Naruto: With Favorabiltity System

Chapter 122

"How about giving a pink dumbbell as a gift? We can call it a 'couples' dumbbell' or even a 'married couple's dumbbell,'" suggested Dai as he arrived with his son, Guy.

"A dumbbell?" Haneda pictured Fugaku and Mikoto using the dumbbells not for their strength, but instead exercising together, and it gave him pause. But then again, Fugaku couldn't exactly do that kind of thing right now with Itachi on the way.

Haneda shook his head and said, "Let's leave dumbbells for exercise."

Minato also found the idea a bit strange and smiled as he said, "I've heard the Uchiha are skilled in swordsmanship. Maybe a finely crafted chakra blade from the Land of Crafts would be a good gift. Even kunai or shuriken could work."

A weapon? That sounded like a great idea…

Haneda thought about the warrior spirit he felt ran deep in his Uchiha blood. Fugaku was probably also a fighter at heart. They were both ninja, after all, so a weapon seemed like a very appropriate gift.

But considering Fugaku's skills in genjutsu and fire techniques, a weapon might not be of much use to him.

Suddenly, Haneda had a flash of inspiration. If there was anything Fugaku might actually be lacking…

Hmm, maybe wisdom, tactics, or the art of rhetoric.

With that, Haneda had made up his mind.

A book on politics and strategy would be perfect, so he wouldn't get outsmarted by his son or the Third Hokage in the future.

But a gift like that still felt a bit odd…

Just then, Haneda noticed Minato and Kushina setting out the vegetables and meat they'd prepared for grilling. Nearby, Sakumo and Kakashi brought over the firewood.

Haneda shook off his thoughts and smiled at Sakumo and Kakashi. "How about I handle the fire-starting? What do you think?"

Even as he spoke, Haneda formed a hand seal and exhaled a fireball to ignite the campfire.

"Haneda, you stole my moment!" Obito had been all set to show off his own fire jutsu, only to have Haneda beat him to it.

At that moment, Rin arrived and called out to Obito, "Everyone's watching, so how about not fighting, Obito?"

"Of course, Rin!" Obito's angry expression softened into a smile as he assured her.

"Wow, Obito, that was a quick change of heart!" Haneda joked, feigning surprise.

"Not wasting my breath on you."

Obito looked away, meeting Minato's amused gaze, and said, "Minato-sensei, everyone's here now. Let's start."

Among the group, Minato and Kushina were the best cooks, so they took charge of the meal. Once the barbecue was ready, with drinks and a bit of alcohol on hand, Obito raised a glass of juice and said, "Haneda, you might be a jerk sometimes, but you're still okay. Congratulations on becoming a Chunin."

"Fine, I'll ignore the 'jerk' part, but I'll accept your congratulations," Haneda replied.

Obito then turned to Kakashi, forcing out a smile. "Kakashi, today I won't call you an idiot. Congrats to you, too."

"Thank you, dropout," Kakashi replied, his expression bored.

"Shut up, stupid Kakashi!"

Everyone laughed, the warm atmosphere lifting their spirits. Obito chose to ignore Kakashi and looked at Guy. "You watermel—uh, Guy! Sneak attacks are cheap, but it's still a skill, so I admit you got me. Next time, I'll knock you out fair and square!"

"Thanks for the encouragement, Rantu!" Guy beamed, flashing a thumbs-up with his gleaming smile.

"For the last time—my name is Uchiha Obito! Not 'Rantu'!" Obito yelled.

Watching him and Guy bicker over names, Rin gently tugged on Obito's sleeve and said, "Alright, Obito, it's my turn now."

True to form, Obito's expression softened immediately. "Of course, Rin!"

"To the most beautiful girl in the world, Rin Nohara—congrats on becoming a Chunin on this special day," he said warmly, almost as if he were declaring his love.

But Rin simply smiled back, thanking him in the same friendly manner she would anyone else.

Obito seemed to drift into his own thoughts for a few seconds before snapping back to reality. He turned to the others and declared, "You may all have gotten ahead of me for now, but I, Uchiha Obito, will definitely make Chunin next year!"

"We'll see, Obito."

"Dropout wouldn't have passed the exam without Haneda."

"Your passion is admirable, Ranto."

"I'll be rooting for you, Obito."

...

---

The next morning, Haneda woke up early and quietly slipped out of the room, leaving a still-sleeping Obito. Last night, Obito had insisted on trying the alcohol, only to quickly get tipsy, and Haneda ended up carrying him back from the Third Training Ground.

As he made his way downstairs, Haneda saw Obito's grandmother setting the breakfast table.

"Up early, I see, Haneda. You must be hungry," she said with a warm smile.

"Thank you, Grandma," Haneda replied, taking his seat and picking up his chopsticks.

Every time he stayed over at Obito's, Obito's grandmother would make him breakfast, a gesture that always made him feel welcome here.

After breakfast, Haneda headed to the bookstore, determined to find the perfect gift for Fugaku. He went to the largest bookstore in Konoha, and as he entered, he noticed his former teacher, Takakura Fumita.

"Good morning, sensei," Haneda greeted.

"Haneda!" Fumita-sensei recognized the voice of his most talented—and occasionally troublesome—student right away. "Congratulations on becoming a Chunin. Your battle with Kakashi and Rin yesterday was quite impressive."

Realizing something, Fumita suddenly closed the book he was reading. But Haneda's keen eyes had already caught a glimpse—it was *Make-Out Paradise* by Jiraiya.

To think, his normally serious and kind-hearted teacher would read that sort of book!

But, recalling his teacher's lack of a girlfriend, Haneda could understand.

Fumita coughed awkwardly and changed the subject. "So, here for a book? Something on the science of lightning?"

"No, actually." Haneda shook his head. "A friend of mine—more like an older brother—is getting married, and I want to give him a book as a wedding gift."

"Any recommendations, Sensei? Maybe something on strategy, tactics, or the art of speaking?"

Fumita found the idea of giving a book like that as a wedding gift a little odd and replied, "Books like that might not be the best wedding gift, Haneda. Flowers or something symbolic might be more appropriate."

"I thought the same thing," Haneda replied, "but I believe he could really use it. His father might agree with me, actually…"

After some thought, Fumita said, "How about adding something to the bookmark itself? For example, a 'longevity' symbol could be perfect for a wedding gift—it would symbolize wishing them a long and happy life together."

"Longevity?" Haneda considered it. It wouldn't conflict with the book and would add the blessing that the gift needed.

"That's it! Thank you, sensei!" Haneda said with a grin.

"Huh?" But before Fumita could say another word, Haneda had already dashed over to the counter, asking the shopkeeper about bookmarks with the "longevity" character.

Seeing this, Fumita simply smiled. Kids his age were always in a hurry, especially when they'd finally solved a problem that had been bothering them.