Chapter 7: C6: Anger at the Bun Shop
Naruto felt a warm hand ruffle his hair.
"Naruto, you're a man now. Don't cry so easily."
Iruka's voice was gentle, filled with warmth.
Then, with a smile, Iruka reached up and removed his Konoha forehead protector. He held it out toward Naruto.
"Congratulations. Starting today, you are officially a ninja of Konoha."
Naruto froze.
For a moment, he just stared at the forehead protector in his hands, unsure what to say.
Iruka's eyes were sincere. There was no hesitation, no doubt. He had truly accepted Naruto.
Naruto clenched his fist, gripping the metal plate tightly.
But deep inside—
"I'm sorry, Iruka-sensei... but becoming Hokage is no longer my dream."
The thought echoed in his mind.
No matter what Iruka said, Naruto's faith in Konoha was already broken.
He still remembered.
The cold stares.
The hateful whispers.
The way parents pulled their children away from him, as if he were a disease.
He had grown up like this. Always shunned. Always alone.
The Naruto of the original story had somehow endured all of it with a smile.
Maybe that was because of Asura's bloodline.
But this Naruto was different.
Because he wasn't just Naruto anymore.
---
"Naruto! Iruka-sensei! Your ramen is ready!"
Teuchi's daughter, Ayame, placed two extra-large bowls of ramen in front of them.
Naruto grinned. "Thanks, Ayame-neechan!"
His eyes lingered on Ayame's face for a second before he grabbed his chopsticks.
Back when he watched the anime, he always thought Ayame was beautiful.
Seeing her in person now? Even more so.
Maybe she really was too good-looking to be just a simple ramen shop girl.
---
"Shh~~"
"Shh~~"
The sound of slurping noodles filled the air.
Ichiraku's ramen was truly amazing. Teuchi had traveled across the Shinobi Continent to perfect his seasoning techniques.
Naruto devoured fifteen bowls before finally leaning back.
"Ahh~! That hit the spot."
Iruka, watching him in disbelief, sighed.
"Naruto, you eat way too much."
Naruto grinned. "Iruka-sensei, if I wanted to, I could eat five more bowls."
"NANI?!"
---
The Next Morning
Naruto's alarm clock blared.
"Ugh… five more minutes…"
He rolled over, groggy—then sat up abruptly.
"System! Sign in!"
[Ding! Congratulations, host! Weekend sign-in reward obtained!]
[Reward 1: Non-attribute Ninjutsu – Rasengan]
[Reward 2: Wind Release – Gale Palm]
Two bursts of energy shot into Naruto's body, imprinting the jutsu directly into his mind.
The Rasengan and a Wind Release technique.
Naruto's lips curled into a satisfied smirk.
"Not bad. Not bad at all."
The Rasengan was a powerful jutsu, one that his father, Namikaze Minato, had created.
Combined with Flying Thunder God? It would be unstoppable.
But Naruto wasn't fully in control of it yet. He needed practice.
Stretching, he hopped out of bed, got dressed in his signature orange jacket, and stepped outside.
The village was just waking up. The streets were mostly empty, except for a few shinobi finishing night patrols and restaurant owners preparing breakfast.
As Naruto walked down the street, the scent of freshly steamed buns filled the air.
He turned toward a small bun shop on the corner.
A young couple stood at the counter.
"Boss, we'll take a basket of steamed buns."
A large, round man emerged from the back room, wiping flour off his hands.
"Welcome! What would you like?" he asked with a friendly smile.
"Three meat buns and two Soup Dumplings"
"Coming right up!"
---
Naruto walked toward the stand, sniffing the air.
"Mmm... Smells good."
He had eaten a lot last night, but after using the Eight Gates, his body had burned through all that energy.
He was hungry again.
"Oi, boss! Two baskets of Soup Dumplings" Naruto called.
From inside, the bun shop owner's voice rang out.
"Coming—!"
But as soon as he stepped outside and saw Naruto, his face froze.
The warm, welcoming smile? Gone.
In its place—a cold, disgusted scowl.
"...If you don't want to sell me food, just say so."
The fat shopkeeper snorted, crossing his arms.
"Yeah. I don't want to sell to you. Get lost."
Then he turned his back, walking away.
Naruto's face darkened.
He pointed at the young couple who had just bought food.
"Why'd you sell to them? Why can they buy buns, but I can't?"
The fat boss sneered.
"Because I don't sell food to demons."
Naruto went still.
The old anger—the familiar hatred from the villagers—boiled up inside him.
For ten years, he had endured this.
Ten years of glares.
Ten years of whispers.
Ten years of being treated like he was nothing.
But he wasn't the same Naruto anymore.
"If I don't sell to you, then that's final! Get out of here before I beat you up, you damn fox!"
The shopkeeper turned to leave.
"Hah? That's real tough talk."
Naruto's voice cut through the air like a blade.
The fat shopkeeper froze.
Naruto's blue eyes were cold.
"Come on, then. Let's see you try."
His voice was deadly calm.
"Go ahead. Take your best shot, you fat pig."
For the first time in his life—
Naruto wasn't taking this treatment quietly.
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