At this moment.
Even Sasuke, who was usually cold and gloomy, let a rare trace of joy show. He had finally passed the final test and officially become a Genin. And from that special exercise just now, it was obvious that the Jonin named Hatake Kakashi was far stronger than he'd imagined. Under the guidance of a Jonin like him, Sasuke's strength was sure to grow by leaps and bounds, bringing him closer to that man even faster!
At the thought of this,
a boundless yearning welled up deep in Sasuke's heart.
He seemed not to let this emotion show.
But Kakashi still noticed it. His brows drew together slightly, though only for a moment before smoothing out again. Opening his arms a little as he looked at his first team of subordinates, Kakashi smiled and said in a relaxed tone,
"All right, it's about time. To celebrate the official formation of Team 7, I'll treat you all to a good meal today! Then we'll get some proper rest. We'll start our official missions tomorrow!"
"Huh?"
"Really?"
At the mention of food, Sakura and Sasuke weren't the only ones to react.
Naruto's eyes lit up as he stared eagerly at Kakashi. Although Naruto had been treated as an orphan and, according to Konoha's regulations, shouldn't have had to worry about food and clothing all these years, people tended to forget his unusual status. As mentioned earlier, Naruto had mostly relied on himself to get by and avoid going hungry. Iruka had occasionally treated him to a meal, but that had only started in Naruto's final two years at the Ninja Academy. During the first two or three years, Iruka's feelings toward Naruto had been complicated. He had mostly acted on the Third Hokage's instructions and out of the basic sense of responsibility expected of an educator. That was all. Iruka's attitude had truly begun to change after spending six years with Naruto at the Ninja Academy, seeing how hard he worked and how genuinely he acted around him. (It wasn't that Naruto had deceived Iruka; he had shown him his true self, but only the sunny side. Naruto had always hidden the darkness within him.)
That was what had gradually dispelled the barrier of resentment and hatred in Iruka's heart.
Naruto was Naruto.
The Nine-Tails was the Nine-Tails.
As Iruka watched Naruto striving to do his best,
one day,
the thought finally took root in his heart.
So it was only during these past two years that Iruka had occasionally taken Naruto out for a decent meal. The rest of the time, Naruto still had to fend for himself. He had no extra income, and eating well sometimes depended on whether the gods were feeling generous. (He couldn't find game in the forest every day, and as for fishing, honestly, if Naruto didn't show some restraint, he'd have emptied the river of every fish and shrimp in it.)
So, when Kakashi said he'd treat them,
Naruto's whole spirit seemed to brighten.
"Of course! You can have whatever you want. Today's a special occasion!"
Kakashi waved a hand and spoke with great generosity.
As a Jonin, he'd earned a decent income over the years, not to mention his family's savings. One meal was little more than a drop in the bucket.
Sakura and Sasuke were both nearly starving, too. They'd been so focused on graduating that they hadn't noticed their hunger until Kakashi brought it up. Now it hit them all at once. It was already past eleven in the morning. They'd arrived at five and had gone more than six hours without so much as a drop of water.
They'd never felt so hollow before.
But no matter how hungry she was, the "ladylike" Sakura still had to maintain her image, and the cool Uchiha heir naturally had to keep up his icy façade.
Of course, that was assuming they could keep their stomachs from rumbling.
"Grrr..."
The sound wasn't exactly in keeping with the mood, but it came at just the right moment.
Naruto's eyebrows lifted slightly.
Then he burst out laughing.
Kakashi chuckled too. Looking at Sakura's embarrassed expression and Sasuke's face, which had turned almost liver-colored, he said with a smile,
"Looks like everyone's hungry. Let's go!"
"Right!"
Kakashi turned and led the way off the training ground.
Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura followed after him.
Passing this special exercise
was the first step for the three of them—and the first step toward the changes that would soon transform the Shinobi World!!
That evening, in Konoha, inside the slightly dilapidated apartment building where Naruto lived,
Naruto returned home with a satisfied look after eating his fill. He patted his round belly and let out a deeply contented burp. For Naruto, being able to eat his fill without holding back was a great happiness.
Two starving kids and one of Konoha's top three gluttons.
They hadn't actually managed to bankrupt Kakashi.
But when Naruto thought of the slight twitch at the corner of Kakashi's eye as he paid the bill,
he couldn't help smiling and shaking his head.
"Well, I probably won't get another chance like that anytime soon."
Naruto clicked his tongue, thinking with some regret.
"Starting tomorrow, we can officially take on missions? It's taken a while to get here, but I'm really excited!"
Standing by the window in his room, Naruto gazed out at Konoha, gradually bathed in the setting sun's glow. A hint of emotion shone in his eyes as he murmured,
Twelve years!
A full twelve years.
He had finally taken this first step.
For twelve years, he had survived by carefully wearing a mask and relying on his acting skills. At last, he'd reached the point where he could leave the village openly. Of course, this was both an opportunity and a dangerous path. There was Shimura Danzō, who still eyed him covetously within the village (he had probably earned the Third Hokage's trust to a considerable degree. No matter how shrewd the Third Hokage was, he couldn't possibly imagine that Naruto's body housed the soul and mind of an adult. Shimura Danzō simply wanted to get his hands on the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.)
And there was the threat of the Akatsuki outside the village.
Fortunately, he still had the "plot" as a guide to some extent.
"The second phase of the plan can begin soon..."
Looking out at the seemingly peaceful and tranquil Konoha,
a faint trace of mockery flickered in Naruto's eyes, then quickly vanished. Only the pale golden light in his eyes burned brighter.
'Naruto Uzumaki?'
'No! My name is Namikaze Naruto!'
A quiet resolve.
A faint killing intent rose from the depths of his heart.
Those words
were Naruto's greatest vow!!