It was another dull Taijutsu training class.
On the Ninja Academy’s training grounds, eight of the Konoha rookies were sparring with one another.
Off in the distance, a boy with pineapple hair lay on the steps slacking off, while blonde and pink-haired girls dragged back and forth, and a whiskered blonde boy chased after an aloof, black-haired boy demanding a duel…
Hoshi leaned boredly against the shaded top of the bleachers, his messy, ink-black hair blown about by the breeze.
Instead of holding a Kunai, he was flipping through a battered book titled *Human Meridians and Pharmacology*.
Among his fired-up classmates who looked ready to crush the ground beneath their feet, he stood out like an out-of-place observer.
“A Dead-last is still a Dead-last!
Even after training, you’re no match for a genius!” A wave of laughter echoed from below, laced with the casual malice typical of children.
Hoshi closed his book, his deep black eyes looking down.
Down there, Naruto Uzumaki, dressed in his eye-searing orange tracksuit, crawled out of a mud pit covered in dirt.
The surrounding students pinched their noses and backed away as if he carried some rotting plague.
*If this kid can’t master the Nine-Tails’ Chakra, he won’t be able to use Ninjutsu normally,* Hoshi thought with a quiet sigh.
As a transmigrator, he knew all too well how brilliantly this “demon fox”—scorned by the entire village—would shine in the future.
But right now, all he saw was a lonely, stubborn kid desperately craving recognition.
“Hey, Naruto.” Hoshi leapt down from his high perch, landing as silently as a feather.
“Hoshi…
did you need something?” “Take this water and wash your face.
Your left calf muscle is cramping; if you don’t massage the Chengshan Point for three minutes, you’ll be nothing more than a human punching bag in this afternoon’s combat class.
Haven’t you been keeping up with the practice method I taught you?” Hoshi tossed a water bottle over, his tone indifferent, bordering on annoyed.
Yet the instant he threw it, a gentle surge of medical Chakra flickered from his fingertips, stealthily seeping into the meridians of Naruto’s leg along with the mist.
“Uh, my stomach’s been bothering me lately, so I didn’t have the energy to practice.
Plus, that drink is really expensive; I can’t afford it.” Naruto caught it reflexively, feeling an unprecedented cool sensation spread from his palm.
Flustered, he mumbled his thanks, a warmth he had never felt before welling up in his heart.
“And as for the rest of you.” Hoshi turned his head toward the taunting crowd, his eyes turning cold as ice.
“If I were you, I’d go practice hand seals or the Three-Body Technique right now.
After all, failing the graduation exam by losing to a ‘Dead-last’ would be the biggest joke in Konoha.” Intimidated by Hoshi’s commanding aura, the jeering kids shut their mouths, ducking their heads and dispersing.
“Hoshi!
Stop fussing over Naruto all the time!
Let’s go for a walk and leave him to Shikamaru and Choji!” Ino Yamanaka darted over like a whirlwind and naturally linked her arm with Hoshi’s, her blonde ponytail swishing dazzlingly.
As members of the three families trusted most by the Hokage, Ino and the others had known Naruto’s true identity from the start.
Out of pride or a desire not to draw attention to his identity, Choji and Shikamaru would help Naruto here and there, while Ino rarely interacted with him.
“Hoshi, can you train with me for a bit?” Naruto asked sheepishly.
He was dense, not completely oblivious.
He had long known that Ino liked Hoshi and Hoshi liked Ino too, but he genuinely needed Hoshi’s help.
He had so few friends, and even buying normal food was difficult for him—most of what he got was expired milk and stale bread, which was why he had diarrhea every day.
Ino glared at Naruto with mild annoyance before instantly reverting to her fan-girl face when looking at Hoshi.
“Oh right!
Choji and Shikamaru found a great spot for barbecue on the back hill.
Why don’t we go together?
Choji said he wanted to thank you for showing him how to ease his bloated stomach after binge eating last time.
Naruto can help gather firewood while we’re there—think of it as physical training!” “Greasy barbecue isn’t great for your skin, but having it once in a while is fine.
Come along, Naruto.
Doing physical training like Ino suggested sounds good, and I can give you a physical checkup afterward.” Hoshi pulled Ino along, walking off before Naruto could even decline.
“Hoshi, you’re so good to me!
Hey, wait up…” Naruto’s eyes grew misty.
Just as he was about to express his gratitude, Hoshi and Ino were already ten meters ahead.
In Hoshi’s eyes, these Konoha rookies were all prime growth stocks for the future.
Behind a nearby tree, Hinata secretly peeked at a certain boy.
Seeing him cheered up again, she left with a warm, contented smile.
“What a drag.
Choji, couldn’t you just bring pre-marinated meat?
Your family’s barbecue restaurant has so many semi-prepared items, but you insisted on skewering it ourselves.
What a pain,” Shikamaru complained, holding a metal skewer in one hand while threading meat onto it with the other.
“When you eat meat, you eat it fresh!
With our Akimichi Clan’s secret seasoning, even tree bark would taste good dipped in it.” Choji briskly assembled the meat skewers, alternating lean and fat cuts while tucking in green vegetables, prioritizing color, aroma, and taste—rich without being greasy.
Watching Naruto gathering firewood by himself nearby, Hoshi couldn’t bear it and said, “Naruto, that’s enough firewood for now.
If we need more, we can gather it later.
Come on back.
What kind of barbecue or skewers do you want?” “Uh, I don’t think it’s enough yet.
I’ll eat whatever; just make whatever’s easiest for you.” Naruto spoke vaguely, though his stomach was already growling loudly.
“Naruto, come on over, it’s really enough.
Choji, go start the fire for the grill, and I’ll go help Naruto.” Sensing Naruto’s awkwardness, Shikamaru stood up to bail him out.
“Is it really enough?” Naruto blinked at the pile of smokeless charcoal that had magically appeared beside the group.
Stunned, he dropped his bundle of wood, his entire figure draining into monochrome grey as he began questioning his own self-worth.
Unmoved by the sight, yet feeling pity…
oh, poor son of the Fourth Hokage.
“Naruto, eat up!
Afterwards, come over to my house.
You haven’t been to my place yet, right?
I bought too much food a few days ago, and it’ll spoil if we don’t finish it.” Hoshi handed a freshly grilled skewer to Naruto, whose world instantly burst back into full color.
Food and Sakura were Naruto’s best medicine; as long as he had food, he returned to normal immediately.
“Yeah, let’s head to Hoshi’s place after this.
He’s been back for so long and hasn’t invited us over once.
We’ve got to clean out his fridge and pantry,” Shikamaru chimed in.
Choji swallowed his bite of barbecue and added, “Mmm-hmm, Shikamaru’s right.
Maybe he has some high-potency tonic medicine too.
We should try some of that drink he developed—it costs a fortune on the market!” “You two…
Ugh, fine!
Just this once!” Ino shook her fist at them in verbal warning.
Although she really wanted to be alone with Hoshi, Naruto truly was too pitiful.
“Why are you guys being so nice to me?!” Naruto asked in disbelief.
“Because we’re friends!
Partners, *aibou*~!” Hoshi flashed Minato’s trademark sunshine smile.
“Everyone, you’re all so good to me!
I won’t let anyone down, and I’ll definitely become the Fifth Hokage!” Naruto shouted, tears and snot streaming uncontrollably from his eyes and nose.