Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 354 Joyful Daily Life

Demonstrating strength is an important way for ninjas to gain the recognition of the strong.

If we only consider the abilities Naruto displayed in Konoha, he is already one in a million. It's just that the number of people who have had contact with him is relatively limited, and without direct experience, the understanding is ultimately not profound.

A year ago, if Tsunade had said this to Naruto, he could have come up with a hundred ways to outmaneuver his opponents and make them accept defeat wholeheartedly. But for Naruto now... that's a bit of a stretch. His primary task is to survive while maintaining his current workload, not to get into fights.

Fortunately, Konoha is a ninja village that values ​​"love and peace" and is relatively less fond of internal sparring. Naruto only needs to reduce the frequency of his missions to minimize unnecessary losses.

"Ugh!! Why is it snowing so heavily this year?!"

A wail echoed from the barbecue restaurant. Kiba, who was enjoying Naruto's promotion feast, yelled, "You're already an elite Jonin, and I'm still a Genin! When will I ever catch up?!"

"Kiba-kun, this will disturb the other guests." Kiba's good teammate Hinata tugged at his sleeve, trying to stop her teammate from doing something foolish.

"Even if you pass the exam, you'll only be a Chunin, still far from being good enough." The guy who was about to be promoted to Jonin was completely unaware of his promotion and mercilessly unleashed his sharp tongue.

"Do you want to fight? Even if you're Hinata's cousin, I won't hold back!"

"Neji is my... lifelong rival! I haven't defeated him yet, so get in line!" Lee suddenly slammed his fist on the table and stood up, immediately assuming a fighting stance.

"Why are you getting involved?" Tian Tian was sitting next to him and was completely stunned. She only realized something was wrong when she saw the two red blushes on Xiao Li's face.

"...This drink contains alcohol." Neji had the same thought as her and had already picked up the opened bottle. Because the taste was so smooth, everyone assumed it was just regular fruit juice.

"Take...take this kick!" Xiao Li rushed out, but stepped on the cushion that Ya had dodged, and fell down in a wobbly manner, landing face-first on the ground.

One guy, always eager for drama, calmly stuffed the meat into his mouth, swallowed it, and then slowly asked, "Aren't you going to do anything about it? I heard that Little Li always causes a ruckus when he's drunk."

The host of the banquet was already massaging his temples. He knew how much trouble Xiao Li could cause, but he was thinking about how to subdue him in the least destructive and fastest way.

"Hiccup~ Awesome... Again!" Seeing Xiao Li spring up and stand up, he wobbled and attacked Ya again.

When this guy is awake, his moves are somewhat methodical, but when he's drunk, they're completely unpredictable; he just attacks however he wants. For example, he might throw a punch, and Ya would be all set to block, but then he'd use too much force and fall to the ground, kicking down in mid-air. How is anyone supposed to block that? There's no time to react! Ya got hit by this several times, and gradually, he started to get really angry.

"Akamaru!" With a shout, the big white dog that had been nestled in the back eating meat dropped the meat and flew out. It looked like the man and the dog were about to combine for a combo attack.

Suddenly, an indescribable, immense pressure descended upon everyone. It wasn't murderous intent, but a pure, overwhelming force.

"Alright, this isn't the place to fight." Naruto's tone was like he was coaxing two children, without any intimidation, but the chakra pressure he released was a completely different story. Shikamaru, sitting next to him, was so frightened that he dropped his chopsticks.

The beverage had a low alcohol content, and the sudden shock not only sobered Xiao Li up, but also drew everyone's attention. Their gazes held a mix of emotions: fear, curiosity, envy, and longing.

"Now I know why the Shadow Imitation Technique can't control you." Shikamaru pretended nothing had happened and silently picked up his chopsticks.

"Don't be so insecure. Doesn't this technique also test your mental strength?"

Do you think my mental strength is stronger than yours?

"What if?"

The atmosphere at the table was disrupted, but it eventually returned to normal. Naruto's friends had known since childhood that his chakra reserves were astonishing, so this sudden outburst wasn't too frightening. However, it was a nightmare for the other customers at the barbecue restaurant; some of the more timid ones paid their bills and left almost immediately.

When it was time to break up, Shikamaru naturally followed and asked in a low voice, "Were any Root members there just now?"

Naruto chuckled and said, "They're also members of Konoha. We'll run into each other eventually, like when we're eating."

Shikamaru's eyebrows furrowed so deeply that it took him a long time to say, "No need for that, it will only cause you trouble."

"I'm curious how they caused you trouble. You couldn't sit still after I just left?"

"It's just underhanded tactics, I can handle it." Shikamaru said this with exceptional confidence, and at this moment he finally looked like a young man, his brows full of sharpness.

Naruto saw some of the future strategist's talent, so he had no choice but to avoid the limelight and surrender.

"Alright, alright, it's rare to see you so enthusiastic, I won't interfere."

After finally managing to appease one of them, Naruto encountered three little kids at his doorstep. Although they were also growing, they were clearly not growing as fast as Naruto; in his eyes, these three children hadn't grown at all.

"Naruto-nii! We heard you've become an elite Jonin, so we came to give you a promotion gift!" The most lively Konohamaru handed over an envelope with unusual formality.

"Congratulations on your promotion!" Moegi and Udon bowed together, looking a little too formal.

"Thank you!" Naruto took the gifts and then smacked the heads of the three of them. "You're so young, why are you learning adult manners? You don't need to say that when giving gifts."

"Hehe, I've got something to do, haven't I?" Konohamaru emerged from under Naruto's grasp, looking over with bright, expectant eyes.

"Big brother Naruto, we're graduating soon, and we'll be ninjas soon."

"Yes, of course I remember. I'll give you a graduation gift then."

"No, what we mean is... is..." Moegi was so anxious she was about to burst into flames, but she didn't dare to continue.

"That's right, we all really like you..." Udon stammered, praising him once and then fell silent.

Naruto didn't quite understand the children's request and said, "I'm your big brother. If I can't even win the affection of my little brothers, wouldn't that be a huge failure?"

It had to be the bravest Konohamaru who immediately used a volume that could be heard throughout the entire street.

"Could you be our mentor?"