章 26: Chapter 26 Brocade Clothes

Looking at Ino turning and walking into the Yamanaka Flower Shop, Naruto, from a distance, tilted his head and thought to himself, 'I really had too much money to spend. She didn't misunderstand anything, did she?'

Naruto shook his head and watched the brightly lit Yamanaka Flower Shop for a while before turning and leaving. A barbecue meal was nothing to him now.

A drop in the bucket? Not even that, probably.

The system had transferred all the savings from years of illegal transactions of Gato's shipping company, amounting to approximately 800 billion ryo.

Even Naruto was dumbfounded when he first saw such a long string of zeros. He had been poor before crossing over, but after crossing over and relying on the system, he became incredibly wealthy.

Unfortunately, wealth that couldn't be flaunted was like wearing brocade clothing at night, which was somewhat frustrating to him. For now, he could only show off a bit with a barbecue meal.

Yamanaka Flower Shop.

Ino handed the cat back to a middle-aged woman dressed like a noble lady. Yamanaka Rino was wearing an emerald green dress, with an elegant red headband accessory on her head.

At this moment, she was holding the cat with one hand, gently stroking the soft white fur of the cat with the other, and asked, "Ino, that boy is Naruto, right?"

"Yeah." Ino replied, trying to cover up but eventually nodded, "I just happened to run into him. He is the one who took the mission to find the cat."

"I see." Rino nodded and said calmly, "I don't object to you falling in love, but..."

Having said that, Rino lowered her eyebrows and slowly looked at her daughter, "Naruto is different from the others. Mom doesn't want you to end up heartbroken because you fell in love with the wrong person."

"Mom, what are you talking about?!" Ino said in a panic, "You misunderstood, there's no way I would like that annoying guy Naruto!"

"Ino." Rino looked at her daughter gently and said, "The family crest of the Yamanaka Clan is the purple lespedeza flower. Do you still remember its meaning?"

"Healthy growth, positivity." Ino was a little at a loss for words, "Positive love."

"Mom is just giving you some advice." Rino turned and went upstairs, leaving behind a sentence, "Rest early, Ino."

"Okay, Mom."

After washing up, Ino lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling in a daze. The events of the evening and her mother's words echoed in her mind.

If her mother hadn't mentioned it, she wouldn't have thought in that direction at all. It was Naruto, after all. There was no way she could like that guy.

Always pranking and lazy, although it was unclear why Naruto had recently improved so quickly, she still dislike his appearance.

The two had never gotten along since they were kids.

But…

Ino covered her eyes with her hands, light seeping through the gaps between her fingers. She couldn't help but squint her eyes, and couldn't help but recall the scene in the bamboo forest.

The back of her neck felt faintly hot, causing Ino to feel a burst of irritation. The heart of a young girl instantly became as tangled as the green vines climbing the courtyard walls.

Ichiraku Ramen.

The half-warm curtain at the entrance was lifted. Teuchi glanced at the visitor with his small eyes and then tossed a piece of ramen into the pot.

"The usual, right? Naruto."

"Yes." Naruto hesitated for a moment, but still didn't say the words 'Give me the most expensive one'. Those words were stuck in his throat.

Moments later, steaming hot ramen was placed in front of Naruto.

"The Chunin Exams are coming up soon, right?" Teuchi, standing at the counter, asked with a smile, his small eyes squinting.

"Really?" Naruto was slightly stunned.

"Well, recently the teachers from the Academy who come here for ramen have been talking about it a lot. Hearing it often enough, I naturally got to know about it." Teuchi said.

"Naruto, you would participate in the Chunin Exams too, right? Do your best!" As he said this, Teuchi handed over some tempura.

"On the house. Good luck, kid!"

Looking at Teuchi's sincere smile, Naruto couldn't help but smile and nodded in response.

"I certainly will!"

The time between the Chunin Exams and the Genin graduation seemed to be particularly close, but the Chunin Exam was mostly just a formality.

Generally, any Genin who has reached the required qualifications and is still alive can become a Chunin. Ultimately, the number of missions accomplished could add points in the Chunin Exams.

For the new generation of Genin Teams like Naruto's, who were taking the Chunin Exams before having enough qualifications, it will be more difficult to become a Chunin.

At the same time, Naruto also understood that his participation in this Chunin Exams was just for show. The three great clans in the village, Akimichi, Nara, and Yamanaka, along with the Hyuga Clan, dominated this event.

What chance did he, a Jinchuriki and a neglected member of the Uzumaki Clan, have?

The identification of Chunin was not only based on the opinions of Jonin, but also depended on the attitudes of the Land of Fire's nobles. This was a bit like an unspoken rule.

The Nara Clan had always been a pillar of Konoha and staunch supporters of the Sandaime Hokage. At the same time, the Nara Clan had deep ties with many nobles of the Land of Fire.

After all, as a major clan known for deer farming, their deer antler medicinal business spanned the entire Land of Fire. How could their influence be confined to the Konoha Village?

If nothing unexpected happens, it is a foregone conclusion that Shikamaru will be promoted to Chunin.

After returning home, Naruto immersed himself in the brand-new bathtub he had just purchased while thinking about the upcoming Chunin Exams.

There is no doubt that this major event in the early stage of the series will definitely trigger the system's options.

In the original work, Naruto charged forward with hot-blooded enthusiasm, but in the end, after the Chunin Exams, he got nothing except a body covered in injuries.

Since he knew that it was impossible to obtain the Chunin title, there was no need to waste his effort on the competition. What Naruto should consider was how to maximize his benefits.

The Chunin Exams were like a truth-revealing mirror, exposing all the secrets Konoha Village desperately tried to hide under broad daylight.

The slave branch of the Hyuga Clan, the bloody massacre of the Uchiha Clan, the Kyubi's Jinchuriki…

Truth will eventually come to light, and all the filth will eventually be exposed to the public.

Naruto thought about it and initially considered leaving the village during this opportunity. However, his identity as a Jinchuriki was too conspicuous, and it would be impossible for him to escape the village as easily as Sasuke.

Besides, even with the Rinnegan, Nagato still couldn't establish Amegakure to be strong enough to challenge the Five Great Nations.

Could he do it alone?

The only person capable of single-handedly challenging the whole Shinobi World is the dancing master, Uchiha Madara. A Kyubi's Jinchuriki like him should just stay in Konoha and plan slowly.

Future travels would have to be under the guise of missions, which was a bit frustrating for him.

But there are benefits, after all, he is not short of money. It would be great if he could establish contact with the exchange office, as he could have others do what he couldn't conveniently do.

If he wanted to revive the Uzumaki Clan, aside from gathering the clan members scattered around the Shinobi World, the only thing he can do is to spread his seeds as soon as possible.