Watching Black-Frame Naruto gently wipe away her tears on the screen,
Sakura admitted—her heart skipped a beat.
Coupled with how her view of Naruto improved after becoming teammates,
his impression score kept rising.
Still, he was far behind Sasuke.
Ino clicked her tongue.
In truth, Ino never felt much for Sasuke.
She liked good looks, but Sasuke wasn't her type.
She only claimed to like him to tease Sakura.
Then that weak pink-haired tagalong suddenly got bold and even dared to declare war.
That instantly triggered Ino's competitive spirit.
"Black-Frame Naruto with long hair… he'd probably be really handsome," Ino nodded secretly.
"Of course," Yamanaka Lino said with a nostalgic smile.
"That child looks a lot like Minato."
"If he grows his hair out, he'll definitely be handsome."
"Mom, have you met Naruto's father?" Ino asked.
"More than met him. I knew Naruto's mother too—she was a very lively girl."
"Actually, Kushina was also targeted a lot when she was young."
Ino rolled her eyes.
"Great, Mom. That just makes Konoha under that old man look even worse."
"Oh right, Mom—what was Aunt Kushina talking about regarding the Land of Whirlpools?"
Yamanaka Lino froze.
She hadn't expected Ino to ask that suddenly.
As the wife of the Yamanaka clan head, she naturally knew many truths others didn't.
Her mouth twitched, then she sighed.
"This matter… well, as you said, under the Third's rule, Konoha really wasn't very decent."
Ino felt it instinctively.
Her eyelid twitched. "Mom… don't tell me Konoha was involved too?"
Yamanaka Lino nodded.
Ino rolled her eyes again.
"Rotten Konoha."
Lino could only sigh helplessly and tap her daughter's forehead.
"The Ino–Shika–Chō clans are aligned with the Hokage faction. So even if we didn't want to, when benefits were divided, we still got a share."
"That was also the Third's investment to stabilize our loyalty."
The meaning was obvious. Ino understood.
What else was there to say?
[In the end, because of Sakura's insistence, little Naruto carried a large basket of near-expiration food home.]
[Sakura still thought it wasn't enough and wanted to take more, but Naruto couldn't carry any more.]
[Sakura patted her chest confidently. "Don't worry, I have plenty of allowance!"]
[Thus, little Naruto gained a new 'tail'.]
[And for the first time ever, Naruto's refrigerator was truly full.]
[About ten days until expiration.]
[With Naruto's current appetite, finishing it all within ten days was no problem.]
Uzumaki Kushina: "Thank you, Sakura~ You're so cute~"
Haruno Sakura: "N-no, Auntie, you're too kind. Black-Frame Naruto is a good person—he's just bullied by those people, and I couldn't stand it."
In the gold-frame world, Sakura had also helped Naruto many times as a child.
Otherwise, Naruto wouldn't have liked her so much.
Hinata: !!!
Aunt Kushina… Aunt Kushina praised Sakura first?!
W-waaah~
[Sakura looked at Naruto's empty room and felt uncomfortable.]
[But Naruto was the one comforting her.]
[For him, things were already good enough.]
[If things continued like this, he would definitely grow strong—like vegetable seedlings.]
[The next day.]
[When little Naruto woke up in the morning, he noticed two books on the table.]
[They were quite thick.]
[Naruto wasn't surprised.]
[Yawning, he went to wash up.]
[He wasn't in a hurry.]
[The books would still be there after he finished washing.]
[After the sense of surveillance became extremely faint—]
[while brushing his teeth, Naruto muttered, "Fox demon, we're about to enter a new chapter. Once I recognize most characters, I can get lots of useful books through Shikamaru and the others."]
[Gargle—]
[After washing up, Naruto prepared breakfast.]
[It was bought yesterday from the near-expiration shop.]
[There was plenty of bread and milk.]
[After warming them slightly, he ate while sitting at the table.]
[Two thick books lay in front of him.]
[One was Fifty Sounds and Characters, the other The Will of Fire.]
[Naruto flipped The Will of Fire over. The author was the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.]
['Third Hokage… Sa-ru-to-bi… Hi-ru-zen?']
['No rush. Once I learn to read, I'll know which old bastard's name this is.']
[Naruto took a deep breath.]
[He calmed his excitement.]
[Even so, when he saw Fifty Sounds and Characters, he couldn't suppress his excitement.]
[He quickly began flipping through it.]
[Breakfast lasted half an hour.]
[Afterward, Naruto marked the parts he didn't understand with a pencil.]
['We agreed on tomorrow. I'll take it to Shikamaru tomorrow—he'll definitely know.']
[For some reason, despite Shikamaru's lazy demeanor, Naruto instinctively believed he would know these things.]
Orochimaru: "Not bad. We're witnessing Black-Frame Naruto's first true turning point."
Uchiha Izuna: "This child is excellent. If only he were an Uchiha."
Terumī Mei: "If only he were from Kirigakure—and lived near my house."
Ōnoki: "If only he were from Iwagakure—and childhood friends with Kurotsuchi."
Kurotsuchi: "???"
Fourth Raikage: "If only he were—"
Once Izuna started, everyone followed.
Naruto felt extremely envious watching.
But he wasn't lacking either.
Whenever he spoke, if Kushina didn't respond immediately, someone would invite him to defect to their village.
[Naruto spent the entire morning studying at home.]
[He planned to stay inside all day.]
[Yesterday's full refrigerator immediately came in handy today.]
[Meanwhile, at the park, the three kids gathered as usual.]
[Sakura immediately told them everything that happened yesterday.]
["I see…"]
["Shikamaru, what do you think?" Chōji scratched his head. He was tempted—especially by Sakura's description of the roasted rabbit.]
["What a pain… but fishing sounds fun. You can nap while playing," Shikamaru shrugged.]
["That's what picnics are about!"]
["And adventure!"]
["I'm going! I'll ask my mom for money when I get home!"]
[Ino's eyes sparkled with anticipation.]
["Yeah. We won't make Naruto pay. I'll ask my mom for money too," Shikamaru nodded.]
[Sakura's words revealed plenty of information.]
[Naruto was poor, but he could fish, catch crabs, and cook very well.]
[That alone was enough. Ingredients were trivial—they had enough allowance.]
["I'll just ask my mom and bring meat from home," Chōji said.]
["Why do you all ask your moms instead of your dads?" Sakura asked, confused.]
[The three exchanged looks and gave Sakura a knowing glance.]
[In the end, none of them felt like playing anymore.]
[They focused on planning what to do and bring tomorrow.]
[They were all looking forward to Naruto's outdoor activity proposal.]
["Wait!"]
[Suddenly, Ino stopped everyone and looked at Sakura.]
["Sakura, didn't you say you walked Naruto home yesterday?"]
["Mm," Sakura nodded.]
[Ino waved her hand.]
["Then let's just go over there now~!"]
["No matter how much we discuss here, Naruto won't know. Wouldn't it be better to just find him directly?"]
["Makes sense," Chōji nodded.]
["No objections," Shikamaru said with his hands in his pockets.]
[Finally, all three looked at Sakura again.]
["I… I…"]
["What's wrong? Any problem?" Ino asked.]
[Gurgle—]
["I'm kind of hungry…"]
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