At night, the enticing aroma of barbecue wafted from the grill restaurant.
Naruto, Shikamaru, and Choji sat around the grill, sizzling meat slices dancing on the hot plate, and Choji's face was flushed with happiness.
Once the meat was cooked, Choji enthusiastically distributed the grilled slices onto everyone's plates.
Of course, his own portion was the largest; while Choji was a glutton, he didn't mind sharing the delicious food with his friends—except for the last bite, the final piece of grilled meat, which he snatched away with lightning speed.
Shikamaru lazily watched the flickering flames on the grill.
He remembered what his father had told him before he enrolled in the Ninja Academy: "There are many rumors in the village about that child, but you must see for yourself."
Now, looking at Naruto's profile as he intently listened to Choji explain grilling techniques, Shikamaru felt that Naruto was a good guy.
The next day, in the Ninja Academy classroom.
Naruto, as promised, was ready to treat everyone to ramen, but he was planning to expand his circle of friends.
Besides Shikamaru and Choji, he had also specifically invited several other classmates.
First was Kiba, the boisterous young man.
Upon hearing Naruto's invitation, Kiba agreed without the slightest hesitation.
Ever since witnessing Naruto and Satsuki's taijutsu duel, which was comparable to that of official ninja, Kiba had been filled with curiosity about the blonde boy.
Next, Naruto's gaze turned to Shino, who stood quietly in the corner, and he extended an invitation.
Shino looked up slightly, he was silent for a few seconds, then nodded gently in agreement.
At noon, Naruto and his group excitedly prepared to head to Ichiraku Ramen.
Satsuki also joined the group.
Just as everyone thought they were all present and ready to go, Naruto suddenly stopped.
He looked around and realized that the sunglasses-wearing boy, who was like a background fixture, was nowhere to be seen.
The others also exchanged glances, only then realizing that someone was indeed missing from the group.
Naruto quickly returned to the classroom.
When he pushed open the door, sure enough, in the furthest corner of the classroom, Shino was sitting with his head down, muttering something under his breath.
"Why am I not going to eat? If you ask why… I am waiting for the promised invitation…"
It seemed that Shino's weak presence in the original story still held true in this timeline.
And Shino actually cared more about being overlooked than imagined—it was precisely because of this that he stubbornly waited for someone who would actively notice him.
"Shino!" Naruto deliberately raised his voice, "Why aren't you here? We're all waiting for you! Let's go eat ramen together!"
Shino's body suddenly stiffened.
He slowly raised his head, his sunglasses reflecting the sunlight, obscuring his expression.
But Naruto noticed his shoulders trembling slightly, and the corners of his mouth under his collar seemed to be twitching gently.
If one looked closely, the parasitic insects hidden in his clothes suddenly became active, excitedly leaping and moving.
This was the first time he had been noticed alone… the first time he had been cared about…
Shino slowly stood up, his movements much stiffer than usual.
He opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to say something, but in the end, he just nodded gently.
Ding!
Congratulations, Host: You have established an initial bond with the original character "Shino Aburame"!
Points gained: 100 points!
The sunlight streamed through the classroom window, illuminating Shino's slightly trembling back.
Naruto looked at Shino in front of him, a warmth welling up in his heart.
This was already the third companion he had successfully bonded with, after Shikamaru and Choji.
After parting ways at the barbecue restaurant last night, Naruto couldn't wait to check his system points.
His original 900 points, plus the 300 points contributed by Shikamaru and Choji, totaled 1200 points—just enough for a ten-pull.
However, the result was somewhat disappointing; all he drew were basic Chakra enhancements and taijutsu improvements, with no legendary items that could significantly boost his strength.
But it didn't matter, Naruto looked at the newly acquired 100 points, plus the remaining 200 points, he now had 300 points saved up again.
Since he had successfully met these companions, all he needed to do next was naturally deepen their friendship.
The warm noren of Ichiraku Ramen was pushed aside, and several children sat in a row at the counter.
Uncle Ichiraku's enthusiastic greeting echoed in the shop: "Naruto brought friends today! Welcome! Come, come, sit here."
On the high stools, Naruto watched as steaming bowls of ramen were served one after another.
He himself drank two bowls of tonkotsu ramen, everyone else had one bowl each, while ten empty bowls were already piled in front of Choji—a record that made Uncle Ichiraku's eyes widen in surprise.
It was a pity there was no Rinnegan inside.
"Good thing the Third Hokage gave me enough living expenses…" Naruto secretly congratulated himself, patting his bulging wallet.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Satsuki quietly reaching for her small coin purse, and he swiftly stopped her fair little hand.
"What are you doing?" Naruto asked in a low voice.
Satsuki's ear tips instantly flushed crimson, and she turned her face away, "Huh? It's not like I'm helping you specifically! It's just that Father happened to give me some pocket money… I don't know where to spend it… You're just lucky."
Naruto was already immune to such typical tsundere remarks.
After skillfully giving Nizhu Zi a way out, he cheerfully paid the bill.
Choji rubbed his round belly and thanked him repeatedly, and even the usually lazy Shikamaru uncharacteristically said, "Next time, it's my treat."
Back at the Ninja Academy, during the afternoon taijutsu class, Iruka had clearly learned his lesson from last time and no longer paired Naruto and Satsuki for sparring.
Satsuki reluctantly practiced with other classmates; her opponents couldn't even touch her, and Satsuki took them down in a single round, her gaze constantly drifting towards Naruto.
Naruto, on the other hand, had an even easier time, effortlessly taking down the little kids who came to spar with him.
Then, the bell for dismissal rang.
After nightfall, two figures appeared again at the designated training ground.
Satsuki's hand signs fluttered in the moonlight, while Naruto was fully focused on practicing the advanced Ninjutsu given by the Third Hokage.
Through continuous practice, he could now complete the 44 hand signs of the Water Dragon Jutsu in just 10 seconds.
"Next, let's try simplifying it to four signs…" Naruto wiped sweat from his forehead, looking at the densely written notes on the scroll.
Spring cherry blossoms, summer cicadas, autumn maple leaves.
Days at the Ninja Academy passed like this, Naruto's strength steadily improving, and his bonds deepening.
When the last snowflake melted, Naruto was already looking forward to the stories of the new year.