Naruto let Kiba shake him without changing his expression.
Kiba was always loud and boisterous, but he was straightforward and loyal. Through all those cycles, whether they were being punished, skipping class, or going on missions together, he had never changed.
He was a partner worth trusting.
Shikamaru yawned beside them and replied lazily, "This is a drag, but now I'm a little curious too. You really are different today."
Naruto looked at Shikamaru, something stirring faintly in his heart.
He had asked Shikamaru for help before, though it had still... come to nothing.
Shikamaru was the kind of friend who was always muttering, "What a drag."
Yet every time, he would earnestly help Naruto analyze the situation and consider the possibilities. Though they had never managed to break the cycle, Naruto remembered that quiet support.
He had even once said that if the cycle really went on forever, perhaps it wouldn't be such a bad idea to just enjoy it quietly—a suggestion that happened to align with Orochimaru's current advice.
But back then, Naruto had still been so impatient that he couldn't take it in.
And then there was Choji. He might have seemed to care only about eating, but he was more thoughtful and gentle than anyone. More than once, when Naruto was at his lowest, he had silently offered him a bag of chips.
Naruto simply smiled and said lightly, "I just figured a few things out, that's all. Come on, let's go! School's almost out!"
As he spoke, Naruto freed himself from Kiba's hands, hurried away, and waved goodbye to them before turning toward the school gate.
Kiba was still shouting after him. "What's that supposed to mean? You're being so vague!"
Shikamaru watched Naruto's retreating figure, narrowing his eyes slightly. In the end, he just sighed and muttered, "Forget it. Better not think too much about troublesome things."
Choji nodded and opened another bag of chips.
Since it was the first day of the cycle, Naruto knew the timing all too well. By the time he reached the school gate, it was almost time for class to end.
Naruto didn't sneak off like he used to, looking for a way to break the cycle.
Instead, he stood unhurriedly by the school gate, leaning against the wall as he waited.
Sure enough, it wasn't long before Iruka hurried out, looking left and right as he ran and muttering under his breath, "That Naruto... He's definitely run off again! I shouldn't have agreed to help him for Mizuki's sake..."
Just as Iruka finished speaking, he turned and saw Naruto standing quietly nearby, waving at him.
"Iruka-sensei, let's go."
Iruka didn't react at first. He stopped in his tracks and asked awkwardly, "Naruto... you didn't run off?"
"Why would I? I'm supposed to clean up this morning's prank, aren't I?"
Naruto asked in a perfectly casual tone.
Of course, Naruto could have done it by himself.
The only reason to wait for Iruka was that if he acted obedient and sensible, he'd get Ichiraku Ramen as a reward.
In this cycle, Naruto wanted to quietly savor the experience of eating ramen alone with Iruka-sensei.
Iruka blinked, at a loss for words.
At last, he scratched his head and sighed, saying with mixed feelings, "You really have... grown a lot today."
"Let's go, Iruka-sensei."
Naruto didn't explain. He just smiled.
The two of them walked toward Kage Rock without a word.
Every so often, Iruka stole a glance at Naruto beside him. He walked steadily, without his usual bouncing around and looking everywhere. Instead, he seemed far calmer than a boy his age should be.
Just like he had in class today.
When they reached the top of Kage Rock, they stepped into the lift. Naruto deftly picked up a brush and a bucket and went inside.
Once they descended to the right spot, he got straight to work cleaning the graffiti off the Fourth Hokage's stone face.
Naruto scrubbed quickly and efficiently, and in no time, he had washed away most of the paint.
Watching from atop the Fourth Hokage's stone head, Iruka couldn't help wondering if he'd scolded Naruto too harshly that morning.
But it hadn't been any different from his usual reprimands.
Thinking this over, Iruka looked down at Naruto and finally couldn't resist asking, "Naruto, has something happened to you lately? You seem to have changed a lot."
Naruto didn't stop working, but his gaze drifted gently to the stone face of the Fourth Hokage.
He had gazed at that face countless times over countless cycles.
There had even been many cycles when he brought his parents back to life, causing quite a stir in Konoha.
Naruto lifted his head slightly and asked softly, "Iruka-sensei, if you knew that no matter what you did, you'd fail, would you still keep trying?"
Iruka froze for a moment, then gave Naruto a look that said, "I understand."
He thought Naruto's prank that morning had made his dream of becoming Hokage seem further out of reach.
So Iruka replied firmly, "I would. I'd do it without hesitation."
"Why?"
Naruto was surprised by his answer.
In earlier cycles, Iruka-sensei had comforted him even when he seemed utterly discouraged—especially after Pervy Sage's sacrifice in the first cycle...
Iruka cleared his throat, puffed out his chest, and said earnestly, "Because failure is something that follows you throughout life."
"I chose to become a teacher because I wasn't strong enough back then, and I might have held my teammates back on missions."
"But I'm not discouraged, because I know that everything I do is for a far-off dream: to train them into excellent ninja, all the way to becoming Hokage!"
Iruka spoke with impassioned conviction, feeling a little pleased with himself.
Surely Naruto would be fired up again now, right?
I really am an excellent teacher!
After hearing him out, Naruto was slightly taken aback.
In some ways, Iruka's words were quite similar to Orochimaru's and Shikamaru's ideas. Naruto had just been too impatient to see it before.
Naruto suddenly realized that he might be just like Iruka-sensei had been back then. "Holding teammates back on missions" was like endlessly searching for a way out of the cycle and never finding one.
Perhaps the real answer was to change his overall approach.
Iruka had chosen to become a teacher, while Naruto needed to carefully observe every difference in this cycle and the meaning hidden behind them. Only then could he truly break the cycle.
With that thought, Naruto's eyes gradually brightened. "I think I understand!"
Seeing this, Iruka smiled with relief and encouraged him. "Then you'd better work hard! And the first step is to start by cleaning Kage Rock!"
At the same time, Iruka was thrilled.
Third Hokage, I'm sure I'll train a candidate for the future Hokage!
Naruto felt the same sense of clarity.
In this cycle, he would stop fixating on how to break the cycle.
Instead, he would pay attention to the details he'd overlooked and the truths hidden around him.
With that, Naruto scrubbed even harder, rubbing and washing his father's face over and over.
Iruka watched, deeply moved, and finally waved a hand. "Naruto, once we're done, I'll treat you to Ichiraku Ramen!"
"Really? That's great!"
Naruto smiled from the heart for the first time in ages.
His smile was as bright as it had been in the first cycle, but now it held a different kind of warmth.
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