The pretend battle quickly came to an end, and Naruto, Shikamaru, and Choji leaned against a large tree to rest.
Their future achievements might surpass most ninjas, but for now, they were just kids—any random genin could easily defeat them.
Choji munched on some food and said, "Naruto, you're really strong, almost as good as the upperclassmen in the Ninja Academy. Shikamaru and I can't keep up with you."
Shikamaru looked at Naruto with surprise as well—they hadn't been able to defeat him even when working together.
Naruto smiled, knowing roughly where he stood. He was stronger than most of his peers, but before real ninjas, he still didn't measure up—at least without using the Nine-Tails' power.
If he gave his body over to the Nine-Tails and let it run wild, even jonin wouldn't stand a chance. He would need to face an elite shadow-level ninja or several jonin at once.
To thank Shikamaru and Choji for sparring with him, Naruto took out some rice balls and fried chicken from his backpack.
Choji's eyes lit up the moment he saw the fried chicken. He grabbed a piece and happily bit into it with crunchy sounds.
Shikamaru reluctantly accepted a rice ball, looking as if he had lost all worldly desire.
After finishing one chicken leg, Choji took another from Naruto's hand, grinning like a kid. "Naruto, the food you bring is really good. If I could eat this every day, I'd be willing to spar with you every day."
Naruto smiled like a proud father and gave all the remaining fried chicken to Choji.
He then walked over to Shikamaru with a rice ball and sat down beside him on the grass, gazing at the distant forest, the small bridge, and flowing water, lost in thought.
"Another calm and peaceful day…"
Shikamaru sighed, then noticed Naruto beside him. "Why did you come over here? Did Choji eat all your food? He's always got that bad habit."
"Not really," Naruto replied, chewing on a blade of grass he had pulled up. "I just wanted to keep you company. After all, you and Choji are my third and fourth friends."
Shikamaru gave a half-hearted smile and picked up a blade of grass himself. "I thought Choji and I would be your first and second. Didn't expect I was too late. Your first friend should be that girl from the Hyuga clan, right?"
Naruto feigned surprise. "Shikamaru, how do you know about me and Hinata?"
Shikamaru lay back on the grass, nonchalantly saying, "Because the day Hinata was being bullied, Choji and I were right across the street. Choji was already planning to befriend you, but I stopped him."
"Why?"
"Didn't want to interrupt your hero-saving-the-maiden moment…"
"Well then, I guess I owe you one… Thanks for giving me that chance."
Seeing Shikamaru lying there, Naruto mimicked him and lay back as well, staring at the sky and drifting clouds. Then he asked the Nine-Tails inside him, "Big Fox, is the Third Hokage watching me?"
"No. And don't keep bossing me around, kid. I'm not your babysitter. Handle your own problems."
Naruto relaxed after hearing that and turned back to Shikamaru. "By the way, you and Choji probably didn't just come to be friends with me out of the blue. Your sudden appearance was too strange."
"It was my father's idea. Whether others gave him orders, I don't know," Shikamaru said after a pause. "I hate these kinds of troublesome tasks. I was planning to just brush it off, but after learning about your past, I decided to be a real friend."
"So I guess my charm as the Nine-Tails host is pretty strong if people want to be friends with me," Naruto said pointedly, his gaze turning cold. "I'm getting more curious about who my parents really are, if so many important people pay attention to me."
Shikamaru's expression changed briefly but soon returned to normal. "I don't know either, but trust the village. Those big shots must have their reasons for what they're doing."
"So that means I'm just supposed to accept being the Nine-Tails and getting bullied by villagers?"
Naruto's tone grew calm again, but to Shikamaru, Naruto now seemed even more terrifying than before, like a volcano about to erupt.
Then Naruto broke into a relaxed smile.
"But none of that matters anymore. Those villagers don't dare bully me now, or they'd face the Nine-Tails' curse. Plus, I've got friends like you and Choji. So those unhappy times will be forgotten sooner or later."
"The Will of Fire says just that, doesn't it?"
"You're right…" Shikamaru looked at Naruto deeply, overturning his previous assumptions.
He once thought Naruto's heart was filled with darkness from the bullying, but now it seemed Naruto's heart, besides darkness, held a kind of disdain.
Is Naruto really the same age as them? Or was he just too well protected by his father?
At that moment, Shikamaru saw Naruto stand up and asked curiously, "Naruto, where are you going? Not playing with us anymore?"
Without looking back, Naruto said, "Of course I'm going fishing. I saw a lot of fish in the river earlier. If you're willing to hang out with me, you should see my skills."
Shikamaru was silent but followed him, with Choji trailing behind.
Hours later, by the riverside, Naruto, Shikamaru, and Choji lit a fire. Skewered fish grilled over the fire sizzled with hot oil.
Naruto ate the grilled fish heartily and smiled genuinely at Shikamaru and Choji.
The Nine-Tails inside him scoffed, "The Third Hokage hasn't watched you for half a day now. Those two brats must be his spies. You're smiling so happily? Are you an idiot?"
"But this happiness is real… I feel like I can truly relate to them."
Naruto suddenly had a mischievous grin. "Big Fox Nine-Tails, watching us eat grilled fish, aren't you jealous? Next time I'll bring you some food."
The Nine-Tails sneered, "I'm not interested in such earthly desires. And don't forget, I'm sealed inside you. How do you plan to bring me grilled fish?"
"That's true…" Naruto agreed, turning to leave the sealed space.
But just before the Nine-Tails could look lonely, Naruto suddenly turned back, holding several skewers of grilled fish. He came to the iron gate and handed it over.
"This is for you. Since you can use chakra to influence my emotions, I can record the flavor of grilled fish with chakra and turn it into food inside the sealed space, so we can share the deliciousness together."
"I told you, I'm not interested in food…"
The Nine-Tails shook his head stubbornly, looking proud.
Naruto smiled, put down the grilled fish, and left the sealed space. Back in the real world, a clear notification sound rang in his ear:
"Nine-Tails' favorability toward you has reached 'Acceptance.' You have gained 'Malice Perception Level 1.'"
(End of chapter )
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