A Toast to Lost Youth

Half an hour later.

"Boss, I've found the flow of chakra!!!"

Konohamaru exclaimed.

His pretty face was filled with joy.

Well... it was indeed a pretty face.

Konohamaru was still maintaining the state of his Sexy Jutsu.

At this moment, he believed in Naruto unconditionally.

He believed that Naruto hadn't lied to him.

He believed in what Naruto said about the Sexy Jutsu being able to increase the power of the Rasengan!

Because while performing the Sexy Jutsu.

He had made rapid progress.

"Good, try to see if you can make the water balloon burst."

Naruto said with a smile.

"Yes!"

Konohamaru's style was peculiar.

Wearing a blue and white sailor suit, he spun a hula hoop while focusing his attention on the water balloon in his hand.

In his hand, the water balloon bulged irregularly.

There was a faint sign that it was about to burst.

But after persisting for a while.

The water balloon didn't pop.

Instead, Konohamaru was the one who got exhausted first.

"Boss... I think I can't do it again."

The sky cleared, the rain stopped, and Konohamaru felt like he couldn't do it again.

This ninjutsu was at least A-rank.

Once other attributes were added to change its form at will.

It would be at least an S-rank ninjutsu.

Of course you couldn't do it.

That was perfectly normal.

Regarding this, Naruto didn't feel too surprised.

However, having just started learning not long ago, being able to sense the flow of chakra was already a small achievement.

Naruto said: "Don't be discouraged, because you haven't fully familiarized yourself with that flow of chakra yet."

"Master that flow of chakra completely first, then we'll talk."

Little stars sparkled in Konohamaru's eyes.

His admiration for Naruto reached a new level.

"Boss, I..."

"Remember, a man doesn't have to be handsome, but he must be flashy! I have things to do, I'm leaving."

Poof—

Before Konohamaru could finish his sentence.

The Puppet Shadow Clone turned into a puff of white mist.

It dissipated into the air.

Leaving Konohamaru alone, disheveled in the wind.

The skirt of his sailor suit swayed gently in the breeze.

"Boss, I definitely won't let you down!"

Konohamaru's eyes were filled with seriousness.

His tone was extremely resolute!

He gripped the hula hoop tightly in his hand.

And began to train hard!

"One, two, three, four... two, two, three, four... three, two, three, four... four, two, three, four..."

Naruto did not leave for any other reason.

It was because his other Puppet Shadow Clone had run into some acquaintances on the street.

"Huh? Naruto, have you finished the training mission your new teacher gave you too?"

The chubby Choji Akimichi greeted him.

Beside him were Shikamaru, Kiba Inuzuka, and Rock Lee.

Seeing them, it felt as if he were meeting old friends he hadn't seen in years.

When old friends meet, how could he not offer some blessings... or rather, some benefits?!!

The corners of Naruto's mouth curled up slightly. "Yeah, where are you guys headed?"

Choji Akimichi patted his round, bulging belly.

"Going to grab some skewers."

Shikamaru's brows furrowed slightly, looking deep in thought.

Finally, gritting his teeth, he chose to ask.

"Naruto, are you really the son of the Fourth Hokage?"

His old man had returned home last night and mentioned this matter.

Shikamaru had been brooding over it ever since.

A good buddy he had been laughing and playing around with every single day.

Suddenly, overnight, his identity had been laid bare.

Sorry, actually I am the son of a hero!

It gave Shikamaru a sense of unreality.

"Eh?!! There's such a thing? How come I didn't know?"

Kiba Inuzuka and Rock Lee's faces were filled with curiosity.

"Woof woof!"

Akamaru, the little dog on Kiba Inuzuka's head, barked twice.

He believed that in a week's time, this news would be spread everywhere by the old men and women idling at home.

Especially the old ladies.

The speed at which they spread information was terrifying.

If the Fourth Great Ninja War were to break out, it would be a real waste not to send them as communication or intelligence ninjas.

Naruto did not deny it, admitting it generously: "That's right."

Shikamaru froze for a moment, swallowed hard, and couldn't help but reach up to scratch his head.

"It really is... the old man didn't lie to me."

A look of disappointment appeared on Choji Akimichi's chubby face.

"Then... then we can't play happily together anymore... after all, Naruto's status has suddenly become so noble."

"It's a bit hard to get used to..."

Although the others didn't say anything, they felt much the same as Choji Akimichi.

The atmosphere turned heavy.

The scene was just like when everyone was studying together at a regular school.

They were familiar with each other and had a certain understanding of everyone's family background.

Then one day, a student from a poor family whose parents had passed away suddenly revealed the truth: "Actually, I am the son of a super-rich tycoon in the country; my dad's surname is Wang."

"What's there to be uncomfortable about? Things will be exactly as they were before; everything stays the same."

Naruto smiled and waved his hand.

These few were all his future capable cadres.

Especially Shikamaru.

From now on, he would be the one managing the village's various affairs.

With so many powerful and brilliant strategists at his disposal, why should he bother wasting his own brain cells thinking about this or that?

Let others do the thinking.

He could just head out and travel whenever he felt like it.

Wouldn't it be better to flirt with beautiful kunoichi from other villages?

After training in ninjutsu for so long, shouldn't he be allowed to sit back and enjoy life?

Keep the music playing, keep the dancing going!

The early days of the world of Naruto were filled with constant warfare.

True peace and tranquility would only arrive after the end of the Fourth Shinobi World War.

Just as mentioned before!

After fighting for an entire lifetime, shouldn't one be allowed to properly enjoy themselves?

Cough, cough, cough...

But that is a story for another time.

Naruto's demeanor made the group feel a sense of familiarity and warmth.

Even though his status had changed, Naruto was still the same Naruto they knew.

Choji Akimichi extended an invitation.

"Naruto, do you want to go grab some skewers with us? My treat today."

The group looked at Naruto with eyes full of anticipation, hoping he would agree.

"Sure." Naruto had no reason to refuse.

Why turn down a free meal?

He could take this opportunity to promote and educate the future man-eating flowers—no, beautiful flowers—of Konoha with some useful knowledge.

No matter how impressive or powerful your ninjutsu is, it all eventually returns to zero.

One still has to face the reality of life.

And he happened to have a few books on life guidance in his possession, written by Jiraiya, the great educator of the Konoha masses.

Inside a large, all-you-can-eat barbecue restaurant, the table was covered with a dazzling array of dishes.

Plates of exquisite, high-quality raw meat were laid out.

After being placed on the grill for a while, the beef began to sizzle, releasing fragrant fat.

The aroma was intoxicating.

It would have been perfect if paired with a few glasses of ice-cold beer.

Unfortunately, the manager saw that they were minors and refused to sell them alcohol.

"Today, I'll toast you with juice instead of alcohol, Naruto," Choji Akimichi said enthusiastically, raising his watermelon juice.

"Us too."

"In the blink of an eye, we've already graduated. Time flies so fast."

"To our fleeting youth, cheers!"

"Cheers!"