… … Delicious.
Kakashi stared blankly at the clean, empty plate before him. Although he had quite high expectations for Naruto's cooking—that confidence was certainly not unfounded—the incredibly rich and complex deliciousness that exploded in his mouth still far exceeded his expectations.
It was an almost overbearing taste experience, each bite precisely hitting the most pleasurable points on the taste buds, making it impossible to stop eating, only to instinctively keep consuming until the plate was completely empty.
He didn't even remember how he finished eating; when he came back to his senses, he found the plate in front of him was already bare.
Naruto and Satsuki were tacitly clearing the dishes from the table. As Naruto wiped the table, he couldn't help but glance at Kakashi with a peculiar look.
So how did Kakashi manage to eat with his mask on? Wouldn't it get everywhere? Didn't he find it troublesome?
However, Naruto wasn't curious about Kakashi's true face, because he already knew what a handsome face lay beneath the mask from the character [Kakashi Hatake: Phantom True Face] in the Hokage mobile game.
"I'm full, thank you for the meal." Kakashi, having come to his senses, finally put down his chopsticks, his tone carrying a hint of imperceptible aftertaste and awe. He solemnly thanked Naruto, "This truly is… an incredibly amazing dish. It's very impressive."
"Hmm, that's good." Naruto snapped out of it and responded with a smile, "Thanks for the compliment, it's good as long as Sensei likes it."
Kakashi stood up and straightened his vest. "Well, I have something else to do, so I'll be leaving first." He looked at his three new subordinates, his tone returning to its usual lazy demeanor, yet with clear instructions, "Remember to gather at our usual spot tomorrow morning, ready to execute Team 7's first mission."
His gaze lingered on the three of them for a moment, then he finally said:
"Team 7, dismissed for today."
With that, he waved his hand and used the Body Flicker Technique, his figure disappearing from his seat.
He was going to a place, a place he always went. He wanted to personally bring the news that he had finally become a teacher to that cold memorial stone, to tell his companion, Uchiha Obito, who forever remained in his youth.
"Hey, Naruto, what are your plans for the afternoon?"
After clearing the dishes, Satsuki asked very naturally. For her, Naruto's answer was almost equivalent to her entire afternoon schedule.
"Since we've officially become Ninja, to prepare for various dangers we might encounter in the future, let's go train this afternoon. We need to seize the time to improve our strength," Naruto replied as he wiped his hands.
"Hmm, then I'll go prepare water and towels for the afternoon." Satsuki nodded, skillfully beginning to prepare the supplies needed for training. This kind of unspoken understanding between the two, where one started and the other followed without many words, had lasted for many years.
Sakura, watching this tacit understanding that others found hard to penetrate, felt a little envious in her heart. But she understood that if she truly wanted to integrate into this team, instead of always being a "burden" who needed protection, she had to pluck up the courage to take the first step.
"Um… can I, can I join you guys?"
When both their gazes turned to her, Sakura mustered all her courage and said, "Through today's exercise, I completely understood… Although Kakashi-sensei ultimately acknowledged our teamwork, my strength is just too far behind yours. I really don't want to hold you back in future missions… So, please! Let me train with you too!"
Her eyes were filled with determination.
Naruto looked at Sakura's serious expression, a gentle and encouraging smile on his face. "Hmm, of course you can! Welcome, Sakura. But let me warn you, my training is very strict, so don't complain when the time comes."
"Mm! I'll definitely try my best to keep up, and I'll never complain!" Sakura, seeing Naruto readily agree, immediately promised happily, her heart filled with motivation.
However, Satsuki, who was silently watching this scene from behind, had a somewhat complex mood. It seemed… it could basically be confirmed that Sakura didn't seem to have any romantic feelings for Naruto.
To be honest, Satsuki didn't want this. She knew better than anyone how strong and terrifying her possessiveness for Naruto was deep down. Precisely because of this, for the past few years, she had been desperately restraining that desire that almost wanted to completely envelop Naruto, forcing herself to accept that Naruto, besides her, should also have normal, ordinary interactions with other people.
But even so, she still unconsciously became unusually clingy; wherever Naruto went, her gaze and footsteps followed. In the past, she was very afraid that Naruto would become annoyed and tired of her excessive dependence and following, eventually distancing himself from her.
It wasn't until this clingy state continued for a very, very long time, and Naruto's attitude towards her remained consistent, even occasionally actively ruffling her hair, that her anxious heart finally slowly settled down.
…But contact and interaction between teammates are unavoidable. And a three-person team is the rule; I can't change that either…
She looked at the excited Sakura in front of her, and after a fierce internal deliberation, she finally made a difficult decision.
…Forget it, let it be. From now on, I'll just force myself to treat Sakura as a boy.
That should barely allow me to control my emotions…
But, if she dares to show any feeling towards Naruto that goes beyond the boundaries of teammates in the future…
Satsuki's eyes subtly darkened for a moment, her fingertips unconsciously tightening.
And Sakura, completely unaware that she had just skirted the edge of some danger, was still immersed in the joy of being able to train with the admired Satsuki and the reliable Naruto, filled with simple anticipation for the future.