The sea breeze in the early morning, carrying the salty and moist breath, tried to flow into the slightly dilapidated house of Tazuna, but was quickly dispersed by a mellow and rich fragrance.
The fragrance spread and flowed in the room as if it were alive, getting into every Corner, and also into the noses of Asuma who was sleeping lightly beside Hong's bed.
"It smells so good!"
Asuma woke up with a murmur, and his sleepiness was completely driven away by this alluring smell.
He rubbed his sour eyes, followed the source of the aroma, and walked towards the kitchen with a slightly vain pace.
At the door of the kitchen, an unexpected picture comes into view.
Young Naruto--Naruto Uzumaki, who always showed a cheerful smile in Asuma's impression, was standing attentively in front of the somewhat crude stove at the moment.
On the stove, a simple earthenware pot is rolling with milky white soup, freshly caught sea fish and seasonings brought by Naruto are looming in it, and as the soup is rolling, it emits a mouth-watering aroma.
"It's Naruto!"
Asuma's voice was full of undisguised surprise.
It was really difficult for him to overlap the deft and homely Young Naruto in front of him with the rumored "Demon Fox incarnation" or the sharp-edged image on the battlefield.
How could this child who grew up at an astonishing speed have such good cooking skills?
"Asuma teacher."
Naruto said hello to Asuma while sprinkling in the last handful of spices.
The aroma of the fish soup becomes more intense as the spices are added to the pot.
"I made fish soup. You can use it to replenish Teacher Hong's health!"
Naruto filled a bowl and handed it to Asuma.
Asuma was startled, looking at the delicious fish soup in the bowl, a warm current surged in his heart.
"Okay, thank you very much."
Asuma took the bowl solemnly, the heat blurring his vision.
The aroma of fish soup lingered on the tip of his nose, and looking at Naruto's smile reminded him of the past many years ago.
He thought of the rumors and criticisms that were whispered like poisonous snakes in the streets when he left Twelve Guardian Ninja many years ago and returned to Konoha after a long journey.
"That child was transformed by Demon Fox", "Monster", "stay away from him"...
Although the old man of his family, Third Hokage, suppressed the rumors with thunderous means when they first started, those malicious Seed had already quietly taken root and sprouted in the hearts of the villagers.
Asuma lowered his head, staring deeply into the milky white and mellow fish soup in the bowl, with complex emotions surging in his heart: 'This child... grew up in such an environment of being slandered and excluded, and experienced indifference and loneliness, but he can still retain such pure kindness and sunshine.
His journey has not been easy!'
"Naruto."
When Asuma spoke again, his voice was unconsciously tinged with an imperceptible hoarseness, as if he was touched by this kindness and tenacity.
He took a deep breath and made a solemn promise, "When the mission is over, I'll treat you to barbecue."
Naruto obviously did not expect this promise. He was slightly startled. Golden's broken hair danced in the morning light that came through the gap in the window.
Immediately, a smile as bright as the rising sun bloomed on his face, dispelling the last trace of darkness in the kitchen.
"Then it's settled!"
His voice is clear and loud, full of Young Naruto human energy.
Asuma nodded, said no more, carefully held the bowl of fish soup that carried Naruto's thoughts and feelings, and walked hurriedly towards Hong's room.
Watching the generous figure disappear around the corner of the corridor, the smile on Naruto's lips did not diminish. He turned around and gently stirred the remaining fish soup in the pot to let the aroma spread more evenly.
Soon, the alluring aroma was like an alarm clock, waking up the sleeping companions.
They were surprised to find that in the center of the originally empty restaurant, there was a brand new wooden table exuding the fragrance of fresh sawdust.
On the table, the matching wooden tableware, bowls, plates, and spoons are all arranged neatly. The edges are polished to be extremely smooth, and the touch is so gentle that you can't even feel a burr.
What is even more eye-catching is that Naruto also has a rather strong-looking Wooden Sword attached to his waist. The handle of the knife is engraved with the Red Eyes spiral pattern pattern on the back of Kakashi's vest.
Kakashi leaned against the door frame, with a hint of understanding and deeper curiosity flashing through the only exposed eye.
He did leave his investigation range briefly from Sensing to Naruto in the early morning, but he didn't expect that this brief outing was actually for making these?
The exquisite carpentry skills, coupled with the amazing cooking skills... the secrets and talents of this student are really endless.
"Naruto, did you do these this morning?"
Ino couldn't help but marvel, running his fingers across the tabletop, feeling the smooth texture.
"Hmm."
Naruto nodded, his tone as relaxed as if he was talking about a trivial matter.
"I saw there wasn't even a decent table here, so I made some furniture."
Sasuke silently picked up a wooden bowl and weighed it. The weight and feel were just right. This fine workmanship could not be completed "easily".
Hinata blushed and praised in a low voice, "Naruto-kun... so amazing..."
Even Shino, who had always been calm, couldn't help but push up his sunglasses and whispered to Ya next to him, "Although it is inappropriate to say this, I really hope that Naruto was among the teammates in the class at that time."
These words resonated with Shikamaru, Ino and others. Who wouldn't want a teammate who is so reliable and knows everything?
Naruto smiled and invited everyone to sit down. The sunlight shined on his Golden hair through the window, as if giving him a warm halo.
In this misty morning, a simple breakfast made everyone feel the warmth from the bottom of their hearts.
"It smells so good!"
The child's voice sounded, and a seven or eight-year-old boy stood at the door, looking longingly at the food on the table. His body was thin, but his clothes were not old.
However, before anyone could respond, Tazuna rushed over with a pale face, pulled his grandson into his arms, and nervously lowered his voice and scolded, "Inari! Who told you to run out? Don't disturb the adults while they are eating!"
His eyes swept across the Ninjas at the table in horror, especially the silver-haired Jonin Kakashi whose eyes were so cold yesterday that he was frightened.
This group of people is something civilians like them can never afford to offend.
Inari was held in his arms by his grandfather, his mouth flattened in grievance, tears welling up in his eyes, but his eyes were still on the fish soup.
Naruto watched this scene silently and said nothing.
He neatly picked up a new wooden bowl, filled a bowl of fish soup, then picked up the bowl and walked calmly towards the child at the door.
When Tazuna saw Naruto approaching, he was so frightened that he backed away, thinking that the other party was going to get angry because of his grandson's interruption. His voice was trembling. "Sir...Ninja..."
"Give it to the child."
Naruto handed the bowl to Inari with a calm tone.