Konoha’s rear mountain forest.
ShihōinNaraku and Uzumaki Naruto sat in front of the blazing campfire.
The firewood crackled and popped, while the fish that had been roasting for quite some time was finally giving off an enticing aroma.
Uzumaki Naruto excitedly chattered away with ShihōinNaraku, and even the sizzling, oil-dripping grilled fish couldn’t distract him.
The two had already exchanged names, and in Naruto’s eyes, he had just made another good friend.
ShihōinNaraku’s gaze fell on the grilled fish.
He casually picked it up and flipped it over.
“It should be ready soon.
Go wash your face.”
“Oh, oh, oh…”
Naruto jumped up and hurried over to the river.
He vigorously scrubbed his face and hands before running back like a gust of wind.
“Bring your jacket over first.
It’ll dry faster here by the fire.”
“Okay.”
Naruto was genuinely obedient.
Whatever ShihōinNaraku told him to do, he did.
He was afraid of making Naraku angry and losing this newly made friend.
“Smells great!”
ShihōinNaraku split the grilled fish in half and began eating without the slightest hesitation.
Naruto likewise held his portion and ate happily.
“That’s strange…”
Naruto was extremely curious.
He had spent so much time grilling fish himself, so why had his never tasted this good?
“Why does the fish I grill taste so bad?”
ShihōinNaraku ignored Naruto’s curiosity and glanced back.
Hatake Kakashi was standing behind a nearby tree, and for some reason, he still hadn’t come out.
Kakashi was having a headache.
The main problem was that he genuinely didn’t know how to face Uzumaki Naruto, nor did he know what to say to him.
So he could only remain hidden and watch Naruto and ShihōinNaraku sitting by the fire and eating grilled fish.
Even Kakashi himself felt that his situation was unbearably miserable.
“Yo, you there, mister passing by.
Could you go buy us some food from the village?”
Kakashi was watching the two of them when he suddenly noticed ShihōinNaraku waving at him.
He instinctively pointed at himself.
Then he saw Naraku nod, confirming that yes, he was talking to him.
By now, Uzumaki Naruto had also been startled by the exchange.
He immediately turned his head toward the spot where ShihōinNaraku was waving and saw Hatake Kakashi reluctantly emerge from behind the tree.
“Who is this guy?
When did he get here?”
Kakashi’s appearance was rather striking.
Especially with his Konoha forehead protector and mask covering most of his face, leaving only one eye exposed.
Naruto immediately stared at Kakashi without blinking, making Kakashi feel somewhat uncomfortable.
ShihōinNaraku raised an eyebrow at Kakashi.
He was doing this on purpose.
“I’m counting on you, mister… Hurry back.”
Kakashi blinked his dead-fish eyes, turned around, and left under Naruto’s curious gaze.
He then quickly walked over to where Tenzō and the shinobi squad were hiding.
Tenzō stared blankly at Hatake Kakashi, who had suddenly appeared in front of him.
Then Kakashi spoke.
“Tenzō, you’re the junior I respect the most.
I’ll leave the shopping to you.
Make it quick.”
So being the junior you respect meant getting bullied?
Kakashi-senpai, do you want to take a look at what you’re saying?
Of course, Tenzō could only grumble silently to himself.
His reaction was quick, however.
He turned toward one of the shinobi in his squad and put on an expression that said he was entrusting him with a great responsibility.
“Zōten, I’ll leave the shopping to you.
Be quick.”
Rank really did crush people.
The ANBU shinobi codenamed Zōten stared at his superior speechlessly.
Then he turned around and sprinted toward Konoha.
There was nothing he could do.
For an ANBU shinobi, an order was an order.
It had to be completed.
And so, an extremely rare scene appeared at the snack stalls and convenience shops of Konoha.
An ANBU shinobi, his entire body concealed beneath robes and a mask, swept through the shops like a whirlwind, taking away large quantities of food.
He tossed down the money and disappeared like a gust of wind.
The customers and shopkeepers present hadn’t even figured out what had happened before he was gone.
The food was passed along several times.
From the ANBU member Zōten to Tenzō.
From Tenzō to Hatake Kakashi.
And finally, Kakashi carried it over and handed it to ShihōinNaraku.
“Sit down.
Why are you standing there?”
ShihōinNaraku opened the bags of food and placed everything between the three of them.
“Come on, Naruto.
Eat with us.”
“You gave me half of that grilled fish just now, so I’m treating you to some food.”
Uzumaki Naruto didn’t reach out.
Instead, he hesitantly looked at ShihōinNaraku.
Even he could tell that the fish he’d caught couldn’t compare with the mountain of food in front of him.
ShihōinNaraku saw Naruto’s embarrassment and simply picked up a skewer of dango and put it into his mouth.
“Eat.
And let me tell you something, Naruto.
I’m rich.”
“I’m a Konoha jōnin.
You know what a Jōnin is, right?
Jōnin are really rich!”
Hatake Kakashi also picked up a pastry and put it into his mouth.
The money for all this would be reimbursed by ANBU anyway.
Why not eat for free?
As for ShihōinNaraku claiming that he was rich, Kakashi knew he wasn’t exaggerating.
He didn’t know the exact figure, but he knew very well how wealthy the Medical Emergency Response Unit was.
As its director, ShihōinNaraku couldn’t possibly have gotten this far without having plenty of money in his hands.
Naruto’s eyes lit up as he leaned closer.
“Naraku-nii-san is a jōnin?
Then you must be really strong, right?”
ShihōinNaraku raised his head proudly, looking extremely smug as he boasted.
“There aren’t many people in all of Konoha who are stronger than me.”
“A brat like you who’s still in the Academy wouldn’t understand.”
Naruto became somewhat doubtful.
“Really?
Isn’t Grandpa Hokage the strongest shinobi?”
The Hokage was the strongest shinobi.
This was an idea deeply ingrained in the minds of many children in Konoha from a young age.
Uzumaki Naruto naturally thought the same.
ShihōinNaraku casually waved his hand, a trace of disdain appearing at the corner of his mouth.
“That’s why you brats don’t understand.”
“The Hokage is indeed very strong, but he’s already old.
There’s no way he’s a match for a young man like me.”
“If I caught him off guard, I could beat the Hokage with one sneak attack!”
“Huh?”
ShihōinNaraku’s unabashed boast stunned both people present, as well as Tenzō and the ANBU members hidden nearby.
“Cough, cough, cough…”
Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was watching the scene through his crystal ball, couldn’t stop coughing.
He had been completely caught off guard by ShihōinNaraku’s words.
“This brat lies so shamelessly…”
“I’ll have to find an opportunity to teach him a proper lesson.”
Daring to question his strength, Sarutobi Hiruzen was so angry that his teeth itched.
“Ahem, Naraku, don’t talk nonsense.”
“The Hokage’s strength really is formidable.
Naruto isn’t wrong.”
Hatake Kakashi finally couldn’t stand it anymore and spoke up.
“Tch!”
ShihōinNaraku curled his lips.
The sight gave Kakashi a headache.
How strange.
Why did it feel like something was off about Naraku today?
Kakashi was quick to notice.
Although he didn’t know what had happened, ShihōinNaraku really was behaving unusually today.
◇ THE STORY DOESN’T END HERE…
◇
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