A Lunch Box as Tall as a Mountain!!!

"Damn it, which bastard used Fire Release? Don't you know this is underground?!"

"Cough, cough, cough..."

"Quick, put out the flames on me..."

"Hurry up!!!"

Shimura Danzō's face twisted viciously as he roared himself hoarse, desperately slapping at the flames burning on his backside.

The Root ninja looked expressionless. Without a word, he grabbed a chair and swung it down.

"Bang! Bang! Bang..."

The chair struck Shimura Danzō squarely on the rear, making his eyes nearly bulge from the pain.

"AAAAH!!!"

After the flames were finally put out, veins bulged on Shimura Danzō's forehead from the pain.

"Damn it!!!"

"Which bastard started a fire in the underground space?!"

Shimura Danzō's eyes were bloodshot as he glared murderously at the door.

The underground space occupied by Root was only this big. Even a fart could be shared by dozens of people.

Starting a fire here? Were they trying to burn Root down?

Enduring the searing pain in his backside, Shimura Danzō pushed open the door with a vicious expression.

"Who was it just now that used..."

"BOOM!!!"

Before Shimura Danzō could finish, another surge of violent flames rushed over from the end of the corridor with a boom.

"AAAAAHHHH!!!"

Shimura Danzō failed to dodge in time and was struck head-on by the flames, screaming miserably amid the blaze.

Only after the flames finally died down.

Shimura Danzō looked into a mirror and nearly spat out blood.

The figure in the mirror was charred black from head to toe, his hair curled and singed. He barely looked human, more like a burned corpse pulled from a coal heap.

"Damn it!!!"

"Damn it!!!"

"Damn it!!!"

"..."

Shimura Danzō was so furious his lungs were about to explode, and he kept roaring curses under his breath.

Fuck!!!

Which bastard was it?!

Starting one fire wasn't enough, so they had to start several more?!

Shimura Danzō led the Root personnel toward the direction the flames had come from.

"BOOM!!! BOOM!!! BOOM!!!"

Three more blasts of fire came in succession. Unlike before, the scorching blaze filled the entire street.

"Quick!"

"Use Earth Release!"

"No, no, use Water Release!"

"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!!!"

"No, the temperature of these flames is absurdly high. This isn't ordinary Fire Release. Water Release can't block it... AAAAAH!!!!"

"The flames are too hot. It feels like all the water in my body is about to evaporate..."

"AAAAH, the water evaporated in an instant! What kind of Fire Release is this..."

"Bastard, which idiot used Water Release? Are you trying to steam us all alive?! Aah..."

"Hot!!! Hot!! Hot!!! It's scalding! The steam is too hot!!! We can't get through at all!!!"

"..."

The underground Root organization descended into chaos.

The Root ninja stared in disbelief at the sea of flames rushing toward them.

It was unbelievable. What kind of fire was this?

Its temperature was incredibly high. Even Water Release could not extinguish it. Instead, it reversed the elemental counterbalance and evaporated the water completely.

After quite a while, the flames gradually died out.

The Root ninja exchanged glances, their faces all somewhat black.

Literally speaking.

The Root ninja had charred black faces. Some of their hair had burned away, and large holes had been scorched into their clothes.

They looked less like Root's elite ninja and more like refugees fleeing disaster.

"Lord Danzō, we have found the source of the fire. It came from the ventilation shaft above."

The Root ninja spoke while enduring the burning pain throughout his body.

Shimura Danzō climbed out through the ventilation shaft with a dark expression. Looking at the empty clearing, he could no longer suppress his rage and roared:

"Bastard!!!"

"Do you have nothing better to do?!"

Uzumaki Naruto knew nothing of Root's misfortune, but after releasing Fire Release several times, he had realized his own shortcomings.

"My chakra isn't quite enough..."

"Kurama, if you lend me your chakra, can I release it steadily?"

Uzumaki Naruto asked the Nine-Tails.

The Nine-Tails lazily swished his tail and said, "Not necessarily. My chakra carries darkness by nature. If you can't withstand it, my chakra will devour your consciousness."

Uzumaki Naruto nodded thoughtfully.

"Sure enough, Kurama, your chakra is too dangerous. But in a critical moment, I can still use it."

The next day.

Uzumaki Naruto went to school as usual.

Little Hinata's face was flushed red as she handed Uzumaki Naruto a lunch box half a meter tall. Lowering her head, she spoke softly:

"Naruto-kun, I made you another lunch box. Can we eat together today...?"

Uzumaki Naruto could not help laughing. Why did he feel like... today's lunch box was even bigger than yesterday's!?

Was it an illusion!?

Uzumaki Naruto vigorously rubbed Little Hinata's hair and asked with a smile, "Are the two of us eating this together today?!"

Little Hinata shook her head with a blush and pointed to another lunch box beside her that was nearly a meter tall.

"This one is mine. That one is Naruto-kun's."

Uzumaki Naruto: "..."

"This... is nearly a meter tall, isn't it?!"

Uzumaki Naruto stared dumbfoundedly at the enormous lunch box. He had thought his was meant for two people, but who would have thought...

Coming back to his senses, Uzumaki Naruto gave a wry smile and poked Little Hinata's cheek. "Thank you. I'll savor this lunch box as if it were Little Hinata herself."

"Poof!!!"

A puff of white smoke rose from Little Hinata's head. Her face turned as red as an apple, and she swayed dizzily in place.

"Treat the lunch box... as me... and savor it..."

Little Hinata's face grew redder and redder until, at last, she fainted in a daze into Uzumaki Naruto's arms.

Her old father in the distance gritted his teeth so hard they nearly shattered.

"Hinata!!!"

"How could you fall for that brat?!"

Uzumaki Naruto carried Little Hinata to her seat and draped his clothes over her.

At that moment, Yamanaka Ino walked over.

Yamanaka Ino's face was also red as she shyly placed a lunch box on Uzumaki Naruto's desk.

"Uzumaki Naruto, th-this is a lunch box I made for you..."

After saying that, Yamanaka Ino's face turned as red as Hinata's. She hurried back to her seat and buried herself like an ostrich.

Uzumaki Naruto: "..."

Uzumaki Naruto stared lifelessly at the two lunch boxes on his desk.

He was still young. He did not want to die this early.

Haruno Sakura's face was slightly red. She also wanted to give Uzumaki Naruto a lunch box, but she was too embarrassed.

Inuzuka Kiba came over and threw an arm around Uzumaki Naruto's shoulders, saying enviously, "I'm seriously jealous of you. You've somehow got so many lovestruck girls after you."

Akimichi Choji muttered:

"After all, Uzumaki Naruto has gotten really handsome now. Even I think he looks cool, and he's strong too. It's perfectly normal for Ino to like him."

Inuzuka Kiba said sourly:

"I know, but it's still so enviable."

Nara Shikamaru spoke lazily. "Well, there's no need to envy him. Women are troublesome, especially Yamanaka Ino. Her personality is terrible..."

"Bang!!!"

Yamanaka Ino punched Nara Shikamaru in the head.

"Say one more word and I'll kill you!"

Nara Shikamaru's mouth twitched slightly. See? Women were troublesome creatures.

Second Pillar snorted angrily at the sight.

"Hmph, what's so great about it?"

Uzumaki Naruto smiled somewhat helplessly.

Jealous!?

Were they sure they wanted to experience the feeling of being stuffed to death?!