Naruto: SSS-Rank Romance System

Mizuki eventually left, and Naruto continued fishing by the river. With his max-level fishing skill buff, it didn't take long for Naruto to catch a whole basket of wild blackfish. 

After the two he had grilled and eaten earlier, Naruto didn't really need that many fish. There was no fridge at home, so they'd spoil if he brought them back. 

At first, Naruto just wanted to test how effective the max-level fishing skill was, but the result far exceeded his expectations. From the moment he cast his line, the fish kept coming up. 

Even when the hook had no bait, as long as Naruto held the line, fish would keep jumping onto it. 

The thing that stopped him from fishing was not time or energy, but the basket, which was now taller than his waist, had filled up completely. It couldn't hold any more; even the slightest struggle from the fish could make them jump right out. 

Looking at the basket full of big blackfish, Naruto fell silent. 

It was unrealistic to bring them back; without a fridge, they'd spoil. 

Selling them? That wasn't an option either. There were no fishmongers in Konoha who would buy the fish from him. Not only would they not buy them, but they would probably suspect Naruto of stealing them from somewhere. 

With the principle of avoiding unnecessary trouble, Naruto gave up on selling them. 

That only left one option: to give them away. 

He had very few friends, barely enough to count on one hand. So the question of who to give them to was almost an easy decision. 

Hinata's clan would definitely not accept his gift, so they were out! Iruka-sensei was single but always kind to him, so maybe he could give him a few more. 

Choji's family lived too far away, so Naruto immediately gave up on that option. He could give some to Shikamaru, though. Might as well do that. 

Sakura and Ino were both excluded. At this stage, Naruto wasn't close enough to them, and suddenly giving them something strange like fish would only confuse them. 

"This is a new jutsu developed by Naruto?" The elderly man, Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, was watching with amusement as he peered into his crystal ball. 

This was one of the Third Hokage's favorite spying techniques. He had observed everything that had happened by the river with Naruto. 

"Old man, you're too soft," a cold voice said from the shadows. "If a jinchūriki harbors hatred for the village, it could be disastrous!" 

"Danzō, Naruto has already made his choice," Sarutobi Hiruzen replied seriously, stroking his graying beard. "He wasn't fooled by Mizuki and rejected him." 

"Even though the crystal ball can't hear, I'm sure it's not difficult for you to find out what Naruto said." 

"The jinchūriki has suffered too much unfair treatment in the village, and the conflict between Naruto and the villagers is hard to resolve. If we don't solve it, the Nine-Tails might appear again." 

"Ha!" Danzō scoffed. "Let me handle him. I guarantee he'll become the safest weapon for the village." 

Hiruzen's face darkened at the mention of Danzō's plan. 

"Danzō, I'm the Hokage!" 

"I know exactly what you've been doing, Danzō. You should stay out of it. Naruto is an important ally to the village, not a cold weapon. We already have enough weapons under ROOT, and Naruto's matter doesn't concern you." 

Danzō wanted to argue but saw no way to change the Third Hokage's mind. 

It had always been Sarutobi Hiruzen who made the final decisions, and Danzō hated the fact that he couldn't change anything. 

The Fourth Hokage, the Three Ninjas, Kakashi, and even the Nine-Tails jinchūriki—people like them seemed to always have strong connections with Hiruzen. The position of Hokage was likely to only pass between them. 

Hiruzen was trying to change Konoha alone, but Danzō didn't believe he could. This village wasn't just his to control. 

"You'll regret this!" Danzō spat as he stormed out, slamming the door behind him. 

Sighing softly, Hiruzen didn't say anything further. 

Outside the Nara household, three knocks on the door broke the peaceful night. The one who opened the door was Nara Shikaku, the strategist known for his scars. 

The door creaked open, and the light from inside flooded the threshold, casting its glow on Naruto's feet. 

Seeing Naruto covered in the smell of fish, Shikaku was surprised. 

"Naruto? What are you doing here? Isn't tomorrow the graduation exam?" 

Shikaku was surprised because Naruto rarely visited. Even when he came to find Shikamaru, Naruto always stayed outside, never wanting to come in, just standing at a distance in the shade, eyeing the Nara house with curiosity and a little nervousness. 

To others, Naruto might seem like a mischievous child, but Shikaku knew well that Naruto struggled with low self-esteem and sensitivity. That's why he never told Shikamaru to stop hanging out with him. 

Naruto flashed a bright smile and handed over the remaining fish, pushing the basket toward Shikaku. 

"I caught too many fish these past few days. I can't eat them all, and there's no way to store them, so I wanted to give them to Shikamaru." 

The basket held about five or six fish, the last of what was left after he had given away most of it. 

"Hmm..." Shikaku scratched his head, looking at the fish with a troubled expression. "I'll have to check with Shikamaru's mom first." 

From inside, the sound of cooking came through, and soon Shikamaru walked out from behind his father, his eyes lighting up as he saw the basket. 

"Naruto, that's amazing! How did you catch so many fish?" 

"I don't know," Naruto scratched his head, laughing awkwardly. "I guess I'm just naturally good at fishing." 

Shikaku, hearing this, couldn't help but be moved. He thought about how young Naruto was, and yet his fishing skills were so impressive. It must have taken a lot of hard work to get this good. 

The big blackfish in the mountains were clever, and even with bait, they weren't easy to catch. Shikaku had tried fishing a few times but gave up after several failed attempts. 

"Wait here for a moment." Shikaku left and went inside. 

After a while, he returned with a box of snacks and a container of food, handing them to Naruto. 

"Here's a little thank-you gift. Please take it." 

Naruto looked down at the two boxes in his hands and then at Shikaku, who smiled kindly at him. 

Looking over at Shikamaru, who shrugged nonchalantly, Naruto smiled and said, 

"Thanks!" With a wave, he turned to leave. 

"Naruto!" Shikamaru suddenly called out. "Don't oversleep tomorrow for the graduation exam!" 

"I won't!" Naruto waved back, seemingly taking it to heart. 

As Naruto's figure disappeared into the night, Shikamaru's worried expression didn't fade.

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