Naruto: Naruto Hosted by the System

Naruto had already put on his mask, stood at the alley entrance, and turned to leave.

"Oh, here it comes."

Karin quickly followed, taking small, quick steps.

Neither of them spoke the rest of the way. Naruto looked around, seemingly admiring the scenery.

Karin ate the apple candy in small bites, and it took her a while to finish it.

At that moment, a little girl holding a flower basket appeared in front of them. She glanced at Naruto and Karin and took a rose from the basket.

"Big brother, buy your girlfriend a flower!"

The little girl's clear voice reached her ears, and Karin came back to her senses, but she became a little awkward because of the term "girlfriend".

Naruto casually stepped forward and took the roses. As he looked at them, he asked casually, "Little friend, why don't you play at those stalls like the other kids? Why are you selling flowers here? Is there some kind of hardship at home?"

The little girl shook her head and said frankly, "I accidentally spent my allowance on a new Nine-Tailed Fox doll a few days ago. My mom said I was spending money recklessly and wouldn't give me any allowance to play with at the fireworks show, so I picked flowers from our yard to sell."

"I see."

After learning that the little girl wasn't selling flowers because of family hardship, Naruto felt relieved and took out 100 ryo.

The little girl happily accepted the money: "Big brother, you're so generous! I wish you and your girlfriend a long and loving life together!"

Then she walked towards a group of children, looking smug, as if showing off her wonderful adventure.

Naruto looked away and handed the rose to Karin.

"I don't know anything about flower arranging, so I'll leave it to you."

Karin accepted the rose, lowered her head, and remained silent, lost in thought.

"Let's go, let's go, we can visit one more stall before the fireworks start."

This time, it was Naruto who took Karin's hand and led her forward.

The two stopped beside a shelf.

This is not a stall, but a "votive plaque".

People would write or draw their wishes on pentagonal wooden boards called "ema" and then hang them on the ema rack, praying that their wishes would come true.

"Want to give it a try?"

Naruto took two ema (votive plaques) from the box next to him and looked at Karin.

Karin snapped out of her daze and nodded.

Naruto handed Karin a ema (votive plaque) and a pen, and then began to write himself.

Before long, he finished his own and hung the ema on the shelf.

"What is Naruto's wish?" Karin asked curiously, looking at Naruto's ema (votive plaque).

Naruto chose to express his wishes through words.

1. Become Hokage

2. Gaining everyone's approval

3. Become a great hero who saves the world.

4. Being with someone you like.

5. Having family

That's right. Even after several years, Naruto's thoughts remain the same as when he first encountered the system, unchanged despite all the trials and tribulations.

Karin looked at it carefully and said with some doubt, "But the ema should be about writing down a wish that hasn't been fulfilled yet, right? Naruto, aren't you already the Hokage? And everyone in Konoha recognizes you."

Naruto nodded, not denying it: "Yes, because it was my wish when I was a child, and it hasn't changed to this day."

He then smiled and looked at Karin's ema (votive plaque).

What is Karin's wish?

Karin was about to rush forward to block him, but Naruto still caught a glimpse of her.

She chose to express her wishes through painting.

The painting depicts two people, one wearing glasses and the other with a beard, against a backdrop of a familiar-looking house.

"Karin, is what you drew...?"

Karin's face was already flushed with embarrassment.

May everyone in Konoha live in peace and prosperity!

Karin paused for a moment upon hearing this, then blinked: "Huh? Ah, yes, that's right, that's exactly it."

Karin lowered her head, a complex smile on her face, a mixture of relief and disappointment.

Naruto looked at her, tugged at Karin's hand, and walked towards the outer edge of the party.

"Huh? Naruto, this looks like the way outside. Aren't we going to watch the fireworks?" Karin asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Of course I'll go." Naruto's steps didn't falter for a moment.

"But the fireworks are about to start!"

"Yes, the fireworks are about to start."

Naruto turned around, pulled his fox mask up a bit, and revealed a bright smile.

"So we need to hurry and grab the best spot to watch the fireworks!"

Chapter 154 A Confession Under the Fireworks: The Ceremony Officially Begins

In the end, the two chose to sit on the Fire Shadow Rock and wait for the fireworks to start.

This place offers a wide view and is relatively deserted; after all, in the eyes of most people, the Hokage Rock is a very sacred object.

But it doesn't matter to Naruto. He is the Hokage now, and when he was a child, he even thought about "dressing up" the previous Hokage.

While waiting for the fireworks to go off, Naruto and Karin chatted.

"The fireworks show was really lively, and there were so many fun things to do."

Recalling the stalls she visited today, Karin couldn't help but sigh.

"Naruto, did you have fun today?" Karin tilted her head and looked at Naruto.

Naruto, who was lost in thought, was brought back to his senses when Karin called him.

"It's alright."

"Naruto's so perfunctory," Karin muttered in reproach.

"That's true. Anyway, you've probably seen many fireworks displays already. What's interesting to me is nothing to you."

Karin pouted and turned her head away.

Naruto remained silent for a long time after hearing this, so long that Karin couldn't help but steal glances at him.

After a long silence, he said softly, "Actually, this is also my first time attending a fireworks display."

"Huh?" Karin turned to look at Naruto, blinking in disbelief.

Naruto stared straight ahead, but his pupils reflected nothing as he continued speaking to himself.

"When I was a child, I was also attracted when I first saw a fireworks display. The colorful scene seemed to have a mysterious magic that drew me over."

"The brightly lit fireworks show looked beautiful from every angle, especially the moment the fireworks went off. They were so far away and so beautiful. I was stunned when I was little. It felt like I was witnessing the most beautiful thing in the world."

"However, when the fireworks ended, I ran all the way to the fireworks display site, wanting to browse the stalls, but all I got was a lot of malice."

Naruto paused here, his expression somewhat forlorn, as if recalling that terrible scene.

"The more beautiful the fireworks were, the more painful it was for me to feel the malice brought by those people."

"After that, I never went to the fireworks display again, at most I would just catch a glimpse of the fireworks from afar."

"So, actually, it was my first time visiting those stalls, my first time figuring out what the games were, and my first time realizing... that fireworks displays weren't such a big deal after all."

After saying that, Naruto let out a long breath, and his expression calmed down considerably.

Karin stared at him blankly, clearly not expecting Naruto to have such a past.

Because the scene of their first meeting was just like something out of a novel.

The girl is in a hellish situation, and then a handsome hero descends from the sky and rescues her.

The scene from that day is deeply imprinted in Karin's mind, and it remains vivid to this day.

It can be said that Karin was infatuated with Naruto, who was full of vigor and had rescued her at the time.

Not to mention that Naruto actually rescued her completely from the hell of Kusagakure and made all the arrangements for her life afterward.

That feeling was like Karin had been locked in a completely dark cage until one day, a ray of light shone in.

Later, that beam of light never left, but it also never came any closer.

While Naruto was busy outside after becoming Hokage, Karin would occasionally hear news, such as Naruto having wiped out some evil organization.

Whenever this happens, Karin, who is quietly training in Konoha, always thinks to herself: As expected of Naruto.

She waited and waited, until she learned new techniques and how to make ramen of various flavors, but she still couldn't wait for that ray of light to get any closer.

Even today, when Naruto is about to leave for a month, she mustered up the courage to ask him out, only to realize that she had never really understood Naruto.

At that moment, Karin suddenly realized that she might not be able to wait for that beam of light to get closer.

Then... go and get closer to that light yourself!

Karin moved closer to Naruto, and finally squatted down opposite him.

"I'm sorry, Naruto. I originally thought that you've been so busy for so long without a proper rest, so I wanted to come with you to the fireworks show to cheer you up. But I didn't expect it to remind you of unpleasant things."

Naruto shook his head: "It's not your fault, it's that I've become a boring adult."

Karin said softly, "Naruto, do you no longer find these things interesting?"

"Not really, it's just that I can't fully immerse myself in it anymore."

"This is the first time I've ever seen Naruto so down."