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"Is this Naruto's house?"
"Oh my gosh, this place is so luxurious! Even the daimyo's mansion can't compare to this interior."
"Who would've thought, Naruto, you're actually a rich kid! This couch is so soft—Naruto, you lucky bastard!"
"Wow, Arcanine, you're so cool! Let me give you a kiss."
"Woof! Woof!"
Today, Naruto invited his friends from the ninja academy to his house to play.
The moment Shikamaru entered, he fell in love with the soft, enormous couch, sprawling across it like he was glued to it. Ino's eyes were wide with amazement as she looked around at the various glittering decorations. Choji, on the other hand, seemed relatively calm, though that would change when it was time to eat.
Hinata sat quietly in her spot, occasionally glancing out the window, seemingly wanting to explore the central street outside. Kiba, along with Akamaru, clung to Arcanine like glue, refusing to let go, absolutely enthralled by the big, fiery dog.
As for Shino, he was nowhere to be found, likely hidden in some corner of the room.
"Ha ha ha! That's right, this is my home—the future second Alliance Leader, Uzumaki Naruto! That's me, dattebayo!"
Naruto stood on the couch with his hands on his hips, imitating an Uchiha laugh.
Naruto was extremely happy today because it was the first time he had invited so many friends over to his house.
"Hey, Naruto! Get down from there! Lord Zephyr will be upset if he sees you!"
Iruka hurriedly pulled Naruto down when he saw him standing on the couch with his shoes on.
"He won't get mad; Grandpa treats me the best."
Naruto had been secretly observing Zephyr for half a month, so he knew his grandfather's temperament well.
As long as Naruto wasn't being a bad kid, Zephyr would always be proud of him for upholding justice, protecting the innocent, and looking out for his friends!
The only thing that made Naruto a little sad today was that Sakura didn't come, and it was because Sasuke wasn't invited. Naruto didn't really want to invite Sasuke, but for the sake of getting Sakura to come over next time, he decided he might try inviting Sasuke.
"Hey, why don't we just sleep here tonight? It's rare for the academy to give us a weekend off."
Shikamaru, lazy as ever, was still sprawled on the couch, refusing to move.
"No way! We barely managed to come here thanks to Naruto. We have to go outside and explore! Aren't you curious about all the things Naruto talked about?"
Of course, the girls couldn't accept this, and Ino quickly jumped up to hit Shikamaru on the head, "Right, Hinata?"
Hinata, though silent, nodded in agreement. She, too, wanted to explore outside.
"Such a drag."
Shikamaru still didn't move.
"Hey, do you think there will be a lot of canine Pokémon outside? How can I make them my partners?"
Kiba, already smitten with Arcanine, was full of excitement.
"Probably. I've often seen other dog-like Pokémon besides Arcanine."
Naruto thought for a moment and then nodded.
Canine Pokémon were quite popular in Alliance City as companion Pokémon because they were lively and loyal. Many parents wanted to find a canine Pokémon to grow up with their children, forging deep friendships.
Naruto recalled a merchant's family nearby that had such a situation. The merchant was incredibly wealthy, one of the richest on the island, having established a logistics company that handled the transportation between the three cities on the island.
The merchant had a child named Kojiro, and a few months ago, the family had hatched a Growlithe, letting Kojiro and Growlithe grow up together.
After playing around inside the house for a bit, the kids decided to head out. After all, they hadn't forgotten that they came to the island to explore and see all the things Naruto had bragged about.
They rushed outside in a group.
Which age group was most common in Alliance City? Kids, of course! Most residents were families of Alliance employees, with the adults working during the day and only returning home in the evening to spend time with their children.
A significant portion of the adults' work was carried out in the pirate or ninja worlds.
As a result, many of the city's children spent their days playing together in the central park, forming small groups and planning adventures for the day.
Some wealthier families hired tutors for their children, but most let their kids roam freely during the day, especially since the only school on the island, the Pokémon Academy, wouldn't start its next session until March of the following year.
So, the kids were mostly left to their own devices. Some well-behaved and mature kids would help their families run their shops in the city, but those were in the minority.
"Where should we go?"
"Let's start at the central park. It's the busiest in the afternoon! By evening, it turns into a place for couples to date."
Naruto spoke with the voice of experience.
After dinner every night, he would rush outside to play. In just half a month, he'd explored most of Alliance City's downtown with his little legs.
"Dating? Then I should bring Sasuke here at night!"
Ino's eyes lit up at the thought.
"Forget it, Sasuke would never come. He'd rather spend his time practicing his shuriken."
Shikamaru couldn't resist teasing Ino, shattering her fantasy.
Ino promptly chased after Shikamaru, ready to give him a piece of her mind.
But by the time the kids had played around and reached the food street, they couldn't move any further.
It wasn't just Choji who was mesmerized by the delicious food lining the street—the other kids were too.
Growing up in Konoha, the most delicious thing they'd ever had was the grilled meat at the Akimichi family restaurant, and they'd never seen anything as extravagant as this before.
Especially the seafood, which was a rare treat in Konoha, something they wouldn't usually get to eat.
But in the pirate world, such food was the cheapest.
"Hey, Naruto, how much can we get with this?"
Choji nervously pulled out all his allowance from his pocket.
Seeing how wealthy Alliance City seemed, he instinctively thought the prices would be high.
"Not much."
Naruto answered honestly.
"What?!"
"Huh? But this is a lot of money."
"Is everything really that expensive here?"
The kids were shocked.
"Oh, no, no. It's just that Konoha's currency can't be used here directly. You have to exchange it at the Alliance's finance hall."
Seeing their reactions, Naruto quickly clarified.
"Then let's go exchange it!"
"But it's far from here. Grandpa gave me some allowance, so I'll treat you."
Naruto pulled out his ID card.
Not only did he have an Alliance City resident ID card, but his name was also listed in Zephyr's family registry as his grandson.
"Is it enough?"
Choji looked at Naruto with hope.
"Should be."
Naruto nodded, though not entirely sure. At his age, he had no real concept of money, but he had never run out of money before when he wanted something.
Hearing Naruto's assurance, the kids didn't hesitate any longer.
They went from one end of the food street to the other, with Choji trying everything. The others were full after just a few samples.
By the time they left the food street, Naruto's ID card had only 3 copper coins left, equivalent to 3 Berries. But Naruto put on a brave face, pretending he didn't mind at all.
"Wow, I'm so satisfied. Who knew there were so many delicious things in the world?"
Choji patted his round belly and then Naruto's shoulder. "Naruto, you have to bring your grandpa to our barbecue place next time. I'll treat you."
"We're doomed."
Shikamaru suddenly interjected.
"What's wrong?"
Kiba asked, curious.
"We overate. Now we won't be able to eat dinner, and my mom will kill me."
"Oh no, me too."
"Why did you have to tell me that now?"
The kids suddenly grew despondent.
Their moms were all strict, no-nonsense women who wouldn't hesitate to punish them for not eating dinner.
"It's okay; we'll go play in the park for a while. There are lots of wild Pokémon there. Once we're tired, we'll be hungry again."
Naruto tried to reassure everyone.
With no other options, the kids reluctantly agreed.
As soon as they reached the park, Kiba and Akamaru disappeared.
"That guy, why does he always have to chase after other people's dogs?"
Shikamaru sighed, rubbing his forehead as he pointed to where Kiba was chasing a Pokémon in the distance.
"That's a Rockruff."
Naruto recognized the Pokémon immediately.
Over the past few nights, Zephyr had been teaching him about Pokémon, and he was starting to recognize quite a few of them.
"Hey, doesn't that Pokémon over there look like Shikamaru?"
Ino pointed to a Pokémon lounging on the grass.
"That's a Slakoth."
Naruto identified it instantly.
"Hey, that's rude! But, uh... it does look a bit like my dad."
Shikamaru glanced at the Slakoth, admitting it did bear some resemblance to his father.
"Wait, did anyone notice that Hinata's gone?"
Shino suddenly appeared, reminding everyone of the obvious.
"What?!"
(End of Chapter)