Naruto Wants the Eye of God

"Huh? Uncle Shopkeeper, what's wrong with your eyes?"

The next day, the little blond boy appeared in the bookstore, asking with a curious look on his face.

Uchiha Arashi was currently wearing a pair of sunglasses-style goggles.

"I accidentally got a little hurt yesterday. Also, call me Big Brother!"

Uchiha Arashi said with a huff.

It was embarrassing to say, but because he had swapped eyes in such a short period—and not just any eyes, but two pairs of Mangekyo that didn't belong to him—the rejection reaction combined with the repeated trauma to his wounds had triggered a severe stress response in his body. The moment he woke up this morning and saw the sun, his eyes had started streaming tears uncontrollably.

Left with no choice, Izumi had rushed out at top speed—well, in the way a normal person would. She had violently pounded on the door of the nearest optical shop, tossed a few banknotes at the bewildered shopkeeper, grabbed a pair of sunglasses-style goggles, and turned to run back.

It had finally solved Uchiha Arashi's urgent problem.

"Okay, Big Brother Shopkeeper, you have to be careful. My teacher at the academy always reminds us to protect our eyes; they're the most important organ a person has!"

Little Naruto said with complete sincerity.

"I've received your reminder, thank you."

Uchiha Arashi nodded with a smile.

"Hehe, actually, I should be the one thanking you..."

Naruto scratched his head, revealing a bright, sunny smile. Combined with the tooth he had lost at some point, the sight was nothing short of comical.

He felt genuine gratitude toward Uchiha Arashi because this was the first time he could speak to someone without fear of being beaten or scolded. Compared to the attitude of the other villagers, Uchiha Arashi was like an angel in the darkness. For that sense of equal treatment alone, Naruto felt he owed Uchiha Arashi a debt of thanks.

Not to mention that Uchiha Arashi had also gifted him several books.

"What are you here for today? Have you finished the books I gave you?"

Uchiha Arashi pulled over a chair, sat down in front of Naruto, and looked at him curiously.

"Yeah, I finished them all! They were so good, I stayed up late every night reading them."

Naruto nodded vigorously.

"Actually, there's no need to rush through them like that. And you said yourself that you need to protect your eyes—don't you know that reading late at night is bad for them?"

Uchiha Arashi asked.

"I know," Naruto continued to nod, "but I wanted to finish them quickly so I could talk to others about what was in the books. It's a shame they still won't pay attention to me..."

As he spoke, little Naruto lowered his head.

He had thought that if he read the same books as everyone else, he could make friends with them, but reality had told him: don't even think about it, it's impossible.

"Although I don't know why you're in such a hurry to make friends, reading alone isn't enough to directly become friends with someone; reading is just a hobby. If you want to be friends, you need more shared experiences and compatible personalities... Why am I even saying all this? You still haven't told me what you're here for today."

Uchiha Arashi understood Naruto's situation all too well, so he couldn't be bothered to continue; any further and it would be overstepping.

"Oh, oh! I'm here to return the books!"

Naruto brought out the books Uchiha Arashi had given him as if he were presenting a treasure.

Uchiha Arashi took a look, and good grief, the books were still in ninety-percent new condition; there wasn't even a crease on the pages.

"To think you kept them in such good shape... Wait, the books were a gift from me. What do you mean by returning them?"

Uchiha Arashi realized what was happening and looked at Naruto in surprise.

"I can't take them for nothing, Uncle—er, Big Brother. I was already so happy that you were willing to give me the books, but I really can't just take them for free. So, I was very careful while reading them these past few days, just so I could return them to you after I was done."

Naruto said with a serious expression.

"..."

Uchiha Arashi didn't know what to say anymore.

Naruto's personality was usually quite carefree, but the fact that he could protect these books so meticulously showed just how much he cared about what Arashi thought of him.

"Kid, I don't even know your name yet."

"I'm Naruto! Uzumaki Naruto!"

"Alright, Naruto. A few books don't mean much to me. I gave them to you simply because I wanted you to read my work; you don't need to be so careful."

Truth be told, Naruto's actions were a bit excessive; they were just a few books, there was really no need for this.

"Hehe, I know, but... but I wanted to borrow some other books, so... so..."

Naruto continued to scratch his head, his face turning slightly red.

He had managed to make himself feel awkward.

"Fine, take the books back. You can read them again if you want, or keep them. As for the other books, giving them all away for free isn't really possible, but how about this: I can give you a fifty-percent discount. As long as you keep reading my books, you'll enjoy this discount forever."

This amount of money really didn't matter, but giving things away indefinitely wasn't sustainable either, so Uchiha Arashi came up with a compromise.

"Can you really do that? Can I really get a fifty-percent discount forever?"

Naruto's eyes lit up.

"Only for the books I've written myself, of course. I still have the authority to do that much."

Uchiha Arashi said with a smile.

"Thank you, Big Brother Shopkeeper! This is plenty! I've decided, from now on I'll only read your books. I'm going to be your most loyal reader!"

Naruto declared loudly.

"There's no need for that. When you grow up and have money, you should read books written by others too. My novels are better suited for mere entertainment... Here, take my new book and read it."

Uchiha Arashi handed the first volume of Bleach to Naruto.

"Huh? It's not Teyvat Travelogue? I still wanted to see the eternal nation locked away by lightning!"

Seeing it wasn't the book he wanted, Naruto couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

"Kid, do you think writing books is easy? I need inspiration and I need to rest. This is the only book available today."

Uchiha Arashi cast a sidelong glance at him. "Wait a while longer for the third volume of Teyvat. I'll post a notice on the shop door when it's ready."

"Hehe, I'll definitely come by then!"

Naruto happily took the book and paid for it.

Before leaving, he noticed the Eye of God at Uchiha Arashi's waist.

"Big Brother Shopkeeper, that, that..."

"This is just a little trinket I made myself. What? Do you want one?"

"No, no, I just wanted to take a look..."

"Hmph, no."

"Eh~"

"How about this? Your exams are coming up soon, right? Bring your report card over. If you can place in the top three of your class, I'll give you an Eye of God."

If the Nine-Tails jinchuriki could activate an Eye of God, he wondered what kind of scene that would create.

"Really? It's a promise then!"

Naruto said immediately.

"Mn, it's a promise."

Uchiha Arashi nodded.

Naruto was overjoyed and ran off, cheering and leaping the whole way.