The next day, Naruto was awakened by the sound of his alarm clock.
"Damn, I forgot to turn off the alarm. Today's my day off!" Naruto yawned lazily.
There was buttered bread and milk. Ever since Naruto learned that stockpiling too much food meant it would spoil before he could finish it, he had broken the habit.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
Just after finishing breakfast, Naruto suddenly heard a knock at the door. He opened it in confusion and saw Shikamaru standing there, panting heavily.
"Oh, it's Shikamaru. What are you doing here so early? Is your house on fire?" Naruto finished his milk and quipped.
"No, it's not. Hah... Naruto, listen to me. You need to stay calm!" Shikamaru told Naruto about Sasuke's defection. Early that morning, a passing ninja had discovered Sakura sleeping on a bench and learned that Sasuke had left the village.
Yet what Shikamaru had not expected was that Naruto, though surprised, did not panic impulsively as he had imagined. Shikamaru had even prepared himself to calm Naruto down, but Naruto's reaction was unexpectedly composed.
"Um, Naruto, are you okay?" Shikamaru could not help asking with concern.
"I'm fine!" Naruto changed into his orange outfit, though he left the zipper open to reveal the black undershirt beneath. He tucked the necklace around his neck inside it.
Naruto's expression was extremely serious. He had long known this day would come, but he was no longer the same as before. Especially after what happened in the Land of Snow, Naruto would no longer look at things so single-mindedly. Or rather, the events in the Land of Snow, coupled with the Nine-Tails' reminder, had made him view things the way he would in the future. As for Sasuke, Naruto had already thought of a better solution.
"Shikamaru, I understand.