Poor Naruto

Is 400,000 expensive?

In terms of the value of Vulpix, this price is definitely a steal.

That is, now in order to promote the store, Fuji is able to sell Pokémon at such a cheap price with a discount.

However, for Naruto, who lost his parents at a young age and relied on the Third Hokage's "help," this is probably a sky-high price.

Think about Naruto's life—eating instant noodles at home every day, occasionally getting a meal at Ichiraku Ramen, and often drinking expired milk...

Naruto, living this kind of life, would find it really difficult to come up with 400,000.

In fact, Naruto shouldn't have been living like this. His father was the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, and his mother was Kushina Uzumaki, the last known member of the Uzumaki clan.

Although they died during the Nine-Tails attack, they would have left an inheritance for Naruto to use.

The fact that Naruto lives in such hardship is most likely because of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Fuji didn't need to look into it carefully—he had a rough idea that Hiruzen was controlling Naruto's inheritance, only giving Naruto enough money to barely get by each month.

"Naruto, if you can't afford the 400,000 I can—"

Fuji sighed, ready to reduce the price for Naruto.

But before Fuji could finish, Naruto spoke up.

"400,000? It's a bit expensive, but it's manageable."

With that, Naruto took out his iconic frog wallet and pulled out a large stack of bills.

"Naruto? Where did you get this money?"

Fuji asked, his eyes wide with surprise.

"Some of this money was given to me by the Third Hokage, and the rest I've been saving each month."

Naruto explained, his face showing some admiration for Hiruzen.

"The Third Hokage told me to endure for now, and since I'll be a genin soon, he gave me extra money to buy ninja tools."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's image as a kind and loving Hokage was something Naruto admired.

Even though Hiruzen withheld much of Naruto's rightful inheritance from the Fourth Hokage, he played the role of a benevolent leader, giving Naruto just enough to survive.

"I also save money little by little," Naruto added, though his voice dropped as if he were a little sad.

Fuji understood the situation.

Naruto's monthly pension wasn't actually small—in fact, it was likely larger than Fuji had imagined.

After all, Minato Namikaze had left a significant inheritance, and even though Hiruzen kept much of it for himself, the money given to Naruto would still be substantial.

But the reason Naruto was still living in such poverty had to do with the people of Konoha.

With Hiruzen turning a blind eye, Danzo Shimura spread the rumor that Naruto was the fox demon who had caused the Nine-Tails attack.

The ignorant villagers of Konoha believed these rumors and targeted Naruto by selling him expired milk, discarded goods, and faulty ninja tools—all at inflated prices.

Often, it wasn't that Naruto didn't want to buy better things—it was that the villagers refused to sell them to him.

When thinking of this, Fuji started to piece things together.

Naruto, despite all this mistreatment, still wanted to protect Konoha and become Hokage, hoping to earn the approval of the villagers.

Asura's chakra likely played a part in keeping Naruto's spirit intact through all this. Without it, Fuji doubted that Naruto could have remained so pure-hearted.

"I see," Fuji said, taking a deep breath as he collected the money. He helped Naruto pack his things.

"Alright, Vulpix is now yours," Fuji said, handing Naruto the pokéball.

"This is your first purchase, so I'm giving you two boxes of fire-type energy cubes. Fire Pokémon like Vulpix enjoy them."

"Of course, Vulpix can also eat regular food with you," Fuji continued. "But if you want Vulpix to grow stronger, fire-type energy cubes are necessary."

Fuji placed the two boxes into a bag and handed them to Naruto.

"Energy cubes? I've never heard of those before. But thanks, Brother Fuji, for giving me something extra," Naruto said, scratching his head sheepishly.

"Oh, and I wonder if you want to equip yourself with an Pokédex?" Fuji asked, taking out an electronic device from the counter.

"Pokédex? Isn't that what I used earlier to pick out Vulpix?" Naruto asked, blinking in confusion.

"Yes, that's the Pokédex," Fuji confirmed. "But selecting Pokémon is just one of its functions."

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