Faced with Naruto's question, the owner of Yakiniku Q maintained his rigid, business-like smile, but his intent was clear. He wasn't moving until he saw some money.
You couldn't entirely blame him for breaking protocol. When Naruto had first started eating, the owner hadn't paid him much mind. It was only after a panicked clerk discreetly informed him that the "demon fox" had already devoured enough food for fifteen grown men that he decided to intervene. From the look of it, Naruto wasn't even full yet and seemed intent on continuing his feast. The question was whether that tiny frog wallet could even cover the current bill, let alone another round.
"I'm not full yet," Naruto said with a sigh, "but whatever. Let's settle up."
That wasn't an exaggeration. Returning to Konoha hadn't just changed his height; the monstrous, sea-king-sized appetite he'd developed on the Grand Line had come back with him. This paltry amount of meat wouldn't even count as a light snack.
Naruto stood and followed the owner to the counter. He glanced at the final tally on the bill, then back at the menu prices he'd noted when he came in. The corners of his mouth curled into a grin.
Nice one, he thought. Not only cheating a kid, but jacking up the price for an orphan. You've got guts.
It didn't matter. He had no intention of paying anyway. Today, he was going to teach them a lesson.
Naruto shot the owner a disarming smile. Then, under the man's astonished gaze, he brought his index and middle fingers together in a familiar hand seal.
"Ninjutsu: Sexy Jutsu!"
A puff of smoke erupted, clearing to reveal a scantily clad, impossibly alluring woman. Naruto had used this move countless times over the decades; his mastery of it had long since reached its peak.
Before the owner and the clerk could process the transformation, Naruto—in his new form—clutched his arm, collapsed dramatically to the floor, and let out a pained, desperate wail.
"Stop hitting me! Please, stop! I'll pay, I swear! Just let me go!"
His voice was tragic, his emotions raw and utterly convincing.
The clerk, who had been glaring at Naruto just moments before, stared in utter confusion. The owner, however, reacted instantly, his head snapping up to scan the room. Sure enough, Naruto's heart-wrenching cries had attracted the attention of every customer in the restaurant, and curious passersby were already beginning to peek in from the street. People are always drawn to a spectacle, and within moments, a crowd had gathered.
"What's going on in there?" a man whispered from the doorway.
"Look! Is that owner harassing that poor woman?" another added, pointing.
"That's horrible! Just because she can't pay? Why resort to violence?!"
The whispers of the crowd made the owner's head spin. The accusation had shifted from roughing up a delinquent kid to assaulting a grown woman—a far more serious scandal. He immediately realized what Naruto was doing. "No, that's not it! That's... that's a boy!" The owner tried to explain, but caught completely off guard, his desperate words only made him sound more unhinged.
Naruto, however, remained completely immersed in his performance, seemingly oblivious to the dozens of eyes now fixed on him. The shy, younger Naruto would never have been able to pull this off. His pranks had stemmed from a fear of being ostracized and a desperate need for acknowledgment. The current Naruto no longer cared.
"Hey, get up!" the clerk finally snapped, realizing how bad the situation was becoming. He stomped over to Naruto and reached down to haul him to his feet.
The moment his hand touched Naruto's arm, the boy let out an even more piercing shriek of pain. The clerk's hand froze in mid-air, caught between pulling and letting go, as the crowd gasped in horror.
It was at this exact moment that Iruka Umino arrived at the entrance of Yakiniku Q, sent on an errand by the Hokage. A ninja's sense of duty compelled him to step forward and assess the situation. As he pushed through the crowd to the center of the commotion, the wailing abruptly stopped.
Naruto turned his head, his eyes locking onto the man with the distinctive scar across the bridge of his nose. Memories from his childhood resurfaced—a flash of Iruka shielding him, using his own body to block Mizuki's massive shuriken. In this world, that had happened just yesterday. He could even smell the faint scent of medicine from beneath Iruka's bandages.
"Iruka-sensei. Long time no see."
With another puff of smoke, Naruto reverted to his original form, a casual smile on his face as he uttered the nonsensical greeting.
"Ah, it's you, Naruto. You... huh? Did you get taller?" Iruka replied automatically, his brain struggling to catch up. They had just seen each other yesterday. How could Naruto have grown a whole head taller overnight? No, no, it must be the clothes, Iruka thought, convincing himself.
Naruto didn't answer. Instead, he looked at Iruka with a surprisingly serious expression. "So, Iruka-sensei, is there some reason you're here?"
"Oh, right! I almost forgot. Lord Hokage has summoned you for an interview. You should hurry." Remembering his mission, Iruka subconsciously relaxed, reaching out to pat Naruto's head. Huh? He really did get taller.
"Is that so..." Naruto's face showed no excitement. He simply nodded, tucked his hands into his sleeves, and began to walk away. Just as he reached the edge of the crowd, he paused, turned back, and gave Iruka a wide, apologetic grin.
"Oh, by the way, sensei," he said, pressing his palms together. "I'll leave you to clean up this mess."
Before Iruka could respond, Naruto's figure flickered and vanished. His Body Flicker is that good?! Iruka thought, still dazed. A moment later, he felt a heavy tap on his shoulder. He turned to see the owner and clerk of Yakiniku Q glaring at him, their faces thunderous. They had heard it clearly. The brat had called this man "teacher."
"Well then, Lord Ninja," the owner growled. "We'll have to trouble you to pay his bill."
"Eh?"
In the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi rested his chin on his clasped hands, observing Naruto from under the brim of his hat. Across from him, Naruto was sprawled casually in a chair, perfectly at ease.
"So, Naruto," Hiruzen began, "why aren't you wearing your ninja headband?" He glanced at the registration form on his desk. The photo showed Naruto with the same lazy posture he had now, wearing a yukata and geta sandals, with no ninja insignia in sight.
"The headband?" Naruto replied smoothly. "Ah... that. I was thinking I shouldn't wear it before I officially become a ninja. Wouldn't want it to get damaged."
It was a complete lie. He'd forgotten where he put the thing.
"...Never mind. This is fine." At least Naruto wasn't making a goofy face in the photo. Hiruzen had half-expected him to have drawn whiskers on himself to leave a "deep impression."
"Naruto, have you gotten taller?"
Naruto just chuckled. "Sometimes, a boy's growth spurt happens in an instant."
But yours is a 'growth' in the most literal sense, Hiruzen thought. No one grows that fast. Something had changed in the boy overnight. Could it be... related to the Nine-Tails? And those fainted guards...
His gaze swept over Naruto again before he secretly shook his head. Impossible. This kid isn't even a Genin yet. Those men were elite. Even if he grew a bit, he's still just Naruto. The idea that this boy could silently incapacitate multiple operatives was simply too far-fetched.
While Hiruzen was sizing him up, Naruto was doing the same. In his memories, the Third Hokage had always been a kind, gentle old man who gave him snacks and taught him life lessons. It was that man who made him want to become Hokage.
But now, that blurry, idealized image was beginning to crack. The Hokage had summoned him right after his watchers had been dealt with. It was too perfect to be a coincidence. Naruto didn't want to believe the "Grandpa Third" of his memories had been spying on him, but the evidence was mounting. Why watch me? Am I really some kind of demon fox?
He didn't know. But one thing gave him peace of mind: he sensed no malice from the old man. The affection was real. However, using his Observation Haki, Naruto also sensed a deep, underlying current of shame and guilt.
So, you're hiding something from me, old man?
The silence in the room grew heavy.
BANG!
The door flew open, and a small figure burst in. "Grandpa! Let's have a showdown!"
A child of five or six, wearing a long scarf, charged forward, already preparing to throw a shuriken at Hiruzen Sarutobi. "The Fifth Hokage will be me, the great Konohamaru!" he declared, but before he could launch his attack, his left foot tripped over his right. He tumbled forward, eyes squeezed shut for the inevitable impact.
The pain never came.
"Hahaha, what an energetic little brat."
Before anyone could blink, Naruto had vanished from his chair and reappeared beside Konohamaru, holding the boy aloft with one hand.
Konohamaru dangled in the air for a stunned moment before his face flushed with indignation. "Let me go!" he shouted, flailing his arms and legs. "Who are you calling a brat! Aren't you a brat just like me?!"
He struggled with all his might, but against Naruto's enhanced physique, he was as helpless as a newborn kitten.
Beside them, Hiruzen's eyes were wide with shock. How... how is he so fast? That was clearly beyond the level of a Genin.
Just then, another figure rushed in—a man in a black uniform and round sunglasses. It was Konohamaru's tutor, the Special Jonin Ebisu.
"You! Let go of Master Konohamaru right now!" Ebisu yelled. "Do you have any idea who he is? He's the grandson of Lord Third!"
Naruto ignored the shouting, bringing his face close to examine Konohamaru's features. Hearing Ebisu's words, the boy stopped struggling and puffed out his chest defiantly. Hmph. So you get scared when you hear I'm the Hokage's grandson. You're just like all the others.
"Hmph, now that you know, let me go—"
"Whoa! Looking closely, you really do look like him, Grandpa Third!" Naruto proclaimed loudly, swinging Konohamaru up and down like a weightless doll.
Seeing the Honorable Grandson's distress, Ebisu charged forward. "Brat, let him go!"
His determined lunge was a snail's crawl to Naruto. Without even looking, Naruto casually spun away, snatching the sunglasses from Ebisu's face in the same motion and placing them on his own. He stopped swinging Konohamaru and set him back on the ground.
Then, before the boy could continue his tirade, Naruto made an "OK" sign with his hand.
THWACK!
A light flick to the forehead sent Konohamaru flying, rolling several times across the floor. An unseen force cushioned his fall, leaving him only stunned with a red mark on his head, completely unharmed.
"Haha, interesting kid. Full of spirit." Naruto dodged another clumsy attack from Ebisu, tripping the Special Jonin with an outstretched foot. He pushed the stolen sunglasses up his nose and grinned at the still-bewildered Third Hokage.
"Well then, Grandpa Third, if there's nothing else, I'll be going."
Without waiting for a reply, his figure vanished from the office, leaving behind a dizzy Konohamaru, a fuming Ebisu, and a Hokage lost deep in thought.
[Chapter Complete]
***
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