Places Suitable for Peeping

Yugakure, hot spring inn.

Team Seven had no idea others were hidden in the forest. They sat together, waiting for Kakashi Hatake to return as they discussed what had happened that night.

After a near-death battle, Sakura Haruno's wounds had been bandaged, but she was still shaken. "Failure means death... That's too cruel..."

"Some truths are even crueler than the battle we went through."

Sasuke Uchiha had given it deeper thought. His brow had yet to relax. "Naruto, do you remember what that Hidden Cloud Ninja named Bukai said before he died? Did the Third Hokage... really choose to sacrifice Konoha's ninja because of an enemy's threats?"

"How could that be possible?!"

Sakura Haruno hurried to reassure him. "There has to be some misunderstanding. Don't overthink it, Sasuke. The Third Hokage is such a kind person! Naruto, hurry up and talk some sense into Sasuke too!"

"I don't know."

Naruto Uzumaki shook his head. Lying on the bed and staring blankly at the ceiling, he said, "There might have been some hidden circumstances... But judging from the outcome alone, that really does seem to be the case..."

Nine years ago, the Hyuga Clan had been holding a funeral.

Judging by the timing, it matched exactly what that burly Hidden Cloud Ninja had said.

And Bukai was a ninja from Kumogakure. If the matter had nothing to do with Kumogakure, how could he have known what happened to Konoha's Hyuga Clan?

With that thought, Naruto Uzumaki sat up, opened his notebook, and wrote down some of what had happened that night.

Once they returned to the village, he could ask about it. He seemed to be on fairly good terms with Hinata Hyuga from their class, as well as Neji Hyuga, a senior from the previous class...

Hinata, Neji, Hidden Cloud Village...

The string of keywords instantly sent a chill through Naruto Uzumaki's soul!

Naruto Uzumaki instinctively tried to search through his memories, but the violent pain made him clutch his forehead!

Sasuke Uchiha nervously stood beside him and reached out to support his back. "Hey, Naruto, are you okay? Is that headache-and-amnesia problem acting up again?"

"Urgh..."

A growl escaped Naruto Uzumaki's throat. At last, he suppressed his curiosity about those memories, and the painful recollections faded away like flowing water...

Naruto Uzumaki let out a breath, his eyes reddened as he picked up his pen and lowered his head. "Sasuke, I'm fine now..."

"Why did your head suddenly hurt?"

"I don't remember, and I can't think about it."

Naruto Uzumaki frowned and turned toward his worried teammates. "But my instincts tell me that what that Hidden Cloud Ninja said was true... When the time comes, we just need to ask Neji. We should be able to learn the truth."

Sasuke Uchiha looked puzzled. "Neji?"

"Yeah, Neji is a ninja from the Hyuga Clan!"

Sakura Haruno nodded and praised him softly. "Like Sasuke, Neji comes from one of the village's great clans, and he's the top student every year."

Yet Naruto Uzumaki suddenly thought of the Hokage Residence in the village. Tightening his grip on the pen, he sketched its outline roughly in his notebook.

During the day, it stood there openly in the light.

Late at night, it too vanished into the darkness.

Sasuke lowered his head and watched Naruto Uzumaki use his terrible drawing skills to sketch the Hokage Residence. He understood his teammate's dream well, and he knew how badly Naruto wanted to become Hokage.

"Hey, Naruto."

Sasuke Uchiha suddenly pressed down on the pen in his hand and said softly, "If you become Hokage someday, would you sacrifice the village's ninja because you feared someone else's threats?"

His words came out somewhat stiffly.

Clearly, Sasuke Uchiha had realized that besides battles between ninja, power could also determine whether ninja lived or died.

It was even more dangerous than fighting.

If that matter was true, if Hiruzen Sarutobi had sacrificed a Hyuga Clan ninja because he feared threats from Kumogakure, who could guarantee that they would not be next?

After all, they really had killed Hidden Cloud Ninja.

Rather than question the Third Hokage, Sasuke Uchiha asked his teammate, hoping to find a little reassurance.

Naruto Uzumaki released his pen, glanced at the cup of water by the bed, and tipped his chin toward it. "Well, if that ninja were willing to hand Lord Hokage a cup of water right now..."

Clearly, he was thirsty.

Sasuke could not be bothered with him.

The Uchiha Clan boy rolled back onto his own bed and pulled the blanket over his head. He still could not let go of the story told by that burly Hidden Cloud Ninja.

Naruto Uzumaki could only get up helplessly. Standing beside the table, he said softly, "Sasuke, whether someone is Hokage or not, they cannot sacrifice innocent comrades..."

"Especially by yielding to enemy pressure. Whether it's their strength or their ninja way, that would just be far too weak..."

As he spoke, he walked over to Sasuke Uchiha's bed and patted his blanket. "I'll definitely become the strongest ninja. You'd better not be scared off by how strong I am!"

When he said "scared off," Naruto Uzumaki emphasized the words, instantly provoking Sasuke.

"I'll become stronger than you!"

Sasuke Uchiha grabbed his pillow and threw it at him!

That blond brat was way too irritating!

Though he was currently weaker than Naruto, Sasuke believed that as long as he found the right direction, his strength would soon surpass Naruto's!

A single joking remark dispelled the gloom in Sasuke's heart, leaving him no longer as burdened as before.

The next morning.

Kakashi Hatake had worked all night and returned with dark circles beneath his eyes.

After the three Genin of Team Seven woke up and saw their Jonin instructor, they briefly told him what had happened the night before, which only worsened Kakashi's mood.

He had merely taken Team Seven out on a C-rank Mission. First, they encountered Root ninja who wanted to ambush them, forcing him to take a detour to seek help.

At sea, they ran into Hidden Mist Ninja coveting the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. On land, they encountered Hidden Cloud Ninja after Sasuke's Sharingan...

Kakashi Hatake glanced at Sakura beside him. Before they returned to the village, they would not run into some Hidden Stone Ninja who had taken a liking to Sakura Haruno, would they?

Being a Jonin instructor was truly exhausting...

Kakashi Hatake let out a long sigh and tugged at his eye mask. "Fortunately, I got news about Jiraiya yesterday..."

"Where is he?"

"Is he handsome?"

"Is he strong?"

Team Seven had only three Genin.

And those three Genin asked three questions.

"We still need to find him. He's especially handsome, and extremely strong."

The Jonin instructor looked at his subordinates. They had all been injured to varying degrees in last night's fierce battle, and even Sakura Haruno, whose injuries were the lightest, had bandages wrapped around all four limbs.

Kakashi Hatake had originally planned to rest at the hot spring inn today and send the three brats out to search. Now that plan had clearly fallen through.

"Forget it, I'll go look myself!"

Kakashi Hatake spread his hands and softly instructed them, "You three should stay at the inn today and recover properly!"

"Sensei Kakashi..."

Naruto Uzumaki stepped up beside him and looked up. "My injuries are nearly healed already. Let me help you search..."

"Fine... Your Shadow Clones can come in handy too."

The White-Haired Jonin nodded. He knew very well how tenacious Naruto's vitality was, and casually named a few locations. "The lawn outside Asuka Hot Spring Inn on Rose Street, the artificial rockery outside Flower Language Hot Spring Inn, the large tree outside Cloud Court Hot Spring Inn..."

"Do those places have anything in common?"

"Well, I specifically investigated Yugakure last night and found that these places..." Kakashi Hatake coughed lightly and explained in a low voice, "are better suited for peeping."

A new week had arrived, and this week's trial promotion was here!

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First update.

Kakashi Hatake: What were you doing last night? You're covered in injuries.

Naruto Uzumaki: We got into a fight. What about you?

Kakashi Hatake: I can't tell you.

Naruto Uzumaki: Did you go drinking?

Kakashi Hatake: Do you think I'd still have that much money on me?

Naruto Uzumaki: Look at our injuries. If you don't tell us, we won't let it go...

Kakashi Hatake: I went to check in at the scenic spots in "Make-Out Paradise"...

Naruto Uzumaki: Did you take pictures?

Kakashi Hatake: Y-you want pictures too? Isn't that going too far?

Naruto Uzumaki: What did you go there for if you weren't taking pictures?

Kakashi Hatake: ...