Naruto: Naruto's Uchiha girlfriend is too arrogant

Chapter 61 Malice and Goodwill

Naruto was facing the counter, clutching something in his hand, seemingly about to pay. Hearing the call, he jerked around, a flicker of panic in his eyes.

"Iruka-sensei?!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Iruka noticed something was wrong—Naruto quickly hid what he was holding behind his back, his hands clenched tightly behind his waist, his secretive manner completely unlike his usual mature personality.

"Hmm? What's wrong, Naruto?" Iruka deliberately slowed his pace as he approached, his gaze falling on Naruto's tense arms. "Why are you keeping your hands behind your back? What good stuff are you carrying?"

Naruto's eyes flickered, and he took half a step to the side, his voice becoming muffled. "...This? It's nothing! Just some...things that aren't worth talking about!"

"Your tone doesn't sound like 'I have nothing to say.'" Iruka couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth into a smile, deliberately putting on a stern face. "What are you hiding?"

"Seriously!" Naruto took a small step back, muttering defiantly, "This isn't school, Iruka-sensei can't interfere here, can he?"

"Huh? What nonsense are you spouting?" Iruka took two steps forward, his tone carrying a hint of teacherly authority. "As your teacher, I don't..."

"cough!"

A deliberate cough suddenly rang out, and Iruka turned his head in the direction of the sound... What he saw made his heart sink.

The stationery store owner stood behind the counter, his eyes brimming with undisguised malice, piercing straight at Naruto.

"No chatting here, get out of here." The boss's voice was cold and harsh, every word filled with disgust.

Iruka's fingers tightened unconsciously. Was this the villagers' attitude towards Naruto that he had heard so much about? The rejection he had only heard about in the shadows was now laid bare before his eyes.

He couldn't help but turn to look at Naruto, only to see that the boy's face didn't show any obvious expression. He just silently walked towards the cashier and placed the things he had hidden behind his back on the counter.

"Uncle, how much are these two?"

Iruka leaned closer to see clearly—it was just a notebook with a gold-embossed cover and a piece of dusty clay. It was a common material used by novice ninjas when practicing Earth Release; it could be stored inside the body to assist in using Earth Release techniques, and it was an ordinary thing.

The boss pursed his lips and didn't say anything.

"Uncle?" Naruto called out softly again.

"Whatever! Get out of here!" The boss finally snapped, his voice urgent and forceful.

"...I understand." Naruto replied, took out some coins from his pocket, counted them according to the approximate market price, gently placed them on the table, then picked up his notebook and clay, turned and walked towards the door.

Just as he was about to step out the door, the boss's low but clear voice came from behind him. "...A monster."

Naruto paused noticeably. Iruka's heart tightened, but the boy only hesitated for half a second, said nothing, and didn't turn around. He simply opened the door and walked out silently.

The door slammed shut, and the shop owner's grumbling voice immediately filled the room. "What bad luck! Why did anyone want to buy anything from me? Who knows what he'll do in a minute."

As he spoke, he strode to the door, grabbed the salt shaker by the door, and threw a handful of salt onto the ground.

(This kind of plot doesn't happen again, and he'll get his revenge by taking the stand of a Konoha hero who refuses to accept kindness or apologies.)

As Iruka watched the shopkeeper sprinkle salt, he felt a tightness in his chest, a suffocating sensation. So… this was the situation Naruto faced every day?

The rejection that had been lurking in the corners had now transformed into such blatant malice that just looking at it made him feel suffocated.

He lost all interest in choosing any ninja tools for practice and rushed out of the stationery store, his eyes scanning the street anxiously—not far away, Naruto was walking slowly forward, his steps steady, showing no sign of anything amiss.

"Hey! Naruto! Wait a minute!" Iruka called out in that direction, quickening his pace.

Naruto turned around at the sound, stopped and waited for him to approach.

Iruka ran up to him, looked into Naruto's clear eyes, and remained silent for a few seconds before speaking, trying to make his tone sound as relaxed as possible.

"So... all you bought were notebooks and clay? Honestly, it's not like you're hiding anything. Why were you hiding it from the teacher?"

Naruto laughed upon hearing this. "Iruka-sensei, this isn't your ordinary notebook and Nendoroid... It may look unremarkable now, but it will soon become something special."

"I see..." Iruka nodded thoughtfully, pointing to a spot not far away. "That's perfect, it's almost noon, how about we go get a bowl of ramen? It'll be on you, teacher."

"Huh? Really?"

"Of course, teacher, I can easily afford to treat you to a bowl of ramen." Iruka smiled and patted him on the shoulder.

Seeing the concerned smile on Iruka's face, Naruto understood that Iruka was deliberately trying to comfort him.

To be honest, what happened in the shop just now was nothing at all. Ever since he could remember, he had been used to those kinds of looks and words. Just like eating and cultivating every day, it had long become an insignificant part of his life. He wasn't hurt, and he certainly wouldn't take it to heart.

But at this moment, Iruka specially invited him to eat ramen, his tone gentle and his eyes showing no perfunctoriness. That genuine concern, with its warm touch, gently enveloped Naruto's heart.

He couldn't help but smile broadly, following Iruka's light steps towards Ichiraku Ramen. "Okay, Iruka-sensei, Ichiraku-san's miso ramen, I want double the chashu!"

"You bastard."

Iruka was amused by his energetic appearance and shook his head helplessly. "Alright, alright, then double the char siu. After all, I'm your teacher."

(Challenge to update four times today)