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Three years later.
A leaf drifted down from a branch.
Sakura stepped out of the hospital's main entrance and ran right into Tsurugi, who was playing hooky from work.
"Lord Hokage."
Sakura had grown a lot. A pair of glasses perched on the bridge of her perky nose, and a medical ninjutsu book was tucked under her arm. She ran up to Tsurugi.
Over the past three years, she had relentlessly honed her medical ninjutsu and taijutsu. She was now a medical ninja whose skill was on par with Lady Tsunade's.
Her interactions with the Hokage had also changed. Gone was the awkwardness from three years ago, replaced by a more relaxed, familiar air.
"Sakura."
Tsurugi smiled.
He wasn't worried about awkward silences at all.
He was the Hokage. Starting conversations was someone else's job.
"Lord Hokage, you're working so hard. It's almost lunchtime, and you're still out here personally inspecting things."
Sakura's large, jade-green eyes were full of admiration and respect.
Tsurugi, who was just dodging work: "…"
Thank you!
Captain Explanation!
He believed one other person would be even more 'moved.'
In the office, his hair thinning, Nara Sōsai: "…"
The Hokage ran off again!
Thanks to Sakura's masterful conversational skills, Tsurugi happily accepted her lunch invitation.
Sakura internally gave a little cheer while keeping her face perfectly serene.
"Lord Hokage, a new restaurant just opened in Konoha. Kakashi-sensei said it's really good. Maybe today we could…"
A gust of wind whipped up in front of Sakura.
Her short, pink qipao-style skirt was lifted high, revealing the black safety shorts underneath.
Her smooth pink hair flew into her face.
"…go eat there," she finished flatly, her words nearly lost to the wind.
A vein throbbed on her forehead.
Who was it?
Who made her act so undignified in front of the Hokage?
She was going to kill them!
Tsurugi was swept away by the same gust. A pair of arms wrapped around him, carrying the warmth of the sunlight.
"Tsurugi-nee! I missed you so much!"
Naruto's voice rang out.
Tsurugi secretly compared their heights.
A deep sigh of relief escaped him when he confirmed he was still taller than Naruto.
Thank goodness!
"Ahem… Naruto, I missed you too."
Tsurugi patted Naruto's spiky, straw-colored hair.
"Liar."
Naruto's voice was right in his ear.
"What?"
Naruto's voice was in that awkward stage between boy and man.
The only thing unchanged was his perpetually upbeat tone.
But his reply genuinely surprised Tsurugi.
Had three years with Jiraiya turned Naruto into such a doubter?
"Tsurugi-nee definitely didn't miss me as much as I missed you!"
Naruto pouted.
He didn't even realize he was doing it.
Even though he'd grown tall, he still unconsciously used the same childish expressions with Tsurugi he had as a kid.
These three years, Tsurugi's life had been pretty comfortable.
The Akatsuki's attack on Danzō three years prior had made the old man even more frantic to expand his commercial empire, running himself ragged on business trips.
Under the leadership of Danzō and the rest of the Council of Elders, Konoha's economy had achieved a breakthrough for the ages.
Spurred on—and tempted—by Tsurugi, Orochimaru had not only made significant achievements in modern technology but had made astonishing leaps in biotechnology and genetics.
The construction plans for the moon were also progressing steadily.
In short, all of Konoha's operations were developing smoothly. The Akatsuki, too, had been relatively quiet.
Their assassination of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had once again thrust the Akatsuki into the spotlight of the shinobi world.
To preserve their strength and ensure a lethal, decisive strike, Nagato had devised a three-year recuperation plan.
Once their rest and regrouping were complete, the Akatsuki would bare its fangs to the world without restraint, capturing the tailed beasts with the fastest methods and most brutal means.
As Naruto returned to the village, the shadow of this coming conflict began to slowly spread across the skies of the shinobi world.
Naruto, the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, would be pulled headlong into this life-and-death crisis.
Sasuke was still in Kumogakure, diligently learning ninjutsu. Who knew when he'd be back?
Naruto was full of resentment that Sasuke hadn't returned.
Three years without seeing his best friend? How could he not be going crazy?
Originally planning for the restaurant, Sakura changed the destination to ramen after Naruto's arrival.
"Eh?" Naruto scratched his head. "But I thought I heard you say 'restaurant'?"
Sakura smiled sweetly. "Did you? It was always ramen."
"W-was it?"
"Of course it was."
"Oh… okay!" Naruto relented.
And so, the group headed for Ichiraku Ramen.
"Lord Hokage! Long time no see! Today, a fried pork trotter is on the house!"
Teuchi spotted Tsurugi and greeted him warmly with a broad smile.
"Old man! What about me!"
Naruto rushed forward to make his presence known.
"Ah! Naruto! Long time no see! You've gotten so tall!"
Teuchi looked genuinely surprised, then smiled and nodded. "Alright, alright! You get one too!"
He then turned to Sakura. "How about you, Sakura? Want a free pork trotter?"
Sakura adjusted her glasses. "No, thank you."
She'd been carefully cultivating an elegant, ladylike image in front of the Hokage.
Fried pork trotters might be delicious, but the act of gnawing on one was far too undignified.
After finishing their ramen, Naruto and Sakura exchanged a look. A glint of mutual understanding passed between them.
"Tsurugi-nee, is Kakashi-sensei in the village?"
Naruto rubbed his hands together, a mischievous grin spreading across his face.
Sakura smirked darkly.
"Kakashi hasn't taken any missions lately," Tsurugi replied.
He could already guess what they were planning.
If there was one person in Konoha who lived the life Tsurugi envied most, it was Kakashi.
The guy had a fat bank account and was an expert in all things leisure and pleasure. In every spot in Konoha dedicated to enjoyment, you could always find Kakashi.
"Heheh!"
Naruto's eyes lit up with a peculiar smile.
It had been three years. It was time to see if the Thousand Years of Pain could finally be used on Kakashi-sensei.
Sakura didn't speak, but the gleam in her eyes said it all.
They were on the same page.
"So… you want to have a friendly exchange with Kakashi?" Tsurugi asked them.
Sakura and Naruto nodded vigorously, faces brimming with excitement.
"Ahem."
Tsurugi cleared his throat and glanced at the clock on the wall. It was almost time for the afternoon shift to start.
Tsurugi turned back to Naruto and Sakura with a serious expression. "I'll come with you. It'll be a good chance for me to see how much you've grown over these three years."
Naruto nodded firmly, clenching his fist. "You can count on me! I won't let you down!"
Sakura nodded with equal seriousness.
The three of them set off to find Kakashi.
On Konoha's busiest street, a quiet, upscale izakaya nestled at the far end. The scent of fine sake drifted in the air, tempting passersby to linger.
Kakashi had reserved a private room. He lounged lazily on the soft tatami, one hand holding a copy of Icha Icha Paradise, his face slightly flushed, while his other hand groped blindly on the low table beside him for snacks.
Suddenly, he sneezed twice. Rubbing his nose, a vague sense of foreboding crept into his heart.
The next second.
"Kakashi-sensei!"
Naruto appeared in front of him with a poof.
Kakashi: "…Naruto?"
He looked momentarily dazed.
Naruto was back?
"Kakashi-sensei, what are you reading?"
Naruto's eyes immediately zeroed in on the Icha Icha Paradise Kakashi was holding up.
Kakashi stiffened, frantically hiding the book and coughing twice in embarrassment.
"Lord Hokage?"
Kakashi spotted Sakura and Tsurugi. He looked genuinely surprised. "Shouldn't you be in the office at this hour?"
Tsurugi, who had purposely skipped work: "…"
Great.
He was officially holding a grudge.
Sakura smiled sweetly. "Kakashi-sensei, Naruto's back! Let's have a little spar! Lord Hokage can see our progress! He made time in his incredibly busy schedule just to evaluate us!"
See?
Sakura really knew how to phrase things.
Tsurugi gave Sakura an approving nod, then turned a deadpan expression on Kakashi. "That's right, Kakashi. Get ready."
Kakashi: "…"
Under the 'loving care' of Naruto and Sakura, Kakashi was practically lifted off his feet and escorted between them towards a wide training ground.
"Naruto, Sakura, I can walk by myself."
Kakashi felt his feet leave the ground. His eyes went dull like a dead fish's.
Naruto beamed at him with boundless enthusiasm. "We're almost there, Kakashi-sensei!"
Kakashi: "…"
So they were just going to ignore him, huh?
Tsurugi watched from a raised platform as Naruto and Sakura flanked Kakashi.
Sakura cracked her knuckles, her face the picture of kindness. "Ready when you are, Kakashi-sensei!"
Her figure flashed past Kakashi's eyes like lightning.
A massive fist, trailing the sound of torn air, shot straight for Kakashi's cheek.
"You're targeting my handsome, dashing face!"
Kakashi feigned shock. He twisted his body to dodge, only for Sakura's other fist to connect squarely with his face.
Kakashi: "…"
Poof!
The struck Kakashi turned into a log.
Sakura was surprised for a split second, then smiled.
"Now that's more like Kakashi-sensei!"
Her fighting spirit was fully ignited.
Meanwhile, Naruto launched his own attack towards Kakashi's now-revealed form.
"Rasengan!"
Naruto, a spiraling ball of chakra in his hand, yelled and charged.
A crafty glint flashed in Kakashi's eye.
He sidestepped, letting Naruto's attack pass him by.
Naruto's back was now completely exposed.
Slowly, deliberately, Kakashi formed a hand seal.
Watching from above, Tsurugi: "…"
It couldn't be what he was thinking, could it?
The next second.
"Thousand Years of Pain!"
"Thousand Years of Pain!"
Kakashi froze.
What?
Two voices?
A chill ran down Kakashi's spine. He focused his gaze. The Naruto in front of him dissolved into a puff of white smoke.
And at that moment… a sharp, searing, indescribable pain erupted.
Kakashi's face instantly became a palette of colors. Red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, purple.
He collapsed, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
"Kakashi-sensei, do you need me to heal that?"
Seeing Kakashi's obvious agony, Sakura stepped forward, her voice full of concern.
The moment she said it, Kakashi's face turned the color of wilted spinach.
Naruto roared with laughter.
Tsurugi: "…"
Their teacher-student bonding rituals were… unique.
"Enjoying the show, Lord Hokage?"
A voice, soft and ghostly, came from behind Tsurugi.
Tsurugi's hairs stood on end.
"Sōsai… what are you doing here?"
Nara Sōsai seemed to materialize like a specter. "Lord Hokage. It's time for work."
Tsurugi: "…"
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