[A/N: Forget your brain, happiness is most important. No conspiracy theories, multiple female leads, more on the daily life side.]
———
[Dusk]
The sun had already begun to approach the horizon. The slightly chilly wind remained as sharp as a blade, slicing against people's faces, causing a stinging pain.
Under last night's goose-feather like heavy snowfall, the entire village had already donned a thick layer of silver.
Snowflakes danced in the air, it was once again the season of the white-colored photo album.
Beneath the setting sun.
"Shirakumo-kun, I... I like you!"
On the Hokage Rock, nearly tens of meters high, two small figures stood there, overlooking Konoha's snowy scenery.
There were no buildings in Konoha Village taller than the Hokage Rock, so from this position, one could take in the entire village's snow-covered landscape.
Such a view inevitably made people feel refreshed and happy.
And in this very setting, the girl's crisp and pleasant voice reached the boy's ears.
Although he had already faced this kind of situation many times, Shirakumo Aoba still felt a moment of daze.
'Does it really have to be this ridiculous? We are only six years old, and we are already thinking about these things?'
Once again, he witnessed the explosiveness of the Naruto world.
Aoba withdrew his gaze from Konoha's snowy scenery and turned to look at the girl beside him, who was about half a year older than him in age but slightly shorter in height.
Her black hair was tied into two adorable buns, and with her slightly chubby, baby-fat face and thick red cotton jacket, she looked particularly round.
Her cheeks, whether due to embarrassment from her confession or the reflection of the setting sun, carried a faint red hue —Tenten
Aoba thought that if one day he found out that his own daughter, at just six years old, had confessed to another boy, he would definitely treat that boy to a meal of stir-fried bamboo shoots with shredded pork.
And he would make sure to coat the bamboo shoots in chili powder—that would be satisfying.
But since the one being confessed to now was himself, he might as well pretend he never thought that.
Faced with the girl's shy yet practiced confession, Aoba instinctively prepared to respond, thinking it was just like before.
However, before he could speak, the other party covered his mouth with her hand. Then, her face turned even redder, and she said shyly, "T-this time, it's not just playing house..."
Looking into the boy's clear, pure eyes, Tenten slowly let go of the hand covering his mouth.
Then, she averted her gaze, looking elsewhere while nervously twisting her hands together in front of her chest.
"This...", Now it was Aoba's turn to be at a loss for words.
'A perfectly fine deal. How did it end up getting contaminated with emotions?'
It's not that he didn't like Tenten, but he was mainly worried that if he agreed, one day when he got home, he might hear the sound of a kettle boiling.
For now, it was best to brush past this moment.
"How about... we just keep playing house?"
"I'll even give you today's lesson for free, how about that...", Before he could finish speaking, Aoba found himself unable to continue, because Tenten was already staring at him with wide eyes.
Her breathing became more rapid, and a small vein bulged on her forehead. Her cheeks puffed slightly, making her round face look even rounder, "You won't accept because you like Ino more?"
"Or is it Sakura?"
Aoba suddenly felt a headache coming on.
At just five years old, he thought this was a nurturing-type scenario, but it turned out to be a high-level couple-pairing right from the start. He was already facing the first love triangle of his life.
'Isn't it fun when everyone plays together?'
"Who do you like more?", Seeing Aoba remain silent, Tenten couldn't hold back anymore.
Gulp—
Aoba swallowed nervously.
Between the three little girls, he decisively chose, "I like money more!"
A moment of silence.
"You bastard!", In the end, Tenten gritted her teeth and stomped hard on Aoba's foot.
"Hiss—", Aoba immediately inhaled sharply.
"Hmph!"
"If you're so greedy, then just spend your life with money," Tenten pulled out an explosive tag from her pocket and directly slapped it onto Aoba's face before storming off angrily.
Watching Tenten's departing figure, Aoba could only sigh inwardly again.
'Kids in the ninja world sure mature early.'
Although Tenten seemed very angry right now, Aoba didn't chase after her. Before he could give an answer, it was better to let things settle.
By tomorrow, when he went to find her, she would probably have calmed down.
Even though they matured early, they were still kids. There was usually no overnight grudge between them.
Aoba picked up the explosive tag that had fallen to the ground. He had been a bit nervous earlier. If Tenten had really gotten too angry, this thing could have actually cost him his life.
But explosive tags weren't cheap, one cost 2,000 ryo.
This could be considered his payment for today, since their relationship had originally been one of mutual benefit.
Over the past year, Aoba had often coached Tenten in shuriken throwing. Part of this money could be considered tuition fees.
And right now, Aoba was extremely, extremely, extremely short on cash.
It wasn't that his family was poor. Despite being an orphan, he had an Elite Jonin uncle, so food and clothing were never a problem.
The real issue was the troublesome system he had suddenly awakened.
After Tenten's figure completely disappeared, Aoba opened the interface of his system. [T/N: Another fellow Gacha Addict]
[Ninja Gacha System Lv1] (Upgrade costs 35,000,000 ryo)
'Hmm, just one Asuma can get it upgraded.'
[The host can recharge with equivalent-value items to draw cards and obtain desired abilities.]
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
[Current draw count: 89]
[Each draw costs 1,000 ryo. Guaranteed SR in 100 draws, SSR in 300 draws, UR in 1,000 draws.]
[Next guaranteed SR in 21 draws, SSR in 211 draws, UR in 911 draws.]
[Current draw history:]
SR: Advanced Shuriken Throwing Technique
R: Small Chakra ×6; Shuriken ×48; Kunai ×30; Explosive Tag ×4
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
Explosive tags and small chakra were guaranteed in every ten draws.
That small chakra was actually quite useful, at just five years old, he already had chakra reserves comparable to an average Genin.
If he kept drawing for a few hundred thousand times, he'd practically become a walking Tailed Beast.
But the gacha rates were really heartbreaking.
Aside from the SR he got from the initial ten-pull gift when the system activated, he hadn't gotten anything better. Just hitting the pity timer each time.
Still, the shuriken throwing technique was a decent ability, quite useful in the early stages.
And it provided him with a steady income, since he was currently Tenten's shuriken instructor.
A private tutor and his female student…
Very much in line with the Japanese LN taste.
Consider it adapting to local customs.
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
patreon.com/AmbitiousTranslator
🥳Joining Patreon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through Patreon.
https://discord.gg/bYAfGyp98y