Naruto: I get stronger by drawing lots

"Wow, the fox demon is going to eat people!"

Upon seeing Naruto's obvious change and imposing aura, the group of children in front of him tumbled and crawled away, crying.

In that instant, Naruto recovered, and the beastly eyes disappeared, replaced by Naruto's original eyes.

"Hu-hu-"

Naruto took deep breaths, clenched his fists, and held back the tears welling up in his eyes.

Without saying anything, Naruto wiped the blood off his head, cleaned it off, and quietly walked away.

Loneliness, an endless sense of loneliness, kept surging up, a feeling of being gripped by the neck by the world and not being able to breathe.

The feeling was like suffocating, but just when you were about to die, you would always breathe a sigh of relief and come back to life, half-dead and half-alive.

Naruto didn't go home. The sun is still high in the sky; it's not time for him to go home yet.

Besides, does he even have a family anymore?

The house where the landlord and nanny treated him rudely was a house where he lived alone.

Is that really home?

Naruto silently walked to a small forest on the outskirts of the city, following the river all the way.

As Naruto walked alone, his gaze was drawn to someone.

A boy, about the same age as him, looked to be around seven years old, and Naruto himself was also about seven years old.

He had a head of shiny black hair, and he sat on the riverbed, all alone, looking so lonely, just like...

Just like Naruto himself.

Naruto's gaze was drawn to it, and the other person seemed to notice as well, their eyes meeting.

In an instant, just an instant, both of them immediately looked away.

The two lonely children did not stop, continuing their solitude.

Chapter 373: The Warm Little Card

"About seven years ago, a demon fox attacked Konoha. It was as if it fell from the sky and suddenly appeared in Konoha, and then began to destroy Konoha."

"At that time, Konoha was devastated, and countless lives were lost in that moment. The Nine-Tails had nine tails, and with one swing, countless people would die. It was at this moment that the Konoha ninjas stepped forward to fight against the Nine-Tails."

"Although the effect was not obvious, our hero—the Fourth Hokage—stepped up."

"The demon fox opened its mouth wide and gathered chakra, intending to destroy Konoha in one fell swoop. Just when it was about to succeed, the Fourth Hokage stepped forward, standing at the forefront of everyone, and single-handedly saved Konoha."

"The Fourth Hokage fought the Reaper Fox, but the Reaper Fox's strength was beyond expectations. In the end, the Fourth Hokage defeated the Reaper Fox at the cost of his life and saved Konoha."

Naruto stayed at home alone, reading the story in the book. This was his favorite story, about the Fourth Hokage who saved the entire Hidden Leaf Village at the cost of his life.

"Naruto—"

Naruto closed the book, hugged it, and talked to himself. There was a glimmer in his eyes, though it was only a little.

The Hokage is the most respected person in the village and also the strongest ninja.

Right behind the Hokage Building is the Hokage Rock. From there, you can take in the entire Hidden Leaf Village.

Naruto is like a seed planted in the hearts of children.

"I want to become Hokage!"

Naruto's voice wasn't strong; in fact, it sounded quite weak, but it was unusually resilient.

This was the first time Naruto had found his future and his goal.

dong dong——

The knocking on the door made Naruto's expression change instantly, and he quietly walked to the door.

"Who?"

Naruto asked a question, and a voice responded from outside the door.

"It's me, Naruto."

Naruto breathed a sigh of relief. He recognized the voice; it was one of the few people who didn't dislike him.

As soon as Naruto opened the door, he saw the person he had been looking for.

The person in front of him was the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had taken over the great responsibility and once again assumed the position of Hokage.

He was dressed casually and gave Naruto a kind smile.

In Naruto's eyes, the Third Hokage was one of the few people who didn't hate him and treated him like an ordinary person.

"How are you doing, Naruto?"

The Third Hokage spoke up, killing the topic immediately, and Naruto fell silent.

The third generation also realized what was happening, and their expression changed.

"It's the same as usual, what's wrong, Grandpa Three Generations?"

Naruto's face showed sadness as he gently brushed aside these difficult days.

"Uh—of course I have something to ask you."

A look of guilt flashed in the Third Hokage's eyes. The Nine-Tails' rampage was not the same as what was being promoted now; he knew the inside story.

"Do you want to go to school? To learn how to become a ninja?"

Naruto's eyes lit up instantly, sparkling, as if he had become energetic.

The next moment, Naruto's voice proved this point.

With a slight tremor, Naruto suppressed his excitement:

"Can I do it too? I can go to school to study."

Naruto was somewhat incredulous, because the treatment he had endured for so long made him afraid to think about it further.

"Of course, everyone can do it, and you certainly can too."

The Third Hokage patted Naruto's head and smiled.

"Then go ahead. School starts in a few days, and I'll arrange for someone to pick you up."

Naruto bit his lip and nodded with a sullen face.

"By the way, it's been a long time since I've had ramen. Want to go together? It's Ichiraku Ramen."

Naruto looked at the Third Hokage, his nose tingled, and he gave a bright smile.

"go with!"

The Third Hokage increased the pressure of his rubbing, making Naruto's red hair completely messy.

"Let's go then, I'm starving, I haven't eaten yet."

The Third Hokage immediately grabbed Naruto and prepared to go to Ichiraku Ramen.

Ichiraku Ramen's location wasn't great, so it wasn't very popular. The Third Hokage even took a detour along the way because he knew how Naruto was being treated, but there was nothing he could do. He considered himself weak, and it was precisely because of this that the two children of a hero had ended up in such a state.

The three generations knew their sins were grave and that they could no longer atone for them.

After walking for a while, I finally arrived at Ichiraku Ramen. I lifted the curtain, and there was no one inside at the moment, which was quite a coincidence.

Welcome!

"It's the Third Hokage and Naruto! The noodles are especially good today, you must try them."

"Order, it's on me."

Naruto, seeing the Third Hokage's words, burst into laughter.

"I want a large portion of miso char siu ramen, Uncle Ichiraku."

"Alright! Where is the Third Master?"

"The old way is fine."

The third generation waved his hand in acknowledgment.

"Okay, have a seat for a bit, it'll be done soon."

"I'm so lucky, there's no one here, I won't have to wait too long."

The Third Hokage and Naruto sat down and continued their casual conversation.

"Grandpa, do you often eat here?"

Naruto looked at the Third Hokage, because the Third Hokage had just acted as if he and Ichiraku were very familiar with each other.

The Third Hokage looked at Naruto's curious expression and showed a hint of nostalgia.

"Oh, this has been going on for decades. I've been a regular customer here for a long time."

The third generation slowly recounted the events, and the scene in their eyes seemed to have returned to decades ago.

"Has it been that long? Uncle Ichiraku must have been just a kid back then."

Naruto was startled, and the Third Hokage burst into laughter.

"Hahaha, of course. Back then, Ichiro was just like you, only this short. Now he's a middle-aged man."

As the third generation spoke, they even gestured with their hands to vividly illustrate the height.

"Really? Uncle Ichiraku is so small."

Naruto laughed. It was a rare genuine smile from him, a natural smile, not a forced one.

It was this smile that stunned the third generation for a moment.

Naruto should have grown up happily like an ordinary child.

"Third Hokage, I wasn't this small back then. I was much taller than Naruto."

At that moment, Ichiraku came out of the kitchen carrying two steaming bowls of ramen. The steam rose up and the aroma filled the air, making everyone feel warm.

"Haha, I don't quite remember."

"After all, that was decades ago, and my dad was young back then."

Yi Le also sighed.