Chapter 34

As soon as Naruto spoke those words, the assault team, led by Ino and Sakura, was left speechless.

Before the match had even started, they might have been able to scrape together three to five hundred silver taels, but after losing five rounds in a row, there was no way they could come up with the 1900 silver taels that Naruto was now asking for.

Seeing Ino and Sakura's grim expressions and the boys around them filled with unwillingness, Naruto let out a sigh, looking rather smug.

"Such a pity... This vast campus, and yet not a single capable person. Truly... it's lonely at the top."

"Damn... He's showing off again!"

"Naruto, don't get too cocky. Don't leave after school today. I'll get Shikamaru to challenge you. Let's see how you lose after winning."

"Right, Shikamaru is an expert at Shogi [Japanese chess]. Since you look down on us so much, I'm sure Shikamaru will handle it."

Naruto slowly packed up his things, unfazed by the angry provocations around him.

"Hmph, I'll wait. But I'm afraid Shikamaru might not have enough confidence in his Shogi skills and back out."

Having won five rounds in a row, Naruto had started with 100 taels borrowed from Sasuke and another 100 of his own, making it a total of 200 taels. In just a few minutes, he'd turned that into 1900 silver taels. Wasn't it reasonable to be a little cocky?

"You... Naruto, you just wait! I'll make sure Shikamaru hears everything you said."

"Just wait. You'll cry when Shikamaru defeats you!"

With those harsh words, Ino stormed off angrily, and Sakura and the other boys followed suit, fuming.

"Heh heh... I think the big fish is about to bite."

Naruto packed his lunch items into his canvas bag, a smile playing on his lips as he headed toward the classroom.

But just then, he was called from behind by a woman's voice.

"Naruto."

Naruto furrowed his brow and turned around, immediately feeling a sense of caution as he saw Iruka-sensei, who had drastically changed her attitude overnight.

Yesterday, Iruka had been distant, though not as blatantly cold as the villagers of Konoha, but Naruto could still sense the underlying indifference.

How had Iruka's attitude changed so suddenly after just one night?

"Good morning, Iruka-sensei."

Although puzzled, Naruto still greeted her politely.

Iruka, wearing a professional teacher's smile, took a few steps forward and reached out as though to pat Naruto on the head but found only air as he instinctively dodged.

Seeing Naruto's quick reaction, Iruka's smile stiffened for a moment, but she quickly recovered and began talking about Naruto's performance.

They walked side by side, and Naruto said nothing, merely listening quietly.

"Naruto, I've been busy these past few days and haven't had the chance to go over your grades. To make it up to you, how about I treat you to ramen after school?"

Iruka said this with a gentle smile, trying to cover up the long-held biases in her heart, which, despite her best efforts, were not easily erased by a mission from the Third Hokage.

Although Iruka hid it well, Naruto clearly caught the slight flicker of disdain in her eyes.

At first, Naruto was stunned.

Of course, in Iruka's eyes, he must have looked surprised and delighted, as though thrilled by the sudden approval.

"Actually... Naruto, you're quite excellent in my eyes."

Liking ramen, feeling empty inside, and craving recognition—these were things that the original Naruto yearned for deeply when he was younger.

However, Naruto wasn't stunned by a sudden compliment. He was, instead, feeling a slight chill in his heart.

Since the Third Hokage had given him the task and the mask from the Anbu, he hadn't sensed the usual surveillance from the Anbu or Root until today, when he encountered Iruka. That was when he realized something was off.

"Because I often talk about wanting to become Hokage, the Third Hokage must think I've passed some sort of test and begun a psychological manipulation strategy. Iruka will start recognizing me, believing I'm a part of Konoha... And by telling her I like ramen, I'll touch her heart and make her feel more connected to Konoha?"

This wasn't about Naruto having any prejudice against Iruka. It was a conclusion drawn from his understanding of the original story and the situation he found himself in.

In the original story, after Naruto got the Anbu mask, he pranked his classmates at the Konoha cemetery, and Iruka's disgusted expression when she found out it was him was something he'd never forget.

In this timeline, although Naruto had also received the Anbu mask, he wasn't going to do something as childish as the original Naruto had. Yet, he didn't expect Iruka to suddenly act kind toward him the next day.

Having figured out some key factors, Naruto smiled quietly.

"Iruka-sensei, I think you've misunderstood. It's because I don't have money that I often eat instant noodles. Compared to instant noodles, ramen is tastier and still cheap, but that doesn't mean I don't like other things like grilled meat and fine dishes."

After Naruto said this, Iruka looked a little flustered, but quickly masked it with a smile.

"Alright then. If you want, how about I treat you to grilled meat tonight?"

"Heh heh, Iruka-sensei, I've already found my dinner plans. This afternoon, Ichiraku Ramen is holding a contest. I've already arranged with Auntie Teuchi to help out, and she'll give me ramen vouchers."

Hearing Naruto's polite refusal, Iruka awkwardly nodded with a forced smile.

"See you, Iruka-sensei." Naruto waved and dashed toward the classroom.

As he turned, the smile on his face vanished, and dark clouds filled his eyes.

Iruka, too, stood frozen for a moment. She had thought that the S-rank mission from the Third Hokage would make things easier, but it seemed that Naruto wasn't as easy to deal with as she had imagined.

"Did I rush things too much?"

Iruka muttered under her breath, staring at Naruto's retreating figure. "I must not disappoint the Third Hokage's trust... Hmm."

Meanwhile, Ino, Sakura, and the rest of the assault team, defeated and demoralized, trudged into the classroom like a group of defeated roosters.

They had expected to easily defeat the so-called "tail-end" Naruto with their superior Shogi skills, but instead, they had all been crushed by him.

And they had been crushed in such an embarrassing manner. To lose five rounds in a row to a single person meant they were worse than a so-called "tail-end" player.

The girls in the class looked curiously at the dejected group as they entered.

Sasuke, though already aware of the outcome, still had some lingering doubts.

Naruto's combat abilities were so comprehensive that she didn't think he had the time to master Shogi as well.

Slightly raising her head, Sakura was quietly surprised as she saw the group of boys walk back to class with their heads hung low.

In the past, these boys would always glance at her as they entered the class, trying to gauge her mood and offering various forms of flattery and attempts at conversation.

But now, it seemed as though they couldn't even bear to look at her. They all walked back to their seats with their heads down.

Of course, it wasn't just Sasuke who was secretly surprised; Kiba, Shino, Choji, and Shikamaru felt the same way.

As the group returned to their seats, the preparatory bell rang.

Naruto walked in just as the bell rang.

Compared to the downcast moods of Ino, Sakura, and the rest, Naruto looked energetic and full of life.

The atmosphere around him seemed to lighten, as though a spring breeze had swept through, bringing with it the energy of a man who was on top of the world. He walked with confidence, a man whose every step seemed to echo with wind-like vigor.

The defeat of Ino and the others had already been proven, and now, Naruto's entrance made him the undeniable center of attention.

Naruto kept his gaze ahead, ignoring everyone around him.

He walked directly in front of Sasuke, stopping abruptly. This action surely struck a nerve with Ino and the others, who looked as though their glares could burn a hole through him.

As Naruto stopped right by her side, Sasuke's heart skipped a beat.

Though she had already agreed to pretend to be Naruto's temporary girlfriend for the next three months, publicly acknowledging it or admitting it in front of everyone still made her nervous.

Of course, Sasuke had already expected this moment and had long since resigned herself to it in exchange for the strength she sought.

She looked at Naruto, her expression mixed with helplessness and acceptance. Just as she was about to make a statement or admit the situation, Naruto suddenly took his right hand out of his pocket and slammed it down on the desk.

"Two hundred silver taels, go buy yourself some snacks!"

---

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