"You little brat." Kakashi wasn't angry at Naruto's words—instead, he chuckled."Then you'll have to go back to the Ninja Academy."
"Fine, whatever. I'm this strong anyway. I'll still be top of the class when I go back." Naruto replied casually, resting his head on his arms.
"No! He can't go back!" Sasuke gritted his teeth, stepped forward, and held out his bell. "Mine goes to him!"
"No, Sasuke. Both you and Naruto can't go back!" Sakura quickly handed over her bell as well."Kakashi-sensei, give mine to Naruto instead."
"After all, I'm not much help. It's always been Naruto and Sasuke carrying the team…"
"All of you pass." Kakashi suddenly declared.
"Eh?" Sakura froze, the bell slipping from her hand onto the grass.
Jingle-jingle.
"Pass?" Sasuke was stunned.
"Pass. All of you pass!" Kakashi repeated firmly.
Hokage's Office.
"That's how it went, Hokage-sama." Kakashi placed three ninja files on the Third Hokage's desk.
Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't speak. He simply stared at the top file—Naruto's—while slowly puffing on his pipe.
After a long silence, he finally spoke."Kakashi, what do you think?"
"Hokage-sama, the three performed quite well today. Among the genin squads I've seen, they're the best."
Kakashi stood with his hands behind his back, speaking in his usual calm, emotionless tone."Naruto seems capable of using a small amount of the Nine-Tails' chakra. Sasuke has already mastered Fire Release and has excellent chakra control. Sakura shows natural talent in genjutsu and medical ninjutsu."
"That's why I request additional support, to speed up Team 7's training and make them capable of handling missions on their own sooner."
"Kakashi, you're being too hasty." The Third Hokage gently refused."One is a Uchiha child, the other is the village's jinchūriki."
"Sasuke and Naruto are both vital to the future of the village. More important than making them independent quickly… is cultivating their bonds with Konoha."
Hearing that, Kakashi understood the Hokage's meaning and didn't press further."Yes, Hokage-sama."
The Third Hokage watched as Kakashi slowly left the office. Only when the door closed did he sigh softly. He picked up the three files again and studied them carefully.
Meanwhile, Naruto lay in bed, absentmindedly shaking a small bell in his hand. Kakashi had given it to him later as a keepsake.
The breeze outside blew gently, making Naruto's bell jingle in rhythm with the large bell hanging outside the balcony.
In life, no one can stand alone.
Future missions would tie Naruto to Sasuke and Sakura, forging bonds through necessity. He hoped they would get stronger—after all, the stronger they were, the easier missions would be.
But as for the village itself… Naruto still felt nothing for it. To him, being a ninja was just a job. Working hard was just a way to eat.
Clink. Naruto caught the bell in his palm and set it casually on his bedside.
There was no point overthinking. Take things step by step. Earn enough money for food first—he could adapt to the rest later.
With that thought, he closed his eyes.
Time passed quickly as the three trained daily—tree climbing and water-walking exercises. With Naruto's chakra disorder resolved, everything progressed smoothly.
They trained from dawn to dusk, mixing in the occasional D-rank mission, as Konoha required.Before any genin squad could take on C-rank missions or higher, they had to complete a certain number of D-rank missions—a bit like grinding experience.
D-rank missions were simple, but the pay was pitiful. Worse, the constant training had doubled Naruto's appetite.
Still, Naruto never relied on the system for basics like tree climbing and water-walking. Those were skills worth grinding out with real effort.
Thanks to the system, he already had part of the Nine-Tails' power, Lava Release (Four-Tails), and max-level fishing skills. He had given up the Multi Shadow Clone Technique, but he wasn't worried.
That jutsu—he could demand it from the village once he was stronger. If not, even a basic Shadow Clone would be enough someday.
Hinata was training elsewhere, so he hadn't seen her in a long time. Even if he wanted to push some mission progress with her, there was no opportunity.
July.
Half-asleep, Naruto faintly heard knocking at his door. Groggy, he opened his eyes, and the knocking grew louder.
Someone was really knocking. But who would come at this hour?
Bam, bam, bam!
Urgent knocking rang out, accompanied by a girl's voice."Hey! Naruto, open up!"
"I knew you'd forget! You promised me!"
Still dazed, Naruto shuffled to the door and opened it, blinking at the sight of the visitor.
"Sakura? Why are you here?"
"Ahh!" Sakura was nearly fuming. "You promised me just a few days ago! I even reminded you yesterday, and you still forgot!"
"Yesterday?" Naruto truly couldn't remember. After thinking hard, he hesitantly guessed,"…Sasuke's birthday?"
"…Mm." Sakura turned her head away, looking a bit embarrassed.
"Impressive that you remembered young master Sasuke's birthday." Naruto yawned.
"It's in his file!" Sakura said from the doorway. "July 23rd. He's a Leo. Naruto, yours is October 10th—Libra."
"Oh." Naruto was surprised she knew his birthday. For a moment, he didn't know what to say.
"See? Easy to remember, right?" Sakura asked.
"What about your birthday, Sakura?" Naruto asked.
"March 28th, Aries. Already passed." She shrugged. "But boys don't really care about that stuff."
"…If I'd known, I wouldn't have agreed." Naruto muttered. "Training's been so exhausting. Today's supposed to be a rare day off."
"Come on, let's go! Help me pick out a gift for Sasuke-kun. I don't know what to get by myself." Sakura urged."As thanks, I'll treat you to barbecue."
"…Fine." At the mention of food, Naruto forced himself awake and went back to change his clothes.
Team 7's training had wrapped up for now, and they had done well. Kakashi had already submitted a request to the higher-ups for C-rank missions, though the approval would take two days.
So, for the first time in over a month, Team 7 had been granted two days of rest. Once the break ended, missions awaited.
Meanwhile, the bridge-building expert from the Land of Waves, a drunken old man named Tazuna, should already have arrived in Konoha.