Starts In Konoha: Unlocking Shadow Clone

After a long moment of contemplation, Mebuki finally spoke, "Naruto-kun, how about you become my son-in-law?"

Upon hearing this, Naruto was stunned, as if struck by lightning.

"Um, Mrs. Haruno, what brought this on?"

He asked, genuinely baffled by Mebuki's logic. No matter what kind of compensation he had expected, becoming a son-in-law had never crossed his mind.

'Could it be that Sakura's mother have seen something exceptional in me? Did she believe I was destined for greatness?'

'Well, I call bullshit!'

'Besides, isn't she worried about the scrutiny this could bring from the Anbu or the Root?'

"I had only heard about you before today, Naruto-kun, but after meeting you, I see you're quite different from the rumors. Among your peers, you clearly stand out."

Mebuki said thoughtfully, "As for Sakura, I know her temperament well. She may smile and laugh, but she's the type who won't learn without hard lessons. This is the first time I've seen her act so out of control, and I think you could keep her in check."

"If you became my son-in-law, it wouldn't only be good for Sakura but would also serve as your compensation. A win-win, wouldn't you say?"

"Ah… this…"

Naruto was at a loss for words. Originally, he just wanted to ask for some money as compensation, but he never expected that Mebuki saw through things so clearly and wanted to trick him into entering her family.

'Wow, no wonder the head of the Haruno household is Sakura's mother… she really had a knack for strategy.'

It's just that he has been focusing on making himself stronger and has never thought about settling down yet. Besides, he has read the original work, and it is obvious that Hinata was his true match. And regardless of the original work, he also likes girls with Hinata's personality.

"Ms. Haruno, I already have a girl I like already, and Sakura has always liked Sasuke. As the old saying goes, a forced melon is never sweet, so I think it's best not to push things." Naruto decisively declined her offer.

"Is that so?" Mebuki sighed, "In that case, let me think of another form of compensation. It's late, so why don't you come by tomorrow? I'll have an answer for you then."

"Alright, I'll leave first then."

Naruto nodded and quickly left Sakura's house.

As he walked away, he couldn't shake the feeling of being outmaneuvered, 'As expected, women's minds were as deep as the ocean, filled with surprises… and sharp thorns, too. Older women were especially difficult to predict.'

Watching Naruto leave in slight embarrassment, Mebuki couldn't help but smile: "Little guy, you thought you could get the best of me? You're still too green for that!"

"A forced melon is never sweet, huh… This saying is quite interesting. But why haven't I heard this old saying before?"

Mebuki murmured, still intrigued by the proverb as she returned inside. Secretly, she tossed an envelope out the window...

Meanwhile, Naruto didn't head home but instead made his way back to the Hokage Rock.

Just now, Sakura had appeared on the mountaintop. Naruto knew that with Sakura's personality, she would definitely take care of Sasuke first. He believed Sasuke is still on the mountaintop. Just now, he left a few shadow clones to search the mountaintop. And as expected, one of the clones had dispelled, passing its memory back to him.

Sure enough, Sasuke was lying on the grass on the mountaintop, still unconscious.

When Naruto arrived, he could hear Sasuke murmuring his name even in his sleep.

"Naruto...Naruto..."

Seeing this, Naruto couldn't help but facepalm, "Are you trying to summon me or something?"

Without hesitation, he kicked Sasuke right in the backside, jolting him awake in pain.

"It's night already?" Sasuke asked groggily.

Naruto felt a bit awkward. After all, if he hadn't overslept, it wouldn't have gotten so late.

But he forced himself to remain calm and said with a straight face: "I told you to reflect. How did you end up falling asleep?"

"I wasn't sleeping. I just found out about the situation early this morning and rushed over without eating. Before I knew it, I passed out from hunger." Sasuke explained.

"Well, let's get some food, then." Naruto supported Sasuke and led him down the mountain.

After all, Sasuke is just a twelve-year-old boy, and it's understandable that he couldn't go all day without food.

Since it was so late, Naruto decided not to disturb Kiba and instead took Sasuke to Ichiraku Ramen.

Looking at Sasuke, who was eating voraciously, Naruto asked, "So, if you were unconscious, why were you calling my name?"

'If it weren't for that, Sakura wouldn't have locked onto me, looking for a fight.'

"Boss, another bowl please!"

Putting down the empty bowl, Sasuke turned his head to look at Naruto and said seriously: "I've been thinking all day, and I think you've made me realize some things I know I'm not strong enough to face that man yet, but I still won't give up. But the teaching in the Academy is too basic, and it won't make me stronger at all. So I sincerely ask you… will you spar with me everyday? I need to be able to defeat you before I even think about facing that man!"

"Huh? So after all that thinking, you want me to be your training partner?" Naruto was immediately amused.

'I never thought that there would be a day when I would become other's tool.'

"But why should I agree to you?" Naruto said.

Sasuke was suddenly speechless. He hadn't thought of that.

After a long pause, he finally spoke seriously: "The reason I live is to kill that man. I'm willing to give anything for that. If you agree to train with me, I'll do anything for you. Even if I surpass you one day, my promise won't change!"

Hearing this, Naruto smiled.

Sasuke was indeed still a child, as he dared to make such a promise casually. However, Naruto was still quite satisfied with this attitude.

After all, in order to defeat Kaguya in the future, Sasuke's strength will be needed, and helping Sasuke grow stronger was also part of Naruto's plan.

After thinking for a while, he took out the Servant Contract and said, "Words alone don't mean much. How about this… Sign this contract, and I'll believe you."

"Contract?" Sasuke asked in confusion, as he had never heard of this word before.

Naruto explained, "In short, if you sign this contract, you'll be bound to my orders and unable to defy me. In exchange, I'll spar with you, help you get stronger, and even tell you about Itachi's situation once you've grown enough. How's that?"

Sasuke fell silent for a long time and finally spoke, "You said words alone aren't enough, so how can I trust you're not deceiving me?"

"Well, you're the one asking for my help. Do you expect me to train you for free? There's no such thing as a free lunch." Naruto sneered, "If you don't want to, I won't force you. We can just walk away from this."

Naruto knew that binding Sasuke with this contract was his way of ensuring loyalty, but it's a far better deal than what Orochimaru would offer to him.

In the original work, Orochimaru's help came at the cost of the Cursed Seal being imprinted on Sasuke's body, with the ultimate goal of taking over Sasuke's body.

If Sasuke still couldn't agree to such a simple condition, then Naruto saw no reason to guide him further.

Worst case, Naruto would just continue sign-in to build his strength. With enough power, he could eliminate threats like Black Zetsu and Obito himself, stopping both Kaguya and Madara from ever emerging.

Faced with Naruto's terms, Sasuke fell into a long silence.

This time, the silence lasted a long time, and it wasn't until Ichiraku Ramen was about to close that he made his decision.

"Naruto… you're right. There's no such thing as a free lunch. I've thought it over, and my decision is..."