"Hey, what do you think Naruto is doing these days?"
"Who knows? I haven't even been going to school lately."
"I heard there's another genius at school now, on the same level as Uchiha Itachi! He even graduated after just one year."
"You don't think that's Naruto, right?"
"Are you kidding? If that's Naruto, I'll stand upside down!"
"Haha~ yeah right. Naruto has been acting strange lately. Even I can't compare to him. Sasuke was so shocked he went to the Third Hokage to apply for early graduation, but got rejected."
At Konoha's park, the usual five slackers had become four. Shikamaru, Choji, Shino, and Kiba were chatting while playing, talking about Naruto who hadn't shown up at school for days.
"Should we go check his house?"
"Do you even know where he lives?"
Shikamaru scratched his head:
"He seems close to the Hyuga clan. Maybe we can ask Hinata."
At that moment, Choji, who was eating chips, suddenly pointed ahead:
"Hey! Look over there!"
Everyone looked in that direction, and their expressions changed instantly.
"That… Kiba, isn't that your sister?"
Kiba nodded:
"I think… I just saw Naruto kiss her on the cheek… and she smiled."
"And the Uchiha girl next to him kissed him too…"
Shino, who had been quiet, suddenly said:
"Did he become a kept boy because he couldn't afford school?"
Kiba: "..."
"Shut up!"
Kiba got angry and ran toward Naruto:
"Hey! Stop right there!"
Naruto, Izumi, and Inuzuka Hana stopped and looked back in surprise.
Kiba slapped Naruto's hand away from his sister's waist:
"You bastard! Where do you think you're touching?!"
Naruto smiled calmly:
"Call me brother-in-law."
Hana's face turned red:
"That's disgusting, saying that in front of kids!"
Kiba: "..."
"Sister! He's the same age as me!!"
Naruto spread his hands with a smile:
"Don't joke. I'm your brother-in-law, and I'm a genin. Your sister is our teammate… and well… we're all in love."
"We're heading to a mission. When we come back, I'll bring you a gift."
Seeing Hana and Izumi shyly reacting to Naruto, Kiba froze completely.
When Shikamaru and the others came over, he still hadn't recovered.
Shikamaru said with a bored look:
"Women are troublesome."
Choji nodded:
"They take your food."
Shino stood there speechless.
Kiba slowly turned his head:
"So… Naruto became my brother-in-law?"
Shino: "..."
What low EQ…
If Naruto were here, he'd probably sigh. In the ninja world, most men have terrible emotional intelligence.
Girls, on the other hand, mature faster… except Hinata.
Naruto, meanwhile, wasn't thinking much about romance.
His priority was still getting stronger.
Physical training was essential. The power of the Eight Gates was terrifying—he knew that well from his past life.
Then there was training the Sharingan, which he had to keep hidden.
During his previous fight, Naruto noticed a slight delay between his body and reaction speed.
Even without using the Sharingan.
That's why he relied more on chakra suppression instead of pure taijutsu.
But against stronger enemies, even small mistakes could be fatal.
In the ninja world, there are countless powerful opponents.
Even with Nine-Tails chakra, Naruto once got completely overwhelmed by the Fourth Raikage.
And against Obito or Uchiha Madara with the Rinnegan, he wouldn't stand a chance.
That's why Naruto was obsessed with becoming stronger.
Following the original story doesn't guarantee a peaceful life.
Even later, Naruto suffered constantly.
Thinking about all this, Naruto's resolve only grew darker.
Helping the villagers who treated him badly?
Pointless.
At that moment, Naruto had already brought the two girls to the mission center, where Yamato was waiting.
"Let's go. The Third Hokage has prepared your mission."
Yamato smiled.
The three nodded and entered.