After enjoying the slightly salty fish soup,
Naruto timed it perfectly.
He ran to Ichiraku Ramen and explained his purpose.
Teuchi chuckled and agreed.
Then Ayame came out, patted Naruto's head, and went to the market to buy vegetable seeds for him.
Soon after, Ayame returned with several kinds of vegetable seeds.
She also gave Naruto some tips on planting vegetables.
Finally, Ayame only charged Naruto six hundred ryo.
But Naruto still left a thousand ryo before trotting home.
The father and daughter watched Naruto's retreating back, shaking their heads with a smile.
"Dad, let's consider the extra as Naruto's savings here. Next time he comes for ramen, give him a bigger portion."
"Yes, of course."
Now, it would be difficult for Konoha's Ichiraku Ramen to not become famous.
Hmm?
Just then,
the black frame world's large screen flashed.
But every member of the Akatsuki Organization noticed it.
Behind Ichiraku Ramen, a man sat in the shadows, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, looking up at the sky.
This figure was incredibly familiar to every member of the Akatsuki Organization.
"Leader?!" Deidara's eyes widened.
"Sasori, did you see that?"
From inside the puppet, Sasori's voice came out.
"Don't compare my eyes to your low-level artistic eyes."
"What did you say?!"
"Damn it! Explosions are not low-level art!"
On the other side, in Hidden Rain Village.
"Nagato, have you ever infiltrated Konoha?" Konan asked, a little puzzled.
But in the fleeting image just now, the back of the smoking man was identical to Yahiko's.
"No." Nagato closed his eyes; he couldn't understand it either.
Could there really be people in the world who look so incredibly similar?
But... even if the appearance was similar, that clothing... it was clearly the Akatsuki Organization's black base, red cloud robe.
After getting the vegetable seeds, Naruto began his first ever planting.
Even knowing that the vegetable seeds wouldn't sprout and grow so quickly, Naruto's face still lit up with a smile as he looked at the simple potted plant he had made with his own hands.
He rested his chin on his hands and just kept staring at the moist soil surface.
In the afternoon, Naruto went fishing again.
He also discovered a cluster of reefs with many snails.
The following days were relatively calm and routine.
This day, in the afternoon, Naruto went out with seasonings and also brought fire-starting tools.
The Anbu Ninja monitoring him saw this and quickly ran to report to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Oh?"
"Is he finally going to have an outdoor meal?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand, telling the Anbu Ninja to continue monitoring, then put down the documents in his hand.
"By my reckoning, it's about time."
"It's time to go see Naruto."
The sun set in the west.
Night quietly fell.
Naruto placed the last fish on the charcoal fire.
Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle—
Before long, a thin layer of oil emerged on the fish.
Naruto sniffed lightly and sprinkled salt evenly.
Instantly, the aroma of grilled fish wafted over.
It's very nice to change up the flavors occasionally.
Of course, it wasn't fully cooked yet, so Naruto used the firelight to tinker with the twigs and fishing line in his hands.
Yesterday, on his way home after fishing, he had passed a simple trap set by a villager.
A wild chicken had its neck caught in a snare.
Naruto didn't steal the prey but carefully observed the trap.
It was very simple; after watching for a while, Naruto learned how to make it.
So, he planned to set a trap here later.
If he didn't catch anything, he would shout loudly into the woods, saying he wanted to eat a rabbit, and if there wasn't one, he would go on a hunger strike.
He believed that the Ninja monitoring him would intervene again.
If he didn't get anything, he would go on a hunger strike for half a day and wait.
Just as he was thinking this,
suddenly, Naruto's eyes narrowed slightly.
He picked up a stone from the ground, stood up, and threw it behind him.
Smack—
The stone was steadily caught by an Old Man's hand.
"It smells so good~"
Senju Tobirama: Such keen perception!
Senju Tobirama: Has he awakened the Kagura Mind Eye of the Uzumaki Clan?
Senju Hashirama: Has he? Hasn't Black-Framed Naruto always been like this?
Uzumaki Mito: It's not the Kagura Mind Eye, but Black-Framed Naruto's perception talent is indeed on par with what a sensory-type Ninja should have.
Senju Tobirama: The difference might be that Black-Framed Naruto's diet during this period has supplemented a lot of missing nutrients.
Hyuga Neji: "Don't forget that Naruto in the black frame world fought against the whisper in his mind; perhaps it's a feedback?"
Tenten: "Neji makes a good point."
Looking at the Old Man who suddenly appeared before him, Naruto frowned, very wary.
But he knew that the strange feeling nearby was still there; the Ninja monitoring him was hidden nearby.
If the Old Man in front of him intended to harm him, the Ninja monitoring him would definitely not let him get close.
"Who are you?" Naruto asked.
The Old Man didn't answer, slowly walking out of the darkness.
Under the firelight, Naruto clearly saw his appearance.
He was a white-haired Old Man, with a gentle smile on his face.
His eyes didn't show the aversion that others had; instead, they were full of affection.
However, Naruto's cute eyebrows were tightly furrowed; he felt uncomfortable with the Old Man in front of him, both his gaze and his smile.
"Teacher Sarutobi, do you think Black-Framed Naruto will quickly see through your identity as that scoundrel Old Man?" Orochimaru looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi with a full smile.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression darkened, "Don't think so badly of this Old Man."
A flash of inspiration crossed his mind, and he quickly spoke in the chat room.
Hiruzen Sarutobi: "For Naruto's safety, I must conceal his identity."
Hiruzen Sarutobi: "If Naruto's identity were revealed, he would surely become a target for other Villages."
Fourth Raikage: "Who are you trying to fool?"
Fourth Raikage: "With Naruto's appearance, you still want to hide him?"
Ōnoki: "Hide what? The identity of the Fourth Hokage's son?"
Mei Terumī: "What about the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki's identity? Are you actively exposing him?"
Rasa: "How embarrassing, Third Hokage. How did you come up with such a clumsy excuse and have the nerve to say it?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's smile froze.
Orochimaru's laughter became extremely harsh in his ears.
Seeing Naruto still looking at him warily,
Hiruzen Sarutobi took off his Hokage hat and naturally sat opposite Naruto.
"Who am I?"
"I'm just an Old Man passing by."
Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a chuckle, showing what he thought was a very kind smile.
Of course, those who didn't know him would indeed feel that the Old Man in front of them was a kind and benevolent elder.
Grumble—
When Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze fell on Naruto's grilled fish, his stomach rumbled at the opportune moment.
"It smells so good~"
However, the Old Man and the boy looked at each other for a moment, but only Hiruzen Sarutobi was smiling.
"Hahaha~" The smile transferred to Kushina's face in the Pure Land World.
"Well done, Naruto, you truly are my child! You must have seen through that Old Monkey's true colors!"
In the distance.
Uchiha Mikoto looked around somewhat bewildered.
She only felt a blur before her eyes, and suddenly she had changed locations.
Then, Kushina's somewhat frantic laughter rang in her ears.
....
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