It was late at night. After the birthday party ended and they had safely escorted Iruka home, crying so hard he had the hiccups, Naruto and Satsuki said goodbye at a fork in the road. Before leaving, Satsuki looked at him as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she merely gave a soft huff and turned to disappear in the direction of the Uchiha Clan Compound.
Pushing open the door to his apartment, Naruto wearily collapsed onto his bed, yet he could not stop himself from grinning. Today's birthday party had been even more successful than he had expected—not only had he witnessed Iruka's rare emotional outburst, but more importantly...
His system points had skyrocketed!
He summoned the translucent screen that only he could see. It was densely filled with the bond relationships he had formed at the Academy.
Shikamaru Nara. Bond Level 3. 300 points gained.
Choji Akimichi. Bond Level 5. 500 points gained.
Kiba. Bond Level 4. 400 points gained.
Akamaru. Bond Level 5. 50 points gained.
Shino Aburame. Bond Level 3. 300 points gained.
Iruka Umino. Bond Level 8. 1,600 points gained. (Note: Relationship qualitative change—familial affection.)
Naruto's fingertip hovered over the words "familial affection," and warmth spread through his chest.
Incidentally, Kurama's bond level was now Level 5. Through the time they spent together every night, it had risen another level, earning him 400 points.
However...
Naruto looked at the name on the screen that should have had data beside it but was still blank: Ino Yamanaka.
Ever since school had started, he had tried several times to approach this future member of Ino-Shika-Cho. But for some reason, whenever he got close, Ino would spring away like a startled rabbit. Either she would pretend to suddenly remember something urgent, or she would