The lingering steam from the ramen shop had not yet dissipated when Satsuki hastily put down her chopsticks.
Her fair cheeks were still flushed, and even the tips of her ears were tinged with a faint pink.
After the heart-pounding incident she had just experienced, she simply couldn't face Naruto with composure anymore.
"I... I'm leaving first..." Satsuki said quickly, her head bowed, placing a few banknotes under her bowl before hurriedly standing up.
The door curtain was clumsily pushed open and then fell shut, leaving only a gentle breeze wafting across the empty seat.
Uncle Ichiraku came over to clear the bowls and, seeing the extra money for the meal on the table, couldn't help but shake his head and sigh.
"Honestly... I told her it was my treat today..."
"That child is too thin-skinned."
Naruto unhurriedly finished his second bowl of ramen, but this time he didn't pay.
Instead, he sincerely thanked Uncle Ichiraku.
"Thanks for the treat! Your celebratory ramen is the best, believe it!"
Stepping out of the ramen shop, twilight had already enveloped Konoha.
Naruto didn't go straight home but turned in the direction of the Hokage Building.
His steps were unhurried, but his thoughts grew clearer.
Skiing? He, of course, knew that was just a clumsy excuse.
He wasn't so dense as to not understand the girl's feelings.
To be honest, Naruto didn't reject Satsuki's innocent affection.
In fact, when he saw those little boys fawning over Satsuki earlier today, a strange sense of displeasure welled up in his chest—even though he was 100% certain Satsuki would reject them.
So, why pretend to believe that full-of-holes explanation?
The answer was simple: it wasn't the right time yet.
Naruto looked up at the gradually lighting streetlights.
Although children in the Ninja World generally matured early, and many began discussing marriage at a young age, he always felt that some feelings should develop slowly before truly growing up.
Crossing the street, Naruto quickly arrived at the Hokage Building.
Pushing open the office door, he indeed saw the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had not yet left work.
So, what did Naruto specifically come to see the Third Hokage for?
The answer was simple—he was here to "ask for a gift."
That's right! Today was the big day of school enrollment.
In terms of lineage, the Third Hokage was the teacher of his father's teacher, Jiraiya.
Strictly speaking, he should call him "Grandmaster."
Since he was already his grand-disciple, at such an important moment as school enrollment, shouldn't his Grandmaster at least show some gesture?
Through these past few years of interaction, Naruto had long been convinced that all those conspiracy theories about the Third Hokage were pure over-interpretation.
In these years, he had never suffered the slightest hardship in terms of food, clothing, housing, or transportation.
In the morning, Might Guy accompanied him in unleashing his youthful energy, and in the afternoon, Satsuki trained with him.
The sense of loneliness from the original story had also disappeared with the companionship of these two.
It's worth mentioning that, according to regulations, everyone a Jinchuriki came into contact with had to undergo strict vetting.
But when the Anbu reported Might Guy's frequent contact with Naruto, the Third Hokage's first reaction was not to suspect the identity of this "rare beast," but to worry whether Naruto might be led astray—what if one day Naruto also wore a green jumpsuit and constantly had "youth" on his lips...
Perhaps because Guy Sensei was too peculiar, even that guy Danzo didn't make an issue of this matter.
Anyway, Naruto was determined that if Orochimaru were to launch another "Konoha Crush Plan" in the future, he would definitely find a way to save the Third Hokage.
After a while, once the Shinobi delivering Ninjutsu scrolls had left, the Third Hokage's congratulatory gift was unexpectedly generous.
High-level Ninjutsu scrolls that ordinary Shinobi needed to complete many missions to exchange for were now neatly arranged in Naruto's package.
Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu, Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall, Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Jutsu, Lightning Release: Thunderclap, Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet, Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet... it was simply unbelievably luxurious.
It made sense; after witnessing Naruto and Satsuki's duel earlier today, which far surpassed the level of their peers, the Third Hokage must have also felt that it would be a pity for such talent not to learn more powerful Ninjutsu.
The night wind blew, and Naruto looked up at the starry sky, his thoughts gradually clearing.
Now that some characters from the story had successively appeared, his plan was also very clear.
First, he needed to establish good relationships with the "Nine Rookies" he could currently interact with, as well as Iruka, to earn more system points, while also diligently practicing these newly acquired powerful Ninjutsu to increase his strength... because he clearly knew that a few years later, there was a major event that absolutely had to be changed.
The Uchiha Clan Massacre.