Naruto: Returns From Roger's Ship

Faced with Naruto's question, the owner maintained his professional smile, but his attitude remained clear.

To be honest, this really wasn't the owner's fault for not playing by the rules.

In fact, when Naruto had first started eating, the owner hadn't paid much attention.

It wasn't until later when a staff member secretly came to tell him that Naruto had already devoured enough food for fifteen people that he reluctantly came over to ask for payment.

Judging by Naruto's expression, it seemed like even this amount of meat wasn't enough, and he looked like he was about to order even more.

If he kept going, there was no guarantee that the wallet in his pocket would even have enough to cover the bill.

"Though I'm not full… whatever, let's settle the bill."

This is not an exaggeration.

After returning to Konoha, not only had his height and physique grown somewhat, but the monstrous appetite he'd developed at sea seemed to have followed him back.

This amount of meat wouldn't even count as a 'scratch' for a small sea king.

With that, Naruto stood up and followed the owner to the counter.

Looking at the number on the bill and recalling the menu prices he'd glimpsed when entering, Naruto couldn't help but grin.

'Good job, you even cheated the child's money and dared to raise the price for an orphan like me.'

'But it didn't matter. I wasn't planning to pay anyway.'

'Today, let Uzumaki-sensei give you a lesson.'

Naruto flashed the owner a smile, and then, under the man's stunned gaze, he formed a hand seal with his index and middle fingers.

[Ninjutsu: Sexy Technique]

A puff of smoke dispersed, and what remained was a sexy girl in revealing clothes.

He'd used this technique countless times over the decades in that other world, and his proficiency in it had already reached peak levels.

Considering what he was about to do next, Naruto held back a little this time.

Before the owner and the clerk could react, Naruto clutched his arm and dramatically collapsed to the ground, letting out a pained wail.

"Stop hitting me! Stop, I'll pay! Please spare me!"

His voice was pitiful and anguished, dripping with raw emotion.

The clerk who had disliked Naruto earlier was still confused, but the owner immediately realized what was happening and snapped his head up to look around.

Sure enough, thanks to Naruto's loud voice, not only had the other customers in the restaurant turned to look, but even passersby outside had stopped to see what was going on.

People were naturally curious, and hearing such a scream in the heart of Konoha Village quickly drew a crowd.

"What's going on here?"

"I heard she didn't have enough money, so the owner beat her up."

"That's outrageous. They could've just let her go home to get the money. Why resort to violence?"

The murmurs from the crowd sent the owner's blood pressure skyrocketing. He instantly understood what Naruto was trying to do.

"No, he-"

The owner tried to explain, but caught off guard, he couldn't find the right words fast enough.

Meanwhile, Naruto seemed completely oblivious to the stares around him. He was not at all afraid of the attention and was completely immersed in his performance.

If this had been the little Naruto from the past, he would never have been able to pull off something like this.

Back then, he might have played pranks or stolen food, but all of that stemmed from his fear of 'being excluded' and his longing for 'recognition'.

Of course, the current Naruto couldn't care less about such things.

Thinking back to when he'd liberated slaves at Mary Geoise, he'd faced stares from crowds dozens, no, hundreds of times larger, filled with either murderous intent or overwhelming gratitude.

Compared to that, this little scene was nothing.

"Hey, get up already!"

Behind the owner, the same clerk seemed to realize things were going south and quickly stepped forward, reaching out to pull Naruto up.

But as soon as he touched Naruto's arm, he let out an even more pitiful scream.

This left the clerk frozen, his hand hovering mid-air… unable to proceed, yet unable to withdraw.

When Iruka arrived at the entrance of [Yakiniku Q] on the Hokage's orders, this was exactly the scene he witnessed.

Acting on instinct as a Ninja, he immediately stepped forward to assess the situation.

And just as Iruka made his way through the crowd and reached Naruto's side, he abruptly stopped his wailing.

He turned his head and stared unblinkingly at the face marked by a scar across the bridge of the nose, and his childhood memories resurfaced.

That was the face of the man who had shielded him from Mizuki's shuriken with his own body.

Of course, in this world, that had only happened 'yesterday'.

He could even smell the faint scent of medicine seeping through Iruka's bandages.

"Long time no see, Iruka-sensei."

With another puff of smoke, Naruto returned to his normal appearance as if nothing had happened, smiling as he spoke those seemingly random words.

"Ah, Naruto? You... huh? Did you get taller?"

After looking at Naruto, who had transformed back, Iruka instinctively greeted him, and then looked at him with some confusion.

After all, they'd just seen each other yesterday, so how had Naruto seemingly grown a full head overnight?

'No, no, it must be the clothes.'

Iruka looked at Naruto, who was wearing loose-fitting outfit, and convinced himself.

Naruto didn't answer directly. Instead, he asked Iruka first, "So, Iruka-sensei, did you come here for something else?"

As he spoke, Naruto's gaze was steady, as though he cared deeply about Iruka's response.

"Oh, right! I almost forgot… the Hokage wants to see you for your Ninja debriefing. You should head over now."

Remembering his actual task, Iruka instinctively ignored the still-gawking crowd. After speaking, he even reached out with a proud smile and ruffled Naruto's hair.

'Huh? He really did get taller.'

"Is that so..."

Ignoring Iruka's bewilderment, Naruto didn't show much excitement. He simply nodded, then tucked his hands into his sleeves and strode toward the edge of the crowd.

Just as he was about to leave, he seemed to remember something and turned around and gave Iruka a big smile.

"Oh, right… Iruka-sensei, I'll leave the cleanup here to you."

Naruto clasped his hands together in an apologetic gesture, and then his figure instantly disappeared from the spot.

'Huh? Since when was Naruto this good at the Body Flicker Technique?'

Iruka was still standing there dumbfounded when he felt a hand clap onto his shoulder.

When he turned around, he saw the owner and the clerk of [Yakiniku Q] were looking at him eagerly.

They heard it clearly that the brat just called this guy 'sensei'.

"Well then, Ninja-sama, we'd appreciate it if you could cover his bill."

"Huh?"

…

In the Hokage's office, Hiruzen was resting his chin on his hands, peering at Naruto from under the brim of his hat.

Across from him, Naruto sat sprawled lazily in his chair, completely relaxed.

"So, Naruto... why aren't you wearing your forehead protector?"

Hiruzen glanced at the newly submitted Ninja Registration Form in front of him. The photo showed Naruto exactly as he was now, carefree and unbothered.

His outfit wasn't the standard activewear suited for a Ninja, and he wore no identifying insignia. Even his footwear was a pair of wooden sandals.

Hiruzen hadn't noticed through the Telescope Technique earlier, but now that he was seeing Naruto up close, the boy had changed drastically.

"Forehead protector? Ah… that thing… I figured I shouldn't wear it until I officially become a Ninja. Wouldn't want to damage it or anything."

This is a lie.

The truth was, he had completely forgotten where he'd even put the forehead protector.

"...Fine, that's acceptable."

At least in the photo, Naruto wasn't making any weird faces, which was a surprise to Hiruzen.

He had half-expected Naruto to paint his face or do something outrageous just to leave a lasting impression.

"Naruto, have you gotten taller?"

Hearing this, Naruto just laughed it off.

"Sometimes, a boy's growth spurt can happen in the blink of an eye."

'But this was clearly more than just a 'growth spurt'. People didn't grow this fast?'

Hiruzen complained in his heart.

'Having said that, the changes in this kid after just one night were truly remarkable.'

'Could it be related to the Nine-Tails?'

'And those unconscious Anbu...'

Hiruzen's gaze swept over Naruto a few more times before he shook his head inwardly.

'Impossible. This kid wasn't even a Genin yet, while those Anbu's members were at least Special Jonin-level.'

'Even if he had grown a bit, he was still just Naruto.'

'Being able to knock out multiple Anbu at the same time without making any sound, it is unlikely to be related to him.'

While Hiruzen was sizing Naruto up, he didn't realize Naruto was doing the same to him.

For Naruto, Hiruzen had always been a kind old man in his memories.

Not only do he often give him snacks, but he also taught him some lessons from time to time and talk to him.

That was why, when he was a child, Naruto longed had dreamed of becoming a Hokage like the Third, hoping to earn the village's recognition.

But now, Naruto felt like those hazy childhood impressions had begun to crack.

The moment those watchers had passed out, Hiruzen had summoned him. That was too much of a coincidence.

To be honest, Naruto didn't want to believe that the grandfatherly figure from his memories had been keeping him under surveillance all this time.

'Why would they be watching me?'

'Am I really some kind of demon fox?'

Naruto didn't know.

But at least there was one thing that made him feel at ease… He did not sense any malice from Hiruzen.

He knew the old man's affection for him was genuine.

However, thanks to his Observation Haki, Naruto also picked up on something else from Hiruzen… a faint sense of guilt and remorse.

'So, is old man Third hiding something from me?'

For a moment, neither of them spoke, and the atmosphere grew heavy.

Bang!

Just then, a small figure kicked the door open and barged in.

"Grandpa! Fight me!"

It was a kid no older than five or six, wearing a T-shirt with the Konoha emblem and a long scarf draped around his neck.

As he charged in, he raised a shuriken, ready to throw it at Hiruzen.

"I, Konohamaru-sama, will become the Fifth Hokage!"

Konohamaru declared his ambitions with full confidence, but he didn't expect that before he threw the shuriken, his left foot tripped over his right foot, and then he tumbled forward, about to faceplant onto the floor.

He instinctively closed his eyes, but the expected pain never came.

"Ahahaha! What a lively little brat."

At some point, Naruto had vanished from his chair and reappeared beside Konohamaru, effortlessly lifting him up by the scruff of his collar with one hand.

Konohamaru froze for a second before his face twisted into indignation. He flailed wildly, shouting at Naruto.

"Let me go! Who're you calling a brat?! You're just a brat too, aren't you?"

Despite his fierce struggling, against Naruto's enhanced physique, he was as powerless as a chick in a hawk's grip.

Meanwhile, Hiruzen's eyes had widened slightly.

'How…? That speed…'

'It far surpassed the level of an ordinary Genin.'

At this time, another person rushed in from outside the door. He was wearing a black Ninja attire and a pair of round sunglasses on his face.

This was Konohamaru's private tutor, the Special Jonin, Ebisu.

"Y-You! Release Konohamaru-sama at once! Do you even know who he is?! He's the grandson of the Third Hokage!"

However, Naruto seemed completely deaf to Ebisu's shouting. Instead, he leaned in closer, scrutinizing Konohamaru's face.

After hearing what Ebisu said, Konohamaru stopped struggling and instead looked at Naruto with a provocative look.

'Hmph. So now you're going to act all shocked because I'm the Third Hokage's grandson? You're the same as everyone else in the end.'

He opened his mouth to speak.

"Tch. Now that you know, hurry up and..."

"Whoa! Now that I look closely, he really does kind of look like you, old man Third!"

Naruto swung Konohamaru around like a flimsy ribbon, loudly announcing his 'new discovery'.

Ebisu, who was standing by, couldn't sit still when he saw the young master's uncomfortable expression, so he lunged forward to intervene.

"You brat! Let go of Konohamaru-sama!"

But his decisive strike moved as slowly as a turtle in Naruto's eyes.

Without even glancing at him, Naruto sidestepped effortlessly, even finding the time to take off Ebisu's sunglasses and put them on himself.

Still, he didn't keep swinging Konohamaru around. Instead, he set him back down on the floor.

Then, before Konohamaru could continue his speech, Naruto flicked his forehead with an 'OK' sign.

Bang!

Despite the light flick, Konohamaru went flying, tumbling across the floor several times.

But even as he rolled away, some unseen force seemed to cushion his fall, leaving him only momentarily dazed. Aside from a bright red mark on his forehead, he was unharmed.

"Hah, what a funny little guy, very energetic."

After saying this, Naruto dodged yet another attack from Ebisu, who had charged at him from behind.

After tripping the Special Jonin with a single sweep of his foot, Naruto adjusted the sunglasses on his face and grinned at the stunned Hiruzen.

"Well then, old man Third, if there's nothing else, I'll be on my way."

Without waiting for Hiruzen's response, he vanished from the Hokage's office.

The only ones left were a dizzy Konohamaru, a speechless Hiruzen, and a thoroughly humiliated Special Jonin whose face had turned beet red.