On a street in the Hidden Leaf, Naruto walked ahead with his arms crossed, huffing in annoyance, while Kakashi followed beside him.
Ever since leaving the Hokage's office, Naruto had been unable to cheer up after learning the truth about the Nine-Tails incident.
"Seriously, why do some people always love talking to themselves? It's infuriating! They don't care about anyone else's opinion at all!" Naruto grumbled.
"Perhaps," Kakashi said calmly, "it's because the Fourth Hokage believed in you."
"Then why me, of all people?"
"Didn't I say it? He believed in you. You are the purest emotional legacy that man left behind."
"Hmph! You talk like you actually knew the Fourth Hokage! Your hairstyle is way too weird for that!"
Don't have such a huge problem with my hair!
Kakashi smiled. He could tell that although Naruto's face still carried a look of displeasure, he wasn't as truly angry as he was at the start.
Perhaps there was a sliver of happiness in knowing that the Hokage he admired most had trusted him in such a dire situation twelve years ago.
Even if these past years had been miserable...
The Fourth Hokage truly had saved the villagers, and that naturally included the infant Naruto.
"Hey, uh, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto suddenly tugged at Kakashi's sleeve. "Since you know about the Fourth Hokage, have you heard anything about my parents? I was born on that day, right?"
Kakashi's expression stiffened. After a moment of silence, he spoke. "They... like many others in the village, sacrificed themselves that night."
Naruto nodded, his face unreadable.
Neither of them spoke further, walking side-by-side in a heavy silence. Kakashi felt a slight headache coming on.
He had been briefed by the Third Hokage long ago about leading Naruto's team, but today's meeting had been quite sudden.
They had essentially skipped the self-introductions and gone straight to knowing each other.
Naruto suddenly turned his head toward a nearby building—a shop surrounded by transparent glass curtain walls.
"Was this here before? Is it new?" Naruto scratched his head. Kakashi followed his gaze.
At that moment, a young man stepped into view. Through the glass, he smiled at them, his lips appearing to move.
Kakashi's expression turned strange.
"What? Is that guy talking to us?" Naruto looked left and right, confirming there was no one else around.
"He said... 'Come in and duel me,'" Kakashi whispered.
"What?!" Naruto froze, then burst out furiously, "Dammit! Why does every shop owner have to bully me?! You bastard!"
He shouted as he stomped toward the shop. Seeing this, Kakashi quickly followed. Naruto shoved the glass door open, and a gust of cool air instantly ruffled his hair.
"So cool!"
Naruto blurted out instinctively. However, what surprised him even more were the words that followed.
"Welcome!" the man said with a friendly face.
"Welcome... me?" Naruto felt a bit out of place, but he quickly snapped back and demanded, "Wait a second! Didn't you just provoke me?!"
"Because there wasn't a single customer in here. Don't mind it, you two." The young owner's smile was incredibly punchable.
Naruto and Kakashi stood there with deadpan expressions.
A shop owner who provokes people on the street just to trick them into coming inside is a total scumbag!
Facing their judgmental stares, Ryuma chuckled. "Since you're already here, why not have a cup of coffee?"
Just like that, he's selling coffee? How natural. Kakashi pressed a hand to his forehead.
"You've got thick skin, boss!" Naruto teased.
"Don't mention it, though I'd prefer it if you swapped 'thick skin' for 'handsome.' Come, this way, please."
"Oh, thanks... Hey! Who said I wanted coffee!!"
"Hmm? Then how about a match?" Ryuma pulled out his phone and gave it a shake. "If you beat me, your order is on the house. How about it?"
"A Ninja Mobile Game duel?" Naruto's lips curled into a smirk. "Did you miss the match yesterday, boss? I'm the one who won!"
"Hmph~ That was only because I wasn't in the tournament. It seems you still don't understand the meaning of 'true strength,' kid!"
"Hehehe! You're pretty confident, boss!"
"Of course... What would you like to drink? I recommend the classic double-shot black coffee!"
"I told you, don't just start selling coffee in the middle of a conversation, believe it!"
Despite his words, Naruto ordered the coffee and sat by the window with Kakashi. The environment was indeed pleasant; even without ordering anything, just sitting there for a while felt good.
Besides, the owner was one of the few people in the village who didn't harbor any ill will toward him and was actually quite funny, so he was happy to buy something.
Even though Naruto had never tasted coffee before.
"Naruto, are you sure you want the black coffee the owner suggested?" Kakashi looked at the menu, a bead of cold sweat on his brow.
"What's wrong?" Naruto toyed with his phone.
"Nothing. Uh... Boss, just a latte for me, please. Thanks." Kakashi finished and pulled out his own phone.
Although Naruto had decided to duel Ryuma, the Duel Arena function wasn't unlocked yet. He had to clear the Story Mode first, and so did Kakashi.
As he played through the plot, Kakashi cast a subtle glance at Naruto.
This was indeed a game centered around Naruto's perspective, though others made appearances.
Naruto failing to graduate; Mizuki inciting him to steal the Scroll of Seals; Naruto learning the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu and graduating successfully; the appearance of Konohamaru; and finally, Team 7's bell test against Kakashi.
This was the complete plot of Chapter 1.
Kakashi was lost in thought after finishing. From a developmental standpoint, it was quite accurate. Of course, he wasn't worried about the Mizuki situation.
They were progressing through the plot relatively slowly; once the truth of that incident was exposed by the game, someone would naturally deal with it.
"Kakashi-sensei, you're so despicable! You actually used 1,000 Years of Death on me!" Naruto suddenly shouted.
"A guy who sneaks off to eat a bento during an exam has no right to talk, especially after walking straight into a trap," Kakashi retorted.
"Tch, whatever. That really scared me though; I thought I was gonna get kicked back to the Academy!"
"Hehe, I suppose you all barely passed."
The teacher and student sat together, pushing through the stages while chatting idly. Strangely enough, even though they hadn't known each other long in reality, playing through the plot made them feel much more familiar with one another.
"Chapter 2 is the Land of Waves? Why can't I enter?" Naruto tapped the screen frantically.
"Stop poking it. If you break the screen, I can't fix it," Ryuma said, walking over with their coffee. "It hasn't been unlocked yet, but the Duel Arena is open."
Naruto tapped on the Duel Arena and saw that it was indeed open, divided into "Practice Match" and "Ranked Match."
"Is there a difference?" Kakashi asked.
"Practice is for honing your skills. Ranked has several tiers; the stronger you are, the higher the rank you can reach, and the better the rewards." Ryuma sat down beside them.
"You know a lot about this, boss," Kakashi smiled.
"I know a thing or two," Ryuma grinned back.
◆ Bonus & Support ◆
◆Read 60+ Chapters ahead on my P@treon --> patreon.com/kazama677
◆1 Bonus chapter for every 10 reviews
◆1 Bonus chapter for every 60 Powerstones