Staring at the "spectacular sight" before him, Minato was completely stunned.
[Baldie!] [Idiot!] [Old geezer!] [Slowpoke!]
Ugly words had been spray-painted all over the faces of the four Hokage on the Hokage Rock.
The First Hokage had a nosebleed drawn on him.
The Second Hokage had a doodled pile of poop across his face.
The Third Hokage had a seductive woman painted with a "Hmm?~" expression.
And the Fourth Hokage—Minato himself—had tears painted down his face...
In bright red paint. At first glance, the tears looked like blood, disturbingly realistic.
A girl carrying a large fan stood at the village gates, staring toward the defaced Hokage Rock.
"What is Konohagakure even doing?"
A boy in a black jumpsuit snorted. "Isn't the Hokage Rock their symbol? What the—turns out it's just a big graffiti wall!"
A red-haired boy with a cold expression murmured, "...Boring..."
...
"Naruto—!!"
A young man with a scar across his nose roared furiously, energy shaking through his chest.
"You are cleaning every last bit of this TODAY!!!!"
Minato: "...."
Today... the weather sure is lovely...
I wonder if the Third Hokage is having a heart attack.
Iruka looked at the well-built man before him, clad head-to-toe in ANBU uniform.
An ANBU mask covered his face, golden hair spilling from the back. Morning sunlight gleamed across the blond strands, and a gentle breeze added an inexplicable softness to his presence.
"Is there anything I can assist with?"
The man's voice was exactly what Iruka imagined—gentle, refined, cultured.
Iruka Umino, age 22.
Because of Naruto's unique circumstances, Iruka had always pitied the boy and cared for him whenever possible. Privately, he cherished him like his own son or younger brother.
So when this unfamiliar ANBU suddenly appeared, Iruka assumed the Hokage had sent ANBU to apprehend Naruto.
The Chūnin Exams were approaching, and young ninja from other villages would soon be arriving in Konoha. Just yesterday, the Third Hokage had gathered all Chūnin and Jōnin instructors, instructing them to strictly manage their students. No one was to embarrass the village—and especially no one was to start fights that might harm inter-village relations.
So even though the ANBU before him was polite, Iruka remained on high alert.
While there was no strict written hierarchy, everyone understood the unspoken structure in Konoha: Chūnin above Genin, Jōnin above Chūnin, the Hokage above Jōnin, and ANBU—formally the Special Assassination and Tactical Squad—serving directly under the Hokage, occupying a status between the Hokage and Jōnin.
There was no doubt this ANBU held far more authority than Iruka.
Thus, terrified of offending him, Iruka bowed repeatedly.
"My deepest apologies! As Naruto's sensei, this is entirely my responsibility!! Please leave it to me! I'll catch him immediately and have Hokage Rock cleaned spotless! I absolutely—absolutely won't let Konoha be embarrassed!! Please!!"
Without giving the ANBU a chance to reply, he sprinted straight toward Hokage Rock.
Minato: "...."
Am I really that scary?
All I did was ask if he needed help.
And besides—
Isn't Kakashi supposed to be Naruto's sensei?
While Minato stood there full of question marks, Naruto—dangling from a rope as he vandalized the Hokage Rock—spotted Iruka charging toward him.
He immediately panicked!
"Oh no!! It's Iruka-sensei!!"
Naruto swayed left and right, desperately trying to escape, but the rope was tied securely around his waist. It kept him safe—but also trapped.
Creak… creak…
The rope scraped violently against the spiky hair of the Fourth Hokage Rock, straining under Naruto's weight.
Iruka: "!!!"
Minato's expression changed instantly. Without hesitation, he shot forward using the Body Flicker Technique!
Just as Naruto realized the danger and screamed, Minato caught the snapped rope with one hand, scooped Naruto into his arm with the other, and planted both feet firmly against the Fourth Hokage Rock. Chakra locked him in place, keeping both himself and the boy absolutely steady.
"Are you hurt?"
That gentle voice made Naruto recognize him instantly. "You're the Fourth—"
"Shh~"
Minato Namikaze jumped down from the Hokage Rock, gesturing for Naruto to keep quiet.
Iruka had leapt forward as well, intending to catch Naruto—but compared to this ANBU's version of the Yellow Flash, he was far too slow.
He arrived a few steps late, rushing to the ANBU and Naruto's side.
"Naruto!!!"
"Ahhh! Iruka-sensei!!!"
"No excuses! Now! Immediately! You're coming with me to clean the Hokage Rock!!! Before the Third Hokage gets angry, you're scrubbing every inch!!"
"No way! This graffiti needs to stay on the Hokage Rock for 24 hours, dattebayo!"
"What?!!!"
The usually gentle Iruka felt his temper just about snap.
Naruto flailed. "It's a mission, Iruka-sensei! I swear! This is a mission I have to finish!!"
"A mission?"
Minato instantly understood—this was the A-rank mission Naruto had mentioned at dinner, the one he said was "super easy."
From a certain standpoint…
It did deserve to be A-rank.
Obito's A-rank mission: carve through a name on the Memorial Stone.
Naruto's A-rank mission: vandalize the Hokage Rock.
Two different forms of sacrilege, equally outrageous to different people.
No wonder both were classified as A-rank.
Naruto tugged on Minato's clothes. "Bro, please explain it to Iruka-sensei for me!"
He knew he couldn't reveal everything to Iruka—yet he didn't want to lie—so he could only rely on the Fourth Hokage.
This feeling of being begged earnestly by his own son…
Damn… feels kinda nice?!
Minato said, "Although it's unbelievable, Naruto truly does have a special mission he must complete. The Third Hokage is aware of it, so please don't blame him."
"Huh?" Iruka blinked.
Both men had thought the other would scold Naruto, yet in truth, each had only wanted to protect him.
Once the misunderstanding cleared, Iruka finally recovered and thanked the ANBU for saving his student.
Minato looked carefully at the man before him.
His skin was slightly tan, a scar crossed his nose, and his smile held both sincerity and shyness.
Most importantly, he deeply cared for Naruto and trusted him.
He stepped forward to shoulder responsibility for Naruto's mistake, yet didn't shield him from consequences—insisting he still clean the Hokage Rock afterward.
Such a person…
Minato couldn't help but feel a strong fondness for this man he'd just met.
"Iruka-sensei! Iruka-sensei, listen!" Naruto whined from between the two adults. "I've been working on this mission all night! I didn't even get breakfast!"
His stomach growled loudly.
Iruka paused, scratching his cheek.
"If it's a mission… then I misunderstood you. Sensei will treat you to ramen."
"Really?!! YES!!!"
Feeling awkward, Iruka turned to the ANBU. "Thank you again for saving Naruto. If you don't mind…"
"Let's go! Bro! Ichiraku Ramen is the best in Konoha! Well—obviously—when Iruka-sensei treats me, it becomes the best in the whole world!"
The awkward flattery left Iruka speechless.
Honestly, he never expected someone from ANBU to have the leisure—or desire—to eat ramen at a small shop.
But to his surprise, this ANBU agent was incredibly easygoing and readily agreed.
Early in the morning, Ichiraku had few customers. All three ordered large bowls of tonkotsu ramen. Teuchi greeted Naruto and Iruka, then stared at the unfamiliar young ANBU, feeling he looked strangely familiar.
Because he was eating with his beloved Iruka-sensei and the Fourth Hokage he idolized, Naruto's excitement skyrocketed. He chattered endlessly while waiting for the ramen.
His bright energy delighted Teuchi so much that he gave each of them an extra Naruto roll for free.
All of Naruto's stories were funny memories from his childhood—classic sunshine, sharing only the good and hiding the bad.
"Yikes, eating ramen this early in the morning—won't that upset your stomach?"
The lazy voice carried a slight rasp, as though he hadn't fully woken up yet.
"Kakashi-sensei?! Why'd you come over here too?"
"You! You actually dare say that?!" Kakashi was speechless.
After dinner last night, he'd gone back to the Jōnin Apartments near the Hokage Tower.
He'd spent the entire night tossing through chaotic dreams, only barely drifting into real sleep at dawn.
Not even ten minutes later, his door was hammered on violently by his neighbor, Genma Shiranui.
Kakashi had been so angry he almost opened the door just to throw an Explosion Tag at him.
But when he stepped out and saw the outrageous graffiti on the Hokage Rock, he held himself back.
And when he learned the artist responsible was his own student, Naruto Uzumaki, he almost suffered a brain hemorrhage on the spot.
He threw on his clothes, washed up in a rush, and ran straight to the Hokage Rock—only to hear that Naruto had already been taken away by an ANBU?!
After asking around, he discovered Naruto was at Ramen Ichiraku, so he dragged his sleepy, dead-fish-eyed self over and pulled the curtain open to peek inside.
He also found out the ANBU who'd taken Naruto away… was Minato-sensei.
"Had I known you were the one who took Naruto, I wouldn't have rushed over so frantically."
Seeing even elite Jōnin Kakashi Hatake show such clear respect to this ANBU made Iruka—just a Chūnin teacher—grow even more confused about the ANBU's identity.
While the four of them ate ramen early that morning, Minato Namikaze subtly probed into Naruto's life over the years.
Considering Naruto's pride, Iruka only talked about the boy's efforts and achievements at the Academy.
He offered mostly praise, carefully avoiding any mention of Naruto's hardships or sorrows in front of this unfamiliar ANBU.
Because of that, he unexpectedly received a look of approval from Kakashi.
Which only left Iruka even more confused.
After breakfast, they all headed to the Hokage Tower.
When the Third Hokage learned the graffiti on the Hokage Rock had to remain for an entire day, he let out a long, weary sigh—feeling what little hair he still had preparing to abandon him.
The two village advisors burst into the office and immediately launched into an emotional, reason-filled scolding session aimed at Naruto.
Kakashi, who was in the middle of reporting his mission, scratched his messy hair, wishing he could shove a broom into both of their mouths to shut them up.
"Why haven't I seen this ANBU before?"
Homura Mitokado pushed up his thick glasses, eyeing the blond ANBU standing beside Kakashi.