Inside Ichiraku Ramen.
Naruto sat alone at the table, with more than a dozen empty bowls already stacked beside him.
After drinking the last mouthful of broth, Naruto let out a satisfied burp.
"It really does live up to its reputation!"
"Naruto, are you sure you're okay eating that much?"
Teuchi looked at Naruto's bulging stomach and asked with some concern.
"Don't worry! I'm fine!"
With that, Naruto stood up, took his change from Teuchi, and left Ichiraku Ramen.
After leaving Ichiraku Ramen, Naruto didn't head straight home. Instead, he wandered aimlessly through the streets.
The snow beneath Naruto's feet crunched with every step.
As he walked, Naruto began taking stock of his cheat abilities.
First... he had become Wolffy's jinchūriki.
Wolffy wasn't particularly strong himself, but a few of his traits were ridiculously overpowered.
The first was immortality...
That was a standard trait in comedy cartoons.
The second was his absurdly overpowered inventing ability. If he wanted to invent something, there was nothing he couldn't make. He was easily on par with Doraemon.
The third was the boost to Naruto's physical abilities. Of course, it certainly wasn't as substantial as what the Nine-Tails could provide, but... it would definitely give him a considerable advantage in fights against genin or even chunin.
He just didn't know whether Wolffy's immortality would work on him.
Aside from becoming Wolffy's jinchūriki, there were also the changes to the Sealing Space.
Perhaps because he had transmigrated, the Sealing Space had practically become a miniature world.
And within that miniature world, he was like a god. Naruto could materialize anything that had ever existed on Earth.
The only drawback was probably... only his mind could enter the Sealing Space.
But with an overpowered character like Wolffy around, perhaps one day his physical body could enter the Sealing Space too, or he could bring things from the Sealing Space into reality.
If that really became possible, he could materialize a nuclear bomb in the Sealing Space, and then...
Just thinking about it was thrilling.
Just as Naruto was fantasizing about becoming the Nuclear Bomb Sage someday, a snowball struck him in the back.
Naruto turned around and saw several children throwing snowballs at him.
As they threw, they shouted, "Kill that demon fox!"
At the sight, Naruto raised an eyebrow. He vaguely remembered these brats. Several of them had been among those who injured him two years ago.
With that in mind, Naruto started packing a snowball of his own.
While making it, he tucked a stone into the center.
A snowball wrapped around a stone packed far more punch than an ordinary one.
Naruto didn't bother dodging the snowballs the brats threw at him. He aimed at the head of the child shouting the loudest and hurled his snowball with all his strength.
A scream rang out as Naruto's snowball split the child's head open, leaving it streaming with blood.
Since none of them had seen Naruto put a stone inside, the children had never imagined a snowball could do so much damage.
Naruto didn't care what they thought. He bent down, picked up another stone at random, and packed snow around it.
Once it was ready, he threw it again. This time, another child burst into wailing sobs, blood pouring from his head.
Naruto curled his lip in disdain. You can hate me all you want. I can't stand you bunch of muggles either. But... if you mess with me, don't blame me for fighting back!
Just then, several of the children's parents came over and began berating Naruto. Some even threatened to complain to the Third Hokage.
Naruto couldn't have cared less.
He knew there were Anbu nearby watching everything. With their testimony, if those parents complained, Naruto could turn the tables and make the brats' equally obnoxious parents pay compensation.
Those parents also knew that although Naruto was unpopular, he still had the Third backing him. With their children beaten up, all they could do was mutter curses behind his back, like, "A demon fox is still a demon fox. No manners at all..."
Naruto ignored the shouting muggles and headed straight home.
After only a few steps, he suddenly felt someone watching him.
Naruto turned and saw a small figure duck behind a tree.
Although the figure hid quickly, Naruto had still caught a glimpse of those pure white eyes.
"Was that Hinata?"
Just as Naruto was about to go over and greet his future wife, a woman wearing a kimono, with the Hyuga's distinctive Byakugan, glanced at him, took Hinata by the hand, and led her away.
Seeing this, Naruto could only smile as he watched Hinata leave.
Back home.
Naruto began his gaming journey.
Devil May Cry 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.
Red Dead Redemption.
Dying Light.
Hokage Shippuden.
Cyberpunk 2077.
Sekiro.
The computer had single-player games of every kind.
For the next week or so, Naruto stayed inside without going out, just as he had before.
He even had the Anbu deliver his meals.
This left the Third Hokage feeling frustrated again, after he had thought Naruto had finally stopped living like a shut-in.
Still, the Third found some comfort in the fact that Naruto was diligently refining chakra at home.
In the Hokage's office, the Third Hokage took out the Crystal Ball and began checking on the living conditions and physical health of Konoha's residents.
Along the way, the Third would also check on Naruto.
Recently, Naruto had started playing with a black box that displayed images.
Sometimes those images showed a person fighting a horde of monsters. Sometimes they showed people fighting one another. And sometimes they showed-
The Third couldn't quite understand what the box was, but... seeing how much fun Naruto was having, he didn't dwell on it.
The Third felt he owed Naruto.
He had originally intended to let Naruto grow up peacefully in Konoha, just like any ordinary child.
But he hadn't expected Danzo to spread rumors that Naruto was the demon fox in an attempt to get his hands on him.
Although he knew Danzo was responsible, he had no evidence. Having grown somewhat indecisive, the Third had only given Danzo a verbal warning.
At first, the Third had thought this would turn Naruto down a dark path and make him resent Konoha.
Naturally, making Naruto resent Konoha was also Danzo's goal. Once Naruto turned dark, Danzo could use a High-Level Resolution to take control of him and turn him into a completely emotionless weapon.
The Third Hokage had withstood the pressure from the higher-ups and refused to hand Naruto over. And Naruto? He hadn't disappointed the Third Hokage either. He showed no signs of turning dark. It was just... he had started shutting himself away at home, leaving the Third rather frustrated.
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