Chapter 26: Brocade Clothing
Watching Ino turn and walk into the Yamanaka Flower Shop, Naruto tilted his head slightly under the big green tree in the distance, thinking to himself that he really had money with nowhere to spend it.
She wouldn't get the wrong idea, would she?
Idiot?
Naruto shook his head, glanced once more at the brightly lit Yamanaka Flower Shop, then turned away. A barbecue meal was nothing to him now.
A drop in the bucket? Not even close.
The system had transferred all the savings accumulated from years of illegal dealings by Gatō's shipping company—a fortune amounting to around eighty quadrillion ryō.
Even Naruto had been dumbfounded the first time he saw such a long string of zeros. From a broke loser before crossing over to filthy rich thanks to his system "dad" afterward—what a leap.
Unfortunately, wealth kept hidden was like wearing fine clothes at night—utterly unsatisfying. For now, all he could do was flaunt a little over barbecue.
Yamanaka Flower Shop.
Ino handed the cat back to a middle-aged woman dressed like a noble lady. Yamanaka Riyo wore a long gown of deep jade green, with an elegant red headband adorning her hair.
At that moment, she was cradling the cat in one arm, stroking its soft white fur with the other as she spoke.
"Ino, that boy was Naruto, wasn't he?"
"Uh… yes." Ino tried to cover it up but eventually nodded. "I just happened to run into him. He took on the cat-finding mission."
"I see." Yamanaka Riyo nodded, her tone unhurried. "I don't object to you dating, but…"
At this, Yamanaka Riyo's gaze lowered slightly as she slowly looked over her daughter.
"Naruto isn't like the others. I just don't want you to invest your feelings in the wrong place and end up hurt."
"Mom, what are you saying?" Ino said in a panic. "You've got it all wrong. There's no way I'd like that annoying guy Naruto!"
"Ino." Yamanaka Riyo looked at her daughter with gentle eyes. "Our Yamanaka clan's crest is the purple bush clover flower. Do you remember its meaning?"
"Healthy growth, positivity…" Ino faltered, then added quietly, "Positive love."
"I'm only giving you a word of advice," Yamanaka Riyo said as she turned to head upstairs, leaving one final remark behind. "Get some rest, Ino."
"Okay, Mom."
After washing up, Ino lay on her bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. Her mind kept replaying tonight's events—and her mother's words.
If Mom hadn't mentioned it, she never would've thought of it that way. Naruto, of all people? No way she'd ever like him.
Always pulling pranks, always lazy. Sure, he'd been improving rapidly lately, but she still couldn't stand the sight of him.
They'd never gotten along since childhood.
But…
Ino covered her eyes with her palm. Light seeped through the gaps between her fingers, stinging her eyes. She couldn't help but recall that moment in the bamboo grove.
A faint heat crept up her neck, filling her with restless irritation. Her heart tangled like vines climbing over a courtyard wall.
Ichiraku Ramen.
The noren curtain at the entrance lifted, and Teuchi glanced at the newcomer with his small eyes before tossing another bundle of noodles into the pot.
"The usual, Naruto?"
"Yeah." Naruto hesitated for a moment but couldn't bring himself to say, Give me the most expensive one you've got.
Moments later, a steaming bowl of ramen sat in front of him.
"The Chūnin Exams are coming up soon, right?" Teuchi asked from behind the counter, smiling with eyes like tiny beans.
"Are they?" Naruto blinked.
"Mm. The academy teachers who come here lately all talk about it. You hear it enough, you pick things up," Teuchi said.
"You'll be taking the Chūnin Exams too, won't you, Naruto? Give it your all!" As he spoke, Teuchi passed over some tempura from the side.
"On the house. Do your best, kid!"
Looking at Teuchi's sincere smile, Naruto couldn't help but smile back and nod.
"I will!"
The Chūnin Exams always seemed to come close on the heels of genin graduation. But for most, the exam was just a formality.
Usually, any genin with sufficient experience—and still alive—could become a chūnin. In the end, it was about mission count, which gave bonus points during the exam.
For fresh graduates like Naruto's class, though, with no experience to back them up, becoming a chūnin was much harder.
Naruto also knew that he was just there to make up the numbers. The Ino-Shika-Chō trio from the great clans, plus the Hyūga of Konoha—
What place did a destitute Uzumaki clan jinchūriki like him have in this?
Chūnin promotion wasn't just about jōnin recommendations; much of it depended on the whims of the Land of Fire nobility. There were unspoken rules involved.
The Nara clan had always been Konoha's backbone and staunch supporters of the Third Hokage. They also had close ties with many Land of Fire nobles.
As a great clan of deer breeders, their antler-based medicine trade spanned the Land of Fire. Their influence couldn't possibly be limited to just the Hidden Leaf.
Barring the unexpected, Nara Shikamaru's promotion to chūnin was already a foregone conclusion.
Back home, Naruto sank into his brand-new bathtub, mulling over the upcoming Chūnin Exams.
No doubt, this major early-stage arc would trigger some system options.
In the original timeline, Naruto had charged in headfirst with nothing but hot-blooded zeal, only to come out of the exams battered and empty-handed.
Now that he knew he couldn't possibly earn the chūnin title, there was no point wasting effort on the matches themselves. What mattered was how to maximize his gains.
The Chūnin Exams were like a mirror revealing all the secrets Konoha tried so hard to keep under broad daylight.
The Hyūga clan's enslaved branch family, the bloody massacre of the Uchiha clan, the Nine-Tails jinchūriki, the last heir of the Uzumaki clan—
Paper couldn't cover fire forever. All filth would eventually be dragged into the sunlight.
Naruto considered leaving the village when the opportunity arose. But as a jinchūriki, his identity was far too conspicuous; there was no way he could just slip away.
Besides, even Nagato, with the Rinnegan and immense power, had failed to build a force capable of rivaling the Five Great Nations.
What chance did he alone have?
Only Uchiha Madara had ever stood against the shinobi world alone. As for the Nine-Tails jinchūriki… better to stay in Konoha and play the long game.
Future travels would have to be under the guise of missions. Annoying, but unavoidable.
Still, it wasn't without perks. After all, he wasn't short on money. If he could establish contact with the exchange network, all the better. What he couldn't handle personally, others could.
As for reviving the Uzumaki clan—he just needed to spread the branches and grow.
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