Chapter 30:
The next morning, after washing up, Asakawa Naoki opened his door, planning to grab breakfast at the commercial street before heading to the ninja school. Just as he stepped out, he noticed a black-haired figure standing not far away.
"Mikoto, what are you doing here?" Naoki asked curiously.
"I was just passing by on my way to school and saw Naoki-kun coming out. What a coincidence," Uchiha Mikoto smiled.
Of course, this was a little lie. Mikoto had deliberately left early and waited near his house for a while before Naoki came out. After all, the two of them weren't in the same class, and her school start time was a bit later. This was the only time they could reasonably go to school together without it seeming too obvious.
Luckily, their homes were along the same road, so this "coincidental encounter" wasn't too strange.
"Wanna head to school together?" Naoki offered.
"Mm!" Mikoto smiled, her eyes brightening.
That was exactly why she'd come so early.
The two set off together, and not long after, as they were approaching the commercial street, Naoki asked casually, "Misaki, did you eat breakfast yet?"
Mikoto blinked, caught off guard for a moment. Normally she would've eaten at home before school, but today she left early and hadn't eaten a thing. So she answered honestly, "Not yet… wanna eat together?"
"Sure — there's a noodle shop around here that's pretty decent," Naoki smiled.
Over the past year since arriving in the ninja world, he'd tried out nearly all the affordable eateries on the commercial street. The fancy restaurants with elegant signs and overpriced menus? He didn't dare step foot in those. His appetite was too big, and his wallet too small.
He led Mikoto to an unassuming ramen shop. As soon as they sat down, Naoki ordered five bowls of miso ramen.
Mikoto stared at the bowls stacked on the table, her eyes wide. "Naoki-kun… we can't eat all this."
"No worries — you just need to finish one. I'll handle the rest," Naoki chuckled.
If only Ichiraku Ramen was open in Konoha already — he would've gone there in a heartbeat.
Soon enough, while Mikoto was still halfway through her bowl, Naoki had already finished four.
"Naoki-kun, your appetite is incredible," Mikoto said in amazement.
At this rate, she wondered how much he'd eat when he was grown.
But then again, the Uchiha Clan was wealthy and influential, so even if Naoki married into the clan someday, no one would go broke feeding him.
"I'm still growing," Naoki laughed.
Once he reached the level where he could refine spiritual energy directly, he wouldn't need to eat this much anymore.
When they arrived at the ninja school, the handsome boy and gentle, beautiful girl walking side by side instantly caught attention.
From a distance, a figure with fiery red hair spotted them, her expression freezing in shock.
"Why… are they coming to school together?"
"Did he… did Naoki sleep over at her house last night?"
Still carrying those doubts, Uzumaki Kushina hurried into Class 1, Grade 2, and sat beside Naoki in the back row.
Kushina was the type to speak whatever was on her mind. She rarely hid anything.
Before class even started, she blurted out, "Naoki, why were you and Mikoto coming to school together this morning?"
"You saw it too, didn't you? Our houses are in the same direction, and we just happened to run into each other," Naoki explained.
"Oh… okay."
Even so, Kushina felt something odd about it. After all, why had they never 'just happened to run into each other' before?
But she wasn't the type to dwell on things for long. As the bell rang, her thoughts scattered.
After school, Naoki and Kushina left the school gates together as usual.
"Hey," Kushina asked out of nowhere, "why do you always head home so early after school?"
She'd never cared much about what Naoki did in his free time. But Mikoto showing up had made her feel a bit uneasy, like someone was about to snatch away her only friend.
"I usually grab dinner on the street and then go home to train," Naoki answered honestly. "But today, I need to buy some ninja tools for practice."
"Then let's go together!" Kushina grinned. "Two's better than one!"
Naoki nodded. "Sure, let's go."
They arrived at the commercial street, and Kushina was instantly like a country girl visiting the big city for the first time — wide-eyed, curious, peeking into every shop window. Though she'd lived in Konoha for a year, it seemed she'd never properly explored it before.
Thinking about it, it made sense. The only family she had in Konoha was Uzumaki Mito, and Mito was an elderly woman from the era of the First Hokage. There was no way she'd be walking around town with Kushina.
At school, Kushina's unique red hair made her stand out, but not in a good way. She hadn't really been accepted by others. It seemed Naoki was her only real friend here.
Unfortunately for her, Naoki was a training fanatic who usually headed straight home after class. The two of them never talked much about what they did after school. This was probably the first time Kushina had properly wandered around Konoha like this.
Naoki wasn't in a hurry. He patiently strolled alongside her as she admired everything around them.
They wandered around for a while. In the end, all they bought were two small black hair ties for Kushina. Cheap stuff, but she was delighted all the same.
After dinner, they headed to a ninja tool shop together.
There were plenty of ninja tool stores in Konoha. Naoki even wondered if one of them might be run by Tiantian's family in the future.
The first shop they entered was run by a middle-aged man. He greeted them enthusiastically at first, but as soon as he saw it was two kids, his enthusiasm cooled.
"Buying ninja tools for training?" the man asked, not bothering to hide his disinterest.
Kids at the academy mostly bought cheap practice weapons, like wooden shuriken. They weren't worth much, so the shopkeepers didn't bother fawning over them.
"Boss, do you have any chakra metal short swords?" Naoki asked, holding two fingers apart. "About this wide and one finger long."
What he wanted wasn't a conventional katana or shortsword. It was a flying sword for sword control. In this world of high offense and low defense, a small, sharp, hidden weapon-style flying sword was ideal.
The shopkeeper frowned. "That small? Might as well be a shuriken. We've got chakra metal, sure — but the quality varies. What kind are you after?"
He didn't bother listing the price ranges. Clearly, he figured a kid like Naoki couldn't afford it.
Honestly, Naoki wasn't sure if he could either.
He'd only brought 100,000 ryo with him. If it wasn't enough, he'd have to downgrade his plans.
After his parents' death, Naoki inherited about 500,000 ryo — enough to live frugally until adulthood for a normal kid. But he wasn't normal. His cultivation demands meant eating three to four times more than his peers, and he'd already blown over 100,000 ryo on food in just a year.
This flying sword was important though. Cultivation couldn't be delayed.
"How much is your cheapest one?" Naoki asked cautiously.
"300,000 ryo," the shopkeeper said flatly.
"Three hundred thousand?" Naoki's face twitched. That was two years of food.
If he bought it, he'd basically be broke and starving for the foreseeable future.
The shopkeeper laughed. "Kid, you're still young. Wait until you're a genin before buying chakra-metal weapons."
But then — two voices rang out at the same time.
"I'll buy it."
Naoki froze and turned around. He knew those voices.
One was clear and bold — Uzumaki Kushina.
The other was calm and soft, tinged with a hint of coldness — Uchiha Mikoto, who had appeared silently behind them.
Good grief. Both were still in the ninja academy, yet they had money to casually drop 300,000 ryo like it was pocket change.
Two rich lolis… no, rich heiresses.
Where had these two little tycoons come from?
*******
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