Kushina then directed Naruto to tidy up some of the things left lying around the house.
["Since you don't have school today, what do you usually do?"], Kushina asked.
Naruto unhappily sat down on the bench, 'I don't have friends, usually I go catch fish, or play by myself.'
Although Naruto knew Shikamaru and the others, he didn't always run into them.
Most of the time, Naruto still got bullied easily.
["You've competed with Sasuke so many times and lost every time. Now that you can eat your fill, you should go out and train a bit."]
["You even lost in the high jump last time, don't you want to win next time?"]
Kushina also started guiding Naruto from the angle of Sasuke.
Naruto still cared about Sasuke.
Just two sentences from Kushina fired Naruto up with fighting spirit.
'Uzumaki, you're right. I should train and win next time.'
As he spoke, Naruto packed up and headed out.
The Anbu keeping watch outside his home immediately followed.
'This kid usually doesn't leave home when not in school, what's he planning today?'
Then several Anbu saw Naruto arrive at the creek.
There he ran laps and jumped back and forth.
No one could predict the wild ideas of a child this age.
The Anbu, seeing that Naruto wasn't causing trouble, also sighed in relief.
After all, the previous day Naruto nearly beat someone to death.
Though those people nearby had been severely warned, it was best if Naruto just didn't approach them.
Kushina wasn't overly strict in demanding things from Naruto.
Letting him run and jump on his own was enough.
As long as Naruto formed the habit, it would be good.
Naruto was messing around by himself there, but he wasn't impatient at all.
Because there was a voice that could talk to him in his mind.
Naruto kept asking questions, like what his mom looked like, what his dad looked like.
And why they never came to see him and such.
Naruto didn't even know if his parents were still alive.
He asked many questions.
But Kushina basically didn't answer him.
Hearing these questions actually hurt Kushina a lot. Once again she questioned whether sealing the Nine-Tails into Naruto was the right decision by Minato.
If Naruto hadn't been made the Nine-Tails' jinchuriki, he would've suffered far less.
Kushina also felt deeply guilty.
Naruto messed around for a while, and it was already noon.
Grrr~
Accompanied by Naruto's stomach growling, his energy instantly dropped.
["Which store did you use to buy bentos from?",] Kushina suddenly asked Naruto.
Naruto stammered a bit, 'I'd rather not eat bento anymore. The money Grandpa Third gave me can get more Ichiraku ramen.'
Kushina knew why Naruto stammered. That shop that sold him bentos, although sometimes they sold bento to Naruto at discounted prices, they would mix sand or other garbage into the food.
Naruto naturally didn't want to buy bento.
Kushina had a vivid memory of Naruto eating sand-filled bentos.
Now she had to help Naruto overcome this difficulty.
["I said go, so go. Do you want to starve forever?"]
'I... I don't want to starve anymore.'
Every time Naruto thought about those days of hunger and cold, he felt miserable.
So he decided to listen to Uzumaki and headed toward the bento shop.
Naruto was very cautious along the way, afraid someone would bully him again.
Along the way, although everyone still avoided him like the plague, no one cursed at him, those troublemaking kids even avoided Naruto when they saw him.
Naruto couldn't figure it out, but as long as no one bullied him, that was good.
All the way to the bento shop, Naruto was safe and sound.
But the shopkeeper's face looked very unpleasant when he saw Naruto.
Naruto shrank his neck, but the boss didn't drive him away.
He came over to the bento shelf, looking for the cheapest one.
Kushina instructed, ["Just take the one beside your hand."]
Naruto looked at the price, 1000. That bento was one of the more expensive ones.
'But I only have a thousand. If I buy this, I'll have nothing left to eat later.'
["Trust me. From now on, you'll never starve again."]
'Really?', Naruto was half-convinced.
Kushina snorted, ["If you behave, I'll tell you what your mom looks like."]
Naruto's eyes lit up upon hearing that, and he immediately grabbed the 1000 yen boxed meal.
Even if he starves later, that's later's problem.
Knowing what his mom looks like is the most important thing.
"Boss, checkout!", Naruto placed the bento on the counter and slapped down the 1000 yen Grandpa Third had given him.
The boss looked at Naruto in surprise, he knew Naruto was very poor.
He picked up the 1000-yen bill and examined it. He wanted to say it was fake.
But remembering the Anbu's warning yesterday, he silently accepted the money.
The boss looked at Naruto with vicious eyes and shouted, "1000 yen it is."
Then skillfully, from the green plant beside the counter, he secretly grabbed some sand and stuffed it into the bento box.
Naruto felt relieved when he saw the boss accept the money.
But the moment he got the bento, a bad feeling arose.
Because there was sand on the bag of the bento box.
Kushina sneered, ["Take out the bento and open it."]
Naruto still had some temper, he immediately took out the bento box, "Boss, you added sand to the bento again!"
The boss's expression changed slightly, but he looked around, everyone nearby stayed far from Naruto.
So he fiercely said, "What nonsense are you talking? I think you put that in yourself!"
"You're lying!", Naruto was furious and anxious.
"That's how it was! Are you trying not to pay?", The boss started to shamelessly argue.
"I already paid!"
Kushina said in Naruto's mind, ["Stop talking. Do as I say. That way you can punish him, and never go hungry again."]
Naruto, already anxious, now had guidance, 'Uzumaki, what should I do?'
["Slam the bento on the ground."]
Naruto hesitated for a moment, then did it immediately.
Smack!
Naruto slammed the bento onto the ground.
The boss was stunned, "What the hell are you doing!?"
Kushina continued directing, ["Smash all the bentos on the shelf too."]
'Huh?'
["What huh? If you want to know what your mom looks like, do as I say."]
'You better not be lying.'
After getting a firm answer, Naruto ran to the shelf, grabbed a bento box, and smashed it to the ground.
"Ah! You little brat, what are you doing?", The boss jumped out from behind the counter in a rage and lunged at Naruto.
Naruto ducked in panic, his foot extended instinctively.
He immediately tripped the boss, who faceplanted on the floor and knocked over his own shelf.
A ton of bentos and snacks fell to the ground.
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