Naruto: SSS-Rank Romance System

Naruto woke up on his hammock, noticing it was late, and waved at the four young "greenhorns" he had just taken under his wing.

"Let's go; I'm treating you all to ramen."

"Alright!"

A cheer rose from the four kids as they followed him excitedly to Ichiraku Ramen.

When they pulled back the curtain, Teuchi Ichiraku looked up, ready to welcome them, only to pause when he saw Naruto leading four scruffy children. He recovered quickly and asked warmly,

"What would you all like to eat?"

Naruto wasn't a big fan of ramen himself—he'd grown tired of it after a few times. But he wasn't picky, and part of him wanted to get closer to Teuchi. You never know, the old ramen vendor could secretly be an Otsutsuki; after all, ninjas who haven't tasted Ichiraku's ramen always seem to meet an unfortunate end.

"Give me the pork-bone ramen," Naruto said. "And bring the same for my four friends here."

"Coming right up." Teuchi smiled and headed to the kitchen.

While they waited, Naruto yawned, chatting idly with the kids to pass the time.

"Have you guys ever had pork-bone ramen?"

"No," they all shook their heads in unison.

"Well, just keep coming every day until you're sick of it," Naruto said casually as if it were nothing.

They didn't even know each other's names—Naruto hadn't asked, and neither had they offered.

"Is that even possible?"

It probably was. Naruto had plenty of money now, with no reason to spend it recklessly.

"You'll see," Naruto said, "Just meet me at the usual spot tomorrow. There'll be ice cream and ramen again."

"Got it, boss!" the kids replied cheerfully in unison.

He was truly bored; that's why he did these seemingly pointless things. Until he completed those twenty D-rank missions, he wouldn't even be eligible for the Chunin exams.

Watching them enjoy their ramen, Naruto yawned again, feeling no appetite himself. All he could think was, "When will these boring days end so I can get to the Chunin exams already?"

That night, as Naruto parted ways with the four, Ino, finishing her training, happened to spot them. She wondered why Naruto was hanging out with that group of kids.

Not wanting to complicate things with him, Ino decided to keep her distance for a while.

As she walked away, she passed an odd-looking old man with white hair wearing a red coat and a forehead protector with the kanji for "oil" on it.

Naruto also noticed Jiraiya from afar but didn't approach him.

If he got involved with Jiraiya, things would only get complicated.

Back home, Naruto followed his usual nighttime routine.

Around midnight, Naruto's body clock woke him up. He opened his panel and posted a new update under his alter ego as the "God of Shinobi."

"August 17: The Will of Fire is trash in the ninja world."

The next day, the village held an impromptu seminar on the Will of Fire, with ninjas handing out leaflets and putting up posters everywhere. Kakashi reminded Naruto to attend the lecture at the academy to cover for Sasuke and Sakura.

Naruto grumbled, "No way, I have D-rank missions."

"Oh, right," Kakashi mused, crouching on Naruto's windowsill. "How about this? Use your transformation jutsu to cover for Sasuke and Sakura, and I'll give you a pass on the D-rank tasks."

"Deal."

"Oh, and remember, tomorrow, the three of you need to turn in your Chunin exam applications," Kakashi added.

With that, Kakashi vanished.

Naruto then remembered his promise to the four kids, so he decided to skip class.

At a convenience store, Naruto and the kids squatted in a row, each with an ice cream in hand, licking in sync under the hot sun.

"So, boss, you're off from trash-picking duty today?" one of the boys asked, disappointed.

"Yeah, got other stuff to do," Naruto replied, gulping down the ice cream and tossing the stick aside.

"Wait for me around here; we'll have a barbecue for lunch."

"Um…" The only girl in the group hesitated, staring at Naruto through her messy hair. "Why are you being so nice to us?"

"No reason." Naruto glanced back at them. "If I didn't hang with you guys, I wouldn't know what to do with my time. So… just wait here, okay?"

When Naruto left, one of the boys—a scrawny one whose voice had a raspy, pubescent squeak—spoke up.

"Tayuya, this Nine-Tails kid is way too easy to fool."

Tayuya glared at him. "Shut it, or I'll kill you!"

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