A Tiny Butterfly

"My wallet..."

His mature worldview prevented him from spending a girl's money. Since both were little foodies, their funds had all gone toward snacks.

Swish.

Jiraiya's figure appeared in the room.

"Kid, are you out of money?" Jiraiya asked, curiously eyeing Naruto's empty frog wallet.

"What do you think?" Naruto replied listlessly.

"Take this, and try to spend it sparingly." Suddenly, Jiraiya produced something resembling a bankbook and handed it to Naruto.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"Just consider it a loan. You'll be graduating in two months; once you're a ninja, you'll have money, and you can pay me back then." Jiraiya acted as if it were nothing. Over the years, he had earned quite a bit from writing his adult novels and never had to worry about his livelihood.

He had been monitoring Naruto for some time and was well aware of his living situation. Now that he saw a chance to help, he naturally felt he should.

"Alright, since you put it that way, I won't stand on ceremony." After a moment's thought, Naruto agreed.

"Since you're fine now, I should be going." Through his observations over this period, Jiraiya had discovered that Naruto was very mature and did not require his assistance.

Jiraiya was a man who could never sit still, yet he was also a man lost in confusion; his entire life had been spent chasing the answer to peace.

Through the Great Toad Sage's prophecy, he knew that a Child of Prophecy would bring change to this world, but who that child was, he had to find for himself. That was why he traveled the entire ninja world, hoping to see who might be the one.

Having read the original story, Naruto naturally knew of Jiraiya's situation. To avoid bringing trouble upon himself, he would never tell Jiraiya that he was the Child of Prophecy.

In truth, strictly speaking, Nagato Uzumaki was also a Child of Prophecy; he had brought disaster to the ninja world, while Naruto Uzumaki brought the hope of peace.

"Alright, in that case, be careful on the road and drink a little less." Because they had been meeting more frequently lately, the two had grown familiar, and Jiraiya had been very kind to Naruto.

"Don't worry, I am the Toad Sage, after all." Jiraiya, ever the show-off, struck a pose he deemed incredibly cool.

"Don't let the door hit you on the way out." Naruto watched with an awkward expression.

"I'm leaving tomorrow, aren't you going to treat me to a proper meal?" Jiraiya flashed a wide grin.

"Fine, just sit and wait a moment." Naruto naturally understood what Jiraiya meant. The so-called "treating" meant Naruto had to cook himself; after tasting Naruto's cooking once, Jiraiya had grown fond of his flavor.

After thinking it over, he went out to buy groceries. Checking the sky, he saw it was still early, so he could call Hinata over to eat dinner a bit earlier.

In the kitchen, Naruto cooked while Hinata helped. Jiraiya sat in the living room, watching the warm atmosphere in the kitchen, and his eyes blurred for a moment. He seemed to see the scene of that sunny young man and the girl with fiery red hair cooking and chatting in a kitchen once more.

"Jiraiya-sensei, dinner is ready." In his trance, he seemed to hear Minato Namikaze calling him to eat.

"You really are exactly like him, Minato." Seeing the scene in the kitchen, he couldn't help but feel a sense of comfort.

The next day.

Jiraiya left the place, once again setting foot on his journey across the ninja world.

Naruto's life returned to peace. Time flew, and the moment for the plot to officially begin had arrived. For the past six months, Konoha had been stable and calm; everything seemed exactly as it was in the original story, without a single change.

In the Hokage's office, the Third Hokage sat behind his desk, looking at the files of all the students in the ninja academy, his brows furrowed deeply.

There was no need to worry about the others; their team assignments had been decided long ago. Only the situation with Team 7 was somewhat complex.

"Someone, go notify the head of the Hyuga clan to come here." Finally, after some thought, the Third Hokage decided he wanted to see the situation regarding the Hyuga clan.

If the Hyuga clan agreed, he intended to place Hinata and Naruto Uzumaki on the same squad.

"Yes." A black shadow flashed, and the room fell silent once more.

Not long after, Hyuga Hiashi, dressed in a kimono, arrived at the Hokage's office.

As the head of the largest surviving clan in Konoha, Hyuga Hiashi rarely came to see the Third Hokage alone.

"Hokage-sama." Hyuga Hiashi nodded slightly.

"Sit, Hiashi." The Third Hokage nodded and gestured to the sofa beside him with a smile.

"I called you here today because there are some matters I wish to consult with you about." As soon as Hyuga Hiashi sat down, the Third Hokage got straight to the point.

"Please speak, Hokage-sama." Hyuga Hiashi was somewhat puzzled.

While the Hokage was discussing the team assignments for Naruto, all the students at the academy were also discussing the same topic.

The girls, in particular, were chattering away, fantasizing about being placed on a team with Sasuke.

As for Naruto Uzumaki, who already knew the team assignments, he was naturally listless. The thought of being placed on a team with Sakura and Sasuke made him feel as though all his energy had drained away.

"Naruto, you look so sleepy today? But the graduation exam starts today, are you really okay?"

In the back row, Hinata watched Naruto yawning repeatedly, looking as if he were about to fall asleep at any moment, and asked in a soft, worried voice.

"Don't worry, it's nothing!"

Naruto said, looking at Hinata with a smile.

The young girl's personality was now vastly different from the original story. Although she was still prone to shyness and introversion, she was already countless times better than she had been in the original plot.

"That's good!"

Hinata smiled as well.

"Naruto, aren't you curious about who you'll be grouped with?" Hinata asked in a low voice at that moment.

Seeing everyone else excitedly fantasizing about their potential teammates, Hinata naturally wished to be placed in a squad with Naruto.

"Ah! Little Hinata, although I'd really like to be in a squad with you, I don't think it's very likely. Team assignments depend on the circumstances; you and I are different types of ninja. The Byakugan is mostly used for reconnaissance and detection, while the Ino-Shika-Cho trio is never separated. As for you..."

At this point, Naruto glanced at the rowdy Kiba and the quietly seated Shino, his meaning self-evident.

"Naruto, are you telling the truth?" Hinata's tone visibly sank.

Naruto scratched his head.

"Unless something unexpected happens, that's how it should be." Naruto felt quite helpless as well.

A butterfly's tiny flap could change so many things, and though Naruto believed he hadn't changed much, he had actually altered a great deal without even realizing it.

Hinata's mood was very low, and she had no heart left to chat with Naruto.

Naruto scratched his head and boredly slumped over his desk, watching the excited people in the classroom.