"Naruto, that girl seems to like you, doesn't she?" Karin suddenly asked after they had left Konoha for a while.
"Hmm, maybe." Naruto replied calmly.
"Then… do you like her?" Karin stared at the side of Naruto's face, her hands clenched tightly, her heart racing like crazy!
Naruto didn't answer her question. Instead, he asked, "Do you want me to like her or not?"
"I…"
Karin didn't know how to answer.
If she said yes, it felt fake.
If she said no, it would make her seem petty.
"To be honest, I do like her."
Naruto suddenly answered, which made Karin feel disappointed.
Then Naruto added, "Do you know what I like about her?"
"What?" Karin asked without thinking.
"She listens and understands."
Naruto stopped walking, turned around, and stood in front of Karin. He gently placed his hand on her face and smiled, "Just like you now."
Their eyes met. Karin felt her mind go blank, her face burning, and her heart pounding wildly!
Oh no… this is that feeling!
"Alright, let's keep moving. The ship is already waiting at the port. If we're too late, we'll have to walk on ice all the way to the Land of Snow."
"Y-Yes!"
Seeing Karin so excited and full of energy, Naruto gave a slight smile, withdrew his hand, and turned to continue toward the port.
He had recently seen how Orochimaru won people over. Since Karin was now one of his subordinates, he decided to try that method.
And honestly…
It worked pretty well!
But Orochimaru could use this trick on both men and women, while Naruto felt it only worked on girls for now.
The two of them kept going and soon reached the port.
Just as they were about to board the ship, they heard the sound of wooden clogs behind them!
"Wait for me! Wait for me!"
A very familiar voice!
Naruto turned his head and saw that it was Jiraiya!
Ever since Tsunade returned to Konoha, Jiraiya hadn't bothered him much about training and had gone off to do who knows what.
He didn't expect to suddenly run into him here.
"What are you doing here?" Naruto asked in confusion.
"I heard from Tsunade that you were going to stay in the Land of Snow for two years. How could you not take your teacher along for something this fun?" Jiraiya said, bent over with his hands on his knees, panting hard.
Naruto looked at Jiraiya suspiciously. "What's so good about the Land of Snow? You've traveled the world for years. Haven't you been there already?"
"Actually, no! I've never been there!"
Jiraiya thought about it seriously. "I wonder what the girls there look like. A place that cold… they must need a warm man like me to comfort their lonely hearts! Wahahaha!"
"…"
Naruto didn't believe a word he said. This guy was either sent by Tsunade to watch him, wanted to do what Kakashi did and give him some sort of bond, or just wanted to tag along for his own reasons!
Two years is enough time for a lot of things to change. Jiraiya definitely wouldn't leave someone like him—someone who might be the child of destiny—out there to grow without guidance!
Especially after losing two of his students, Nagato and Minato, he cared even more about Naruto's situation now.
Even though he hadn't shown up for the past few months, he had been quietly keeping track of Naruto's growth and progress in his own way.
"Hey! Are you getting on or not? If not, we're leaving!" a sailor shouted from the ship.
"Coming, coming!"
Jiraiya called back with a grin, then ran toward the ship in a silly way. "I'll go first, Naruto. Don't forget to pay for my ticket!"
"…"
He clearly has plenty of money, but he still likes to make others pay for him.
Naruto didn't bother arguing this time.
After all, his savings had already reached a million!
Just a boat ticket...
"One hundred thousand for one ticket?!"
Last time they went to the Land of Snow, the film crew provided the ship, so they didn't pay anything. They didn't expect tickets to be this expensive now!
"That's the price. It's hard for us to set sail even once. If we weren't trying to make a living, we could carry goods worth millions in each room."
"If you can't afford the ticket, maybe you should think about whether you've been working hard enough or not."
"..."
Looking at the mean man in front of him, Naruto asked curiously, "What's your name?"
"Me? I'm Kazuo Yamamoto! Yamamoto Kazuo! What about it?"
"Nothing, you just remind me of someone I knew."
"Someone you knew?"
Kazuo Yamamoto snorted. "Hmph, even if you try to get friendly with me, the ticket price won't drop a single coin!"
"How can you talk like that? Who's trying to get friendly with you?" Karin couldn't help but cut in.
"Am I wrong? If you have money, get on the ship. If not, get off! The ship hasn't gone far yet. You can still swim back!"
"You—!"
Karin wanted to say something more, but Naruto raised his hand to stop her.
He took out his wallet, counted out five hundred thousand ryo, and tossed it to the man. "Give us the best rooms!"
When Yamamoto Kazuo saw that much money, his eyes lit up, and his attitude changed instantly.
"Oh, sir! Please follow me! I'll arrange the best rooms for you right away!"
With money paving the way, they soon got two of the best rooms on the ship.
But honestly, even the so-called best rooms weren't anything special.
It was just an ordinary room that looked a little cleaner and tidier.
"Sir, this is the best room after the captain's. It's fifty square meters, has its own bathroom, shower, a window, and good ventilation…"
"That's enough. You can go now."
Naruto shut the door, cutting off Yamamoto Kazuo's chatter.
Outside, Yamamoto Kazuo was a little annoyed at being shut out, but for the sake of the money, he didn't argue.
One ticket cost a hundred thousand, three people meant three hundred thousand, so that meant he could pocket an extra two hundred thousand as a kickback!
Just thinking about it made him happy!
"Naruto, why did you give him so much money? That guy was so annoying!" Karin threw her backpack on the bed and asked, confused.
Naruto?
Even the way she calls me changed after getting scammed?
Naruto didn't care about what Karin called him and said calmly, "My five hundred thousand isn't so easy to take."
...
Fifteen days later,
The ship reached the Land of Snow. Naruto got off with a wallet stuffed with hundreds of thousands of ryo, while a certain man in charge of supplies was tearing his room apart.
"Where's my wallet?!"
"Where's my wallet!!"
His face twisted, his body shook, and he rolled around the floor in despair...
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