The smell of freshly cut cedar filled the workshop before sunrise.
Kamui pushed open the wooden doors, expecting to be the first one there.
He wasn’t.
The old carpenter was already sharpening a plane, his movements slow and practiced.
He didn’t even look up.
“Late.”
Kamui stared at the sky outside.
“The sun isn’t even awake.”
“The sun isn’t employed here.”
“…That’s a convincing argument.”
The old man finally glanced at him.
“You talk too much.”
“So I’ve been told.”
“By intelligent people.”
Kamui chuckled, tied on his work apron and picked up a broom.
Without being asked.
The old carpenter noticed.
He said nothing.
Work began as usual.
Sweep the floor.
Sort the lumber.
Check yesterday’s measurements.
Kamui was halfway through stacking cedar planks when Daichi walked in carrying breakfast wrapped in cloth.
“My wife made too much again.”
The old carpenter snorted.
“She always makes too much.”
“She says you never eat enough.”
“I eat.”
“You survive.”
“Same thing.”
Kamui looked back and forth between them.
“…Should I leave?”
Daichi grinned.
“No.”
“They do this every morning.”
“I do not.”
“You literally just did.”
The old carpenter sighed.
“I raised an idiot.”
“You did.”
Kamui nodded seriously.
“Fortunately, he seems harmless.”
Daichi pointed at him.
“You’re enjoying this too much.”
“I really am.”
Around midmorning, the front door slid open.
A woman stepped inside carrying a wooden basket.
She looked to be in her early thirties, wearing simple clothes dusted with flour.
Daichi immediately smiled.
“You’re here.”
“I brought lunch.”
Her eyes drifted toward Kamui.
“So this is the traveler you’ve been talking about.”
Kamui stood and bowed politely.
“I’m Kamui.”
She returned the bow with an easy smile.
“Hana.”
“So you’re the famous baker.”
Daichi blinked.
“…Famous?”
Kamui nodded.
“I’ve heard stories.”
Hana laughed.
“Oh?”
“What stories?”
Kamui looked toward Daichi.
“He says your bread is the only reason he married you.”
Daichi nearly dropped the board he was carrying.
“I never—”
Hana folded her arms.
“…Really?”
Daichi pointed frantically.
“He made that up!”
Kamui placed a hand over his chest.
“I merely translated his feelings.”
The workshop filled with laughter.
Even the old carpenter’s shoulders shook ever so slightly.
Kamui noticed.
He pretended not to.
Lunch was simple.
Rice.
Grilled fish.
Pickled vegetables.
Everyone sat together on overturned crates.
No one spoke for the first few minutes.
Everyone was hungry enough to respect the food.
After a while Hana looked toward Kamui.
“So…”
“Yes?”
“How long are you staying in Konoha?”
Kamui paused.
It was a simple question.
But the answer wasn’t.
“I don’t know.”
Nobody interrupted him.
“I came here looking for…
somewhere to live.”
He smiled awkwardly.
“I didn’t expect to find it this quickly.”
Silence settled over the group.
The old carpenter cleared his throat.
“Eat before the fish gets cold.”
The conversation moved on.
But something had changed.
Not dramatically.
Just enough.
That afternoon, Kamui was sanding the legs of a table when the old carpenter walked over.
Without a word, he set a ring of small iron keys on the workbench.
Kamui looked up.
“…What’s this?”
“The workshop.”
“I know what a key is.”
“Good.”
The old man folded his arms.
“Starting tomorrow…”
“…you open the shop.”
Kamui blinked.
“You trust me with the keys?”
“I trust you to unlock a door.”
“…That’s a very specific amount of trust.”
“It is.”
Daichi laughed so hard he had to lean against the wall.
Kamui picked up the keys carefully.
They weren’t valuable.
Not really.
But they felt heavy.
Not because of the metal.
Because they meant something.
The workday ended as the sky turned orange.
Kamui decided to walk the long way home.
Well…
The long way to the workshop.
He still wasn’t used to calling it home.
Children ran past him carrying paper windmills.
A pair of genin argued over whose shuriken throw had been worse.
Life continued around him.
Unconcerned.
Peaceful.
As he crossed the small bridge near the Academy, he spotted a familiar figure sitting on the railing.
Naruto.
He was swinging his legs absentmindedly while tossing tiny pebbles into the river.
This time…
Kamui didn’t walk over.
He simply raised a hand.
“Evening.”
Naruto looked up.
“Oh.”
“…Hey.”
Neither of them moved.
Neither seemed bothered by the distance.
After a moment Naruto called out,
“You done carrying wood?”
“For today.”
“Boring job.”
“It still is.”
Naruto grinned.
“Told you.”
Kamui leaned against the bridge railing on his side.
“So…”
“Did you win today’s prank war?”
Naruto groaned loudly.
“I refuse to discuss it.”
“That bad?”
“…Iruka-sensei saw me before anyone else did.”
Kamui winced.
“My condolences.”
Naruto sighed dramatically.
“I almost had it too.”
“I believe you.”
Naruto rolled his eyes.
“You always say that.”
“Because I usually do.”
Naruto looked at the river.
“So…”
“…Do you really like carrying wood?”
Kamui thought for a long moment.
“No.”
Naruto looked surprised.
“Really?”
“I like building things.”
“The wood is just how I get there.”
Naruto frowned slightly.
“I don’t get it.”
Kamui pointed toward a nearby house.
“See that porch?”
Naruto nodded.
“Someone built it.”
He pointed toward a fence.
“Someone built that too.”
Then toward a bench.
“And that.”
He smiled.
“When people sit there years from now…”
“They won’t know who made it.”
Naruto tilted his head.
“…Doesn’t that bother you?”
Kamui shook his head.
“If something I made helps someone…”
“…I don’t need them to know my name.”
Naruto was quiet.
Children his age rarely thought about things like that.
Neither did he.
But…
He tried.
Finally he smiled.
“…That’s kind of cool.”
Kamui laughed.
“I’ll accept ‘kind of.'”
Naruto hopped down from the railing.
“I gotta go.”
“Academy tomorrow.”
“Unfortunately.”
He took a few steps before turning around.
“Oh…”
Kamui waited.
Naruto scratched the back of his head.
“…See you around.”
Kamui smiled.
“See you around, Naruto.”
This time, neither of them shouted.
Neither waved dramatically.
It felt…
Normal.
Kamui watched the boy disappear into the evening crowd before continuing his walk.
His hand drifted into his pocket, brushing against the workshop keys.
For the first time since arriving in this world…
He realized something.
He wasn’t just living in Konoha anymore.
Little by little…
He was becoming part of it.