Naruto spent the entire afternoon and a better part of the evening getting frustrated. But since Fujin was the first and the only person who had helped him train so far, he didn't complain.
Understanding that Naruto had enough training for one day, Fujin's clone brought him to his house. As they arrived in front of Fujin's house, Naruto's eyes widened as he took a proper look at Fujin's home. He said, "Your house is damn cool, Fujin!"
Fujin's clone nodded and said, "Thanks. Come on in."
Fujin sensed his clone and Naruto entering his house. He stealthily swapped places with his clone. Naruto was too busy looking at Fujin's house to notice the swapping. He asked, "What will we do now?"
Fujin said, "Though we didn't eat noodles today, eating outside all the time isn't cheap and you'll run out of money in a few days. So I'll give you a few simple cooking tips that I used to use during the academy days."
Naruto immediately complained, "That's boring!"
Fujin chuckled and replied, "Just a little. Besides, it is a lot more fun when you can make something to eat other than just instant ramen."
He added, "Of course, it's not always possible to have the time. That's why fruits and ration bars exist."
As soon as Naruto heard 'ration bar' he made a disgusting face. It earned him another light knock on his head. Naruto held his head as Fujin said, "Once you go out of the village for a mission, you might not have any choice but to eat just ration bars and soldier pills. If you can't even do that, then you should give up your dream of becoming the Hokage."
Naruto was shocked. His mind was in a mess. He couldn't keep up with Fujin's words. He wondered aggrievedly, 'How did he go from there to giving up on my dream?'
He pointed at Fujin and argued loudly, "Hey, how are those two even connected?"
Fujin chuckled and said in a teasing tone, "Imagine yourself hiding behind enemy lines and you get hungry. Now, will you light a fire to heat water so that your enemies can see that fire?"
Naruto's mouth opened wide. Despite how unrealistic it sounded, Fujin's words made total sense. Fujin continued, "Even if they somehow didn't spot the fire, won't the smell of your delicious instant ramen spread throughout the entire area like you said it does?"
Naruto recalled praising ramen non-stop in front of Fujin earlier. His shoulders dropped in defeat as he couldn't think of any good points to argue against Fujin.
Seeing his hilarious reactions, Fujin decided to push him a bit more. He chuckled again and said, "Maybe instead of becoming a Hokage, you should become a cook."
Naruto looked at Fujin with a confused look. Once again, he couldn't follow Fujin's logic. Fujin continued, "After your enemies find and kill you, they will enjoy the instant ramen you cook. So, it wouldn't be wrong to call you a cook."
He immediately burst out laughing. Naruto annoyingly said, "Stop mocking me. Hmph, I'll eat ration bars to become the Hokage. Believe it!"
Fujin smirked and thought, 'So easy. I can't believe that Iruka couldn't do such a simple thing. No, what's more unbelievable is that Hiruzen didn't take advantage of Naruto's gullibility. Considering how much he invested in me and tried to manipulate me, he should have taken Naruto as his personal student and trained the shit out of him. The only explanation I can think of is that he doesn't think Naruto can reach the rank S without resorting to Kurama. If he knew about his potential, Hiruzen would have probably adopted Naruto regardless of any political pushback.'
Seeing Fujin smiling, Naruto pouted and said, "But, even if I want to, I can't follow what you said. The groceries are too expensive and I haven't been given any ration bars for a long time."
Fujin raised an eyebrow and asked, "How much money does Lord Hokage give you every month?"
Naruto answered, "He gives me full one thousand Ryo!"
Fujin's eyes twitched. He muttered to himself, 'The son of Minato, the Fourth Hokage, and the godson of Jiraiya, a Sannin, lives on merely 1000 Ryo per month?'
Though Fujin had received the same amount, he had understood that it was very difficult to survive on it alone if he didn't eat the ration bars that were provided for free by the Academy. Even then, he had resorted to Fuinjutsu to earn some money to buy tools and weapons.
Fujin thought, 'Since Naruto didn't eat the ration bars, cheap instant ramen was probably all he could afford anyway. Though Hiruzen wants to avoid any suspicions, Naruto's secret is out in the open anyway. Nearly every adult in the village hates him. And, there is no way that there isn't a single spy in the village who doesn't know why that is. Does he still need to be so stingy?
I suppose Iruka or perhaps even Hiruzen would bring him groceries for free if he asked. But which kid would ask for groceries? Even more so when he has little to no idea about cooking?'
Fujin sighed internally and thought, 'I was a bit too lenient towards the ending days. Maybe I should rejoin the Anbu and use up those Wind Crystals for good.'
He said, "Don't worry. I'll stock some extra groceries and fruits. Just come pick up whenever you want to. Just don't try to enter if there is a sign on the door saying that I'm not home. As for the ration bars, just ask your sensei for them. He should provide them to you for free, but if he doesn't, let me know."
Naruto nodded and thanked Fujin. He spent the evening at Fujin's home until they were done with dinner. When it was time to leave, Naruto asked, "Can I come to train with you tomorrow as well?"
Fujin shook his head. His soldier pill would run out of effect around midnight. So he won't be getting up until late the next day. He said, "No, I have some work to do tomorrow. So I won't be able to look over you. Just train by yourself and visit me at 5 in the morning the day after tomorrow."
Naruto excitedly said, "Alright!"
He left Fujin's house. Fujin closed his door and sighed tiredly. He muttered, "It's been such a long time since I had to interact with someone for an entire day without talking about or doing any official matters. Hmm, now that I think about it, I have never done that in this world. Any casual meetups I had were generally for just a few hours and never for an entire day.
Trying to become social after being alone for years is a pain in the ass. Oh well, at least Naruto isn't as troublesome as I thought he would be and is even less social than me due to his messed-up situation. And luckily, his reactions are fun enough to keep me entertained."
Fujin continued working on the seal until the effect of the pill ran out and went to bed.
The next day, Fujin woke up after noon and freshened up. He had just grabbed a bite to eat when his doorbell rang. Fujin wondered, 'Who was planning to meet me today?'
He tried sensing the person outside the door but his chakra didn't feel familiar. Fujin muttered, "That's weird."
He went up to his door and opened it. What he saw momentarily shocked him, but his expression didn't change. Outside his door was an old man holding a cane in his left hand to support himself and looking straight into Fujin's eyes. His forehead and right eye were covered in bandages, while his robe concealed his right arm, which was covered in bandages as well.
Very few from Konoha's younger generation would recognize that man. However, Fujin knew too much about him. A part of his consciousness immediately focused on his chakra network, looking out for any external interference. Yet, his expression didn't show any alertness.
Instead, he smiled and said politely, "Elder Danzo. I didn't expect you to visit my house. Come in."
He opened the door wide to welcome him in. However, would Danzo step into Fujin's house? The answer was a clear no. He didn't dare to take a step inside Fujin's house! What he had sensed a few minutes ago had shocked him and made him very alert against Fujin! He no longer thought that the task of recruiting him would be an easy one!
Naruto spent the entire afternoon and a better part of the evening getting frustrated. But since Fujin was the first and the only person who had helped him train so far, he didn't complain.
Understanding that Naruto had enough training for one day, Fujin's clone brought him to his house. As they arrived in front of Fujin's house, Naruto's eyes widened as he took a proper look at Fujin's home. He said, "Your house is damn cool, Fujin!"
Fujin's clone nodded and said, "Thanks. Come on in."
Fujin sensed his clone and Naruto entering his house. He stealthily swapped places with his clone. Naruto was too busy looking at Fujin's house to notice the swapping. He asked, "What will we do now?"
Fujin said, "Though we didn't eat noodles today, eating outside all the time isn't cheap and you'll run out of money in a few days. So I'll give you a few simple cooking tips that I used to use during the academy days."
Naruto immediately complained, "That's boring!"
Fujin chuckled and replied, "Just a little. Besides, it is a lot more fun when you can make something to eat other than just instant ramen."
He added, "Of course, it's not always possible to have the time. That's why fruits and ration bars exist."
As soon as Naruto heard 'ration bar' he made a disgusting face. It earned him another light knock on his head. Naruto held his head as Fujin said, "Once you go out of the village for a mission, you might not have any choice but to eat just ration bars and soldier pills. If you can't even do that, then you should give up your dream of becoming the Hokage."
Naruto was shocked. His mind was in a mess. He couldn't keep up with Fujin's words. He wondered aggrievedly, 'How did he go from there to giving up on my dream?'
He pointed at Fujin and argued loudly, "Hey, how are those two even connected?"
Fujin chuckled and said in a teasing tone, "Imagine yourself hiding behind enemy lines and you get hungry. Now, will you light a fire to heat water so that your enemies can see that fire?"
Naruto's mouth opened wide. Despite how unrealistic it sounded, Fujin's words made total sense. Fujin continued, "Even if they somehow didn't spot the fire, won't the smell of your delicious instant ramen spread throughout the entire area like you said it does?"
Naruto recalled praising ramen non-stop in front of Fujin earlier. His shoulders dropped in defeat as he couldn't think of any good points to argue against Fujin.
Seeing his hilarious reactions, Fujin decided to push him a bit more. He chuckled again and said, "Maybe instead of becoming a Hokage, you should become a cook."
Naruto looked at Fujin with a confused look. Once again, he couldn't follow Fujin's logic. Fujin continued, "After your enemies find and kill you, they will enjoy the instant ramen you cook. So, it wouldn't be wrong to call you a cook."
He immediately burst out laughing. Naruto annoyingly said, "Stop mocking me. Hmph, I'll eat ration bars to become the Hokage. Believe it!"
Fujin smirked and thought, 'So easy. I can't believe that Iruka couldn't do such a simple thing. No, what's more unbelievable is that Hiruzen didn't take advantage of Naruto's gullibility. Considering how much he invested in me and tried to manipulate me, he should have taken Naruto as his personal student and trained the shit out of him. The only explanation I can think of is that he doesn't think Naruto can reach the rank S without resorting to Kurama. If he knew about his potential, Hiruzen would have probably adopted Naruto regardless of any political pushback.'
Seeing Fujin smiling, Naruto pouted and said, "But, even if I want to, I can't follow what you said. The groceries are too expensive and I haven't been given any ration bars for a long time."
Fujin raised an eyebrow and asked, "How much money does Lord Hokage give you every month?"
Naruto answered, "He gives me full one thousand Ryo!"
Fujin's eyes twitched. He muttered to himself, 'The son of Minato, the Fourth Hokage, and the godson of Jiraiya, a Sannin, lives on merely 1000 Ryo per month?'
Though Fujin had received the same amount, he had understood that it was very difficult to survive on it alone if he didn't eat the ration bars that were provided for free by the Academy. Even then, he had resorted to Fuinjutsu to earn some money to buy tools and weapons.
Fujin thought, 'Since Naruto didn't eat the ration bars, cheap instant ramen was probably all he could afford anyway. Though Hiruzen wants to avoid any suspicions, Naruto's secret is out in the open anyway. Nearly every adult in the village hates him. And, there is no way that there isn't a single spy in the village who doesn't know why that is. Does he still need to be so stingy?
I suppose Iruka or perhaps even Hiruzen would bring him groceries for free if he asked. But which kid would ask for groceries? Even more so when he has little to no idea about cooking?'
Fujin sighed internally and thought, 'I was a bit too lenient towards the ending days. Maybe I should rejoin the Anbu and use up those Wind Crystals for good.'
He said, "Don't worry. I'll stock some extra groceries and fruits. Just come pick up whenever you want to. Just don't try to enter if there is a sign on the door saying that I'm not home. As for the ration bars, just ask your sensei for them. He should provide them to you for free, but if he doesn't, let me know."
Naruto nodded and thanked Fujin. He spent the evening at Fujin's home until they were done with dinner. When it was time to leave, Naruto asked, "Can I come to train with you tomorrow as well?"
Fujin shook his head. His soldier pill would run out of effect around midnight. So he won't be getting up until late the next day. He said, "No, I have some work to do tomorrow. So I won't be able to look over you. Just train by yourself and visit me at 5 in the morning the day after tomorrow."
Naruto excitedly said, "Alright!"
He left Fujin's house. Fujin closed his door and sighed tiredly. He muttered, "It's been such a long time since I had to interact with someone for an entire day without talking about or doing any official matters. Hmm, now that I think about it, I have never done that in this world. Any casual meetups I had were generally for just a few hours and never for an entire day.
Trying to become social after being alone for years is a pain in the ass. Oh well, at least Naruto isn't as troublesome as I thought he would be and is even less social than me due to his messed-up situation. And luckily, his reactions are fun enough to keep me entertained."
Fujin continued working on the seal until the effect of the pill ran out and went to bed.
The next day, Fujin woke up after noon and freshened up. He had just grabbed a bite to eat when his doorbell rang. Fujin wondered, 'Who was planning to meet me today?'
He tried sensing the person outside the door but his chakra didn't feel familiar. Fujin muttered, "That's weird."
He went up to his door and opened it. What he saw momentarily shocked him, but his expression didn't change. Outside his door was an old man holding a cane in his left hand to support himself and looking straight into Fujin's eyes. His forehead and right eye were covered in bandages, while his robe concealed his right arm, which was covered in bandages as well.
Very few from Konoha's younger generation would recognize that man. However, Fujin knew too much about him. A part of his consciousness immediately focused on his chakra network, looking out for any external interference. Yet, his expression didn't show any alertness.
Instead, he smiled and said politely, "Elder Danzo. I didn't expect you to visit my house. Come in."
He opened the door wide to welcome him in. However, would Danzo step into Fujin's house? The answer was a clear no. He didn't dare to take a step inside Fujin's house! What he had sensed a few minutes ago had shocked him and made him very alert against Fujin! He no longer thought that the task of recruiting him would be an easy one!
