If not, then just borrow some from your colleagues for now. It's not that difficult to think of. After all, Summer Li (Xia Li) has already achieved today's success—there's no doubt that he'll succeed in the future, and repaying this small amount shouldn't be a problem.
When Summer Li came out of the bathroom, Sinai hugged him and ruffled his wet hair. "Son, you did great. So, what reward would you like this time?"
"Can this even be considered a jutsu?" Summer Li thought for a moment and asked.
Suddenly, the smile on Sinai's face froze. Her husband's inheritance had all been spent on exchanging for Shadow Clones, leaving no funds for exchanging for other jutsu. She could only shake her head.
"Then, that's definitely not an option." Summer Li thought for a moment. He knew the state of the household—the food was almost gone. What else would he need? Fortunately, Sinai worked at a barbecue restaurant, so he could buy some meat from there. Meat was relatively cheap; otherwise, Summer Li really wouldn't have enough to eat.
"Don't you want anything else?" Sinai asked, feeling a headache coming on.
"That's enough," Summer Li said firmly. Rather than wasting money on other things, it was better to buy more food.
As for shurikens and kunai, he could temporarily practice shurikens using stones. Kunai, however, were too fragile to practice with stones. Summer Li also had his own goals. If he ranked first in the Level One exam, according to past tradition, he should receive a special kunai as a reward.
As for this special kunai, Summer Li said he had already ordered it.
"Alright then." Sinai could only nod helplessly. Although Summer Li said he didn't need anything else, as a mother, she still felt that children should be rewarded when they performed well.
The weather was gradually getting colder. "Why not knit a sweater? I haven't done any handicrafts for a long time—I hope my skills haven't deteriorated," Sinai thought, a smile appearing on her face.
In short, as a parent, seeing one's child excel and be sensible naturally brought joy.
Sinai carefully looked at Summer Li and silently nodded. It was time to dress him up properly. Wearing shabby clothes like before was no longer appropriate. Dressing him smartly, to attract the attention of little girls, wouldn't be better?
Chapter 28: Naruto's Invitation
The day after the midterm exam, the first-year students of the Ninja Academy were back.
A few days had passed since the midterms. Summer Li let out a sigh of relief; due to his usual low-key personality, his popularity had finally returned to normal levels. Although some people still paid attention to him, it was much better than being surrounded by crowds like before.
However, at this moment, Summer Li glanced at the fidgeting Naruto beside him and sighed.
"If you have something to say, just tell me directly. No need to beat around the bush," he said.
"Wow, as expected of Summer Li! Look at that!" Naruto scratched the back of his head and smiled.
"What's the matter?" Summer Li asked helplessly.
"Well, tomorrow is my day off, and I want to invite Summer Li to my house!" Naruto no longer hesitated. He spoke directly, looking at Summer Li expectantly. If Summer Li agreed, there would be another kid at his home—a guest other than the Third Hokage!
"Ah?" Summer Li was momentarily stunned; he hadn't expected Naruto to invite him over.
"Can't you come?" Naruto looked at Summer Li, who hadn't responded. He thought the other might have some trouble deciding and felt a bit disappointed.
"It's not impossible. I just didn't expect you to invite me so suddenly," Summer Li finally responded.
"Heh, so what?" Naruto's eyes lit up.
"Alright, I'll agree, but you just need to tell me your address. I'll come by myself. After all, you know what would happen if I went with you." Summer Li did not hide his thoughts. He didn't want to be the subject of village gossip wherever he went.
"Oh, okay." Naruto naturally didn't care about this detail. After all, wasn't this the reason he hadn't been able to get close to Summer Li before coming to the ninja school?
Summer Li considered visiting as a guest. Although he didn't know exactly where Naruto lived, he could reasonably assume that there were probably no other residents nearby. If he went as a guest, he could avoid attracting the attention of villagers.
As for the Anbu and… those secretly watching Naruto, Summer Li didn't have to worry about them at all now. He and Naruto were classmates, so visiting each other's homes was perfectly normal. Moreover, if the Third Hokage wanted to strengthen the connection between Naruto and the village, he would probably be pleased to see this.
The only tricky part was the foundation. Previously, Summer Li might have hesitated, but now he was certain he had already caught the Third Hokage's attention. Even though the Third Hokage was elderly, he wasn't naive. He wouldn't let Danzo meddle with the village's future.
There's always a solution, so naturally, Summer Li didn't refuse.
Soon, Naruto told Summer Li where he lived. Unsurprisingly, it was even more remote than Summer Li had imagined. Naruto might even need to drive out to pick him up; otherwise, finding the place would be very difficult.
Summer Li quickly set a time with Naruto. Even as a guest, he couldn't waste his training time.
The idea of using a Shadow Clone to visit flashed through Summer Li's mind but was quickly dismissed. It felt impolite to send a clone as a guest, even if the host was just a child.
"Eh? Summer Li is going to visit Naruto?" Ino overheard the nearby conversation and couldn't help but ask.
"Yeah, what's the matter?" Summer Li looked at Ino.
"Hmm…" Ino frowned and glanced at Naruto. Her father had once told her to stay away from him, but she didn't really understand why. She recalled Naruto's recent behavior, especially after they had gotten familiar with each other. It was… somewhat okay, right?
"It should be fine," Ino said, trusting her intuition.
"I don't care what others think of Naruto, but I trust my own feelings. I think Naruto is a very good little… friend." Summer Li nearly said "kid," but stopped herself. "At your age, just call it a friend."
"Mm, got it," Ino nodded, confused, as if she had just learned some profound truth.
Hearing this, Naruto was so touched he almost cried.
Shikamaru, lying on the desk, twitched his ears and couldn't help laughing. That guy may be troublesome, but he really is unpredictable.
Ino didn't quite understand this and couldn't comprehend it. She shook her head, thinking she should ask her mother. But seeing Naruto almost cry, she felt a little embarrassed. He didn't look good crying. Summer Li, however, was prettier and smarter.
Meanwhile, all of Naruto's classmates had invited Summer Li to his house. Should Ino also invite him? But as a girl, would it be inappropriate to take the initiative? Ino hesitated and ultimately didn't make a decision.
Summer Li didn't notice Ino's hesitation. After all, not everyone wore their thoughts on their faces like Naruto, and Ino hadn't stayed long, so it was normal that he didn't notice.
After school, Ino kept thinking about this. She then happened to see a familiar figure. She approached and realized it was her classmate, the second-ranked Haruno Sakura, who looked a bit lonely at the moment.
Your grades are so good—don't you ever get upset? Ino wondered for a moment before walking over.
On his way to the training ground, Summer Li saw this too. Upon reflection, it seemed Ino and Sakura had become good friends because of one incident. They had previously wondered why they were strangers, but now it seemed the timing wasn't right.
Summer Li also recalled that Xiaoying seemed insecure about her broad forehead. Even so, she almost scored full marks on the theory exam. Once she gained more confidence, she might even get perfect scores on theory tests.
From this perspective, Summer Li couldn't afford to slack off. To ensure the genius traits were passed to the third generation, he had to excel in all areas.
But for now, it was too early to think that far. Summer Li looked at Ino and Sakura chatting over there. Although the latter two were slightly jealous because of Sasuke, they actually got along very well. Moreover, Sasuke and Ino were also good friends.
Summer Li then thought of Naruto. That guy was always peeking at Sakura. He probably still had a crush on her like in the original story. Back then, Naruto had no chance to interact with others. He only cared about the appearance of little Sakura. Cute indeed… but Summer Li felt his own opinion didn't count. He thought these kids were cute, and he couldn't bring himself to dismiss the thought.
However, Summer Li viewed this from an adult perspective, while Naruto saw it from the viewpoint of a peer. The two perspectives were completely different.
Although Summer Li kept thinking about these things, he never stopped moving. He still had to complete his training for the day, step by step, without a moment's relaxation.
Chapter 29: Naruto's House
The next day, after finishing his daily plan, Summer Li headed to the agreed-upon location.
"Summer Li, this way, this way!"
When he arrived, he saw Naruto running toward him, waving his hand.
Summer Li observed Naruto's arrival time. From past experience, he always arrived slightly early for these "dates," but Naruto had arrived even earlier and seemed to have been waiting there. One could imagine how much he had been anticipating this moment.
"You came early. It's still some time before the appointed hour," Summer Li said.
"Hehe, I'm a little excited," Naruto scratched his head and smiled.
Naruto then walked ahead to guide Summer Li. Honestly, finding Naruto's house without a guide would have been difficult.
Summer Li looked at the house in front of him. It wasn't small. If Naruto lived alone, it could even be considered quite large. This was likely arranged by the Third Hokage.
As for the Fourth Hokage's residence, Naruto would never live there. If he did, he'd have the same bright blond hair as the Fourth Hokage. Even if Naruto didn't want to be associated with the Fourth Hokage, people couldn't help but wonder about the connection, right?
In fact, the village had always concealed the relationship between the Fourth Hokage and Naruto.
Therefore, this was basically impossible to be the Fourth Hokage's house.
Soon, Naruto led Summer Li inside. Before entering, Summer Li noticed some marks near the door. Although they seemed to have been wiped, he could roughly guess what they were.
After all, even if Naruto's residence was very remote, someone might still find it and do something reckless—like carving initials or splashing paint…
Once inside, Summer Li was somewhat surprised. Although Naruto's house wasn't spotless, it was fairly tidy. For a boy of his age, this was already impressive.
"By the way, what are your plans next?" Summer Li suddenly asked Naruto.
"Huh?" Naruto blinked. "Do we need plans?"
Summer Li sighed. He shouldn't have any expectations of Naruto, so he asked, "What do you usually do?"
"Usually?" Naruto thought for a moment. "I don't seem to have much to do. Sometimes I wander alone, sometimes I hang out in the village."
Summer Li looked at Naruto but didn't continue asking, thinking: what would he do in the village? Would anyone play with him? This probably meant he would do some silly things to attract attention.
"What do you usually do at home?" Summer Li continued.
Naruto thought for a while, shook his head, and asked, "Does Summer Li know of anything fun to do?"
Suddenly, Summer Li fell silent. What was the point of playing? Sigh… he could no longer remember his childhood memories. Back then, playing was part of life. There were no phones, and Summer Li couldn't think of anything fun to do. He could only shake his head.
"So, Summer Li is like me~"
"We're not the same. I don't play because I don't want to; you don't play, so there's nothing to play." Summer Li rolled his eyes.
Naruto squinted. What's the difference? Aren't they both fun in their own way?
"Do you have any questions from class? I can answer them." Summer Li thought for a moment. Since he had nothing else to do, he put down the game in his hand. He wasn't interested in games anyway. He hadn't brought any books—if he had known Naruto wouldn't prepare, he would have brought a book to read.
"Huh? You want to read during the break too?" Naruto hesitated.
"Don't talk nonsense. Your theory grades are terrible," Summer Li shot him a glance.
"Alright." Naruto reluctantly nodded, took out a textbook, scratched his head, and began reading.
With nothing else to do, Summer Li carefully examined Naruto's room. Hmm, the furniture was quite complete—fridge, washing machine, air conditioner, etc. Every time Summer Li saw it, he was a little stunned. Naruto's technology level was impressive. Chaotic—these things were definitely not cheap.
This was probably arranged by the Third Hokage. Of course, if Naruto had inherited from the Fourth Hokage, he would indeed be the son of a wealthy family.
In fact, the inheritance from the Third Hokage wouldn't have been as much as from the Fourth, but it was still enough. Daily expenses could easily be covered. The problem was that, even with money, Naruto might not know how to spend it.
The Third Hokage probably gave him so much instant noodles and milk. He must have realized that giving Naruto coins wouldn't help; it was better to give something that could be stored easily. As for other items, even fresh meat, Naruto would need to know how to cook it.
Even so, although the milk was enough, the nutritional value of instant noodles was insufficient. In the original story, Naruto was relatively short at this age, and his height only grew rapidly after meeting Jiraiya, which could be related.
He possessed such enormous chakra—it was enviable.
There was too much milk. Summer Li took it out to check the production date; it seemed fresh. But when he looked inside, he was speechless. The milk was expired…
Would the Third Hokage really be so stingy as to give Naruto expired milk?
The answer was no. Even if Naruto were a jinchuriki, he wouldn't die from it—but he might have spent every day in the bathroom. In reality, he didn't, which meant he hadn't drunk expired milk.
The problem probably lay with Naruto himself. Summer Li called out, "Naruto."
"Huh? What's up?" Naruto looked up and saw Summer Li standing in front of the fridge holding the milk. His eyes lit up. "Summer Li, if you want some, just take it. I have plenty of milk."
"I don't want to drink it. I just mean, from now on, if you want milk, you have to drink the milk inside."
"Why? Isn't that troublesome?" Naruto asked, confused.
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