The Mystical Palm Technique truly deserved its reputation as an A-rank medical ninjutsu.
A saying went: It takes a hundred days for broken bones and torn tendons to heal.
Naruto’s arms had genuinely been fractured.
Yet under the effects of the Mystical Palm Technique, they were completely healed in just ten minutes.
Afterward, the ANBU once again escorted Naruto home with their usual icy indifference.
Naruto said nothing.
Instead, he headed back out onto the streets.
If he wanted to plan for his future, he first needed to understand the environment he would be living in.
The Hokage’s order had already been issued.
No one threw stones at Naruto anymore.
But the hatred and coldness in their eyes clung to him like a shadow.
Wherever he went, those were the looks that greeted him.
“That’s him…
He’s the—”
“Don’t say it out loud.
Have you forgotten the Hokage’s order?”
“Why doesn’t he just die?”
Malicious whispers and bitter curses surrounded Naruto.
Pair after pair of icy eyes.
Face after expressionless face.
Every one of them stared at him.
The oppressive atmosphere was like the depths of the ocean.
Even for someone with the mind of an adult, it was suffocating.
It was hard to imagine how the Naruto of the original story had endured it.
The fact that he could grow up into such a cheerful person was nothing short of a miracle.
Naruto took a deep breath.
The values he had developed growing up in Huaxia instantly swept away the foul emotions weighing on him.
He had been mentally prepared from the very beginning.
As someone born in the ’90s, he possessed a certain stubborn pride.
I love the way you all can’t stand me…
yet can’t do anything about me.
Of course, Naruto knew they would put countless obstacles in his path.
But from the moment he stepped out of his house, he had never placed any hope in them.
He wandered around the neighborhood near his home.
Behind a fishing supply store, in a dumpster, he found a damaged fishing rod, some discarded fishing line, and a hook.
Without hesitation, Naruto collected them.
For a long time to come, fish would become his primary source of food.
Next, he located Ichiraku Ramen.
It was practically the only ramen shop in Konoha that didn’t harbor resentment toward him.
Without a doubt, most of his monthly allowance of one thousand ryō would probably end up being spent there.
After that, he found Shūeisha Bookstore, a place that the silver-haired Kakashi often frequented.
Finally, Naruto discovered the river leading into the forest.
In the future, he would likely spend most of every day fishing along its banks.
As for the forest itself, he had no intention of entering it.
He wasn’t the original Naruto, whose carefree nature left him oblivious to danger.
With the mindset of a mature adult, he knew the forest was still far too dangerous.
By the time he finished exploring, night had already fallen.
After washing the fishing rod, line, and hook in the river, he carried them home.
Then he prepared himself a cup of instant noodles.
Honestly, instant noodles had little nutritional value.
But almost everything the Third Hokage had prepared for him consisted of instant noodles.
So nutritious or not, that was all he could eat.
Fortunately, as the jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails and a member of the Uzumaki Clan, Naruto possessed extraordinary vitality.
Otherwise, he seriously doubted he would survive long enough to enroll in the Ninja Academy.
Still, he already had a plan for improving his life.
Fishing was only part of it.
The rest would begin after dinner.
Soon, after finishing his meal, Naruto once again left the house under the cover of night.
As the strongest hidden village in the shinobi world, Konoha had always enjoyed a lively nightlife.
Sure enough, the streets were now brightly illuminated.
But Naruto wasn’t heading there.
His destination was the marketplace.
During the day, he had merely circled the market.
Now, he walked straight inside.
Although Konoha had a sizable population, it was still just a village.
As expected, the market had already emptied out.
It didn’t take long before Naruto found what he was looking for.
Discarded vegetable leaves that had yet to be thrown away.
And scraps of minced meat left behind on the butcher’s chopping blocks.
He carefully selected the freshest vegetable leaves, while the meat scraps gradually accumulated into a respectable amount.
After returning home and washing everything thoroughly, he stored it all in the refrigerator.
Then he washed up, went to bed, and brought the day to an end.
________________
The next morning, Naruto cooked one-third of the vegetables and meat together with his instant noodles.
It was far more nutritious—and much tastier—than eating plain noodles alone.
Then he came up with a new plan.
The gardening instincts ingrained deep within every child of Huaxia awakened.
So Naruto began rummaging through dumpsters all over the village, searching for old buckets that people had thrown away.
He carried them up to the rooftop.
Then, using the school backpack the Third Hokage had prepared for his future days at the Ninja Academy, he transported fertile compost-rich soil from garbage piles.
Trip after trip, he hauled it up to the roof and filled every bucket.
By the end of the day, every bucket was packed with soil.
That night, he went out once more to gather discarded vegetables and scrape meat scraps from the butcher’s stalls.
On the third day, he collected tree branches and stuck them into the buckets as supports.
Then he started searching everywhere for seeds.
Some he found in the trash outside seed shops.
Others…
He quietly stole from other people’s vegetable gardens.
After several days of effort, every bucket on his rooftop had finally been planted.
Tomatoes.
Peppers.
Leafy greens.
Chinese cabbage.
Watermelons…
He grew more than a dozen different kinds of vegetables and fruits.
He even planted watermelons.
________________
That day, the last of the instant noodles prepared by the Third Hokage was finally gone.
Coincidentally, Naruto felt too lazy to cook.
So he took some money and headed for Ichiraku Ramen.
“One bowl of tonkotsu ramen, please.”
“Coming right up!” the owner replied cheerfully.
The moment he recognized Naruto, he paused in surprise.
But his expression quickly softened into a smile as he served the steaming bowl of ramen.
Naruto didn’t stand on ceremony and immediately began eating.
After finishing, he reached for his money.
“You’re a first-time customer,” Teuchi said, patting his chest proudly.
“At my shop, every new customer gets their first bowl for free.”
“Then thank you very much, sir.”
Knowing it was an act of kindness, Naruto accepted it without refusing.
“Heh, be sure to come again.”
Teuchi smiled warmly.
Unlike everyone else, he held no prejudice against Naruto.
In fact, he understood the situation more clearly than most.
“I definitely will.”
Naruto nodded, a genuinely gentle smile appearing on his face for what felt like the first time.
________________
After leaving Ichiraku Ramen, Naruto felt somewhat tired.
Even so, he forced himself to stay alert.
He still needed to catch dinner.
He planned to go fishing and collect some river snails.
As for lunch…
Starting today, he would probably have to get used to eating only two meals a day.
As he passed a mask shop, Naruto couldn’t help glancing at it.
If possible, he really wanted to buy a mask to wear.
But he knew perfectly well that the shopkeeper would never sell one to him.
He had no interest in humiliating himself or offering kindness only to be met with cold rejection.
So after one glance, he turned to leave.
That single glance, however, caught the shopkeeper’s attention.
Immediately, the man shouted angrily,
“What are you looking at?”
I can’t even look anymore?
A surge of anger rose inside Naruto.
Without another word, he strode over.
With a loud crash, he shoved the display rack full of masks to the ground.
Then he looked coldly at the shopkeeper.
ADD TO COLLECTION.