Spring Cleaning, Hokage Building

Dirty clothes were thrown everywhere—one draped over a chair, a pile heaped beside the foot of the bed, and even a wrinkled pair of athletic shorts hanging from the window handle.

The entire room was filled with a complicated stench: instant noodle broth, expired milk, unwashed socks, and dust all mixed together.

Naruto's mouth twitched uncontrollably at the sight before him.

Although he had long known from the original owner's memories that his living conditions were poor, seeing it with his own eyes was completely different from the images in those memories.

This could no longer be described as merely messy. It was clearly the inevitable result of an orphan with absolutely no ability to care for himself living alone for years.

Naruto walked over to the low table, pinched an instant noodle cup container between two fingers, and brought it close to check the production date.

Then he picked up a milk carton and turned it over to find the expiration date on the bottom.

Both dates had passed two months ago.

"Can you eat expired food without getting diarrhea?"

Naruto tossed the empty containers back, wiped his hands on his apron, and sorted through the whole sequence of events using the memories in his mind.

The old Naruto had a special identity. Not only could he not afford freshly made meals, but he was also shunned by the villagers, so he could not eat outside either.

The small orphan allowance given by the Third Hokage was nowhere near enough to cover normal meals in a place like Konoha, where a bowl of Ichiraku Ramen cost sixty ryo. So he could only stock up on the cheapest instant noodles and milk, piling them up at home to eat slowly.

On top of that, he had been reluctant to eat them and kept saving them, so they had naturally expired without him noticing.

"Fine, then..."

Naruto shook his head, rolled his sleeves up to his elbows, looked around the room, and decided, "Then it's time for a thorough cleaning."

Starting at the door, he picked up the socks and tossed them into a garbage bag.

Then came the instant noodle containers and milk cartons on the table. Every last one went into the garbage bag.

The cleaning lasted nearly two hours.

By the time Naruto carried the last garbage bag downstairs and threw it beside the apartment building's dumpster, then returned to his room, the entire place looked brand new.

The floor shone, the tabletop was spotless, the windowsill was completely empty, the bedding was folded neatly, and the air carried a faint scent of detergent.

Naruto also cleaned out the refrigerator.

Almost all the food inside had expired. He dug every expired instant noodle cup out of the cabinets as well and carried them downstairs in garbage bags together with the milk that was about to expire.

Naruto's new rule for himself was simple: from today onward, he would no longer eat this junk food. If he ate, he would eat high-protein, high-calorie food and slowly make up for the nutrition he had lacked as a child.

A healthy body was the foundation of training. He understood that better than anyone.

While Naruto was busily cleaning his apartment, over in the Hokage's office...

Hiruzen Sarutobi held a pipe in his mouth and watched the crystal ball before him with narrowed eyes.

The image reflected in the crystal ball was Naruto's apartment.

Naruto was kneeling on the floor, scrubbing a stain with all his strength using a rag.

Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly exhaled a puff of smoke. Smoke rings drifted upward through the dim office.

Kakashi stood before him, having finished his mission report but not yet left.

"It seems you were right. After this Land of Waves mission, little Naruto has truly grown."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice was old and slow, carrying a trace of sentiment and a faint, nearly imperceptible sense of relief.

"Yes, Lord Hokage."

Kakashi lowered his head slightly. "Naruto experienced battles against Zabuza and a ninja with the Ice Release bloodline limit. Especially after Sasuke was seriously injured, he unleashed the Nine-Tails' chakra. Since then, he has become much more composed."

"During this mission, he also personally told me that he was determined to become Hokage."

At those final words, a faint smile appeared on Hiruzen Sarutobi's lips.

It was a complicated smile, containing relief, memories, and things no one else could understand.

He said nothing. He merely watched quietly as Naruto finished wiping the floor in the crystal ball, stood up and pounded his lower back, then picked up the garbage bag and headed outside.

"All right, I understand."

"Kakashi, you've worked hard. Go home and get some rest as well."

Hiruzen Sarutobi waved a hand, his tone returning to its usual kindness.

"Yes, Lord Hokage. You should rest early as well."

Kakashi bowed slightly, turned, and walked out of the Hokage's office.

The door closed softly behind him.

Only Hiruzen Sarutobi remained in the office.

He did not turn off the crystal ball. Instead, he continued watching Naruto return after taking out the garbage, wash his hands, then sit cross-legged on the bed with its freshly changed sheets and close his eyes to begin meditative training.

"Little Naruto, it seems you've begun to grow as well."

"Grow quickly. Become a ninja like your father."

Hiruzen Sarutobi watched Naruto in the crystal ball and murmured to himself.

He tapped the ash from his pipe, refilled it with tobacco, and was about to take another puff.

"Lord Hokage."

At that moment, a deep voice came from outside the door.

ANBU.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's hand shifted slightly, and the image on the crystal ball instantly changed into blurry ripples. Nothing could be seen anymore.

He put the pipe back in his mouth and leaned against the back of his chair.

"Come in."

The door was pushed open. An ANBU ninja wearing a cat-faced mask strode in, knelt on one knee before the desk, and held up a scroll tied with a red ribbon in both hands.

"Lord Hokage, this is the list of Chunin Exam participants sent by the various countries."

Hiruzen Sarutobi accepted the scroll and weighed it in his palm.

It was not light, which meant that quite a few countries and ninja would be participating in this joint Chunin Exam.

His fingers brushed over the wax seal on the scroll, and he nodded slightly.

"I understand. You've worked hard. You may leave."

"Yes, Lord Hokage."

The ANBU's figure silently withdrew from the office as though melting into the shadows, and the door closed once more.

Hiruzen Sarutobi placed the scroll on the desk, picked open the wax seal with a finger, and slowly unrolled it.

The scroll was densely packed with the names of genin from every ninja village participating in this Chunin Exam: the Sand Village, Rain Village, Grass Village, Waterfall Village...

He read downward line by line, his gaze pausing briefly on several names.

Meanwhile...

In Naruto's apartment, Naruto had just finished bathing and changed into clean clothes. He sat cross-legged on his bed.

He did not simply collapse into sleep. Instead, he closed his eyes and sank his consciousness into the dense body of sealing technique knowledge within his mind.

He flipped through the sealing technique system Kushina had left him page by page, as though consulting materials in a library, sorting through the principles, structures, applicable situations, and limitations of every technique one by one.

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