Returning alone to his home, Ayato had rented out all the other houses on the street, keeping only a small corner house for himself.
Though an orphan like Naruto, the villagers treated him entirely differently from Naruto.
Those renting his houses knew he was a Senju descendant, and even ordinary people unaware of his lineage at least knew he owned an entire street, so they didn't dare say anything.
Lying on a recliner under a large tree in his small courtyard, Ayato reflected on the past few years.
He still hadn't figured out how he ended up in the Naruto world. His mother in this world died at his birth, and before he could even speak or control his body, his father in this world turned into a tree.
Yes, the very tree beside him now.
He knew his father must have been part of some disastrous First Hokage cell experiment. Back then, unable to speak or make himself understood—scribbling on the ground didn't help since he didn't know Japanese—he couldn't stop his father from meeting his tragic fate.
As he grew up, some people tried to scam him out of his inheritance while he was young. But Ayato never fell for it, and eventually, those attempts stopped.
At first, he considered helping the Uchiha clan if he ever gained the power to do so. But the longer he lived in the Leaf Village, the worse his impression of them became. Always acting like the world owed them something. In the end, he decided to let events unfold without meddling.
Over the years, he'd built a decent relationship with Naruto. Both being orphans, Ayato occasionally treated Naruto to a proper meal. He also treated other classmates to meals from time to time, so it didn't draw attention from the village higher-ups.
As for his bad relationship with Sasuke, he didn't care much.
Naruto and Sasuke both had their "plot armor." No matter how poorly you treated Naruto, under the influence of Asura's chakra, he'd forgive you in the end. Sasuke, on the other hand, would betray anyone—except Naruto—if their interests clashed, the classic ungrateful jerk archetype.
Since they'd all be reconciled through their bond with Naruto eventually, being a bit harsh to Sasuke now didn't matter.
Due to his commoner status and the subtle exclusion from the village higher-ups, Ayato had little access to ninjutsu training. Tsunade hadn't returned yet, and without connections, he couldn't access Senju clan techniques. So, he only knew the basic Three Academy Techniques, and even those he barely passed during exams.
Compared to the second-generation clan kids, he had no advantages. But his taijutsu was the best in the class. From the start, he'd focused on honing his body.
Having watched Naruto Shippuden, he didn't remember every detail but knew that early on, ninjutsu seemed powerful. Later, characters without bloodline limits or secret techniques struggled to stay relevant. By the time they were fighting aliens, ninjutsu became less effective, and taijutsu and sage techniques took center stage.
Ultimately, taijutsu was the true path to strength. Since he hadn't yet had a chance to learn sage techniques, he focused on physical training.
By skipping shuriken and ninjutsu practice to focus on taijutsu, and with his Senju and Kaguya bloodlines, he seemed tireless, growing far stronger than his peers.
"Ayato."
The courtyard gate was open, and a chunin stood at the entrance, calling his name without stepping inside.
"Hm?" It was an unfamiliar commoner chunin, holding a small notebook.
"Starting tomorrow, you can take missions, beginning with D-rank tasks. You'll be assigned two genin teammates and a chunin leader. Don't slack off." With that, he turned and left to notify others.
Ayato nodded at his back, signaling he understood.
Newly minted genin were full of enthusiasm and took missions frequently. Veteran chunin, resigned to their lot, occasionally took on these "babysitting" missions, giving a few pointers while coasting and taking a cut of the rewards—a win-win for everyone.
But Ayato had no interest in missions. No one would force him, and unlike other commoners, he didn't need money or care about promotions.
Catching cats and chasing dogs was a waste of time. He'd rather use those hours to train.
Noticing it was almost dinnertime, Ayato got up from the recliner and headed toward the ramen shop, planning to eat a bowl of ramen before resuming his training.
At the entrance to Ichiraku Ramen, he spotted Naruto pacing outside, clutching his little frog wallet with a conflicted expression.
The bond was already forming—Naruto would never escape that frog wallet in this lifetime.
"Hey, Naruto," Ayato greeted first.
"Ayato, what're you doing here?" Naruto's face lit up at the sight of a familiar face.
"Grabbing some food," Ayato said, lifting the curtain to Ichiraku Ramen.
Naruto nodded enthusiastically. "Ichiraku's ramen is the best!" But he didn't move, his eyes filled with envy.
He envied Ayato's ability to casually eat ramen while he had to pinch every penny.
"Come on, my treat," Ayato said, holding the curtain open for Naruto.
"Is that okay?" Naruto hesitated, looking sheepish.
Ayato had treated him many times before. Whenever they ate together, Naruto never paid, and he was starting to feel embarrassed.
"No big deal. You know I've got plenty of cash," Ayato said nonchalantly. It was just routine.
"Alright, I won't hold back! I'll definitely treat you back someday!" Naruto said, plopping down next to Ayato at the counter.
"Sure, once you're a chunin and raking in the cash, I'll be waiting," Ayato said with a friendly smile.
"I'm gonna be Hokage, so I'll be a chunin in no time!" Naruto nodded vigorously.
"Hokage's one thing, but chunin's tough," Ayato thought to himself.
After ordering their ramen, Ayato shifted to casual chat mode.
"What'd you do after team assignments?"
"Just some introductions and stuff. Oh, and I found out who Kakashi is—he's my team leader."
Ayato nodded.
"I heard you say Sasuke's brother could beat two Kakashis. Is that true?" Naruto asked.
"I don't know. I was just messing with Sasuke. Kakashi's pretty strong, though," Ayato replied.
"Really? Sasuke told Kakashi to his face that he's weak!"
"What?" Ayato paused, caught off guard. Sasuke was that bold? Would Kakashi hold a grudge and skip teaching him Chidori?
"Then what happened?"
"Kakashi ignored him and told us to show up for his test tomorrow. If we fail, he'll send us back to the academy."
"You'd better eat up and bring your A-game. You'll pass for sure," Ayato said, nodding as he slurped his noodles.
"Of course!" Naruto said, brimming with confidence.
"How's it feel to be on a team with Sakura?" Ayato asked casually, taking another bite.
The whole class knew Naruto had a crush on Sakura.
"It's great, but Sakura's got eyes only for Sasuke. Doesn't matter—I won't give up. I'll make her like me!" Naruto declared, full of determination.
Ayato couldn't help but smile at Naruto's enthusiasm.
Some hearts never change.