Naruto: Freeloading is Great! 2 [1]

First day of school. Almost every brat had parents escorting them.

Why almost and not all? Because there were two who came together without any adults.

The moment Hoshino and Naruto approached the school gate, the parents lingering outside—unable to enter but waiting for their kids—instantly turned hateful eyes on them, full of disgust and contempt.

“…”

“Lift your head.”

“But…”

“Lift it!”

Hoshino didn’t waste time comforting Naruto under those loathsome stares. He simply grabbed her hair and yanked her head up by force.

Only then did Naruto realize—Hoshino’s expression had turned into a cold, emotionless mask. Those dead-fish eyes of his, usually so dull, were scanning the crowd with a fierce steadiness.

With that strange atmosphere and the cutting whispers in the air, what should’ve been just a dozen meters felt to Naruto like a thousand. The moment she crossed the gate at last, her eyes went red and hot with tears she couldn’t hold back.

“Naruto, you know?”

Hoshino suddenly stopped and spoke—then, without waiting for her answer, his voice grew loud, deliberate.

“When a dog and a dog mate, what they produce is only a dog. Never a wolf. So those old dogs, knowing their pups are doomed to be nothing but weak curs, still play at guide dogs, escorting their brats, and then squat at the gate like watchdogs waiting for scraps. Out of boredom and jealousy, they glare with dog eyes to trample the hearts of true wolf cubs, some even bray and bark like asses. Remember this: in front of those dog-hearted curs, never lower the proud head of a wolf. Only shit-eating dogs lower their heads to root in filth. A wolf—”

“Idiot Hoshino! Run already—!!”

Naruto, seeing the bloodshot dog-eyes outside the gate turn murderous, panicked. She grabbed his hand and dragged him at full sprint toward the classroom building before he could keep running his mouth.

Why didn’t she pull him earlier, before he stirred up that hornet’s nest? Partly because Hoshino’s tirade did vent some of her own resentment. But mostly—his words scared her, too.

She’d always known his mouth was vicious—he tossed out sharp barbs as casually as breathing. But this was the first time she’d seen him at full firepower.

The first time she saw just how toxic that tongue could be. The first time she saw him genuinely angry.

Expression frozen cold as ice, eyes hard as stone. And yet…

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Heehee~ nothing. Just feels like… like being shone on by a sun hidden in winter snowstorms. Warm right down to every cell.”

“Hah? What brain-dead crap are you babbling? It’s spring, idiot.”

“Not an idiot. AsSnowman! I’m a snowman melting under the sun. Look, look, don’t I look like one?”

“Moron. Get lost.”

Hoshino smacked her head.

He really couldn’t stand it—Naruto pressing her fist to her nose like a carrot, playing snowman-cute. What the hell, she wasn’t a loli, so what was with the cheap act? Snowman? More like blood-man, that’d fit her better.

Still, speaking of spring—it reminded him. The most eye-catching sight at school this season was the great cherry blossom tree in full bloom. Judging from its size, it had stood for over thirty years.

Like other kids, Hoshino and Naruto detoured toward the tree to admire it first.

And there, beneath the blossoms, they saw a pink-haired brat—hair fluttering with the falling petals in the breeze.

Should’ve been a picturesque scene. So why was it so damn aggravating?

Because standing under the sakura tree, Haruno Sakura rolled up his sleeves, flexed his arms like a bodybuilder, veins bulging, gaze enraptured as it flicked between the blossoms and his muscles.

“Beauty! This sakura tree is as full of beauty as my muscles. Ahhh~ beauty dazzling in the blossoms, and muscles handsome enough to suffocate! Today I am more perfect than ever!”

The future gorilla-king, lost in narcissism. His lunatic aura was enough to make almost everyone instantly turn away.

Among those who turned and ducked their heads: Hoshino and Naruto.

Neither of them wanted to be recognized by the pink-haired ape. They’d only crossed paths once before, but if that psycho noticed them, he’d definitely drag them into his madness.

If they could help it, they wanted their first day of school to pass in peace.

At first, luck was on their side—the ape didn’t notice them. But then—

“You two bastards, stop right there!!”

Sasuke, also coming to view the blossoms, spotted Hoshino and Naruto from a distance and roared.

“Eek—!” ×2

Hoshino and Naruto froze stiff, Sasuke in front and the ape behind.

Wh-what the hell! Sasuke, is now the time to yell!? Look at who’s standing under that tree!!

And sure enough, as their despair peaked, the pink-haired gorilla swung around, seemingly oblivious to the stiffened pair, and instead strode straight toward the shouting Sasuke.

“Black-haired shuriken-thrower! Didn’t expect you’d be a new student too. Come—let’s finish the man’s battle we left incomplete yesterday!”

“Wh-why are you here…!!”

Sasuke clutched her head, half-crazed.

Now he finally understood why Hoshino and Naruto had been walking so cautiously.

Damn it! Why hadn’t those two warned him once!?

Meanwhile, Hoshino and Naruto, realizing the ape hadn’t noticed them, exchanged a grin. In unison, they mouthed “Serves you right” toward Sasuke’s desperate eyes, then bolted for the classroom building.

“You two bastards sold me out again!!”

“Two? Hah! Your math’s trash. I’m just one person—and not a bastard, but a hero of justice!”

“I’m busy! No time to waste on you. Out of my way!”

“No way!! I’ll never let an evil demon like you into the sacred school building! If you want to go in… then step over my corpse! Taste my fist!”

“Goddammit! Am I cursed by the God of Misfortune these two days!? Damn it all—!!!”

Ignoring Sasuke’s howls outside, Hoshino and Naruto made it safely to their classroom. They weren’t early—many kids were already seated.

---

T/N: heh at this point... im just gonna only change sasgays and narutos pronouns to male if hoshino is speaking easier for me that way yeppers

anyway campus arc

This is a fan translation of 火影之软饭真好吃 by 肾亏能力者 All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!