A Dramatic First Encounter

"Then, let's eat!"

At the barbecue restaurant with charcoal-grilled all-you-can-eat meat, the pork belly on the grill had barely begun to smell fragrant when Choji Akimichi picked it up with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth.

"You should let it cool down a little before eating it."

Sitting beside Choji Akimichi, Shikamaru Nara handed him a cup of cold tea, lest Choji Akimichi's wolfed-down food scald his mouth and cause some kind of accident.

"Shikamaru, barbecue tastes best when you eat it the moment it's done!"

As Choji Akimichi shared his barbecue-tasting expertise, he picked up another piece of meat and put it into his mouth.

It was as if he could not feel the heat of the meat cooked over the charcoal at all.

"Your mouth is practically made of iron..."

Watching Choji Akimichi eat so boldly, Naruto could not stop marveling.

"You'll get used to it. Choji Akimichi is always like this when he eats. More importantly, Naruto... do you have enough money? Choji Akimichi has quite an appetite."

Shikamaru Nara leisurely picked the grilled meat from the iron plate and placed it into his own bowl.

He was not as fearless of scalding his mouth as Choji Akimichi. While waiting for the piping-hot meat to cool enough to eat, Shikamaru Nara looked at Naruto.

"Actually, Team 7 recently completed a C-rank Mission and made a fair amount."

Naruto waved his hand, unconcerned about the cost of treating them.

"C-rank? You guys are amazing! We're still doing D-rank missions."

Hearing Naruto's words, even Shikamaru Nara could not help showing his surprise.

"It's nothing, really. After all, we have Sasuke, the top graduate of the Ninja Academy."

Naruto smiled and gave Sasuke all the credit and reason for why they could carry out a C-rank Mission.

"Yeah, that's true. He was already incredible back at the Ninja Academy."

Shikamaru Nara nodded in agreement with Naruto.

Meanwhile, Sakura, who had been listening to Naruto and Shikamaru Nara talk, glanced at Naruto before quietly placing fresh meat onto the iron plate Choji Akimichi had already cleared.

"Speaking of which..."

While Shikamaru Nara and Naruto chatted, Ino, who was sitting beside Sakura, spoke softly.

She asked Sakura, "Where did Sasuke go?"

"Training."

Sakura answered quietly as well.

The reason Ino was speaking so cautiously was naturally because she was afraid of drawing Naruto's attention again.

Naruto was actually terrifying when he got angry, and Ino, who had only just angered him, felt that especially deeply.

"As expected of Sasuke. He's already so strong, yet he still works so hard..."

As she spoke, Ino sneakily glanced at Naruto again.

Hmph... unlike some people who only know how to eat barbecue.

The little girl really held grudges... even if she had started this one herself.

Sakura noticed Ino's mood. She picked up her chopsticks, snatched a prime piece of grilled meat from the iron plate before Choji Akimichi could, and placed it in Ino's bowl.

"Ino, you're not in any position to complain about Naruto right now."

Sakura gave her a reminder.

"I know, I know! It's not like I really have any bad thoughts!"

Having her thoughts seen through by Sakura, Ino evasively picked up the meat in her bowl with her chopsticks and put it into her mouth.

But Ino had forgotten that the meat in her bowl had only just left the scorching-hot iron plate.

The sizzling grease on the barbecue seemed to dance in Ino's mouth. She was not Choji Akimichi, and the meat instantly scalded her so badly that she covered her mouth.

"Mm...!"

As tears welled at the corners of Ino's eyes while she searched for a way to cool her mouth, a hand holding a cup filled with cold tea appeared before her.

Ino immediately took the cup. A mouthful of cold tea entered her mouth and dispelled the searing heat left by the barbecue.

"Looks like this restaurant's barbecue really suits your taste."

Naruto smiled at Ino. He had been the one to hand her the cold tea.

"Mmph..."

A flicker of fear first crossed Ino's eyes, then she answered Naruto with a smile. "Thank you for the tea—it really is good. Treat us again if you get the chance—what do you say, Choji Akimichi?"

What a pain...

Watching Ino knowingly keep butting heads with Naruto, Shikamaru Nara felt like his head was about to explode.

"Oh! You'll treat us again next time? Really, Naruto?"

Choji Akimichi was still completely oblivious to the situation.

"Of course, but..."

Naruto lifted the teapot and refilled Ino's cup, which she had drained in one gulp, with cold tea. "By next time, I might already be a rogue ninja. I hope I can treat you guys to another meal before that happens."

"..."

Ino stared blankly at the refilled cup she held in both hands. The implication in Naruto's words left her so choked that she could not speak.

At that moment, Sakura covertly poked Ino with a finger beneath the barbecue table.

"Naruto, I really know I was wrong. I won't say that kind of nonsense again..." Ino gritted her teeth and looked straight at Naruto. "Please forgive me this once. Just this once. If I make the same mistake again... no, I should never have made this mistake in the first place."

"Really?"

Naruto met Ino's eyes.

"Really."

"I believe you."

Naruto smiled and turned his attention to the barbecue on the iron plate.

That should keep Ino from talking nonsense again. Now that this was settled, it was time to eat barbecue.

There was no way he was paying to treat everyone and then not getting full himself...

"..."

Ino set down her teacup and lowered her head, clearly in poor spirits.

"Ino, just let it go. Don't keep thinking you got the short end of the stick. You were the one at fault first."

Sakura consoled her softly from the side.

"I really know I was wrong... Sorry, Sakura. I said some awful things to you before too."

Ino looked at Sakura and apologized to her as well.

"I don't mind. Didn't we always say unpleasant things to each other before? You're apologizing to me, so I should apologize to you too... I'm sorry, Ino—but we were friends to begin with. Things this small aren't worth getting angry over."

"We're still friends?"

"We always have been."

"..."

Ino looked at Sakura in a daze, ashamed of her own immaturity. "...Yeah. We've always been friends."

Their conflict had only been petty squabbles that would have seemed laughable to others. Sooner or later, they would have reconciled when the time was right.

It was only because of Naruto that the process had been brought forward.

After a brief pause, Sakura said to Ino, "And besides, it's not just Sasuke... Naruto is actually really strong too."

Sakura said this to explain the misunderstanding Ino had shown toward Naruto earlier while talking about Sasuke.

Hearing Sakura's words, Ino's expression froze. She looked at Sakura but said nothing.

"...W-what is it?"

Sakura felt a chill run through her as Ino stared at her so intently.

"Sakura, don't tell me you really..."

Ino did not get the chance to finish.

At that moment, a rather loud argument broke out in the barbecue restaurant.

"What? What happened?!"

The sudden argument even made Choji Akimichi, who had been immersed in enjoying the barbecue, temporarily shift his attention away from food.

Naruto was stunned as well. He had really not expected that the barbecue restaurant they had come to just to stop Ino from talking nonsense.

Would actually bring him an unexpected surprise.

Naruto looked at the girl standing helplessly amid the argument...

The girl wore black-rimmed glasses, and her striking red hair drew the eye. The ninja forehead protector on her head marked her as a shinobi.

However, the village symbol on her forehead protector was not the pointed spiral of Konoha ninja, but blades of grass.

The girl was Karin, a member of the Uzumaki Clan living in exile in Kusagakure.

He had not expected to meet Karin so soon.

Naruto could not help sighing. This first encounter really was full of drama.