Naruto's Change

At this point, the bridge deck had been laid all the way to the end. Only the installation of the final guardrail and the finishing of the joint at the bridgehead remained.

Several workers were carrying out the final welding work at the bridgehead, the sound of hammers striking iron nails crisp and rhythmic.

"Bang!"

Naruto's Shadow Clone was crouching beside a lamp post at the bridgehead on guard. Noticing the original body had appeared, it turned and nodded at him before dissolving into white smoke.

In an instant, all the memories from its days of standing watch over the bridge flowed into Naruto's mind at the same time.

Two days earlier, Tazuna had led the workers in laying the bridge deck, and everything had progressed smoothly.

On the third day, Sasuke had recovered considerably after resting for several days. Supported by Sakura, he had come to the bridge to see Naruto. After learning that Naruto's clone was guarding the bridge, Sasuke had stood there silently for a while.

When Sakura wanted to go talk to Naruto, Sasuke stopped her.

After that, the two had gone back and never returned.

Seeing this, Naruto felt no particular emotional stir.

He turned his attention back to the bridge before him and looked up at the sky.

The setting sun hung just above the distant horizon, its golden afterglow spilling across the sea and over the stone monument at the bridgehead bearing the words Land of Waves Bridge.

Naruto estimated that the bridge would be completely finished in another day or two.

At that point, their mission to protect the Land of Waves would officially be over.

With that in mind, Naruto did not return to Tazuna's house. Instead, he found a clean spot at the bridgehead and sat down, quietly waiting for night to fall completely.

The darkness gradually swallowed the sea.

By the time Tazuna hammered in the last temporary rivet and announced that work was done for the day, it was already past eight in the evening.

The old bridge builder took off his hard hat, sweat covering his head. When he saw Naruto standing beside the lamp post at the bridgehead, he froze for a beat before bursting into laughter.

"Naruto, you're still here!"

"Come on, let's go home and eat!"

Naruto got to his feet, rolling his shoulders, which had grown stiff from sitting, then followed Tazuna and the workers back.

When he pushed open the door, Kakashi was the only one in the living room.

He was sitting cross-legged in the corner with his back against the wall, his forehead protector slanted over his left eye. In his hands was a small hardcover book with an orange-red cover: Make-Out Paradise.

Kakashi was completely engrossed in it, his visible eye curved into a crescent as a series of snickers escaped his mouth. He was entirely immersed in some indescribable scene from the book and had not even noticed Naruto entering.

Naruto took off his ninja sandals, walked up to Kakashi, bent over, and pointed two fingers at the book in Kakashi's hands.

"Kakashi-sensei, you're still recovering. You should read less porn."

Kakashi's entire body stiffened. His fingers froze halfway through turning a page, and though his only Sharingan was hidden, his exposed eye went wide.

He looked down at Make-Out Paradise in his hand, then back up at the expressionless Naruto pointing at him. A flush rose to his cheeks, and he snapped the book shut at lightning speed before quietly stuffing it into the deepest part of his ninja tool pouch.

Having done all that, Kakashi coughed, trying to change the subject.

"Hey, Naruto."

Kakashi tilted his head and carefully studied the blond boy before him. "It feels like you've changed quite a bit lately."

This was not the first time Kakashi had felt that way.

At the start of the Land of Waves mission, Naruto had still been that carefree, high-spirited, but utterly unreliable dead last.

But ever since his battle with Haku had ended, it seemed as though something had disappeared from the boy, while something else had appeared.

What had disappeared was the noise. Naruto used to talk constantly, either shouting, "I'm going to become Hokage!" bickering with Sasuke, or circling around Sakura.

But now, he had become much quieter, and his words had become far more concise.

What had appeared was a steadiness Kakashi had never seen in Naruto before.

This steadiness was not gloominess, nor was it the dejection that came after suffering a blow. It was a composure more commonly found in Jōnin.

Naruto paused slightly, then smiled.

It was unlike his former exaggerated, wide-mouthed grin. The curve was small and natural.

"Kakashi-sensei, maybe this is what growth is."

"After going through so many life-and-death situations, it would be strange not to change at all."

Kakashi fell silent for a moment, then nodded.

A trace of understanding flashed through his eyes. Ninjas were like that. After killing for the first time, after seeing a companion fall before them for the first time, after clawing their way back from death's door for the first time, their personalities would change irreversibly.

Naruto had fought Zabuza, been turned into a pincushion by Haku's needles, watched Sasuke collapse before his eyes, and finally witnessed the deaths of Zabuza and Haku.

So many things had come crashing down on a twelve-year-old boy all at once. It would have been strange if he had not changed.

And honestly, Kakashi thought this change was a good thing for Naruto.

The old Naruto had been too loud, too reckless, too unreliable. Whenever danger appeared, he was always the first to lose his head, forcing Kakashi to spend a great deal of effort covering for him.

This quiet, steady Naruto still felt a little unfamiliar to him, but he truly seemed more dependable.

"Hey, experience helps people grow."

Kakashi reached out and patted Naruto's shoulder, his voice carrying a note of earnest encouragement. "Keep it up, Naruto."

"Okay, Kakashi-sensei."

Naruto met Kakashi's gaze and nodded seriously. "I'll work hard to become Hokage."

That was not a lie.

His goal of becoming Hokage had always been genuine. It was simply worlds apart from the impulsive shout of a child he had once made.

Kakashi nodded in satisfaction.

Just as he was about to say something encouraging, the wooden door was pushed open again.

Sasuke and Sakura entered one after the other.

Sasuke walked ahead. His injuries had mostly recovered, though his face still held a trace of the pallor of someone recovering from a serious illness.

Sakura followed behind him, sweat clinging to her hair as well. She had gone to train with Sasuke, but Sasuke had barely spoken to her the whole time. She had only thrown Shuriken on her own nearby and practiced some basic taijutsu, better than nothing.

The moment she entered, she saw Naruto standing beside Kakashi. In less than a fraction of a second, her expression went through a spectacular transformation.

First came surprise, then awkwardness, and finally, she turned her head away with cold indifference.

Both of them had heard what Naruto had just said: "I'll work hard to become Hokage."

Sakura thought, Hmph, Naruto is still Naruto. What's the use of saying he wants to become Hokage?

He's nowhere near as good as Sasuke-kun.

And I'm still not over his attitude when he said "for the last time" a few days ago. I absolutely won't take the initiative to talk to him now. I won't acknowledge him unless he apologizes to me first.

Sasuke thought, The dead last I knew had been one of the worst students in the class ever since Ninja Academy. He could barely use the Three-Body Technique, and he had even failed the graduation exam because he couldn't perform the Clone Technique properly.