A Fated Encounter

"Brat, slacking off!" Yue Guanhai kicked Naruto's chair over, then grabbed Naruto off the ground by the collar and snarled.

"Ow! I wasn't slacking off!"

"You were sitting there doing nothing. How is that not slacking off?"

"But there was nothing to do."

"Have you delivered all the goods I told you to deliver?"

"Yeah."

"Not bad, brat. So what were you doing just now?" Surprised by Naruto's efficiency, Yue Guanhai set him down and asked.

"Refining Chakra."

"Oh? You want to become a ninja?"

"Of course! I'm going to become a Hokage greater than every Hokage before me!"

"Boring. Go deliver these first." Yue Guanhai was deeply moved, then pointed at the mountain of goods behind him and tossed Naruto a map.

"So much? And I have to deliver it that far away?" Naruto took the map and glanced at it. The grocery street where he was was on Konoha's eastern side, while the destination was all the way in the west.

"If you can't finish it in one trip, make ten. Until you repay your debt, I won't hesitate to squeeze every bit of labor out of you!"

"Fine, Boss." Naruto curled his lips, picked up two boxes, and started walking. In terms of strength, he was already several times stronger than kids his age.

"Brat, out delivering again?" The people on the grocery street no longer said hurtful things when they saw Naruto, nor did anyone throw dirty things at him anymore. Their tones still weren't particularly friendly, but compared to before, it was already much better.

"Yeah."

"My range hood is broken. Come take a look at it later."

"Okay."

"What a huge courtyard!" Naruto stared at the destination in amazement. The walls alone were longer than the entire grocery street, and the enormous estate was more luxurious than anything he had ever seen.

"Who goes there?" Two gatekeepers holding steel forks stopped Naruto and shouted.

"I'm here to deliver goods."

"Go in." After inspecting the goods, the two gatekeepers let Naruto through. They had not fallen so low as to make things difficult for a delivery child. Besides, the Uchiha Clan, Konoha's foremost noble clan, was confident that no one would dare enter and cause trouble.

"The most luxurious house... How am I supposed to find that?" Naruto looked at the distinctive houses around him and fell into a dilemma. Yue Guanhai hadn't written it clearly at all.

"Hey, kid over there, where's the most luxurious house around here?"

A child appeared in his sight—black hair, black eyes, wearing a blue short-sleeved shirt and white shorts. He was practicing his kunai throwing technique. The target on the wall was covered in dents, but the bullseye had never been hit.

"Hmph."

What a rude guy. That was Sasuke Uchiha's first impression, and he had no intention of paying Naruto any attention.

"Hey, hey, don't just stay silent."

"Are you disabled or something?"

"How pitiful. Here, have this orange."

"I'm not mute, and I'm not pitiful! Get lost, you idiot!" Veins bulged on Sasuke's arm as he gripped the kunai. His initial displeasure turned into irritation, and he threw the kunai at Naruto.

"Crap..."

The instant the kunai left his hand, Sasuke regretted it. Even if the guy was rude, he would be seriously injured. That was not something Sasuke wanted to see.

"Heh, hup."

Before the kunai could stab into his chest, Naruto casually caught it by the handle and threw it at the target, hitting the bullseye dead center.

"How did you do that?!"

Sasuke was stunned. He had only seen this kind of skill from Brother. He never expected this child, who looked even younger than him, to be capable of it too.

"That slow thing isn't even close to a rock. If you got hit by all kinds of weird stuff every day, you'd learn too."

"Come with me. Aren't you looking for a house?"

"Oh, great! Thanks for showing me the way."

Following Sasuke, Naruto arrived at a separate courtyard. It had luxurious old-fashioned buildings and even a pond in the yard, filled with koi Naruto had never seen before.

"Just put it here."

"What an amazing house. I really want to meet its owner."

"I'm the owner. This is my house."

"Hmm, doesn't seem like it. It should be your dad's house."

"Shut up! And who are you, barging around here without even knowing the Uchiha Clan?"

"A delivery boy."

"I know you're a delivery boy! I'm asking for your name!"

"I—I mean, I'm Naruto Uzumaki, the man who'll become Hokage one day!"

Naruto pointed his thumb at his chest and spoke with complete confidence.

"You said Hokage? I hate the Hokage most of all! Get out!"

"Why? Did Grandpa Third take your magazines too?"

"If it weren't for the Hokage, how could we have been driven out here? To this corner of Konoha, this corner where there's nothing!"

"Sasuke, what's wrong?"

Hearing the voices outside, a teenager stepped out of the house. He wore a long braid, and his gentle features made Naruto assume he was an older sister. Only after hearing his voice did Naruto realize he was an older brother.

"Nothing."

Sasuke puffed out his cheeks. He didn't want to lose his temper in front of Itachi.

"Hello, I'm here to deliver goods."

"Ah, the oranges I ordered. Thanks for bringing them."

"Hehe, Sasuke, I'm definitely going to become Hokage. We'll see each other again soon."

With a foolish grin as bright as sunshine and that head of blonde hair, Naruto truly gave off the illusion of a little sun. While the Uchiha brothers were still stunned, Naruto waved and walked out of Sasuke's home.

"A friend?"

Itachi tilted his head.

"No! How could I possibly be friends with that weird guy?!"

"Don't be angry. I'll peel an orange for you."

"Really? You promised."

A smile bloomed on Sasuke's face. The mood ruined by that idiot immediately recovered, and he hugged Itachi's arm as they walked into the house.

Half an hour later

"Yo, Sasuke, I'm back."

The blonde idiot carrying goods stepped into Sasuke's view once again.

"So this is what you meant by seeing each other again soon?!"

"Brat, this is your pay."

Yue Guanhai handed Naruto an envelope stuffed with a small amount of paper money.

"Huh? I get paid?"

"Although you haven't repaid your debt yet, I'm satisfied with your work efficiency. This way, you can do even more for me."

"This is great! I can go eat Ichiraku Ramen! Thanks, Boss!"

Ichiraku Ramen was Naruto's favorite. It wasn't just the taste, but also the way the owner and his daughter treated him. When everyone else hated him, Ichiraku's owner had waved him over and given him a steaming bowl of free ramen.

"If you're done working, get lost already."

Yue Guanhai seemed very dissatisfied with Naruto's attitude. After pushing him out of the shop, he shut the door, apparently off to do something else.

"Yahoo! I'm full, I'm full! Ichiraku's ramen is the best!"

Full and satisfied, Naruto flopped onto his bed at home. Yue Guanhai hadn't given him much pay, but it was enough for a few bowls of ramen. That made him incredibly happy. At last, he no longer had to stare at the ramen shop and drool.

Drip. Drip.

The familiar sound of water. When Naruto came to, he found himself back in the Sewer again.

"Nine-Tails, Dad, listen to me! I got paid today, and I even went to eat ramen!"

Naruto eagerly recounted everything that had happened that day, completely failing to notice Minato's expression.

"Waaah, Naruto!!!"

"Money makes you that happy?"

"Of course! With money, I can eat ramen, buy dango, and buy lots of things. But I'm too young, and I still owe Boss a lot of money."

"In other words, you want more money?"

"Yeah, yeah! Once I have money, I'll build you a house that big for you to live in. When I grow up and become a ninja, I can do lots of missions."

Naruto gestured with both hands. The corner of Nine-Tails's mouth twitched, but he did not interrupt. Only after Naruto finished did he speak. "Why make it so troublesome? Just marry into a wealthy clan."

"Marry into a clan?"

"Hey, Nine-Tails!"

Minato realized Nine-Tails was trying to trick Naruto. Just as he was about to stop him, Nine-Tails's tails bound him tightly into a knot, leaving only a tuft of blonde hair exposed.

"A parasite who lives off other people's Chakra should shut up."

"Listen, brat. Marrying into a clan means finding someone to support you. You don't have to do anything. You just have to contribute to their family's reproduction, and change your surname while you're at it."

Nine-Tails had lived a long time and seen many things. He knew quite a few human customs as well. A malicious smile appeared at the corner of his mouth as he patiently coaxed Naruto, even using Chakra to write the words "marry into a clan" on the ground.

"Will they treat me to ramen?"

Naruto asked blankly. He had no idea how such a wonderful thing could exist in the world, but since Nine-Tails said so, he was willing to believe it.

"Of course."

"Okay! Tomorrow, I'll go find someone to marry into!"

"Nine-Tails, what are you trying to do?!"

Only after Naruto left did Minato finally break free. He glared at Nine-Tails in dissatisfaction.

"Isn't this the best thing for him at this stage? He won't have to work so hard, someone will take care of him, and he won't have to worry about getting beaten."

Nine-Tails closed his eyes in delight. Just as he had thought, Naruto was pure. He did not doubt Nine-Tails's words at all.

"That's true, but aren't men who marry into a clan usually bullied by their wives? Then they have to work from dawn to dusk every day, and even if they have children, they don't get custody... Anyway, their lives are completely dark."

"You've read too many novels."

Nine-Tails looked at Minato, who was clutching his head and unable to pull himself out of his imagination, then happily closed his eyes. You tricked me, so I'll trick your son. Everyone tricking each other—that was the ninja world.