Raven brought Naruto and Ino to the counter, setting their items down neatly in front of Rika Hoshino. The polished wooden surface gleamed under the soft lighting as Rika smiled and began ringing them up. Naruto held up his shirt with a puzzled expression, frowning at the cartoon pizza slice on the front.
"Why did I have to get a T-shirt with a pizza on it?" he asked, unimpressed.
"Because I think it looks adorable," Raven replied without hesitation.
Naruto made a face, sticking out his tongue and pulling down his eyelid with a finger. "Adorable? Pfft."
"You're such a kid," Raven said with a light laugh.
"Totally," Ino added, giggling as she leaned on the counter.
Raven glanced at Ino's new scrunchies, the blue and white bands tucked into her hand. "Ino, your scrunchies look awesome—blue and white, huh? I don't know why you picked the white one, but I'm glad you did."
"I just like the color white too. It feels classy," Ino said with a shrug.
"Fair enough."
Raven turned towards Rika. "Rika, we'll take all of these—Naruto's pizza shirt, his shorts, and Ino's scrunchies."
Rika raised an eyebrow with a teasing tone. "Where are your parents to pay for all this?"
"I don't need my parents to buy clothes," Raven replied, her eyes narrowing slightly.
Rika waved a hand and chuckled. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding! That will be twenty Ryō."
She pulled out a small pink wallet shaped like a pig's head and unzipped it. Naruto's eyes widened.
"Oh my gosh, that's so cool! A pig-head wallet that stores your change? That's way different from the one you had last time!"
Raven's expression shifted into amusement. "Any wise woman knows to keep different wallets for different things—one for food, one for shopping, and one for emergencies."
"Exactly," Ino added confidently. "Any woman worth her salt knows you need separate wallets for separate purposes."
"Wow, must be nice to even have a wallet with money in it," Naruto muttered, pouting.
Raven blinked. "Wait, you don't have a wallet?"
"Nope. The lady at the orphanage buys me everything I need. I've never really gotten any help from the Hokage or the village."
Raven's posture stiffened, her voice sharper. "You're telling me the Hokage hasn't issued you any reimbursement for your parents' deaths?"
Naruto shook his head. "No. Lord Hokage just said my parents died during the Nine-Tails attack and that remuneration was still pending."
Ino glanced between them, confused. "Remuneration? What's he talking about?"
Raven didn't answer her. She turned back to Rika and placed a 20 Ryō bill on the counter. "We'll take the clothes."
Rika accepted the money and handed back a few coins. "Thanks, kids. Come back anytime."
The trio stepped out of the shop into the warm air of Konoha's streets, the sounds of the market tapering off as they walked toward a quieter part of the district. Raven stayed silent, her mind spinning.
"Naruto," she said finally, "are you saying the Hokage still hasn't given you any compensation for your parents' deaths? What about their house? Their savings?"
"I asked Lord Hokage once, but he wouldn't say anything. He told me my parents were penniless beggars. He said there was nothing left."
Raven's steps slowed. "He said your parents were penniless beggars?"
"Yeah," Naruto said, glancing up at her. "And he told me to start calling him Grandpa Hokage."
Ino turned her head to look at him, her voice quieter. "Naruto, you've never mentioned your parents much. I didn't know they died during the Nine-Tails attack."
Naruto crossed his arms. "You're not getting my new T-shirt and shorts."
"I don't want them!" Ino said quickly, raising her hands. "I just didn't know you didn't have parents. I'm sorry about earlier for trying to take your ramen "
Naruto shrugged. "It's fine. Nobody really asks about me anyway. Most people in the village just call me a demon child and say I'm to blame for the Nine-Tails attack."
"That's clearly not true, Naruto," Raven said firmly. "You were just a baby when that happened. How could you possibly be responsible?"
"I know, but nobody listens. They just glare at me like I'm a monster."
Ino frowned. "It sounds like someone's spreading awful rumors about you. Every time I see you somewhere, people try to kick you out of stores or restaurants."
"Yeah, that's why I always stick with the orange tracksuits," Naruto said. "That's the only store that'll sell to me. They only have lime green or orange."
Raven stared at him. "What kind of shop only sells tracksuits?"
Naruto looked at her, dead serious. "The tracksuit kind. I don't know."
Join my patreon everstone today to read my patreon exclusive stories like Raven from the teen titans Goes To Hogwarts or Iron Maiden featuring Talia Ivory Stark as the Iron Maiden.
Zero Fall featuring a high school teenager named Crystal Constantine who is the reincarnated queen of Atlantis with the power of ice that can literally freeze time or Rem Of The Remembrance Or my new Yuri Naruto novel featuring a female Naruto and Sasuke in love with eachother with Sayuri Uzumaki now 6 years old starting the Ninja Academy with a gamer system and her.
My new patreon exclusive Fire Fall Embers Of Creation featuring Scarlett Whitmore an immortal vampire with the power of Nirvana Flame. Or read my new story DD: The Immortal Life Of Bibi Dong a patreon exclusive Bibi has lived three lifetimes and has been reborn on the Douluo Continent as an immortal cultivator and soul master.
Or my new story Yuri Prime about Eon Prime a artificial intelligence stranded in space aboard the Starship Horizon as she struggles with her new found freedom and an ever-growing collection of space aliens on her Starship and her weariness towards the unity Federation her very creators.
Also check out Kaguya Ōtsutsuki In Bleach as she attends the soul reaper academy with Rukia this novel takes place before the Canon events of bleach join Kagura as she swears off men. Also check out my new Kara Zor-El novel redone as she lures in a harem of powerful yandere harem of marvel women.
Join for only 3 to 5$ to read up to chapter 225 of this story in advance today.
Patreon.com/everstone