Brocade Robes

As Ino turned and walked into the Yamanaka Flower Shop, Naruto tilted his head under the large green tree in the distance, thinking that he really had too much money to spend.

She wouldn't misunderstand anything, would she?

Idiot?

Naruto shook his head, watched the brightly lit Yamanaka Flower Shop for a while, and then turned to leave. A barbecue meal was really nothing for him right now.

A drop in the bucket? It probably doesn't even count.

The system had transferred all the savings accumulated from Gato's shipping company's years of illegal trading. The wealth value was approximately eight hundred billion Ryo.

Even Naruto was stunned the first time he saw such a long string of zeros. It seemed that he was poor before his transmigration and became rich thanks to the system after arriving.

It was a pity that wealth shouldn't be revealed, like walking at night in brocade clothes; it was truly uncomfortable, but for now, he could only show off with barbecue.

Yamanaka Flower Shop.

Ino handed the cat back to a middle-aged woman dressed as a noble lady. Yamanaka Rino wore an emerald green long dress and a stylish red headband accessory on her head.

At this moment, holding the cat in one hand and stroking the cat's white, soft fur with the other, she asked, "Ino, that boy is Naruto, isn't he?"

"Yes," Ino said evasively, but finally nodded. "I just happened to run into him. He took the job to find the cat."

"So that's how it is," Yamanaka Rino nodded and said unhurriedly, "I don't object to you dating, but..."

As she said this, Yamanaka Rino lowered her eyebrows and slowly looked her daughter up and down.

"Naruto is different from others. Mom doesn't want you to make the wrong choice in love and end up with a sad outcome."

"Mom, what are you talking about?" Ino said flusteredly. "You've misunderstood. There's no way I'd like that annoying guy Naruto!"

"Ino," Yamanaka Rino looked at her daughter with gentle eyes and said, "The Yamanaka Clan's crest is the purple bush clover. Do you remember its flower language?"

"Thriving growth, positive..." Ino stammered slightly. "Positive love."

"Mom is just giving you a piece of advice," Yamanaka Rino turned and went upstairs, leaving behind, "Get some rest early, Ino."

"Okay, Mom."

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

If her mother hadn't brought it up, she wouldn't have thought in that direction at all. It was Naruto, after all. She couldn't possibly like that guy.

He was mischievous and lazy. Although she didn't know why Naruto had been improving so rapidly recently, she still found his demeanor unpleasant.

They hadn't gotten along well since childhood.

But...

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

Her neck felt a faint heat, making Ino feel restless. The young girl's heart suddenly became as complicated as the wild vines climbing the courtyard wall.

Ichiraku Ramen.

The semi-warm curtain at the entrance of the shop was lifted. Teuchi Ichiraku glanced at the newcomer with his small eyes and then threw a portion of ramen into the pot.

"The usual, Naruto?"

"Yes." Naruto hesitated for a moment before he could say the words "Give me the most expensive" that were stuck in his throat.

A moment later, a steaming bowl of ramen was placed before Naruto.

"The Chunin Exams will be here before long, won't they?" Teuchi Ichiraku stood at the counter, asking with a smile through his small, bean-like eyes.

"Really?" Naruto was slightly taken aback.

"Yes, the teachers from the Ninja Academy who come here for ramen have been talking about it recently. I naturally know after hearing it so much," Teuchi Ichiraku said.

"You'll be participating in the Chunin Exams too, right, Naruto? Good luck!" As he said this, Teuchi Ichiraku handed over a piece of fried tempura.

"This is a gift. Keep up the good work, young man!"

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

"I definitely will!"

The Chunin Exams and the graduation of Genin seemed to be very close. However, most of the Chunin Exams were just a formality.

Generally, Genin who met the qualifications and were still alive could become Chunin. In the end, it was about how mission experience could add points in the Chunin Exams.

For the new generation of ninja graduating in Naruto's year, if they participated in the Chunin Exams without prior experience, the difficulty of becoming a Chunin would be higher.

At the same time, Naruto knew that his participation in the Chunin Exams was purely for show. The three great clans of Ino-Shika-Cho, plus the Hyuga Clan of Konoha.

Where would someone like him, a Jinchuriki from the fallen Uzumaki Clan, stand a chance?

The recognition of Chunin not only depended on the opinions of Jonin but also, to a large extent, on the favor of the nobles of the Land of Fire. This had a bit of a hidden rule to it.

The Nara family had always been the backbone of Konoha and firm supporters of the Third Hokage. At the same time, the Nara family had good relations with many nobles of the Land of Fire.

After all, as a clan that raised deer, their deer antler medicinal business was spread throughout the Land of Fire. How could their influence be confined only within the Konoha Ninja Village?

If nothing unexpected happened, Nara Shikamaru's promotion to Chunin was a foregone conclusion.

After returning home, Naruto immersed himself in his newly purchased bathtub while contemplating the upcoming Chunin Exams.

Without a doubt, this major early arc of the Hokage story would definitely trigger the system's options.

In the original story, Naruto just charged headfirst with hot-blooded recklessness. By the end of the Chunin Exams, all he got was a body full of injuries and confusion.

Since he knew it was impossible to obtain the title of Chunin, there was no need to waste his thoughts on the matches. How to maximize his benefits, that was what Naruto should be considering.

The Chunin Exams were like a demon-revealing mirror, exposing everything that the Konoha village had desperately tried to hide in broad daylight.

The Hyuga Clan's slave branch family, the Uchiha Clan's bloody past of extermination, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, the few remaining descendants of the Uzumaki Clan.

Paper could never wrap fire; all the filth would eventually be brought out into the sun.

Naruto thought it over and over. He originally planned to use this opportunity to leave the village. However, his identity as a Jinchuriki was too conspicuous. It was impossible for him to escape the village as easily as Sasuke.

Besides, even Nagato, who possessed the Rinnegan and was so powerful, still couldn't establish the Hidden Rain Village as a force capable of confronting the Five Great Nations.

Could he do it alone?

The only one who could fight the Ninja World single-handedly was the dancing Uchiha Madara. A Nine-Tails Jinchuriki was out of the question. It was a more stable path to stay in Konoha and slowly make plans.

Traveling in the future would only be possible in the form of business trips, which was a bit annoying.

It wasn't without benefits, though. After all, he wasn't short on money. If only he could get in touch with the Exchange Place. Things he couldn't do conveniently himself, he could have others do.

To revive the Uzumaki Clan, besides gathering clan members scattered throughout the Ninja World, the only other thing was to start branching out early.