My Friends Are Few

Mizuki ultimately left, and Naruto continued fishing by the river. With the Max-level Fishing Skill buff, it did not take long for Naruto to catch a large basketful of wild blackfish.

Including the two he had already grilled and eaten, Naruto did not actually need so many blackfish. There was no refrigerator at home, and they would spoil if he brought them back.

At first, Naruto had only wanted to test how useful the Max-level Fishing Skill really was, but the result far exceeded his expectations. From the moment he cast his hook, fish had been biting nonstop.

Even without bait on the hook, with nothing but an empty hook, fish seemed to keep coming as long as it was held in Naruto's hand.

What stopped him from continuing to fish was not time or exhaustion, but the fact that the fish basket, taller than his waist, was already full. It could not hold another fish, and any fish that struggled even slightly could easily jump out.

Naruto fell silent as he looked at the basket overflowing with blackfish.

Taking them home was definitely unrealistic. The refrigerator was broken, so he had no way to store them.

Selling them? That was impossible too. No fish shop in Konoha would buy fish from him. Not only would they refuse to buy them, they might even suspect Naruto had stolen them from somewhere.

Following the principle of avoiding needless trouble, Naruto gave up on selling them.

That left only one option: giving them away.

He had very few friends, few enough to count on one hand. So there was barely any need to hesitate over whom to give them to.

The Hyuga Clan definitely would not accept his gift, so they were out! Iruka-sensei was single, but he had treated Naruto well, so he would give him a few extra.

Choji's house was too far away, so Naruto decisively gave up on that. He could give some to Shikamaru, though, so he might as well stop by.

Sakura Haruno and Ino were both excluded. At this stage, Naruto was not close with either of them, and suddenly giving them something strange would only trouble them.

"Is this a new ninjutsu Naruto developed?" The white-haired old man, the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, was currently smiling happily as he stared at the scene inside the crystal ball.

This was the Third Hokage's favorite Peeping Technique. Everything that had happened by the river had been seen by him.

"Hiruzen, you are too softhearted." A cold voice sounded. "If the Jinchuriki develops hatred toward the village, it will be catastrophic for Konohagakure!"

"Danzo, Naruto has already made his choice." The Third Hokage stroked his white beard and spoke solemnly. "He was not swayed by Mizuki, and he rejected him."

"Even if the crystal ball cannot hear voices, finding out what Naruto said should not be difficult for you."

"The Jinchuriki has suffered far too much unfair treatment in the village, to the point that the conflict between the villagers and Naruto has become impossible to reconcile. If we cannot resolve it, the Nine-Tails may very well return to the Human World."

"Hmph!" Danzo was displeased. "Hand him over to me, and I guarantee he will become the village's safest weapon."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression darkened at those words.

"Danzo, I am the Hokage!"

"I know all about the things you have done, Danzo. Watch yourself. Naruto is an important companion of the village, not some cold weapon. Root already holds more than enough weapons. Naruto's affairs are none of your concern."

Faced with the Third Hokage's warning, Danzo was clearly unwilling to accept it, yet there was nothing he could do.

The one sitting in that position was Hiruzen Sarutobi, not Shimura Danzō. It had nearly become his Inner Demon.

The Fourth Hokage, the Legendary Sannin, Kakashi, and even the current Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. All of them had close ties to the Third Hokage, and the Hokage's position might only keep passing among those people.

That old man, the Third Hokage, wanted to change all of Konoha by himself? Dream on! This was not Konohagakure that belonged to Hiruzen Sarutobi alone!

"Hiruzen, you will regret this!" With those words, Danzo slammed the door and left.

"Ah."

Hiruzen Sarutobi said nothing, merely letting out a soft sigh.

Outside the Nara Clan residence.

Three knocks broke the silence. The one who came to answer was Konoha's foremost strategist, the scar-faced Shikaku Nara.

When the door opened, bright light from within spilled outward like threads, falling at Naruto's feet.

Shikaku looked somewhat surprised when he saw Naruto, reeking of fish.

"Naruto? What are you doing here? Isn't the graduation exam tomorrow?"

Shikaku was so surprised mainly because Naruto rarely came by. Even when he visited Shikamaru, Naruto stubbornly refused to enter no matter how often he was invited inside.

He would only stand alone beneath the shade of a tree far outside the door, studying the Nara residence with curiosity and nervousness.

To others, Naruto might have been a mischievous troublemaker. But Shikaku understood the inferiority and sensitivity in Naruto's personality, so he had never told Shikamaru not to play with him.

Hearing that, Naruto flashed a bright smile and pushed the remaining basket of fish toward Shikaku, speaking loudly.

"I caught too many fish today. I can't finish them, and I have no way to store them, so I wanted to give them to Shikamaru."

There were five or six fish left in the basket. That was all that remained after Naruto had given fish to everyone else, leaving only Shikamaru's family.

"This..." Shikaku scratched his head, looking troubled as he stared at the fish in the basket. "I need to ask Shikamaru's mother."

The sounds of cooking came from inside. Following the sound, Shikamaru came out and poked his head out from behind his father. His eyes lit up when he saw the fish basket.

"Naruto, you're amazing. How did you catch so many fish?"

"I don't know either." Naruto scratched his head and answered with a foolish grin. "Maybe I have a talent for fishing."

Shikaku could not help feeling moved at that. For such a young child to become so skilled at fishing, how much hardship must he have gone through to develop those skills?

The blackfish in the mountains were clever. Even with bait, they were not easy to catch. Shikaku had tried fishing before, but after coming back empty-handed several times, he had given it up.

"Naruto, wait here." Leaving those words behind, Shikaku turned and went back inside.

After a while, a box of pastries and a box of food were placed in Naruto's hands. Shikaku looked at the somewhat bewildered Naruto and said with a smile.

"This is our thanks. Please make sure to accept it."

Naruto looked at Shikaku, then lowered his head to look at the two boxes of food in his hands before turning toward Shikamaru.

"Take them." Shikamaru held his hands behind his head and spoke indifferently. "If my mom finds out you didn't accept them, she'll probably feel guilty enough to stay awake all night."

"Thanks." Naruto smiled, said goodbye, and turned to leave.

"Naruto!" Shikamaru suddenly called after him. "The graduation exam is tomorrow. Don't oversleep!"

"Got it!" Naruto waved, seeming to have taken the words to heart.

Even after Naruto's figure disappeared into the night, the worried look on Shikamaru's face did not ease.