Chapter 3: Destiny Encounter

"Stinky brat, lazy thief!" Tsukigami kicked Naruto's chair over and grabbed Naruto, who had fallen to the ground, with anger.

"Ouch, I wasn't lazy!"

"Sitting still is still being lazy, isn't it?"

"But there's nothing to do."

"Did you finish delivering the goods I asked you to?"

"Yes."

"Not bad, brat. So what were you doing just now?" Tsukigami was amazed by Naruto's efficiency and asked after putting him back on the ground.

"Extracting chakra."

"Oh? You want to be a ninja?"

"Of course, I want to become a Hokage who surpasses all the previous generations of Hokage!"

"Boring. First, go and deliver the goods for me." Tsukigami was deeply moved and pointed to the pile of goods behind him, then threw a map at Naruto.

"So many? And I have to deliver them so far?" Naruto took the map and glanced at it.

His grocery street was on the east side of Konoha, while the destination was on the far west.

"If you can't finish it in one go, make ten trips. Until you repay my debt, I won't hesitate to exploit your labor!"

"Okay, boss." Naruto shrugged and started carrying two boxes of goods. In terms of strength alone, he was several times stronger than the other brats his age.

"Stinky brat, off to deliver goods again?" The people on the grocery street saw Naruto but didn't insult him or throw dirty things at him anymore. Although the tone was still not very friendly, it was much better than before.

"Yeah." "My range hood at home is broken. Help me take a look later."

"Okay."

...

"What a big yard!" Naruto exclaimed, looking amazed at the destination. The length of just the surrounding walls exceeded that of the entire grocery street, and the enormous mansion was a level of luxury he had never seen before.

"Who are you?" Two gatekeepers holding swords blocked Naruto and loudly questioned him.

"I'm here to deliver goods."

"Come in." The two gatekeepers checked the goods and let Naruto in.

They hadn't fallen so low as to make trouble for a delivery boy, especially since they were confident that no one dared to cause trouble in the Uchiha Compound, the most powerful clan in Konoha.

"The most luxurious one... How am I supposed to find it?" Naruto was puzzled, facing the challenge of distinguishing the impressive houses. Tsukigami hadn't provided clear instructions.

"Hey, where's the most luxurious house here?" A child appeared in Naruto's field of vision. He had black hair, black eyes, and was dressed in a blue short-sleeved shirt and white shorts. He was practicing throwing shuriken, and the targets on the wall were filled with dents, but the bullseye was never hit.

"Hmph."

An impolite guy, Naruto's first impression of Uchiha Sasuke. From that moment on, Sasuke didn't want to pay any attention to Naruto.

"Hey, why don't you say anything?" Naruto asked

"Are you disabled?" Naruto innocently asked

"How pitiful. Here, have this orange." Naruto pitied him.

"I'm not mute, and I'm not pitiful! You, get lost!" Veins appeared on Sasuke's arm as he clenched his fist, and Sasuke's initial annoyance turned into irritation. He threw a shuriken at Naruto's body. "Oh no..."

As soon as the shuriken was thrown, Sasuke regretted it. Even if he was dealing with a rude guy, he would get seriously injured, and that was something he didn't want to see.

"Hey, whoosh." Before the shuriken could pierce his chest, Naruto casually grabbed the handle and threw it back at the target, hitting the bullseye accurately.

"How did you do that?!" Sasuke was extremely surprised. He had only seen that kind of skill in his brother before. He didn't expect a kid who looked even younger than him to be able to do it too.

"Compared to slow-moving things like that, stones are much easier. If you get hit by all sorts of strange things every day, you'll learn too."

"Come with me. You're the one looking for a house, right?"

"Oh, oh, it's great that you're willing to show me the way." Following Sasuke's footsteps, they arrived at a separate courtyard. It was a luxurious traditional building with a pond in the yard, filled with koi fish that Naruto had never seen before.

"Just leave it here."

"What an amazing house. I really want to meet the owner."

"I am the owner. This is my house."

"Hmm, doesn't look like it. It should be your dad's house." Naruto clarified.

"You're so annoying! And who are you? Some random person who doesn't even know the Uchiha clan, trespassing here!"

"I'm a delivery person."

"I know you're a delivery person. I'm asking for your name!"

"I, no, I am Uzumaki Naruto, who will one day become the Hokage, believe it!" Naruto pointed at his chest with his thumb, full of confidence.

"You said Hokage, huh? I hate Hokage the most! Get out!" "Why? The Grandpa Hokage also took your magazine?"

"If it weren't for the Hokage, how could we be driven to this corner of Konoha, this corner with nothing in it!"

"Sasuke, what's wrong?" Hearing the voice from outside, a young boy walked out of the house. He had long braided hair and a gentle countenance, which made Naruto mistakenly think he was a sister until he heard the voice and realized it was his brother.

"It's nothing." Sasuke pouted. He didn't want to be in a bad mood in front of Itachi.

"Hello, I'm here to deliver goods."

"Ah, it's the oranges I ordered. Thank you for your hard work."

"Hehe, Sasuke, I will definitely become the Hokage. We'll see each other again soon." With a sunny and bright smile, coupled with his blonde hair, Naruto gave the impression of a little sun. While the Uchiha brothers were still stunned, Naruto waved and walked out of Sasuke's house.

"A friend?" Itachi tilted his head.

"No, there's no way I can be friends with this weird guy!"

"Don't be angry. I'll peel oranges for you to eat."

"Really? Promise!" A smile bloomed on Sasuke's face. His mood, disturbed by the idiot, was instantly restored as he walked into the house, holding Itachi's arm. Half an hour later, "Yo, Sasuke, I'm here again." The golden-haired idiot, carrying goods, once again entered Sasuke's field of vision. "Is this what you meant by 'we'll see each other soon!!'"

...

"Little brat, this is your wage." Tsukigami handed Naruto an envelope containing a small amount of money.

"Huh? I get paid?"

"Although you haven't paid off your debt, I'm satisfied with your work efficiency, so now you can do more things for me."

"That's great! I can go eat at Ichiraku Ramen now. Thank you, boss!" Ichiraku Ramen, Naruto's favorite place, not only for its taste but also for the owner and his daughter's attitude towards him. When everyone else disliked him, the owner of Ichiraku beckoned him in and even gave him a bowl of hot and free ramen.

"After you finish your job, get out quickly." Tsukigami seemed dissatisfied with Naruto's attitude and pushed him out of the shop before closing the door, leaving him wondering where he went.

"Yawn, I'm full now. Ichiraku Ramen is the best." Naruto, satisfied after eating and drinking, collapsed on his own bed. Tsukigami didn't pay him much, but it was enough for a few bowls of ramen, which made him very happy. Finally, he didn't have to drool over the ramen shop anymore.

"Tic-toc, tic-toc." The familiar sound of water brought Naruto back to consciousness, realizing that he was back in the sewer again.

"Kurama, Dad, listen to me. Today, I got paid and went to eat ramen!" Naruto enthusiastically shared everything that happened today, completely unaware of the expression on Minato's face.

"Hmm? Does money make you this happy?"

"Of course! With money, I can eat ramen, buy candy, and buy lots of things. But I'm still too young, and I still owe the boss a lot of money."

"In other words, you want more money?"

"Yeah, yeah! With money, I'll build a huge house for you. When I grow up and become a ninja, I'll do lots of missions." Naruto gestured with his hands, and Kurama's mouth twitched slightly. In the end, he didn't interrupt him and spoke after Naruto finished, "Why bother with all that? Just marry into a prestigious clan."

Kurama blinked his eyes, furrowed his eyebrows a few times. It was strange to see a fox making such rich expressions, but it did come up with some good ideas. "Marry into a clan?"

"Hey, Kurama!" Minato realized that Kurama was trying to trick Naruto. He was about to intervene but was securely tied up by Kurama's tail, leaving only a glimpse of his golden hair. "Relying on other people's chakra parasites to survive, shut up."

"Listen, brat. Marrying into a clan means finding someone to take care of you. You don't have to do anything except contribute to their family's reproduction and change your last name along the way." Kurama, having lived for a long time and seen many things, knew quite a bit about human customs. A malicious smile appeared on his face as he skillfully manipulated Naruto, drawing the characters 'marry into a clan' with chakra on the ground.

"Will they treat me to ramen?" Naruto asked blankly. He had no idea how such a good thing could exist in the world, but since Kurama said so, he was willing to believe it.

"Of course."

"Great! I'll go find someone to marry tomorrow!"

"What are you planning, Kurama!" After Naruto left, Minato finally managed to free himself and looked at Kurama disapprovingly.

"At this stage, isn't that the best solution? No need to work hard, someone takes care of you, and you don't have to worry about getting beaten up." Kurama, delighted, confirmed that Naruto was as pure as he thought. He had no doubts about his words.

"Well, that may be true, but men who marry into a clan are usually bullied by their wives, working from dawn till dusk. Even if they have children, they don't have custody... In short, life is full of darkness."

"You've read too many novels." Kurama glanced at Minato, who was clutching his head and lost in his imagination and closed his eyes with satisfaction. If I'm being tricked, then I'll trick your son. Mutual deception is the way of the ninja world.