Dirty clothes had been thrown everywhere. One hung over a chair, a pile lay by the foot of the bed, and even a wrinkled pair of athletic shorts was draped over the window handle.
The whole 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.
Though he had long known from the original owner's memories that his living conditions were poor, seeing it with his own eyes was entirely different from seeing it in those memories.
This could no longer be described as merely messy. It was clearly the inevitable result of an orphan with no ability to care for himself living alone for years.
Naruto walked over to the low table, pinched an instant noodle cup between two fingers, and brought it close to inspect the production date.
Then he picked up a milk carton and turned it over to find its expiration date.
Both dates had passed two months ago.
"Can you really avoid getting diarrhea if you eat expired food?"
Naruto tossed the empty containers back, wiped his hands on his apron, then sorted through the whole situation using the memories in his mind.
The Naruto of the past had been unable to afford fresh meals because of his special identity. On top of being shunned by the villagers, he naturally could not eat outside either.
The small orphan allowance given by the Third Hokage was nowhere near enough for normal meals in a place like Konoha, where a bowl of Ichiraku Ramen cost sixty ryō. So he could only stock up on the cheapest instant noodles and milk, piling them up at home to eat slowly.
And since he had been reluctant to eat them and kept saving them, they had naturally expired without him noticing.
"Fine..."
Naruto shook his head, rolled his sleeves up to his elbows, looked around the room, and decided, "Then it's time for a spring cleaning."
Starting at the door, he picked up the socks and threw them into garbage bags.
Then came the instant noodle cups and milk cartons on the table. Every last one went into the garbage bags.
The cleaning lasted nearly two hours.
By the time Naruto carried the last garbage bag downstairs and tossed it beside the apartment building's dumpster before returning to his room, the entire place looked completely new.
The floor gleamed, the tabletop was spotless, the windowsill was empty, the bedding was folded neatly, and a faint scent of cleaner filled the air.
Naruto cleaned out the refrigerator as well.
Almost all the food inside had expired. He also dug every expired instant noodle cup out of the cabinets and packed them all, along with the milk that was about to expire, into garbage bags before carrying them downstairs.
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 busy in his apartment, over in the Hokage Office—
Hiruzen Sarutobi held a pipe between his lips and narrowed his eyes at the crystal ball before him.
The image reflected in the crystal ball was Naruto's apartment.
Naruto was kneeling on the floor, gripping a rag and scrubbing hard at the stains on the floorboards.
Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly exhaled a puff of smoke, and the smoke ring drifted upward through the dim office.
Kakashi stood before him, having finished his report but not yet left.
"Just as you said, it seems that 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 nearly imperceptible hint of relief.
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
Kakashi lowered his head slightly. "Naruto went through battles against Zabuza and a ninja with the Ice Release Kekkei Genkai. Especially after Sasuke was severely injured and he unleashed Nine-Tails Chakra, he became much more composed."
"During this mission, he also personally told me that he would resolutely become Hokage."
At those final words, a faint smile appeared on Hiruzen Sarutobi's face.
It was a complicated smile, one holding relief, memories, and things others could not understand.
He said nothing. He simply watched Naruto finish scrubbing the floor in the crystal ball, stand up and pound his lower back, then carry a garbage bag out the door.
"Very well, I understand."
"Kakashi, you've worked hard. Go back and rest as soon as you can."
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 Office.
The door softly closed 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 trash, wash his hands, then sit cross-legged on the bed with its freshly changed sheets and close his eyes to begin meditating.
"Little Naruto, it seems you've begun to grow as well."
"Grow up quickly, and become a ninja like your father."
Hiruzen Sarutobi stared at Naruto in the crystal ball and murmured to himself.
He knocked the ashes from his pipe, refilled it with a pinch of 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 moved slightly, and the image on the crystal ball instantly changed into a blurry ripple of water, making it impossible to see anything.
He put the pipe back between his lips and leaned against the back of his chair.
"Come in."
The door was pushed open. An ANBU ninja wearing a cat-faced mask strode inside, dropped to one knee before the desk, and presented a scroll tied with a red ribbon in both hands.
"Lord Hokage, these are the lists sent by the various countries for the Chunin Ninja Exams."
Hiruzen Sarutobi accepted the scroll and weighed it in his palm.
The scroll was not light, which meant that quite a few countries and ninja would be taking part in this joint Chunin Ninja Exams.
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 vanished from the office as silently as if merging with the shadows, and the door closed again.
Hiruzen Sarutobi placed the scroll on the desk, flicked open the wax seal with his finger, and slowly unrolled it.
The scroll was densely filled with the names of the Genin from each ninja village participating in this Chunin Ninja Exams: Sunagakure, Amegakure, Kusagakure, Takigakure...
He read downward line by line, his gaze briefly lingering on several names.
Elsewhere—
In Naruto's apartment, Naruto had just finished showering and changed into clean clothes before sitting cross-legged on his bed.
He did not immediately fall asleep. Instead, he closed his eyes and let his consciousness sink into the vast sea of Sealing Technique knowledge in his mind.
He went through the Sealing Technique system Kushina had left him page by page, as if consulting reference materials in a library, sorting out the principles, structures, applicable situations, and limitations of every technique one by one.
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