“He won!”
“He actually won!”
“This is unbelievable!
Naruto Uzumaki actually won!”
“…”
Cries of astonishment erupted from the students around the training field.
The fact that Naruto knew how to use kunai throwing techniques was already impressive enough.
Yet not only had he defeated Sasuke Uchiha, but even Itachi Uchiha—the genius who had graduated from the Ninja Academy in only six months—had failed to beat him.
Kunai had filled the air, repeatedly colliding with one another.
The students hadn’t even been able to follow what happened.
None of them had believed kunai thrown that way could possibly hit the targets.
Yet the result had completely exceeded their expectations.
Not only had both sets of kunai struck their targets, but Naruto had emerged victorious both times.
“That’s incredible!”
Shikamaru Nara stared at Naruto in amazement.
“Itachi Uchiha is a genius of the Uchiha clan.
I heard he’s already as strong as a special jōnin, yet Naruto’s kunai throwing skills actually surpassed his.”
Kiba Inuzuka nodded.
“Exactly.
It’s unbelievable.”
Munching on potato chips, Chōji Akimichi mumbled, “Naruto won so much money this time.
That’s amazing…”
Ino Yamanaka gazed worshipfully at Naruto, practically swooning.
“He’s so handsome!”
“How did I never notice how handsome Naruto was before?
He’s strong, gentle, and practically my perfect dream guy…”
Even Sakura Haruno stared at Naruto with infatuation.
“He really is…
so handsome…”
Hinata Hyūga’s face flushed as she clasped her hands in front of her chest and whispered, “Do your best, Naruto-kun…”
“…”
“Incredible!”
Even their teacher, Iruka, couldn’t help voicing his admiration.
He knew far more about Itachi Uchiha than these students did.
According to the rumors, Itachi would likely join the ANBU next year.
And what kind of place was the ANBU?
It was a force directly under the Hokage’s command.
Only geniuses and powerful shinobi were qualified to join.
“Naruto, when did you start practicing kunai throwing?” Iruka couldn’t help asking.
Naruto smiled.
After pretending to think for a moment, he decided to exaggerate the amount of time he had spent training.
“About…
a year ago, I think?”
“I’m not very good at ninjutsu, so I decided to focus on taijutsu instead.”
Iruka was stunned.
“One year?
You reached this level after only one year?”
Naruto smiled helplessly.
Apparently, even that had been too short an estimate.
Iruka stared at Naruto with burning eyes.
A genius!
He was unquestionably a genius!
Iruka was certain that even if Naruto couldn’t learn ninjutsu, his tremendous talent for taijutsu alone would still be enough to make him a formidable shinobi.
At lunchtime, Naruto leaned against a large tree, the corner of his mouth twitching as he stared helplessly at the enormous lunch box in front of him.
“This thing…
has to be almost half a meter wide, right?”
Blushing, Hinata opened the lunch box, revealing a dazzling assortment of food.
Tempura.
Sushi and rice balls.
Pan-fried dumplings, takoyaki, and miso soup.
Sticky-rice dumplings, red bean dango, and three-color dango.
There were even four enormous bowls of extra-large tonkotsu ramen.
The more Naruto looked, the more alarmed he became.
It wasn’t because he was tempted by the food—he was genuinely frightened.
Did Hinata think he was a piglet she needed to fatten up?
“Hinata, all of this…
is for both of us, right?”
Her face red, Hinata shook her head.
“No.
It’s all for you, Naruto-kun.”
Naruto was speechless.
He swallowed before asking stiffly, “Hinata, do you eat this much every day?”
It was difficult to imagine that a human being could possess such an enormous appetite.
Hinata shook her head and whispered, “I usually eat two more bowls of ramen.”
Hinata stared curiously at Naruto, who had clasped his hands in prayer.
“Are you praying before the meal, Naruto-kun?”
Naruto nodded woodenly.
“Yeah.
I’m praying the Grim Reaper doesn’t come for me after this meal.”
…
Half an hour later, Naruto lay with his head resting on Hinata’s lap, staring lifelessly at the sky.
After surviving this ordeal, Naruto finally understood that the limits of the human body could indeed be surpassed.
One such limit was how much a person could eat…
“Buuurp!”
Naruto let out a long belch.
Hinata’s face was bright red as she gently stroked his hair.
“Naruto-kun, you won so much money.
Will that big brother from the Uchiha clan really pay you?”
Naruto looked utterly drained.
Turning his head to one side, he replied, “How could he?”
“That’s over a hundred million ryō.
Even if they sold off the entire Uchiha clan, they might not be able to scrape together that much money.”
Hinata gently turned Naruto’s head back toward her and asked with a blush, “Really?
Then why did you still bet with them, Naruto-kun?”
Naruto gave her a slightly suspicious look.
Why did he feel as though Hinata was taking this unusually seriously?
Still, he didn’t think much of it and casually replied, “If I hadn’t won, they wouldn’t have given me a single ryō.
This way, at least they’ll pay me part of it.”
Hinata nodded, looking disappointed.
“I see…”
Naruto grew even more suspicious and couldn’t help asking, “Hey, Hinata.
Maybe it’s just my imagination, but…
are you disappointed?”
Hinata fiddled with her fingers, her face flushed as she avoided Naruto’s eyes.
“Didn’t you say you wanted me to take care of you, Naruto-kun?”
“I’ve been working hard to save money too.
I have over a hundred thousand ryō now.”
“Is that enough for me to support you?”
Naruto was speechless.
✨ Bonus Chapter Goals ✨