"Danzo, are you sure they didn't have any in-depth conversations with Naruto?" the Third asked, puffing away on his pipe.
"They passed all three tests. The man may have a few clever tricks, but he's still just a small-time merchant, so I approved it."
"Hmm, fair enough. There's no fighting in peacetime, and high-level contracts and mission requests from abroad are getting scarcer, especially ones worth millions." The Third did not forget to add a reminder. "Since you accepted it, make sure the job gets done properly. I'll send Yamato and Nagaretsuchi over."
Danzo said nothing. He gave Hongle and the other three a long look, then left the architectural plans behind and walked away with a steady tap of footsteps.
Time passed, and before long, classes ended for lunch.
Naruto groggily woke up when Sasuke called him, only then realizing that class was over again.
"Come on, let's head back first."
With that, Naruto grabbed Sasuke's hand and hurried out of the Ninja Academy.
Unhappy at being dragged along like this, Sasuke complained, "Class only just ended. What are you in such a hurry for?"
Naruto paused at that and immediately slowed down.
Worry had thrown him off. Although he had put together what could be called a perfect plan, he still felt anxious about whether Hongle could complete the task smoothly.
"Am I? How am I walking fast? This is a perfectly normal pace."
"Naruto, have you been doing something behind my back?" Seeing Naruto dodge the issue right in front of him, Sasuke pressed him.
"What?" Naruto looked at Sasuke in surprise. Why did that question sound so wrong?
Behind his back?
Did I need to? He wasn't anyone special to me. Did I really need to hide anything I did from him?
"No way. I'm practically