A Relaxed Daily Routine

After returning home, Naruto didn't go to sleep right away. He left a Flying Thunder God Mark at his bedside, then formed Hand Seals and used the Flying Thunder God technique. With a swish, he vanished from the room. In the next moment, he appeared in a hallway. One of the doors bore a sign that read

Hokage Office Building

Since there were ninja guards at the entrance to the Hokage Office Building and patrols inside, none of the doors were locked except those to rooms containing confidential files.

After scanning the area and confirming that no one was in the hallway, Naruto also detected chakra fluctuations deep beneath the Hokage Office Building. He opened the office door and walked over to the desk. When he saw the Crystal Ball on top of it, he grinned. Now he wouldn't have to worry about Hiruzen Sarutobi spying on him with it anymore.

Sitting down, Naruto activated his spiritual perception. He wanted to confirm something, so he directed his perception down through the ground. It didn't take long for him to find the source of the chakra he'd detected earlier.

A group of masked ninja were training in an open area. The chakra fluctuations he'd sensed had come from the ninjutsu they were using.

Standing in front of them was a man leaning on a cane, his right eye and entire right arm wrapped in white bandages. Behind him stood a huge throne, with an enormous "Root" character carved into its top.

"Hey, what a pleasant surprise. So Shimura Danzō's Root headquarters is right beneath the Hokage Office Building."

Naruto picked up the Crystal Ball and used the Flying Thunder God technique to return home.

Looking at the Crystal Ball in front of him, Naruto wondered whether he should destroy it or keep it. The Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, had made it, and its main purpose was to let its user spy on people or things they wanted to see. For Naruto, it was as useful as a broken tool. His spiritual perception had a greater range than the Crystal Ball, so he had no use for it.

After thinking it over, Naruto decided to keep it. He might find a use for it one day. He found a bag, put the Crystal Ball inside, and slung it over his back. Then he formed the Flying Thunder God sign and vanished from the room. When he reappeared, he was in the valley where he'd trained two days earlier.

He formed a Rasengan in one hand and used its purple glow to make his way into the cave. After setting the Crystal Ball down inside, he walked to the entrance. He thought for a moment, then set up two barriers outside: a Sensory Barrier and a concealment barrier. The concealment barrier hid the cave entrance from sight, while the Sensory Barrier was a precaution. If anything entered, Naruto would be able to sense it.

After putting up the barriers, Naruto used the Flying Thunder God technique to return home. He immediately flashed away again, quickly reaching one of Root's entrances. He left a Flying Thunder God Mark on a nearby tree, then moved on to the next entrance. Before long, Naruto had left a mark near all four of Root's exits.

Back at home, he checked the time. It was already midnight. He decided not to keep training. Training was a gradual process; pushing too hard could do more harm than good. It was nice to relax once in a while.

The next morning, Hiruzen Sarutobi arrived at the Hokage Office Building early. He had planned to use the Crystal Ball to check on Naruto, but it was gone. Staring at the empty desk, the old man fell into deep thought.

He hurriedly called in the ninja standing guard outside and summoned the guards who had been on duty at the entrance the previous night. After learning that no one had entered the Hokage Office Building, his brow furrowed even more. He left at once and hurried to his own home.

Hiruzen woke Konohamaru, who was still asleep, and asked him sternly, "Konohamaru, have you been to the Hokage Office Building?"

Konohamaru had wanted to get angry when his grandfather woke him, but he saw the serious look on Hiruzen's face and answered honestly, "Grandpa, I haven't been to the Hokage Office Building these past few days."

Seeing how serious Konohamaru was, Hiruzen believed him. Then a thought flashed through his mind. "Danzō!" He immediately headed for Shimura Danzō's home with his men.

Danzō lived not far from Hiruzen. Before long, they reached his front gate. One of the ninja accompanying Hiruzen stepped forward and knocked. A servant soon came out.

When he saw someone had come, Hiruzen said, "Tell Danzō to come out and see me!"

The servant recognized the Third Hokage. He said, "Please wait a moment," then hurried inside in a panic. Before long, Shimura Danzō appeared at the gate. "Hiruzen, what is it?"

"Hmph. You've got some nerve!" Hiruzen said with a cold snort when he saw Danzō.

Hearing Hiruzen say that, Danzō assumed the Third Hokage had discovered his dealings with Orochimaru. He replied sternly, "Everything I do is for Konoha!"

Hearing Danzō say that even now, Hiruzen shouted, "Don't forget, I'm the Hokage!"

"You'll regret this." Seeing Hiruzen lose his temper, Danzō said nothing more. He left them with that threat, turned around, went inside, and shut the door, ignoring the Third Hokage.

When Danzō went inside and closed the door, a cold glint appeared in Hiruzen's eyes, but he quickly suppressed it. It was enough to know the Crystal Ball was in Danzō's hands. He would get it back from him sooner or later. Then he led the ninja back to the Hokage Office Building.

As for the person responsible for all of this, after eating the breakfast Tianyi had bought, he headed off to school.

Ninja Academy

Naruto entered the classroom without paying attention to anyone else and went straight to his seat. Hinata hadn't arrived yet, so with nothing to do, he rested his chin in his hands and stared out the window.

"Naruto-kun, why are you here so early today?"

Naruto had been daydreaming when he heard someone call his name. He turned around and saw Hinata standing beside his desk, a package in her hands. He grinned and said, "Hehe, I wanted to see you sooner, Hinata, so I came early."

"Mm, I wanted to see you sooner too, Naruto-kun." Hinata sat down and put the package in her desk. Then they began chatting happily about things like where to find good food and where to buy pretty accessories.

"All right, everyone, settle down. Class is starting." It wasn't until Iruka spoke that the two of them turned toward the front of the classroom.

"Everyone, we'll be studying theory this morning. This afternoon, we'll practice Kunai throwing and sparring, so be ready after lunch," Iruka said. Then he began teaching them theory, such as how many countries and ninja villages were currently known, and so on.

Naruto wasn't interested in any of it. He already knew most of the material, so he didn't listen. Instead, he rested his head on his desk and started daydreaming. (Why not chat with Hinata? She's a good student. He couldn't lead her astray.)

Daydreaming always made time fly by. (Actually, Naruto had entered the Sealing Space.)

In the Sealing Space, three people and a fox were sitting cross-legged on the ground, playing a card game.

"Dad, I'll be heading out again in a few days. This time, I'm mainly going to look for the Pervy Sage and Orochimaru. Where do you think I should start?" Naruto asked Minato as they played.

"If you're looking for my teacher, Jiraiya, he should be in Yugakure. As for Orochimaru, I don't know," Minato replied.

"Orochimaru should be in the Land of Fields."

"Then I'll go to the Land of Hot Water first, followed by the Land of Iron and the Land of Whirlpools, and finally the Land of Fields."

"That's true. I should visit the Land of Iron. I hope I can find that thing."

Naruto was about to say something else when he felt someone nudging him from outside. He immediately returned to his body and opened his eyes. It was Hinata.

"Naruto-kun, it's lunchtime. Haven't you slept enough?" Hinata teased, watching Naruto sit up sleepily.

Hearing her tease him, Naruto scratched his head. "Ahaha, I accidentally slept too long. Come on, Hinata, let's go get something to eat."

Naruto was just about to stand when Hinata took the package she'd brought that morning out of her desk. "Naruto-kun, I made this bento. Try some."

"Huh, you made it yourself, Hinata? So that's why you came later than usual this morning—you were making this bento?" Only then did Naruto remember that Hinata had arrived later than usual. Was it because she'd been making lunch?

"Not really. It was my first time making a bento, so I wasn't very good at it. That's why I was a little late," Hinata replied shyly when he asked.

Under Hinata's hopeful gaze, Naruto opened the lid. The food inside was plentiful: char siu, pork cutlets, fried eggs, and vegetables, all packed into a large lunch box.

"Wow, Hinata, thank you!" Without waiting for her to respond, he picked up his chopsticks and devoured the food. He finished the whole box in just a few minutes.

"It's really good. Thanks, Hinata. You should eat too," Naruto praised her when he was done.

Seeing how quickly Naruto had eaten, Hinata held out the other lunch box she'd been carrying. "Naruto-kun, you're still hungry, right? There's more."

"Hehe, I'm full already. You should hurry up and eat, Hinata." Naruto patted his slightly rounded belly as he spoke.

Seeing that he meant it, Hinata didn't insist. She sat down beside Naruto.

With his stomach full, Naruto propped his head up with one hand and watched Hinata eat gracefully. Hinata soon finished, and after they put away the containers, Naruto naturally took her hand. "I ate too much. Come take a walk with me."

The two of them walked around the school like that. Neither said a word; they simply walked in silence.

Happy times always passed quickly. When the lunch break ended and the bell rang, they didn't return to the classroom. Instead, they headed to the Training Ground. Iruka had said that the afternoon would be practical lessons.

At the Training Ground, they stood in their places and waited quietly for Iruka to arrive. Once he got there, he wasted no time and soon began the Kunai-throwing practice.

After explaining the key points of Kunai throwing to his students, he had them practice one group at a time.

Naruto threw his Kunai just as he had during sparring: he made a half-hearted toss and then turned to leave.

Although Iruka saw how half-hearted Naruto's attempt was, he seemed to have thought of something and didn't say much.

When Kunai practice ended, sparring began. As usual, the clan heirs mostly sparred with the civilian students.

When it was Naruto's turn, he predictably chose to forfeit again. Under Iruka's and Sasuke's furious glares, Naruto grinned and returned to the line.

After school, Naruto didn't ask Hinata to go anywhere with him. He saw her home, then returned to his own house and began training.

He went to school every day, chatted with Hinata, and walked her home. A peaceful week passed like that.