The world of Naruto.
It was a world where ninjutsu could be found everywhere.
Practical and powerful, ninjutsu had become woven into every aspect of life over countless years.
The Land of Fire.
Konohagakure.
As the hidden village occupying the richest land in the entire shinobi world, Konoha bustled with activity every day and enjoyed extraordinary prosperity.
Yet beneath that prosperity, countless shadows quietly festered.
And so, the story began.
Konohagakure.
Atop the Fourth Hokage’s stone face on the Hokage Monument.
“Hey, Kurama.
You’ve been around the shinobi world for ages, so you must have seen plenty of powerful kekkei genkai, right?”
The boy had tousled blond hair, bright blue eyes, and six whisker-like marks on his cheeks.
Dressed in an unfashionable mustard-yellow outfit, he basked in the sunlight with his hands behind his head, lounging lazily atop the monument.
He spoke as though he were talking to himself.
“The two kekkei genkai I’ve got my eye on are the Shikotsumyaku and Crystal Release.
But they’re both too conspicuous to use in Konoha.
Kurama, do you have any better suggestions?”
“…”
“You’re so annoying!”
An impatient growl echoed inside the boy’s mind.
“Then choose Scorch Release.
I once heard that Minato Namikaze fellow mention it.
Konoha’s shinobi suffered badly against Scorch Release during the war.”
“That kekkei genkai can evaporate every drop of blood in a person’s body.
Konoha lost plenty of shinobi to it, so it should be an extremely powerful kekkei genkai.”
A smile appeared on the blond boy’s face.
“See?
I told you six months ago that it was powerful.”
The Nine-Tails fell silent.
That was right.
The blond boy’s name was Naruto Uzumaki.
However, he was not the innocent and cheerful ray of sunshine from the original story.
Instead, he was a transmigrator who had been sixteen years old in his previous life.
He had arrived in this world at the moment of Naruto’s birth, and six years had passed since then.
He had also brought a system with him.
[Money System]
As the name suggested, it allowed him to spend money to purchase any ability found in the Naruto world.
The Uchiha clan’s Sharingan.
The Senju clan’s Wood Release.
The Kaguya clan’s Shikotsumyaku.
And many more.
However, obtaining those abilities came with one prerequisite: money—real currency that could be used in this world.
Everything Naruto had managed to save since childhood was only barely enough to purchase a single discounted kekkei genkai.
“I still need to make more money.”
Naruto gazed into the distance.
His monthly orphan’s stipend amounted to ten thousand ryō.
That sounded like a lot, but in reality, it could barely buy him anything.
The cheapest food in Konoha was ramen.
An ordinary bowl cost sixty ryō.
If he ate ramen for all three meals every day, he would spend five thousand four hundred ryō a month.
That left him with four thousand six hundred ryō, but he still needed proper nutrition to support his growing body.
He bought milk and vegetables every few days and allowed himself to eat meat once a month.
Even then, he could only scrape together five hundred ryō in savings.
After saving for six whole years, he could finally afford a single kekkei genkai at the beginner’s discounted price.
“Being the Nine-Tails’ jinchūriki really doesn’t make you popular in Konoha.”
The corners of Naruto’s lips curved into a subtle smile.
“Kurama, if someone wrote a book about my life, what do you think it would be called?”
Wilderness Survival in Konoha.
On the Art of Saving Money While Going Hungry.
How to Grow Up Properly Without Starving to Death.
The Nine-Tails impatiently swished its tails and growled, “I’ll lend you my chakra.
Why don’t you just go rob someone?”
Naruto smiled and shook his head.
“No.
It isn’t time yet.”
“N-Naruto… are you up there?”
A girl’s soft, timid voice drifted up from below the Hokage Monument, interrupting Naruto’s conversation with the Nine-Tails.
A bright smile appeared on Naruto’s face.
He called out in response, walked to the edge of the monument, and looked down.
“Oh, Hinata!
You came to see me again today?”
An adorable little girl stood below him, clutching a bento box in her hands.
She had pale lavender hair, milky-white eyes, a white shirt, and dark shinobi pants.
Her face flushed slightly as she raised her head and looked up at Naruto.
“Naruto, I… I made you another bento today…”
Hinata’s face grew even redder as she gazed at him.
Naruto smiled and stepped over the edge, racing down the nearly vertical cliff face.
Hinata immediately covered her mouth, watching anxiously as he plunged toward the ground at high speed.
Naruto landed steadily, walked over to her, and vigorously ruffled her hair.
“You’re the best, Hinata!
I like you more than anyone!
I promise I’ll eat every last bite.”
The moment Hinata heard those words, her face turned as red as a ripe apple.
Her head spun, and she toppled into Naruto’s arms.
“Naruto…”
Naruto couldn’t help laughing.
He gently carried Hinata over to a nearby bench.
They had known each other for such a long time, yet Hinata was still as shy as ever.
Every time she spoke to him, she ended up completely dazed.
“Naruto, today… I made some especially delicious food.
Try it and tell me if you like it…”
Still blushing and slightly disoriented, Hinata opened the bento box.
Naruto smiled as he glanced inside.
Then his eyelid twitched involuntarily, and he subconsciously swallowed.
Ten rice balls!
Two cups of milk!
Three servings of premium sashimi!
Six pieces of tempura!
More than a dozen pieces of assorted fruit…
Naruto looked at Hinata with a strained smile and pointed at the food.
“Hinata, this is… meant for both of us, right?”
Hinata blushed and shook her head.
“I already ate at home.
I made all of this especially for you.”
Naruto fell silent.
He glanced at the enormous amount of food inside the bento box, then looked back at Hinata and poked her cheek.
“Hinata, do you eat this much at home too?”
Her face grew even redder.
She lowered her head shyly and whispered, “Mm-hmm.
But I had two more rice balls.
I’ll make a little extra for you tomorrow.”
Naruto fell silent again.
Only then did he remember that Hinata would one day become an even bigger eater than the members of the Akimichi clan.
After a moment of silence, Naruto picked up the bento with the resolve of a man marching to his death.
“Time to dig in!”