. The one who was really good in taijutsu class yesterday."
His gaze swept past Naruto's shoulder, glancing at Satsuki who sat alone in his seat. "Aren't you going to eat with Satsuki?"
The atmosphere in the classroom shifted subtly. Many boys' eyes unconsciously drifted towards the empty seat next to Zuo Yue, but no one dared to step forward rashly. The strength Zuo Yue had displayed in yesterday's physical training class instilled awe in these peers.
Naruto glanced back at Satsuki. "It's alright," he said with a smile, turning back to her. "I'll spend more time with her later. How should I put it..."
He scratched his cheek. "I think you two are really nice people, and I'd like to get to know you."
Choji's hand, which was unpacking his bento, suddenly stopped. An expression of disbelief appeared on his face. Because of his size, he had been teased by other children since childhood, but Shikamaru had never looked down on him. Being told "you seem like a nice person" was an experience he had never had before.
Choji's voice held a cautious, tentative tone. "Really?... Um, don't you think my figure... is a bit plump?"
Naruto flashed a bright smile: "Plump? This body type is more suitable for you, isn't it?"
"I know you're from the Akimichi clan, right?" Naruto said, opening his lunchbox. "For you, your physique is like a 'power reserve.' Without that reserve, you can't possibly defeat your enemies."
Shikamaru was somewhat relieved to hear this speech. Choji had finally made a friend, and he must be very happy. Sure enough, Choji looked at Naruto with a touched expression.
"And... I really envy you in this respect. The more you eat, the stronger you become; it's practically the best physique in the world."
Choji's eyes welled up with tears. His voice trembled slightly. "Really... Thank you, Naruto, I'm so happy!"
His heart pounded with joy as his weight, which had been the subject of ridicule for years, was affirmed so positively for the first time.
"Okay!" Naruto nodded happily, pushing the bento box between the two of them. "By the way, I made lunch myself. Want to try some? I'd be really happy if my new friend liked my cooking."
"Is that alright? Okay! Then I won't stand on ceremony."
Choji clasped his hands together, bowed solemnly to Naruto, and his face was full of gratitude.
Naruto picked up a piece of golden-brown fried food with his chopsticks and gently placed it in Choji's bento box. "Want to try some?"
"Is this... some kind of fried food?" Choji carefully picked up the fried food and took a small bite—crunch.
A crisp crackling sound fills the mouth, followed by the burst of juicy chicken between the teeth, and even more surprising is the unique crispy texture of the outer layer—with the distinctive aroma of potatoes.
"This outer layer is... potato chips?!" Choji stared wide-eyed at the half-eaten fried chicken nugget in his hand, his eyes wide with disbelief. The crushed potato chips perfectly coated the tender, juicy chicken.
Naruto nodded. This dish was a perfect solution. The potato chips were mashed into a batter and then used to make fried chicken nuggets. This kind of American food is high in calories, and Naruto found it a bit greasy, but it was just right for the Akimichi clan.
"This is so delicious! To think of wrapping potato chips around fried chicken nuggets! Naruto, are you a genius?"
"Really? You can have all of these if you like." Naruto smiled and moved the remaining potato chips and fried chicken from the bento box to Choji's side. "I accidentally made too much when I was trying to make it yesterday, and I was worried about not being able to finish it."
Choji was so moved he almost cried, and carefully accepted the gift with his chopsticks.
As the sun began to set, the laughter in the classroom gradually faded. Naruto, Shikamaru, and Choji's lunchtime came to an end amidst pleasant conversation. Naruto packed up his lunchbox, a wistful smile still on his face.
“Oh, right,” Naruto suddenly suggested, “how about we go get some ramen for lunch tomorrow? It’s on me! Ichiraku Ramen is the best in Konoha!”
Choji's eyes widened immediately upon hearing this, his face filled with emotion. He excitedly patted his broad chest. "Since Naruto is treating us to ramen tomorrow, then tonight I'll treat us to barbecue!"
Shikamaru lazily watched his two enthusiastic friends and sighed helplessly. "Ah~ this is troublesome... but since you've both said so..."
After saying goodbye to the two, Naruto walked down the corridor back to his seat, feeling exceptionally happy. Just then, the long-awaited notification sound rang in his mind.
【Ding! 】
[Congratulations, host! You have established a Level 2 bond with the original character "Akimichi Choji"!]
Points earned: 200!
[Congratulations, host! You have established an initial bond with the original character "Nara Shikamaru"!]
Points earned: 100!
Naruto's lips unconsciously curled into a smile, and his eyes gleamed with excitement. He succeeded!
He cheered inwardly. These two partners, who had formed the "truancy team" with him and Ya in the original work, had now successfully established a friendship.
Although the bond level is not high yet, given time, this friendship will surely grow stronger.
He glanced back at Shikamaru and Choji, who were still chatting at the back of the classroom. From now on, he just needed to let their friendship deepen naturally…
------
(No, please! Readers, please support the book... I hope you can keep reading until the end! Even if you don't finish it... please at least keep reading for 1000 chapters...)
Chapter 59 One Year
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 also 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 excitedly 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? Why, you might ask... 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 imagine—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've all been 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 looked at the 100 points he had just gained, adding to his remaining 200, giving him a total of 300 points. 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 served one after another. He drank two bowls of tonkotsu ramen himself, everyone else had one, while Choji already had ten empty bowls piled up in front of him—a record that astonished even Ichiraku Restaurant owner. 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 arrogant 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.
Chapter 60 The Responsibilities of Teachers
As winter fades and spring arrives, Konoha Village is enveloped in a soft, new green. With the end of the cherry blossom season, the tender leaves on the branches grow ever more lush, and the days grow warmer day by day.
Today was a rare weekend, with no training missions or classes scheduled. Iruka walked down the street, heading towards the village's stationery store to buy some ninja tools and teaching materials.
As a teacher at the ninja academy, he has now spent a year with his class of kids, his first cohort. To be honest, this year with them has been even more enjoyable than he had imagined.
First, there are a few troublesome students in the class. Choji, for example, secretly stuffs snacks into his mouth when the teacher isn't looking. Whenever Iruka calls on him, you can always see him frantically swallowing his food.
In physical training class, Choji displayed an unexpected "cowardice." Whenever sparring practice began, he would always find various excuses to avoid it.
At first, Iruka thought the boy was timid and afraid of fighting. But as he spent more time with him, he gradually realized that this was not the case. Rather, the chubby boy was too kind, so kind that he didn't want to hurt any of his classmates, even during training.
Another student who gave Iruka a headache was Shikamaru. This guy, who always lazily slumped over his desk, seemed to have no enthusiasm for anything.
In class, he would always find a comfortable position to doze off, and during exams, he set an astonishing record of "zero points." Every time Iruka saw Shikamaru hand in a blank test paper, he couldn't help but sigh.
However, as Iruka learned more about the Nara family's characteristics, he began to doubt whether the child was truly as "incompetent" as he appeared. The Nara family was renowned for its wisdom; how could they possibly raise a fool?
With this question in mind, Iruka decided to take the test alone. He secretly approached Shikamaru, without telling anyone else, and simply gave him a test paper and enough time to answer the questions.
The result astonished Iruka—a perfect score! When Iruka asked why, the deer lazily explained, "I was just too lazy to write it down; those questions were too easy for me."
Ya is always restless and impulsive, like he has a rabbit in his arms. He can't sit still and often daydreams in class. Occasionally, he will skip class to play with stray dogs.
Ino is alright, but she's too flamboyant. Occasionally, she'll glare at someone angrily for a long time if they interrupt her.
As for Sakura… Iruka always felt a little uncertain. The child was quiet, diligently taking notes in class and trying her best to keep up in taijutsu class, but her gaze always lingered on Uchiha Satsuki. There were emotions hidden in her eyes that Iruka couldn't understand.
Hinata is the epitome of a well-behaved student, always sitting upright, her notes neatly written, even her handwriting delicate and careful. She's just too introverted; when called upon to answer questions, her voice is barely audible, like a mosquito's buzz, but you can tell she's trying hard to overcome it.
Uchiha Satsuki—the daughter of the Uchiha clan head—possesses terrifyingly high talent, but her personality is too arrogant. If classmates try to talk to her, they'll usually be met with a cold glance before she turns back to continue chatting with Naruto.
Throughout the entire classroom, only when facing Naruto Uzumaki would the icy demeanor in her eyes completely melt away. She even became so clingy, following Naruto everywhere he went.
The last one... Iruka's expression became complicated, and the image of Naruto Uzumaki's blond hair appeared in his mind.
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