The barbecue restaurant where Fujimoto Sana usually worked had been completely taken over.
A long table stretched across the room, packed tight with people, plates already piled high with sizzling meat. Before the grill even really got going, Fujimoto Tōma noticed two familiar figures walking in.
Tsunade had arrived, with Shizune following behind her, looking slightly embarrassed.
"You little brat," Tsunade said the moment she reached the table. "You're treating this many people and didn't bother inviting me or Shizune?"
"Hm?" Tōma raised an eyebrow. "Weren't you still working? And Shizune coming is fine, but did you really need to leave the office for this, Tsunade-sama?"
"That stack of paperwork will never disappear," Tsunade snapped, then waved it off. "And what's wrong with taking a break?"
She greeted the others casually and took a seat next to Sana. Looking around the table, Tsunade couldn't help but feel a little stunned.
Almost every major clan's next generation was here.
Shikamaru, Chōji, Ino. Kiba and Shino, sons of clan heads. Hinata, still without the Bird Cage Seal, no one daring to say she couldn't represent the Hyūga. Naruto, the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki. Sasuke, the last Uchiha, already considered future top-tier combat power.
Only Sakura's background was relatively ordinary.
If word of this gathering spread, combined with Tōma's status as the confirmed Sixth Hokage candidate, no one would mistake this for a simple moving-day dinner.
Tsunade clicked her tongue softly. Even she had trouble believing Tōma hadn't planned this on some level.
But tonight wasn't for politics.
She glanced at the seating. The so-called "Rookie Nine" sat together. Sakura was squeezed close to Sasuke. Hinata, placed beside Naruto by Tōma himself, sat stiffly with her head down.
Naruto didn't protest. He didn't even try to move next to Sakura.
That alone surprised Tsunade.
She smiled faintly. Looks like all three of my students are finding their paths.
"Ino is settled. Hinata's obvious," Tsunade thought. "Only Sakura is still… uncertain."
"Tsunade-sama," Sana said softly, clearly nervous but glowing with admiration. "Thank you for always looking after my Tōma…"
"Looking after him?" Tsunade laughed. "He doesn't need anyone looking after him. If anything, he's helped me more than I'd like to admit."
She shot Tōma a sideways glance, as if to say, so your mother's a fan too?
Tōma just smiled.
With Tsunade's arrival, the atmosphere hit its peak. Soon, the real feast began.
By the end, everyone had stopped eating.
Everyone except Hinata.
Even Chōji had leaned back, rubbing his stomach contentedly. Hinata, however, was still eating slowly, cheeks pink under the attention.
Tsunade and Shizune had already returned to work. Sana had been escorted home earlier. That left only the younger generation, chatting idly while their eyes kept drifting back to Hinata.
Hinata wanted to stop. Truly. But Naruto was still grilling meat for her.
And… it was Naruto.
If she refused now, who knew when she'd get another moment like this?
So she kept eating.
"…No way," Shikamaru muttered, staring. "Chōji. You actually lost at barbecue."
"Mm." Chōji gave Hinata a thumbs-up. "Hinata… impressive."
Hinata flushed even harder.
Shikamaru looked around, then spoke casually, as if chatting about nothing. "Tōma. This isn't just about moving, is it? If you run into trouble later, and we can help, just say the word."
"Said it," Sasuke added calmly. "I'll help if needed."
"Me too!" Naruto raised his hand.
"That is how comrades function," Shino said quietly, adjusting his glasses.
"…Did you say something, Shino?" Kiba turned his head.
Shino froze, dark aura practically pouring off him.
The others laughed.
Tōma glanced at Shikamaru and understood. His actions had been too obvious. An ambush. A sudden move. Relocating next to the Hokage.
No one here believed it was coincidence.
So this gathering wasn't just help.
It was support.
"…Then I'll be counting on you," Tōma said, nodding.
Everyone smiled. Whether they could truly help or not didn't matter. The stance itself had already been made.
Eventually, Hinata finally stopped, shyly asking Naruto to put the grill down. The banquet came to an end.
When the bill arrived, Tōma's eyebrow twitched.
Between Chōji and an unleashed Hinata, the cost was brutal. If he entertained like this daily, even Kakuzu's fortune wouldn't last long.
Thankfully, this was a one-time thing.
On the way home, Tōma walked slowly with Ino, fingers loosely intertwined.
"If things could stay like this forever," Ino said softly, gazing at the stars.
"Please don't," Tōma replied. "I'd go bankrupt."
She blinked, then burst out laughing, clearly thinking of Chōji and Hinata.
Tōma watched her smile and felt a quiet sense of fulfillment. He'd finally reached the future he remembered. The confident, radiant Ino.
"I never realized Hinata could eat that much," Ino said. "She always seemed so delicate."
"And Naruto did surprisingly well," she added, recalling how he'd stayed by Hinata's side.
"Yeah," Tōma agreed. "Didn't expect that either."
Naruto wasn't clueless anymore. He'd seen Sakura's heart was firmly with Sasuke. And during his long training sessions, Hinata's presence had steadily grown heavier in his thoughts.
He didn't dislike her. Never had.
Once he understood her feelings, letting go of Sakura became… natural.
It was a beginning.
They reached Ino's house. After a quiet goodbye, Tōma used Flying Thunder God to return home, helping Sana settle into the new place.
Good location. Plenty of space.
A home they'd be in for a long time.
—
The next morning, Tōma arrived at the Uchiha compound.
The sharp cry of lightning filled the air.
He followed the sound and found Sasuke training, Chidori crackling in his hand. One technique flowed into another. Chidori Stream. Chidori Senbon. Chidori Sharp Spear.
Relentless.
When Sasuke finally stopped, Tōma spoke. "Starting training this early?"
"Tōma?" Sasuke looked up, eyes bright. "I've got to check ANBU assignments later. Didn't want to waste the morning."
"You've got good control," Tōma said. "Your Chidori variants are solid."
Sasuke smiled briefly, then his expression hardened.
"…Still not enough."
His fist clenched.
"That level won't kill him."