Chapter 9
The ANBU Chief said in surprise, "What?"
He turned and looked around. Sure enough, Naruto was standing nearby, scolding two girls with their heads bowed. The scene was hilariously absurd.
"If there's no problem, why did you report this to the public channel?"
The ANBU Chief turned back and stared coldly at the doctor.
The doctor explained, "When he first arrived, Uzumaki Naruto really was on the brink of death, so I…"
Over on the other side, Ino and Sakura noticed the commotion.
Ino elbowed Sakura. "Sakura, why's that ANBU guy saying stuff like that? What's going on?"
Naruto overheard and chuckled. "Free treatment? For me, that's totally normal."
"That old monkey Sarutobi wouldn't even dream of skimping on this!"
Sakura looked at Naruto in horror. "Naruto! Y-you… you just called the Third Hokage a monkey? An old monkey?!"
Naruto shrugged nonchalantly. "No big deal—as long as ANBU doesn't hear it."
Suddenly, Naruto felt someone behind him. He turned around and asked, "Hey, mister—who are you?"
ANBU Chief: "ANBU Chief."
Naruto: "…"
Just moments ago, he'd said it was fine as long as ANBU didn't hear… and the very next second, their chief appeared right behind him.
Naruto lowered his head and said without a trace of sincerity, "My bad."
Under his mask, the corner of the ANBU Chief's mouth twitched. This jinchūriki really was arrogant…
But it seemed he couldn't actually do anything about it.
As Konoha's jinchūriki, it was one thing for the villagers to ostracize him. If the higher-ups mishandled their attitude toward Naruto, it could spark thoughts of defection—and that would be a massive loss for the village.
The ANBU Chief gave a cold huff. "Watch yourself next time!"
With that, he vanished in a Body Flicker.
Only Naruto and the three girls remained in the room.
Well… in Sakura and Ino's eyes, Sakyo was Sasuke—so technically two boys and two girls.
Sakyo stared at Naruto in shock and asked, "What's going on?"
"Why would the Hokage Tower voluntarily cover your medical bills?"
This was a private hospital—fees were much higher than Konoha General, but the skill was top-notch.
The real question wasn't the money. It was why the Hokage Tower cared so much about Naruto.
And the ANBU Chief had arrived way too fast. Was Naruto under constant surveillance?
All these questions swirled in Sakyo's mind.
She had actually been ready to sell the deed to the Uchiha compound to pay for his treatment.
No, no, no—Uchiha Sakyo would never do something that stupid.
If Naruto got sick, she wouldn't care at all. Even if he died!
Yeah, that's right!
Sakyo conveniently ignored her earlier impulse to sign the papers and reassured herself internally.
"Why would they cover the bills on their own?"
Naruto grinned. "What's the big deal? Don't you know who I am? I'm the jinchūriki! Of course treatment's free for me!"
Ino, Sakura, and Sakyo: "…"
…
Naruto had been unconscious for quite a while. By now, it was already evening.
Ino and Sakura were sent home by Sakyo. Naruto and Sakyo walked side by side down the street.
"Thanks."
Naruto's sudden thanks broke the silence between them.
Sakyo pouted. "I only carried you to the hospital. And you healed yourself anyway—my effort didn't even matter."
Naruto's lips curved into a smile as he looked at her seriously. "I know what you were planning—you were going to sell the compound to cover my bills."
"No matter what, having a friend like you makes me really happy."
That's right. This world wasn't entirely ruled by money.
But Sakyo's willingness to go that far still touched Naruto deeply.
Who else in the world would do something like that for him? Probably only Sakyo.
He wasn't lying when he said he was moved.
Naruto's heart wasn't made of stone. He planned to thank her properly.
This had nothing to do with gender—his gratitude wasn't some ploy to hit on her. It was genuine~
However… Sakyo replied expressionlessly, "Boring."
"You should head home."
At the crossroads, both stopped in unison.
But instead of listening, Naruto suddenly grabbed Sakyo's hand and dragged her toward the market.
"Tonight, you're gonna taste my cooking!"
Naruto declared proudly, brimming with confidence.
Between his past life and this one, he'd honed his culinary skills to a solid level.
There was no way he couldn't satisfy a little girl like Sakyo.
"What are you doing? Let go…"
Sakyo kept her head down, trying to pull free—but it didn't work.
Feeling the warmth from his hand, she silently followed along.
Truth be told… Sakyo cared a lot about Naruto.
After all, he was her only true friend.
The two walked into the market just as stalls were closing.
Soon enough, Naruto's loud voice echoed through the air.
"Damn it! I'm buying your veggies because I'm doing you a favor—don't be ungrateful!"
"I'm leaving the money here. You're selling whether you like it or not!"
"Oh? You wanna fight? Think carefully—if you swing first, I kill you. It'll be self-defense, and you'll die for nothing!"
Sakyo: "…"
…
Delicious aromas gradually wafted from the kitchen. Sakyo knelt calmly on a cushion, thinking to herself: What the heck… why is he cooking for me today of all days? It's just wasting my rest time.
Even as she thought that, she was secretly looking forward to it—because she hadn't left Naruto alone to go sleep.
Before long, Naruto brought out a table full of dishes Sakyo had never seen before.
"What… kind of cooking is this?"
Sakyo carefully picked up a piece of meat with her chopsticks and gave it a cautious sniff.
When she was little—before the Uchiha clan massacre, in the happiest days of her life—she had loved cooking. She used to pester Mikoto every day to teach her how to make delicious food.
But this style of Naruto's? She'd never seen anything like it.
Naruto watched her with a big grin. "Just an old family recipe. Try it?"
Sakyo gave a light huff. "It looks terrible!"
Naruto: "Then don't grab it so fast—leave some meat for me!"
Sakyo: "Hmph!"