The next morning, a subtle atmosphere hung over the Ninja Academy classroom.
Iruka stood at the podium, his eyes visibly swollen and red, his voice much gentler than usual. When Choji secretly stuffed chips into his mouth, everyone was surprised when Iruka merely sighed softly. "Don't let it happen again. I'll give them back to you after class." His unusual reaction left the entire class stunned.
"Why is Sensei so easygoing today?"
"Could he be sick?"
The students whispered among themselves. Only Naruto, Satsuki, and the others who had attended the birthday party the night before understood without needing to say anything.
During class, Iruka began explaining the basic ninja "Three Body Technique"—the Transformation Jutsu, Body Replacement Technique, and Clone Technique. For ordinary students, these were compulsory lessons that required serious study.
"Boring..." Satsuki rested her cheek on one hand and listened listlessly. Uchiha children had already mastered such basic ninjutsu long before entering the academy.
Naruto appeared to be listening attentively, nodding along from time to time. But no one knew that one of his Shadow Clones outside Konoha Village had already begun moving.
Though his real body was still sitting obediently in the classroom, Naruto's mind had long since flown far away.
The humid air of the Land of Hot Water washed over him. Naruto stood in a familiar room he had not visited in a long time, taking in the hot spring atmosphere so different from Konoha. More than a year had passed since his last visit, but the Flying Thunder God Technique allowed him to cross that distance in an instant with a single thought.
The Dog Hot Spring Inn's sign remained as eye-catching as ever, but the place had undergone earth-shaking changes. What had once been a casually chosen foothold had now been entirely bought