Naruto: Naruto Hosted by the System

Chapter 153 Masks, Lottery, Candy, Ema (votive plaques)

The scene of the fireworks display.

Naruto and Karin walked to the entrance, where they were greeted by a dazzling array of colors.

As expected of a fireworks display, it was incredibly lively, with stalls and tourists everywhere.

Wow! There are so many beautiful things here!

Karin's eyes were practically sparkling with excitement as she was overwhelmed by all the novel things around her.

Naruto was a bit better off; he had watched fireworks displays from afar a few times during his childhood, so his expression was calmer.

Soon, Karin discovered something that greatly interested her and excitedly headed towards it.

"Naruto, come quick, come quick! There's something interesting over here!"

"coming!"

Naruto wanted to catch up with Karin, who had already run far away, but he couldn't keep up for a while because there were too many people in front of him.

You can't possibly use chakra in a situation like this, can you?

Fortunately, Naruto didn't need to worry about this problem, because the next moment, Karin, who realized he hadn't kept up, ran back, grabbed his hand tightly, and jogged forward with him.

"Naruto, look, this mask is so beautiful!"

Karin held Naruto's hand with one hand and pointed to the fox mask on the stall with the other.

"You two have excellent taste! My masks are not only beautiful, but they're also only sold to... the Hokage?!"

Upon noticing that the customer standing in front of his stall was Naruto, the originally enthusiastic stall owner suddenly became a little flustered.

"Lord Hokage, welcome! Your presence truly honors my humble stall!"

Naruto shook his head: "Today is a fireworks display, just treat me like a regular guest. Give me two fox masks."

As he spoke, Naruto pulled out his frog wallet.

"No, no, no, how could I possibly accept your money!"

The stall owner, however, refused Naruto with a look of panic. How could he possibly accept the Hokage's money, especially since Naruto had recently single-handedly stopped the war outside Konoha's gates, and even today's fireworks display had a celebratory feel to it?

The commotion quickly attracted the attention of those around them, and Naruto suspected it was mainly due to the stall owner's address of "Lord Hokage".

"It really is the Hokage! The Hokage is at the fireworks display!"

"Do you think that the stalls that the Hokage frequents are necessarily better?"

"That makes sense!"

Seeing the crowd growing larger and larger, Naruto quickly left the money for two masks and left the stall with Karin, who had already chosen her mask.

Naruto breathed a sigh of relief after escaping to a deserted alley. He exchanged a glance with Karin, their eyes revealing a hint of helplessness.

"Becoming Hokage has really made me less free than before. I might as well just use the Transformation Jutsu to disguise myself," Naruto couldn't help but mutter.

But Karin stopped Naruto and shoved a fox mask into his hand.

"There's no need to go through all that trouble, just wear a mask."

Naruto took the mask and, following Karin's instructions, put it on, thinking: "A fox face wearing a fox mask... it feels a little strange..."

"Hey, this suits you perfectly!"

Karin wears her mask at an angle on her head, which looks playful and cute.

"Shall we just leave like this, or does Naruto want to do something in this deserted alley..."

"What are you saying?"

Naruto patted Karin's head lightly and walked out of the alley first.

Karin followed closely behind him, walking alongside him.

After putting on the mask, she indeed became less noticeable. After all, Karin wasn't very famous in Konoha, and no member of the Hyuga clan would be idle enough to open her Byakugan at a time like this.

As the two strolled through the fireworks display, few would guess that the man was a Hokage; they looked no different from the other ordinary couples around them.

"Naruto, there looks like something fun up ahead!"

Karin naturally took Naruto's hand and led him toward a stall.

This stall was fairly lively, but it was mostly frequented by girls.

Upon getting closer, Naruto finally understood why.

"Would you two like to draw a fortune stick? It's free, and you can find out whatever aspect of your future you'll be interested in!"

The stall owner had just finished serving the couple in front of him and looked at Naruto and Karin, deliberately using an unfathomable and mysterious tone to solicit their business.

The stall owner was a woman, and seemingly to create an atmosphere, she was dressed as a shrine maiden.

The stall was very simple, with only two stools, a table, and a tube for drawing lots.

Perhaps girls are just not able to resist things like "fortune telling," anyway, Karin's face was clearly full of interest.

Naruto was happy to keep her company.

Karin sat down on the stool opposite the stall owner, curiously looking around.

"Oh my, lovely lady, what would you like to have divined?"

"Is it luck, career, or love? Hehe."

Karin was infected by the atmosphere, her cheeks flushed, and she opened her mouth several times, but seemed too embarrassed to speak.

The stall owner was clearly familiar with this situation, and smiled knowingly: "It's okay if you don't say it out loud. Just make sure you know what you want to be divined about in your mind and then draw lots."

Upon hearing this, Karin felt as if she had been granted a pardon.

She clasped her hands together, closed her eyes, and seemed to be silently reciting something in her heart.

After a short while, she seemed to have decided what she wanted to divine. She picked up the divination tube, shook it slightly, and shook out a divination stick onto the table.

Karin picked up the fortune stick on the table with anticipation, and after reading the words on it, she exclaimed in surprise, "It's very auspicious!"

The stall owner's face immediately showed surprise, and he covered his mouth with his hand and said incredulously, "Oh my, young lady, you are really lucky. If it is a very auspicious sign, no matter what the interpretation is, it will definitely be positive."

Upon hearing this, Karin asked with a hint of excitement, "Then what is the result of the interpretation?"

"Free lottery, 100 taels for interpretation."

"..."

Naruto had a "I knew it" look on his face, but he still paid the money, since he wasn't short of cash anyway.

After receiving the money, the stall owner's face immediately lit up with the most genuine smile he had shown since he last saw the money.

Thank you for your patronage!

"Ahem, beautiful lady, I'm happy to tell you that the interpretation suggests you might encounter an unexpected yet perfectly reasonable surprise today. If there's anything you'd like to do, why not take advantage of this good fortune and give it a try?"

Then she recited some mysterious proverbs and verses, which didn't seem to be related to this interpretation.

However, Karin was quite pleased, her smile stretching almost to her ears.

After drawing lots, Naruto and Karin left the booth, leaving their spot for the next eager couple.

"Speaking of which, Karin, what question did you ask for a divination?" Naruto asked, seemingly casually.

Karin's excited movements froze for a moment, and she stammered, "Ah? This...I..."

"Alright, alright, I was just kidding. It's okay if you don't say it out loud." Naruto patted Karin's head.

"After all, these things are like birthday wishes; once you say them out loud, they won't come true."

"That makes sense!" Karin seemed to believe it, and earnestly muttered to herself, "I must not say it."

Naruto, however, was somewhat dismissive of this so-called "divination."

This kind of thing is less about divination and more about analyzing the psychology of customers.

Furthermore, Naruto doesn't really believe in divination, not even the Great Toad Sage's prophecy.

In his view, people should create their own future, rather than having their trajectory predetermined by so-called fortune tellers.

"Hey, Naruto, let's go take another look ahead!"

Karin pointed ahead, where the fireworks display was in its middle section, and it was very lively.

"Okay!"

Karin smiled sweetly, took Naruto's hand, and led him forward.

Wow, this candy looks so good!

Karin stared intently at the candied apples on the stall, her eyes shining.

The apples chosen for the ingredients were a bright red, with no blemishes on the surface, and coated with a layer of crystal-clear sugar icing. They were indeed beautiful.

Upon seeing a customer, the stall owner quickly stepped forward and enthusiastically introduced the product: "This customer has excellent taste! My apple candies are not only beautiful and delicious, but also reasonably priced!"

Although the vendor claimed the prices were reasonable, it was clear from the price list that there was a markup due to the fireworks display.

Naruto paid the bill without any expression on his face.

They picked the biggest apple candy and continued strolling through the party.

Karin happily took a small bite of the apple candy, her expression blissful.

"Naruto, aren't you going to eat?"

"I'm wearing a mask."

Upon hearing this, Karin immediately pulled Naruto into a deserted alley, lifted his mask up to reveal the boy's handsome face, and then brought a half-eaten apple candy to his lips, a sly smile appearing on her face.

Naruto looked at the bite marks left by Karin's cherry lips on the candied apple and took a big bite without any hesitation.

It is too sweet.

Naruto thought to himself expressionlessly.

Karin seemed surprised by Naruto's decisive and natural response, and was momentarily stunned, her face flushing as she looked at the half-eaten apple candy.

"What are you waiting for? The fireworks are about to start."