From preparations to opening day to its current booming business, everything about the restaurant felt as though it had happened only yesterday.
But when he looked up at the calendar, he realized that Konoha Year 44 had quietly drawn to a close.
Before long, it would be Konoha Year 45.
More than half a year was enough to change a great many things.
Neither Uchiha Makoto nor Kakashi was the rookie Genin he had been fresh out of graduation.
They had completed more missions than they could count, bloodied their hands, and witnessed life and death. Their strength and experience were growing at a rapid pace.
By now, either of them could even lead a team independently on many B-rank missions, completing them cleanly and efficiently.
By comparison, their teammate Harada Yuichi was struggling to keep up.
It was not that he lacked effort, but his talent and temperament really did fall short.
While Makoto and Kakashi could already work together seamlessly to end fights swiftly and efficiently, Harada was often still working through things step by step, sometimes even holding them back.
The hierarchy of strength within their three-man team had become unmistakable.
And their team leader, Orochimaru... the Sannin had become increasingly elusive.
At first, he would occasionally accompany them on a mission and offer a few pointers, but later, he became less and less inclined to show up.
Over the past few months, he had essentially just tossed them a mission scroll and disappeared. He often even sent a summoning snake to relay messages for their mission reports.
In name, they were still members of the Orochimaru Team.
In practice, however, Uchiha Makoto, Kakashi, and a somewhat overburdened Harada Yuichi spent most of their time venturing out on their own.
Orochimaru was more like a nominal "consultant"