On the streets of Konoha, Naruto walked ahead with his arms crossed, his face puffed up in frustration, while Kakashi followed beside him.
Ever since they left the Hokage's office, Naruto had been like this. After learning the truth about the Nine-Tails incident, he naturally couldn't feel happy.
"Seriously, why do some people always have to make decisions on their own?! It's so annoying! They don't care what anyone else thinks!" Naruto grumbled.
"Maybe it's because the Fourth Hokage believed in you," Kakashi said calmly.
"Why me, though?"
"I already said it — he believed in you. You're that man's purest emotional legacy."
"Hmph! You talk like you actually knew the Fourth Hokage! Your hairstyle is so weird!"
Don't be so harsh about my hairstyle...
Kakashi chuckled. He could tell that even though Naruto still looked displeased, the anger had faded a bit.
Maybe it was because knowing that his most admired Hokage had believed in him, even in such desperate circumstances years ago, made him feel a faint sense of joy.
Though life had been unbearably hard all these years...
Still, the Fourth Hokage really had saved everyone in the village — including baby Naruto.
"Um, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto suddenly tugged on Kakashi's sleeve. "Since you knew the Fourth Hokage... did you ever hear anything about my parents? I was born that night, right?"
Kakashi froze for a moment, then after a brief silence, said,
"They… like many others in the village… sacrificed themselves that night."
Naruto nodded quietly, his face unreadable.
Neither of them spoke again as they continued walking side by side. Kakashi, however, was feeling a mild headache coming on.
The Third Hokage had already warned him that he'd be in charge of Naruto's team, but today's meeting had been unexpectedly abrupt.
They hadn't even introduced themselves properly before meeting like this...
Suddenly, Naruto turned his head toward a nearby building — a shop surrounded by large glass walls.
"Has this always been here? It looks new," he said, scratching his head. Kakashi followed his gaze.
At that moment, a young man appeared in their line of sight. Through the glass, he smiled at them, his lips moving slightly.
Kakashi's expression turned strange.
"What's with that guy? Is he talking to us?" Naruto looked around, realizing there was no one else nearby.
"He said, 'Come in and duel,'" Kakashi said softly.
"What?" Naruto froze, then exploded, "Damn it! Why is it that every shop owner wants to mess with me?!"
Still yelling, he stormed toward the store, and Kakashi hurried to follow.
Naruto shoved open the glass door — and at once, a cool breeze brushed through his hair.
"So refreshing!"
Naruto said instinctively, but what surprised him even more was the cheerful voice that followed.
"Welcome!" The young man smiled warmly.
"Welcome... me?" Naruto asked awkwardly, then quickly snapped back, "Wait a sec! Didn't you just challenge me?!"
"That's because there aren't any customers yet. Don't take it personally, you two," the young owner replied with an infuriatingly pleasant smile.
Naruto and Kakashi both sweatdropped in silence.
A shop owner who provoked passersby just to get them inside was seriously the worst kind of person!
Seeing their exasperated looks, Kuroda chuckled and said,
"Well, since you're already here, how about a cup of coffee?"
He's promoting his coffee now? That was smooth, Kakashi thought, rubbing his forehead.
"This guy's got a thick skin!" Naruto muttered.
"No need to flatter me — though I'd prefer 'handsome' over 'thick-skinned.' Come, this way please."
"Oh, thank you... Wait, who said I wanted coffee?!"
"Hm? Then how about a duel?" Kuroda said, pulling out his phone and waving it. "If you win, I'll give you a free drink."
"A Ninja Mobile Game duel, huh?" Naruto grinned. "Guess you didn't watch yesterday's match, boss. The winner was me!"
"Heh~ That was just because I didn't participate. Seems like you still don't know what real strength is, kid!"
"Hmph! You sure talk big!"
"Of course. By the way, what will you two have? I recommend the classic black espresso!"
"See?! You're trying to sell coffee again while we're talking!"
Still, Naruto ended up ordering coffee anyway. He and Kakashi took seats by the window.
The atmosphere inside was actually pretty nice — even if you ordered nothing, just sitting there felt relaxing.
Besides, the boss seemed to be one of the few villagers who didn't treat him with hostility — he was funny and easygoing, too. That alone made Naruto happy to buy something here.
Even if he'd never actually drunk coffee before.
"Naruto, are you sure you want the black coffee he recommended?" Kakashi asked, holding the menu, a bead of sweat on his forehead.
"What's wrong?" Naruto was fiddling with his phone.
"Nothing... Uh, I'll just have a latte, thanks," Kakashi said, also pulling out his phone.
(T/N: In my mind, latte sounds a little strange for this world... but let it be so, I guess.)
Though Naruto had decided to duel Kuroda, the duel arena feature wasn't unlocked yet, so they started with story mode. Kakashi joined in as well.
While they played through the story, Kakashi glanced discreetly at Naruto's screen.
It really was a game told from Naruto's perspective — though other characters appeared too.
Naruto failed to graduate, Mizuki tricked him into stealing the Scroll of Seals, he learned the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu, finally graduated, met Konohamaru, and ended with Team 7's bell test with Kakashi.
That was the full first chapter storyline.
After reading it, Kakashi found it rather well-structured. The development was logical.
And of course, there was no need to worry about Mizuki — their progress was slow enough that the issue would be handled by others in time.
"Kakashi-sensei, you're so mean! You actually used the One Thousand Years of Death on me!" Naruto suddenly shouted.
"You've got no right to complain — you snuck off to eat lunch in the middle of a test, and still fell into a trap," Kakashi retorted.
"Tch, I seriously thought I'd have to repeat at the Academy again!"
"Heh, consider it a barely passing grade, then."
The teacher and student sat together, playing through story mode while exchanging random banter.
Funny enough, even though they hadn't known each other long in real life, the game's story made them feel much more familiar already.
"Chapter Two is the Land of Waves? Why can't I get in?" Naruto complained, tapping furiously at the screen.
"Stop poking it — you'll break your phone," Kuroda said, walking over with their coffee. "It's not unlocked yet, but the Duel Arena just opened."
Naruto opened the arena interface — sure enough, it was now available, with two modes: casual and ranked.
"What's the difference?" Kakashi asked.
"Casual is for practice. Ranked mode has tiers — the stronger you are, the higher you climb, and the better the rewards." Kuroda sat down beside them.
"You really know your stuff," Kakashi said with a smile.
"Just a little," Kuroda replied, smiling back.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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