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Ten minutes later.
"Ahh, jeez, what a pain!"
Kakashi looked a wreck. The glove on his right hand was charred, and his flak jacket was shredded. Worst of all, after he'd successfully parried an ambush from Sasuke, he'd realized too late that an Explosive Tag had been slapped onto the sole of his sandal. Now he was down one shoe, standing barefoot and disheveled on the grass.
The three Genin had him boxed in a perfect triangular formation. Sasuke's three-tomoe Sharingan spun with a predatory excitement; Sakura's kunai glinted coldly in the sun; and Naruto... Naruto just grinned slyly as he reached into his pouch and pulled out a brand-new novel.
When Kakashi saw the cover of the latest volume of The Romantic Ninjutsu Tales of Shimura, his one visible eye nearly bulged out of his head. He had stashed his own copy at the very bottom of his pouch—he was certain of it!
"No way...!" Kakashi threw his hands up in a gesture of absolute surrender, his voice cracking slightly. "Test over—you pass! You all pass!"
Sasuke and Sakura exchanged blank looks. They had no idea why a book about a romantic ninja had rattled an elite Jonin so badly. Only Naruto beamed, waving the novel. The gold-embossed "Limited Edition" seal flashed like a taunt in the sunlight.
Kakashi snatched the book back with a speed that blurred, retreated to the shade of a nearby oak, and pointed toward the wooden post. "Bet you're starving—let's eat."
Naruto narrowed his eyes. The real move is here. The classic tactic of "Two Peaches Slaying Three Warriors."
"Great!" Starved after skipping two meals and fighting a Jonin, Sakura hurried for the boxes. But as she reached the post, her hand froze. Two boxes. Three Genin.
"Oh, right," Kakashi added, his voice like a devil's whisper as he leaned against the tree. "I just picked up a D-rank mission from the Assignment Center. Eat up; we head out the moment you're done."
Sakura hesitated. The boxes smelled heavenly, but the math was cruel. If she ate, someone else went hungry. If she gave them to the boys, she might collapse during the mission. Her hands trembled.
Naruto reached for his pouch to speak, but Sasuke's hand clamped onto his forearm.
"Naruto," Sasuke murmured, his dark eyes flicking toward Sakura.
Naruto understood instantly. They had trained together for five years; they could speak in glances. Sasuke wanted to see Sakura's choice. While she was part of their "clique," she had always been the bridge between them and the rest of the class. This was a test of her loyalty to the team. If she chose herself, Sasuke would know to only ever truly rely on Naruto.
Kakashi watched from the shadows, his eye sliding toward the boys. "Hey, why aren't you two eating?"
"Ladies first," Sasuke answered flatly, his hands in his pockets.
Kakashi raised a brow. He didn't buy the "gentleman" act for a second. Sasuke wasn't the type to yield. He also noticed that while Sasuke acted as the lead, his eyes instinctively sought Naruto's approval before every decision. The blond boy with the sunny smile was the true anchor of the team.
This is turning out to be more entertaining than I expected, Kakashi thought.
"Sasuke, care to bet?" Naruto whispered.
"On what?"
"That Sakura brings the bento to us."
"Boring," Sasuke snorted. He knew Naruto wouldn't bet unless he was certain.
As expected, Sakura approached them, her face flushed with a mix of shame and resolve. She handed one box to Sasuke, her fingers trembling. "Sasuke-kun, your lunch..."
Then she turned to Naruto, her ears turning pink. "Naruto... let's share this one? I... I overlept and didn't eat, but I don't want you to be weak for the mission."
Sasuke's expression shifted. He realized Sakura was genuinely hungry, yet she was willing to split her portion to maintain the team's strength.
"Eat yours yourself," Sasuke said, his voice surprisingly soft. He nudged the box back toward her. "Naruto and I will share this one. Better to have one hungry teammate than a girl who faints mid-mission."
Naruto blinked at Sasuke's sudden show of camaraderie. He looked at the box, then at Sasuke's carefully blank face, and burst out laughing. "You two..."
Naruto shook his head, his blue eyes gleaming. "I knew the 'test menu' in advance, so I packed plenty for everyone."
Silence fell. Even Kakashi closed his book and stepped closer.
"I tried to say something earlier, but someone cut me off," Naruto said, shrugging toward Sasuke. "Right, Kakashi-sensei?"
Sasuke coughed into his hand, looking away in embarrassment. He remembered stopping Naruto earlier to "test" Sakura.
Under three stunned gazes, Naruto pulled four extra, oversized bento boxes from his pouch.
Kakashi raised an eyebrow, genuinely perplexed. "Naruto... just how much can that tiny pouch of yours actually hold?"
Naruto just winked. "It's a secret technique, sensei. Now, who's ready for some pork cutlets?"
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