Naruto, What Hokage Without You!

"987, 988, 989..."

The home that was usually just a stone's throw away now felt as distant as the ends of the earth.

Naruto's muscles were aching to the point of agony, and his spirit was on the verge of collapse.

"I can't do it anymore, I have to rest for a while..."

[Warning, Lightning Release baptism countdown, 5... 4... 3...]

"...990, 991, 992..."

Thud—

Thud, thud!

On the street, passersby caught sight of Naruto doing weighted frog jumps and couldn't help but cast sidelong glances.

"Hmm? Is that the demon..."

"Shh! Watch what you say!"

"Why isn't that guy pulling pranks? Why has he suddenly become so hardworking?"

"Hmph, I bet he's up to some new trick again. Maybe this is all part of a prank!"

"True, that little brat never had any manners anyway. All he does is cause trouble all day; he's really unlikeable!"

"Let's go, stay away from him!"

It wasn't that Naruto couldn't hear these whispers, but today, he didn't even have the energy to dwell on them.

Even...

Seeing other children being picked up by their smiling parents while he remained alone and desolate, he couldn't even spare a thought for that right now.

There was only one thing on his mind...

Get home by frog jumping!

Make a big bowl of instant noodles, grab two cartons of milk, and have a hearty, satisfying meal!

Thinking of this, drool couldn't help but leak from the corner of Naruto's mouth. Seemingly reignited with a bit of motivation, he let out a shout and continued jumping forward.

"1109, 1110, 1111..."

"1112!"

"I'm here!"

Naruto looked at his home and found it unprecedentedly dear. That house, which didn't look particularly cozy, now felt as dreamy as paradise...

He hurriedly stood up, squeezed his numb thighs hard, then climbed the stairs with long strides and ran toward his room.

"Huh?"

"Even though it's painful, why does it feel a bit refreshing?"

"Am I a masochist?"

Naruto sensed the changes in his body. Although he had indeed reached his limit, the pain and fatigue weren't as intense as expected; instead, his stamina was recovering rapidly.

[Host has successfully completed the weighted frog jump home plan. Stamina +3, current stamina 76 points!]

Naruto's heart stirred, and he was overjoyed.

"Although I'm not great at physics or chemistry, my stamina is pretty strong!"

"Ahahaha..."

This was, of course, not the system's doing, but the Uzumaki Clan bloodline within Naruto taking effect.

His massive chakra, formidable vitality, and the unique abilities inherent to being the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki made Naruto's own stamina and recovery rate truly astonishing!

"Aha, finally time to eat!"

Naruto was about to prepare to boil water for instant noodles.

Just then...

[Detected that the host is preparing to eat. A healthy diet is an essential part of a strong physique and a necessary condition to become Hokage!]

[Host, please immediately prepare a nutritious and balanced dinner containing fresh meat, eggs, milk, vegetables, and fruits!]

Naruto: "...Huh?!"

"Are instant noodles okay?"

[No.]

"...Why?! I love instant noodles the most! No, to be precise, it's Uncle Ichiraku's ramen..."

[Ramen is acceptable, instant noodles are not.]

Naruto: "..."

"But where am I supposed to get meat, eggs, milk, vegetables, and fruits?"

He trudged gloomily to the refrigerator, opened it, and saw nothing but milk... and more milk.

"Forget it, at least there's milk..."

Naruto was exhausted and immediately prepared to crack open the milk to drink his fill.

However...

[Detected that the milk in the host's hand has expired. For a host in a growth phase, it does more harm than good. Please replace it with fresh milk immediately!]

Naruto: "...Huh?!"

Although he was indignant, he took another look at the production date and expiration date. After mentally calculating for a long time, he finally confirmed...

It was indeed expired.

And, it had been expired for a long time...

"So I've been drinking expired milk this whole time?"

"No wonder I often get diarrhea..."

Naruto scratched his head and reached out to grab another carton, but...

[Detected that the milk in the host's hand has expired. For a host in a growth phase, it does more harm than good. Please replace it with fresh milk immediately!]

"This carton is expired too?!"

"Well, that makes sense, they were bought together anyway..."

"What about the top layer then?!"

Naruto checked from top to bottom and discovered that almost all the milk had expired.

Only two or three cartons he had just bought were barely within the expiration date.

He picked them up cautiously, and finally, he didn't hear the prompt in his mind. He hurriedly opened the lid and gulped it down in big mouthfuls...

"Ah—"

With one carton of milk down, Naruto felt his ravenous stomach ease up just a little bit.

Soon, he picked up another carton and finished it in an instant.

When he reached for the last carton...

[Warning, milk should not be consumed in excess!]

[Please prepare a nutritious and balanced dinner immediately!]

[And... throw away the milk that has been expired for a long time!]

Naruto: "...But I don't know how to cook!"

[Warning...]

"Ah! Fine, fine! I really give up on you!"

"I'll go buy groceries right now! And while I'm at it, I'll throw away this expired milk..."

That was what he said, but looking at a fridge full of milk being thrown away like this, Naruto really felt a bit reluctant.

However...

He shook his head and sighed, then honestly threw all the expired milk into a trash bag before picking up his frog wallet, closing the door, and heading out.

"Goodbye, milk..."

Naruto reluctantly tossed the crates of milk into the trash can.

Then, he headed toward the shop that sold ingredients.

Naruto's monthly pension was neither too much nor too little; it was perfectly sufficient for the daily expenses of someone his age.

It was just that Naruto was clearly someone without much planning.

Aside from the occasional trip to eat his heart's desire, Ichiraku Ramen, most of the time he only had instant noodles and milk. Instant noodles were fast food to begin with, not to mention the milk Naruto drank was expired.

He was at the most critical stage of growth and development, so his body would naturally be affected to a certain extent.

However...

With the system forcing him to throw away expired milk, stop eating instant noodles so frequently, and instead focus on balanced combinations and a reasonable diet, the extent to which Naruto's strength would increase as he grew was something to look forward to.

Naruto bought a huge pile of the freshest raw meat, milk, eggs, vegetables, and fruits, stuffed them all into two large bags, and with great difficulty, carried them home and shoved them into the refrigerator.

The fridge now looked quite a bit like that of a normal household.

Next, he had no choice but to do it himself and prepare a dinner of his own...

Night fell, and the lights of ten thousand homes flickered on.

The liveliness and warmth reflected in other windows did not belong to Naruto.

However...

Having the system constantly urging and warning him in his mind, while keeping Naruto in a state of constant vigilance and fear, also subtly weakened his loneliness and pain.

It was as if he had gained a strict father.

Naruto was thick-skinned when it came to emotions and didn't realize this, but for once, he had managed to temporarily forget his loneliness.

Kurama: Then shock him! Why are you shocking me!

Naruto's first dinner prepared by his own hands could hardly be called sumptuous, let alone delicious.

However, with meat, vegetables, eggs, and milk, it could at least be considered quite balanced.

Naruto had long been mentally and physically exhausted, pushed to his limit. Looking at the dinner he had made himself, he lacked the energy to feel any pride, and soon wolfed it down, devouring everything in a whirlwind.

In less than ten minutes.

Naruto swept the entire dinner clean, let out a satisfied burp, and slumped into his chair, sliding down like a worm.

One word...

Refreshing!

Is this the satisfaction that comes after hard work?

Naruto couldn't help but chuckle.

His heart full of joy did not last long.

[Detected that the host is full, but the mandatory eight hours of daily Chakra Refinement Technique have not been completed. Please begin training immediately!]

Naruto: "...Ahhhhh! At least let me rest for a while!"

[Warning! Countdown to the Lightning Release baptism, 5... 4... 3...]

Naruto: "I don't care, I really can't do it anymore!"

"If you want to shock someone, just shock yourself!"

In truth, now that Naruto had recovered his mental energy and strength, he was not entirely incapable of continuing his training.

It was just that human nature is like this.

No matter how arduous or exhausting things are, one can endure them as long as one keeps up the momentum.