In Naruto: Reborn with a Chat Group

Everyone, including Makoto, was taken aback when they saw the old man.

His first impression was not so great.

Naruto stared at him with a puzzled look on his face.

Tazuna leaned against the doorframe, scanning the group before taking a swig from his bottle. Then, with a drunken drawl, he pointed at Naruto and scoffed, "The short one looks clueless! Is this little runt really a ninja?"

Naruto was completely oblivious that Tazuna was talking about him and burst out laughing.

"Hahaha! Who's he talking about? Who's short? Who looks dumb? Hahahaha!"

Sasuke, Sakura, and Makoto silently stepped closer to Naruto. As he looked around, realization hit him, he was the shortest in the room.

An awkward silence followed.

To be fair, it wasn't entirely Naruto's fault.

Even with the strong genes of the Fourth Hokage and Kushina, years of malnutrition had stunted his growth. But lately, he had been eating well, thanks to Makoto treating him to good food almost daily, and even Sasuke chipped in. He was practically dining like a noble these days.

Naruto's face twitched before he turned to glare at the old man, who wasn't even that tall himself.

"You damn geezer! Who are you calling short?! I'll kick your ass!"

Before he could lunge, Kakashi swiftly grabbed him by the collar, lifting him like a misbehaving cat. Naruto flailed his arms and legs wildly.

"Oi, oi! That's our client you're threatening, dumbass."

[Uzumaki Kushina: That damn old geezer! How dare he mock my baby Naruto?! If Naruto had been properly fed growing up, he would've been way taller by now! This is all that damn Third Hokage's fault!]

[Kakashi, you useless brat! Do something! I took care of you and Obito like my own sons, you know! Why are you just holding Naruto back?! Let him go and beat that old man up!]

[Namikaze Minato: Kushina, calm down. He is the client, after all. Isn't it a bit much to beat him up in front of everyone? Naruto could get in trouble for that.]

[Uzumaki Kushina: Minato, you idiot! Are you seriously defending him?! He just insulted our son!]

[Namikaze Minato: Let me finish first. I don't think we should just rough him up, I have a better idea. If I use the Flying Thunder God Technique, follow it up with Rasengan, then the second phase of Flying Thunder God, and finally hit him with Spiraling Flash Super Round Dance Howl Style Three... I'm sure he'll never forget this moment.]

[Uzumaki Kushina: .....]

[Senju Tobirama: ...Minato, forget about teaching him a lesson. If you do all that, there won't be anything left of him. He made one comment about Naruto, and you're ready to erase him from existence? Isn't that a bit extreme?]

[Namikaze Minato: No, no, I have perfect chakra control. I'd only rupture his veins, not kill him. And honestly, I think he deserves it.]

[Uzumaki Kushina: .....]

[Hyuga Hizashi: What the hell? Why does Minato sound like a completely different person? Did learning about Naruto's suffering and his student's betrayal break him?]

[The Minato we knew was always smiling, warm, and full of sunshine. Just seeing him could brighten anyone's day. But now, The stuff coming out of his mouth is downright terrifying.]

[Namikaze Minato: Because my pain is greater than yours!]

[Uzumaki Kushina: Oh, shut up, you idiot! You still haven't snapped out of it, huh? Looks like I didn't beat you hard enough last time. Adamantine Sealing Chains!]

[Namikaze Minato: Kushina, my pain is greater than—AAAHHHH! Stop! STOP! That hurts! Kushina, I was wrong! I was wrooooong~ AHHHHHHH~~]

[Uchiha Izuna: I don't know why, but this old man is seriously annoying. Just looking at him makes me want to punch him.]

[Uchiha Madara: Where does a mere civilian get the nerve to talk to a shinobi like that? Who gave him the courage? Does he think he's Guts or something?]

[Senju Hashirama: Who's Guts?]

[Uchiha Madara: ...No idea. I just heard Makoto mention him before.]

[Senju Tobirama: This man, Tazuna, is irritating, but there's not much we can do. Since he's the one who issued the mission, Makoto and the others just have to put up with his nonsense.]

'This damn old man...' Makoto's eye twitched as he stared at Tazuna. 'He hires the ninjas, mocks them to their faces, and acts like he knows everything when he clearly knows nothing about the ninja world!'

His gaze flicked to the bottle in Tazuna's hand, and his grin slowly widened. 'In the original storyline, he lied about the mission rank and claimed he had no money for a proper request... yet somehow has enough to drink?'

Makoto crossed his arms, his eyes flashed a sinister light. 'Since Sensei told me to tag along with Team 7, I'll just have to make this trip interesting.'

He chuckled under his breath. 'hehe, Moral Kidnapping? Too bad, old man.I don't have any morals to begin with.'

'You lied about the mission, put ninja lives at risk, and expect everything to go smoothly, right? Think again. If you can't pay up when the time comes, I'll turn right around and take Naruto and the others back home. No money, no protection.'

His fingers tapped against his arm as he eyed Tazuna like a predator sizing up prey. 'And as for your bridge?'

'Not. My. Problem.'

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Sparky's Note: Here's the bonus chapter for hitting 1,500 power stones! Sorry it took a bit longer than expected.