That "thank you" was like a warm current, instantly breaking down all the defenses in Iruka's heart.
His eyes welled up, and the worry and heartache he had accumulated for so long almost turned into tears.
What was that? He had been sulking, but it was just a child's temper.
The Naruto he knew, who would smile foolishly and play pranks, was about to return.
Iruka excitedly opened his mouth, wanting to say something more.
But Naruto had already stood up.
He took out a few coins and banknotes from his pocket, placing them neatly on the greasy table with a clink.
This action choked all of Iruka's words in his throat.
The money was like a thick wall, separating him and Naruto.
Naruto turned around.
At the last moment, before leaving the ramen shop's curtain, he turned his head and calmly looked at Iruka.
"Iruka Sensei, you are a good person."
"But good people are the easiest to be taken advantage of."
As his words fell, he had already disappeared into the bustling street, leaving Iruka alone, sitting stunned in his seat, letting the already cold ramen reflect his bewildered face... Deep beneath Konoha Village.
The air was cold and damp, carrying the putrid smell of earth mixed with rust.
A Root Ninja wearing a faceless mask knelt in the darkness, reporting to the figure in the shadows who only showed one eye.
"The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki displayed abnormal combat skills and insight."
"On the street, he detected and marked our three surveillance positions with food. This act was not a warning, but a show of force."
Danzo Shimura in the shadows, his bandaged face devoid of any expression.
The cane in his hand gently tapped the cold ground, making a regular, unsettling sound.
"Has the Nine-Tailed's power begun to spiral out of control?"
"Or has this vessel itself undergone an unforeseen mutation?"
Another Ninja emerged from the darkness beside him.
"Lord Danzo, according to intelligence, the target has a close relationship with Chunin Iruka Umino, with deep teacher-student affection."
"Iruka might serve as a leash to control the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki."
Danzo's single eye narrowed slightly, a sinister gleam flashing within it.
"Affection... teacher-student affection..."
"That is the most fragile and also the most fatal weakness in human nature."
"Continue surveillance. List Iruka as a Class A influence target."
"Yes."
The Ninja instantly vanished, leaving only the sound of the cane tapping the ground echoing in the dead silence of the underground... Ninja Academy, classroom.
Iruka stood at the podium, announcing the team assignments that would determine a Ninja's life.
Sakura's face lit up with irrepressible joy when she heard she was assigned to the same team as Sasuke.
Sasuke, however, frowned. He had no interest in the pink-haired girl. What truly concerned him was the yellow-haired boy whose expression was even colder than his own.
A month ago, Naruto was the class's perennial Loser, but now, merely sitting beside him, he brought immense pressure.
It was a pressure that made him feel weak.
And Naruto, from beginning to end, simply sat quietly.
His gaze, like a surgical knife, swept back and forth over his two future "teammates."
"Tactical Unit Assessment"
"Uchiha Sasuke: Individual combat capability is acceptable. Arrogant personality, driven by hatred, extremely unstable. Impulsive, can be used as an assault force, but is highly susceptible to becoming a tactical weak point."
"Sakura Haruno: No combat value whatsoever. Distracted, highly emotional, a complete liability. On the battlefield, she belongs to the first group of non-combat personnel to be cleared out."
Conclusion: A disorganized, inefficient rabble.
His heart was calm, even a little annoyed.
"Team 7's Jonin instructor is..."
Iruka paused, then read out the name.
"Kakashi Hatake."
The afternoon sun made the railing on the Ninja Academy rooftop somewhat hot to the touch.
After Iruka announced the dismissal, Naruto was the first to arrive here.
He paced along the edge of the rooftop, his gaze not appreciating the scenery.
He was measuring.
The straight-line distance from the rooftop to the Hokage Rock across the way, the effect of wind speed on projectiles.
The density of pedestrian traffic on the street below, possible evacuation routes.
The rooftops of surrounding buildings, all potential ambush and sniper positions.
These data formed a cold tactical map in his mind.
Two sets of footsteps, one after the other.
The one behind carried a hint of a girl's eagerness and barely concealed hesitation.
Sakura Haruno arrived.
Her gaze automatically filtered out Naruto, who was pacing, and precisely locked onto the aloof figure in the corner—Uchiha Sasuke.
A blush spread across her face, her steps lightened, and she walked over cautiously, wanting to sit beside him, not too far, not too close, just right.
Sasuke didn't even lift an eyelid.
Just as Sakura was about to sit down, his body, leaning against the wall, subtly shifted half a foot.
The movement was small, but the distance created was like a silent chasm.
Sakura's smile froze on her face, the heat burning from her neck all the way to her ears. She could only sit down awkwardly further away from him, as if nothing had happened.
Her gaze had nowhere to settle, finally falling reluctantly on the blond boy who was still pacing back and forth.
Naruto was too strange today.
He no longer pursued her with that eager and foolish gaze, and he hadn't even looked at her once from beginning to end.
He just walked, each step as if measured with a ruler, exuding a chilling aura that made people not want to approach him.
Time passed minute by minute.
The sun, once directly overhead, gradually moved westward.
Sasuke leaned against the wall, resting with his eyes closed, but the fist resting on his knee, occasionally clenching, betrayed his impatience.
Sakura, on the other hand, went from initial restlessness to utter boredom, muttering softly about why the Jonin instructor hadn't arrived yet, wondering if something big had happened on the way.
Only Naruto maintained his patrol-like pace, as patient as a stone.
This was not tolerance.
This was merely recording.
"Jonin Instructor: Kakashi Hatake."
"Scheduled meeting time: 12:00 PM."
"Current delay: Two hours and three minutes."
"Preliminary assessment: Lacks basic sense of time, discipline rating is 'extremely poor.' Or, this is the first step of a psychological pressure test, intended to observe the target's coping patterns."
"Yo."
A lazy voice, accompanied by a puff of smoke, suddenly appeared at the rooftop entrance.
A silver-haired man, his left eye covered by a Konoha headband, was leaning there, holding an orange-covered novel.
"Sorry, sorry, I got lost on the road of life."
Kakashi Hatake waved his hand with a smile, his exposed eye curving into a crescent moon.
Sasuke opened his eyes, shooting a cold gaze.
Sakura, on the other hand, let out a long sigh, muttering to herself, "What an unreliable teacher."
Kakashi enjoyed the complaining looks from his new students; it was his usual opening act for every new team.
"Sensei."
Naruto stopped, turned around, and calmly looked at him.
"You were deliberately late."
This was not a question.
It was a statement.
"You were actually here a long time ago, weren't you?"
Kakashi's smile froze.
He looked into Naruto's ice-blue eyes; there was no emotion in them, no anger, no impatience, only a calm that saw through everything.
An awkward atmosphere spread through the air.
"Well, well, let's start with introductions."
Kakashi forcibly brought the topic back, clearing his throat.
"You go first, pink hair."
"Yes!"
Sakura immediately sat up straight.
"My name is Sakura Haruno! The things I like are..."
She shyly glanced at Sasuke.
"The thing I hate is Ino Pig! My future dream is..."
She looked at Sasuke again, her cheeks flushed.
"Hmm, your mind isn't focused on being a Ninja at all."
Kakashi commented casually, then looked at Sasuke.
"Next, you."
"Uchiha Sasuke."
Sasuke's voice was as cold as ice.
"I don't have anything I like, but I have a lot of things I hate."
"My dream cannot be called a dream, because I will make it a reality."
His fist suddenly clenched, and a deep-seated hatred erupted in his eyes.
"My goal is to restore the Uchiha Clan, and then... kill that man."
The air on the rooftop suddenly grew colder due to this killing intent.
Kakashi's gaze also deepened.
A girl whose head was full of romance, an orphan consumed by the flames of revenge.
His gaze finally fell on the boy who had stood perfectly straight from beginning to end.
"Finally, you."
Naruto took a step forward, his hands behind his back, standing at a standard military attention.
"My name is Uzumaki Naruto."
His voice was clear and steady, not loud, but every word hammered into the listener's ears.
"What I like are order, discipline, and loyalty."
"What I hate are heresy, corruption, and inefficiency."
His gaze slowly swept over everyone present, including Kakashi.
"My dream... or rather, my ultimate mission objective."
He paused, every word carrying an undeniable weight.
"Is to ensure the continued existence of Konoha, this final bastion of human civilization, under any internal or external threat."
"For this, I will eliminate all enemies."
"Regardless of the cost."