Photograph

Naruto Uzumaki couldn't understand it. How could having no parents be something to joke about?

Wu Yu glanced at the somewhat silent Naruto and Sasuke, then counted on his fingers. "My parents died because of the Nine-Tailed Fox twelve years ago. Sasuke's parents were killed by his dear older brother. Naruto, what about your parents? How did they die?"

"I..."

Naruto Uzumaki froze. He hadn't expected Wu Yu's brief words to contain such explosively massive information.

"The Nine-Tailed Fox? Wu Yu's parents were killed by the thing sealed inside me... And Sasuke... his parents were actually killed by his own brother?!"

Naruto Uzumaki swallowed with difficulty. Looking at Nakamori Wu Yu and Sasuke Uchiha, he clenched his fists, lowered his head, and said, "I don't know who my parents were, or how they died..."

"Then fine, you win," Wu Yu said. "You're more pitiful."

Sasuke Uchiha's face darkened. "You mean luckier. If you had nothing from the very beginning, then when someone suddenly takes everything away from you, it wouldn't hurt so much..."

Naruto Uzumaki gritted his teeth stubbornly and began breathing rapidly.

You're not about to hyperventilate, are you? Wu Yu patted Naruto's shoulder. "It was only two short years, but the love my parents gave me during those two years was enough to fill my heart."

After crossing into another world, there was nothing lonelier or emptier than that.

Wu Yu didn't dare imagine what his view of this world would have become if he had opened his eyes after transmigrating only to find himself an orphan.

"Even now, I often feel like they're still here. The way my mother hummed while making breakfast feels like something that happened yesterday."

Wu Yu sighed from the bottom of his heart. "Sasuke, haven't you ever felt that way too?"

"..." Sasuke Uchiha lowered his gaze without saying a word.

Wu Yu smiled faintly at Naruto. "You may not know your parents, but they definitely knew you. Even if you were only together for an instant, they must have left something behind in you. You just haven't noticed it yet."

The Nine-Tailed Fox inside Naruto Uzumaki: [...]

Even after Wu Yu had left, Naruto continued staring blankly in the direction he had gone.

If, in the past, looking at the equally lonely Sasuke had given him a sense of shared hardship, then at this moment, it felt as though Nakamori Wu Yu had kicked him awake. At least when he had been born, he hadn't been alone. Perhaps his parents had loved him.

Naruto Uzumaki lowered his head. "Sasuke, is there any ninjutsu that can make someone remember what happened on the day they were born?"

"..." Sasuke Uchiha turned away. "How would I know, you idiot?"

"What's with me? Getting all sentimental?"

Wu Yu sprang onto the second-floor balcony. As he pulled out his key and opened the door, he muttered to himself, "Sakura must've infected me. Or maybe I've been possessed by Little Jade too many times and there are side effects..."

[Wu Yu, would I give you side effects?] Jade Rabbit's voice sounded a little nervous.

"No, I was joking."

Wu Yu reassured her. After returning home, he took a cold shower, changed into clean clothes, and saw the Family Photo on the table.

In the photograph, his father, Nakamori Yu, and his mother, Nakamori Akemi, were both wearing ninja flak jackets and smiling as though they had received an unexpected blessing. Each held up one of his two-year-old feet with one hand while supporting him with the other...

Wu Yu had already forgotten why his parents had held him up like that. He only remembered that he had truly been happy then—the first time he had genuinely felt happy during the gloomy year or two after transmigrating.

Even happier had been the young couple. Wu Yu remembered that after they returned home that night, they had hidden in the bathroom and cried while embracing each other. Afraid of letting him hear, they had suppressed their voices. The two had cried and congratulated each other at the same time: their precious son had finally learned how to smile...

"Obito Uchiha, should I hate you or not?"

Wu Yu muttered to himself, wiped the framed photo, set it aside, and used the little remaining ingredients at home to make breakfast.

In the morning... uh, at ten o'clock in the afternoon, Wu Yu strolled leisurely into the Third Training Ground while hugging a lunchbox and eating.

The three members of Team Seven had already been waiting there impatiently.

"Why are you only getting here now?" Naruto Uzumaki angrily pointed at Wu Yu. "And you're actually eating! Kakashi-sensei clearly warned us not to eat anything, or we'd throw up!"

Sakura Haruno nodded in strong agreement beside him.

Wu Yu looked puzzled. "Listen to yourself. Kakashi only warned us not to eat breakfast, but this is lunch."

After finishing the last bite, he rubbed his stomach contentedly. "Throw up, then. Surely no one would rather stay hungry until now just because they're worried about throwing up, right? No way, no way?"

What an incredibly punchable tone... Naruto and Sasuke thought speechlessly at the same time.

What he says actually makes so much sense... Sakura Haruno's inner personality wept.

Then, nearly another full hour passed...

Only then did Kakashi Hatake arrive late, carrying a bag over his shoulder. He waved as if nothing had happened. "Good morning, everyone."

Naruto and Sakura roared, "It's already noon!!"

Sasuke: "..." Could Wu Yu have guessed this would happen? Was that why he had secretly gone home to eat breakfast?

"Oh, Wu Yu is here too." Kakashi Hatake casually glanced at Wu Yu, who looked like a complete bystander. "Anyway, everyone, follow me."

"I'm definitely going to teach Kakashi-sensei a lesson!" Naruto Uzumaki grumbled indignantly as he followed behind. "I'll use that new move I mastered and beat Sensei until he's covered in bruises! Hehehe..." He covered his mouth and snickered.

Wu Yu and the others followed Kakashi to the familiar three-post training area within the Third Training Ground.

On one side of the posts was a fairly large clearing, while the other side led into dense forest. There was also a small river nearby. The terrain was comprehensive, making it highly suitable for field exercises.

"Alright!"

Kakashi Hatake took an alarm clock from his bag and set the timer. "The alarm will ring at noon. Before then, your task is... to take these two bells from me."

With a jingle, Kakashi produced two small bells and explained the exercise rules with his dead-fish eyes. "If you fail to take the bells before noon, you'll be tied to a wooden post and watch me eat my bento."

The three members of Team Seven all looked toward Wu Yu, who seemed entirely uninvolved.

Kakashi could tell that Wu Yu had already eaten. His tone was calm, though faintly mocking. "As expected, experienced people have the foresight to prepare. Fine, you don't need to participate anyway."

Wu Yu smiled. Just wait, Copy Ninja. You'll see whether I participate or not.

"There are only two bells here, but there are three of you."

Kakashi paid no mind to Wu Yu's attitude—if anything, this was exactly the effect he wanted. He continued explaining to Naruto and the other two, "That means one person will definitely be tied to the wooden post. And failing to take a bell means failing the mission. I'll revoke your Genin qualifications, and you'll return to the Ninja Academy for retraining..."

Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura all wore grave expressions. Their paths as ninja had only just begun; no one wanted them to end on the first day.

"It's fine to use Shuriken. Come at me with the resolve to kill me if you want to take them."

Kakashi tied the two bells around his waist, where they jingled softly, and announced the official start of the exercise.