A few days after the final exam, the Ninja Academy students returned to the classroom one after another.
Before the official results were announced, everyone had already started arguing about rankings and vacation plans.
The room was noisy like a marketplace.
"Top ten for sure!"
"No way you passed math!"
"Shut up, you copied from me!"
Naruto wasn't interested in any of it.
Instead, he leaned back in his chair and picked up a magazine.
The cover looked… extremely questionable.
Bright colors. Suspicious poses.
Author: Jiraiya.
Yeah.
That Jiraiya.
Legendary Sannin… and legendary pervert.
A true multi-talented man.
While Naruto was reading with suspicious focus, Shikamaru and Choji leaned over.
They stared at the cover for a few seconds.
Then stared at Naruto.
Then stared back at the cover.
"…Naruto," Shikamaru said slowly, "what exactly are you studying so seriously this early in the morning?"
Choji scratched his head. "Is… this educational material?"
Naruto calmly closed the magazine halfway.
"Of course. Cultural research."
"..."
Even Shikamaru didn't know how to respond to that nonsense.
After a pause, Choji asked, "So what are you doing during the holiday? Wanna travel somewhere? Or just stay in the village and train?"
Naruto shook his head with a helpless smile.
"I want to go out too, but my wallet and Grandpa Hokage both disagree. So I can only learn about the outside world through books."
He lifted the magazine.
"…Through very in-depth books."
Shikamaru deadpanned, "Your learning path is crooked as hell."
Naruto laughed.
"Let's wait until I officially become a ninja. Then I'll go see the world."
After a moment, he added,
"By the way, how many points do you think you two scored on the exam?"
Choji's face immediately turned bitter.
"I messed up a lot of questions… but I should pass."
Then he pointed at Shikamaru.
"This guy? Definitely stuck right on the passing line. He pretends to be low-key, but he's just lazy."
Shikamaru rolled his eyes.
"As long as I pass, it's enough. Any extra points are a waste of life. I could've used that time for sleeping."
Very convincing logic.
Very Shikamaru.
Still, Shikamaru kept glancing at Naruto's magazine.
Something felt off.
In his memory, Naruto never read stuff like this.
Usually it was training manuals, ninja theory, chakra control notes…
The guy trained like his life depended on it.
But recently—
Naruto had suddenly become more relaxed.
Almost lazy.
Which somehow made Shikamaru even more uneasy.
Because when Naruto looked lazy…
He was usually planning something scary.
Naruto noticed his look and clapped his hands.
"Alright, enough depressing talk. To celebrate the holiday, how about we have a picnic?"
Choji's eyes instantly lit up.
"Food?"
"Yes."
"I'm in!"
Then he grabbed Shikamaru before he could escape.
"Shikamaru, you're coming too."
Shikamaru sighed like his soul left his body.
"…Troublesome."
At that moment, Sasuke walked over.
Still cool. Still pretending not to care.
"If Naruto insists on inviting me," he said casually, "I suppose I can attend."
Pause.
"After all… you're my eternal rival."
Naruto: "..."
Bro it's just a picnic, not the Chunin Exams.
Soon, more classmates joined.
Hinata. Sakura. Ino.
The girls immediately started planning locations, food, activities—
It turned into a full strategic meeting.
In the end, they chose a riverside spot near the village.
After school, everyone gathered by the river and quickly set up the picnic.
Fire started.
Food bought.
Snacks everywhere.
The atmosphere gradually relaxed.
People laughed more.
Talked more.
The distance between everyone quietly shrank.
Naturally, Naruto—the organizer—became the center of attention.
"Congrats on getting first place!"
"You're amazing!"
"Thanks to you, the seniors don't bully us anymore!"
Some scratched their heads awkwardly.
"…Sorry about what we said about you before."
They all knew the "demon fox" rumors.
They'd whispered behind his back.
But after spending time with him, they realized—
Naruto was just Naruto.
Not some monster.
Just a loud, annoying, reliable idiot.
A while later, Sasuke staggered over, slightly drunk from fruit wine.
"Naruto… I kinda envy you…"
He mumbled.
"You're strong… you can choose your path… but I…"
Naruto quickly steadied him and discreetly poked a few pressure points to shut him up.
"Alright, alright. Stop talking nonsense before you spill clan secrets."
Sasuke blinked.
"…Huh?"
"Nothing. Go sleep."
Naruto walked under a tree and watched everyone playing.
For a moment, he felt strangely quiet inside.
In the sealed space, Kurama lazily said,
"Brat… getting sentimental? Don't want to leave Konoha anymore?"
Naruto smiled faintly.
"Maybe this is the Will of Fire working overtime. Brainwashing people without them noticing."
He snorted.
"That old man Hiruzen is sneaky."
Kurama grunted.
"So you're still planning to leave?"
Naruto's eyes grew calm.
"I'll stick to my choice. Not just because of the past… but because Konoha is too small."
He looked at the sky.
"It can't hold Uzumaki Naruto."
Kurama went quiet.
Then huffed.
"Hmph. Big talk, kid."
But there was obvious approval in his voice.
As evening approached, most students left.
Only Naruto and Hinata stayed behind to clean up.
"Na-Naruto… let's finish cleaning…"
Hinata said softly.
Together, they picked up trash and tidied the grass.
The sky slowly darkened.
Then Hinata gathered her courage.
"Um… Naruto-kun… can you walk me home? Uncle Tokuma didn't come today…"
Naruto pretended not to notice how suspiciously convenient that sounded.
"Sure."
On the way, Hinata quietly grabbed his hand.
Just like that snowy night years ago.
But this time—
She reached out first.
Naruto froze for a second.
Her hand was small. Soft.
Even though she trained Gentle Fist every day, her palms were smooth without calluses.
Seriously unfair.
Was this some Hyūga secret technique too?
They soon arrived at the Hyūga compound.
Tokuma Hyūga appeared from the shadows to take over escort duty.
After letting go, Hinata immediately turned shy again.
"Na-Naruto-kun… next semester… would you like to visit our house? Father and Hanabi both want to meet you…"
Naruto blinked, then smiled.
"Sure, if there's a chance."
Then he teased,
"So how's your Gentle Fist? Can you beat Neji yet?"
Hinata shook her head seriously.
"Not yet… but I'll keep working hard. I won't disappoint you."
Naruto chuckled.
"Then I'll look forward to it."
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