After learning that Naruto only had a tiny bit of money every month, Aoba's expression became even uglier.
"This one thousand Ryo is the pocket money that big brother gave you. It's best to eat less of these unhealthy things in the future."
It was not that Aoba did not want to give more, but Naruto was still too young now. If he gave too much, it would only harm him.
Moreover, since it was an allowance, he could naturally give it at any time. When Naruto had almost spent all of it, he would give some more. This way, Naruto would not develop a bad habit of spending money lavishly.
Since he had promised Minato that he would protect Naruto from being bullied, he naturally would let Naruto eat such an unhealthy meal at such a young age. He wouldn't let Naruto drink expired milk ever again!
Moreover, Aoba did not seek any returns. He only hoped that on the day he exposed his identity, Naruto would not hate him too much.
Although Little Naruto wanted the money very much, he resisted the temptation and shook his head.
He might be young, but it did not mean that he did not know the importance of money.
With money, he could buy whatever he wanted. He could buy delicious food, and he could buy fun things...
However, in Little Naruto's opinion, Big Brother Aoba had already treated him very well. Not only did he help him, but he also took him to eat delicious food. He would care about him and would not dislike him like others.
Moreover, Big Brother Aoba had no parents like him. He must be living the same life as him. He did not want Big Brother Aoba to starve like him.
So how could he still ask for Big Brother Aoba's money!
Aoba seemed to have seen through Little Naruto's thoughts, so he said softly, "In my hometown, if a Big Brother accepts a Little Brother, he needs to give Little Brother a salary. Moreover, this money is not given to you for free. If Big Brother has any difficulties in the future, then I will rely on you."
"Also, although I, your Big Brother, am not doing very well, I can still easily take out hundreds of thousands of Ryou for you."
"So in the future, you should take the pocket money that Big Brother gave you. Do you hear me?"
Little Naruto did not understand why a big brother had to pay their little brother, but he understood the meaning of Aoba's words.
Moreover, Big Brother Aoba did not seem to be as poor as he thought.
Hundreds of thousands of Ryo!
How many boxes of milk could he buy?
Therefore, under the encouragement of Aoba's eyes, little Naruto took it shyly and said very seriously, "Well, I know! I will definitely help big brother Aoba do a lot of things in the future!"
"What a good child..." Aoba sighed in his heart, but he did not really intend to use Naruto to do anything. He just said it to avoid hurting the child's self-esteem.
Moreover, Aoba also had his own pride. After all, he was also a cheat!
"Then it's a deal."
After spending some time, Aoba was ready to leave.
The matter of him rashly contacting Naruto would inevitably touch the sensitive nerves of Konoha's higher-ups. He might even trouble himself. It was really annoying!
"Are you leaving, Big Brother Aoba?"
"En, remember to eat well. If someone bullies you, tell Big Brother. Do you understand?"
Little Naruto nodded vigorously!
Seeing this, Aoba finally left with relief.
When he could no longer see Big Brother Aoba's back, Little Naruto crawled onto the bed with a silly smile and kept rolling around.
...
On the other side, Aoba suddenly stopped walking when there was no one around.
"If you don't come out, I will go home."
Swish!
A figure wearing an animal mask suddenly appeared in front of him. It was Anbu's people.
Moreover, this member of Anbu was also very surprised in his heart. He was surprised that this kid could discover his tracking in advance. As expected of Konoha's twin stars.
"Hokage-sama wants to see you."
The Anbu immediately stated his intentions.
Aoba nodded when he heard this. It was obvious that he had already expected this. If no one came to find him, it would instead cause him to feel uneasy.
"Let's go."
Soon, under the lead of Anbu's members, Aoba once again arrived at the Hokage's office.
....
After bringing him to the office, Anbu's people all left under Sarutobi's orders.
"Konoha Genin, Shinomiya Aoba, greets the Hokage sama."
Because his opinion of Sarutobi was too big, Aoba's tone was particularly stiff.
"Looks like you already know the true identity of Naruto," Sarutobi said with narrowed eyes.
Aoba had no intention of pretending to be stupid. He said directly, "I was at the scene at that time. Although more than a year has passed, I won't be mistaken. Naruto is the child of Minato, but why would he need to use Uzumaki's surname? Naruto should use his real name!"
Sarutobi suddenly fell silent.
After a long while, he slowly opened his mouth and said, "There are many inside stories. I did this to protect Minato's child."
Aoba was willing to believe that Sarutobi would not harm Naruto, but what he did was unacceptable.
This was also considered protection?
Being ostracized by the villagers as monsters, living alone at the age of one year, receiving a little living expense every month, and only able to afford instant noodles and cheap expired milk.
Is this how you protect him?
Aoba really wanted to question him like this, but right now, he was not qualified to contradict the Hokage in person. Whether it was strength or fame, he needed time to accumulate.
As the saying goes, a dog that bites does not bark. Although it is a bit unpleasant to hear, it is the hard truth.
Seeing that Aoba was silent, Sarutobi naturally knew that he was very dissatisfied with Naruto's current situation. However, he obviously would not change it just because a mere genin was dissatisfied with him.
Therefore, after thinking for a while, Sarutobi said, "You did a good job today. Although you were a bit rash, you didn't lose yourself. I will find a way to explain things to the villagers for you, but I hope that it won't happen again. Especially the truth, it is not suitable for Naruto to know now. Do you understand what I mean?"
Aoba immediately understood that Sarutobi was warning him!
If it were for someone else, they would probably be scared to cold sweat and then pat their chest to show their loyalty.
However, Aoba was relatively stubborn. Did he not know how cautious Sarutobi, Danzo, and the other higher-ups of the Hokage were to Jinchuriki?
Of course, he knew that he was courting death by actively contacting Jinchuriki!
Even if Sarutobi did not argue with him on behalf of the death of Minato, Danzo and the others definitely would not stand by and watch!
However, not doing anything was not in line with his character, and it made him feel sorry for the dead Minato!
Therefore, Aoba said, "I can pretend that I don't know anything, but I will never watch Naruto suffer because I promised Lord Minato that I would protect his child!"