The Beginning of Every Story Is Always a Half-Empty Bottle of Soda

"You rascal," Naruto said, exasperated. "Let's not talk about that for now."

"Don't you want it? Something like personal belongings?" Sakura said, her hands behind her back. "I don't mind, since I don't have anyone I like anyway."

"I don't want to." He refused decisively.

"Really? That's a pity." She smiled. "I just wanted to share my feelings with you. Did you know that medication can be administered through mucous membranes when you're sick?"

"What kind of strange feeling is this?"

"Like April, a rather humid mood." Sakura revealed a mischievous expression, her pink hair was ruffled by the wind, and since she was already thin, the color of her hair made her skin look fair and delicate.

The clouds began to thicken, Naruto glanced at the thin booklet being blown away by the wind in the distance, his voice languid.

That's enough.

The atmosphere fell silent for a moment, the two standing quietly on the rooftop. Sakura stared at Naruto for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled.

"Okay," she said. "If you're unhappy, you can come to me, and I'll comfort you."

Naruto didn't say anything, he just nodded.

"I'll head back now." Sakura waved and left the rooftop first.

Two months passed in the blink of an eye.

The Konohagakure Genin are mostly busy on missions, and the chances of them running into each other are very rare. The reorganization of Team Seven seems a long way off, and after Sakura recovered, she was transferred to Tsunade's office.

Naruto resumed his temporary job, freely regrouping and spending most of his time with Team 3. His relationship with Tenten, Rock Lee, Neji also improved significantly.

Tenten is a little rich girl, Naruto is also not short of money, Neji is aloof but not short of money.

Thus, Naruto naturally became the soul of Team 3's team-building activities. He would often invite everyone out for team-building activities after a mission, and occasionally he would even drag Might Guy along.

Team 3 graduated early, and unlike the other two Genin, they had a more mature attitude towards missions. A mission was a mission, and everything was for the mission's sake.

Even if something unexpected happens along the way, she won't have a saintly heart.

Naruto is even more ruthless than Lee and Neji in terms of being a scoundrel; not handcuffing or beating his client is already considered a good attitude. When it comes to completing missions, he's utterly swift and decisive, handling everything in one fell swoop.

With Naruto, a mission expert, on the team, Team 3's success rate in completing missions independently skyrocketed. Even when the difficulty of the missions the four received increased dramatically, it didn't affect their completion rate at all.

And so, he naturally became an unofficial member of the Team 3.

Early summer.

"Cheers!"

"Mission successful!"

"Finally, I get to take a vacation!" Naruto added.

Four glasses of juice clinked together in the Barbecue restaurant. The windows were wide open, letting in the warm evening breeze. The charcoal fire burned slowly, as if breathing, and moths fluttered under the lampshade.

With a sizzle, the roasted meat was enveloped in steam, and its aroma filled the air.

The four sat together, Tenten laughing as he grilled meat, Neji quietly drank his juice. Rock Lee and Naruto were playing rock-paper-scissors; the loser would eat the grilled meat.

The juice was placed on the table, and the chirping of insects filled the air.

"It's only a seven-day holiday," Tenten complained, her two buns bobbing back and forth. "If only we could have a two-week holiday."

"It's not bad to use the holiday for spiritual practice," Rock Lee said, holding up one finger. "I'll practice for one day tomorrow, and if I can't do it, I'll practice for another day."

"What's the difference between this and doing a mission?" Naruto stuffed a piece of grilled meat into his mouth and mumbled, "Don't waste your precious vacation time."

"Yeah, Rock Lee, it's good to do something interesting sometimes." Tenten said with a helpless smile, resting her chin on her hand.

"Teacher Kai said that summer is the season for cultivation!" Rock Lee suddenly stood up and said.

"Alright, alright." Naruto pulled him down to sit. "Just don't drag me into your training. I'm going home to sleep. Last month, you sleepwalked into my house in the middle of the night and made me train."

"Huh? Is that true?" Tenten asked curiously.

"I can't remember." Rock Lee scratched his head. "I woke up in the training ground, and Naruto was there too."

"Rock Lee, don't you have any conscience?" Naruto asked with a complicated expression. "You dragged me to the training ground, and you even opened the Eight Inner Gates. That's going too far!"

"Damn it! I absolutely refuse to believe you that we don't have some personal grudge!"

"I'm sorry," Rock Lee said with a guilty look on his face, "I probably wanted to spar with you too much."

"Fine, fine, just don't disturb my sleep this time." Naruto tossed a piece of grilled meat into Rock Lee's plate. "I thought I wouldn't be disturbed while sleeping at home."

"Next time, I'll find a different place and just sleep anywhere!"

Neji put down his chopsticks. "The situation in Sunagakure has been bad. This vacation isn't guaranteed to be the full term. There might be an emergency mission in the middle of it."

"What a hassle." The moment Naruto raised his cup, the image of Temari flashed into his mind.

She seems to have recovered by now, but she probably still retains some memories. It's best not to meet her, otherwise it would be awkward. No! It's more than just awkward; those unbearable memories will likely affect the relationship between the two villages.

"That can't be helped, after all, Sunagakure and Konohagakure are allies," Tenten said. "And now it's not just Team 3, even Shikamaru and Shino's teams have stopped their missions and are probably on standby."

"The Konohagakure–Sunagakure Alliance, huh?" Naruto looked down at the grilled meat, his eyes appearing somewhat dim under the overhead light. "Then we'll inevitably have to deal with each other."

"Yes," Tenten replied.

"Gaara's pretty strong," Rock Lee interjected, frowning. "If I could fight him again, maybe..."

"Rock Lee, the Sunagakure is locked in a fierce battle, he might not have time to spar with you," Neji said, his well-defined knuckles gripping the cup tightly.

"Don't rush into a fight without thinking. We're allies now, so be mindful of the consequences."

"I understand," Rock Lee said with a regretful expression.

Upon hearing this, Naruto burst out laughing and patted Rock Lee on the shoulder.

"It's alright. Gaara is a Jinchuriki of a Tailed Beast, he's not that easy to kill. As long as you don't completely kill him, he can still come back to life."

Neji looked helpless but didn't say anything.

Under the dappled shadows of the trees under the streetlights at night, Naruto stood at the crossroads saying goodbye to the three, the early summer breeze lifting his messy golden hair.

Holding a half-finished soda in his hand, Naruto stood at the intersection for a while, sighed, "Youth is truly wonderful, "Naruto turned around and went back, slipping on his slippers.

The lights on Konohagakure Street were still bright, stretching crookedly to the horizon.

He walked slowly, the steam rising around his ears. Tomorrow he'll be staying home, and the day after will be the same. Maybe he'll go out for a stroll the day after that. That's pretty much how his vacation goes.

"What are you thinking about?" The girl's voice rang in my ears.