"Carl, did you come all the way to Konoha just to see us?"
Naruto's voice echoed down the street as he and his teammates, Sakura and Sasuke, sprinted toward the familiar figure who had just stepped through the gates of the Hidden Leaf Village. They hadn't seen Carl since their mission in the Land of Waves, and his sudden appearance caught them completely off guard.
Back then, they'd invited Carl to visit Konoha, but he had been too busy overseeing the rebuilding of the trade route between the Land of Waves and the mainland. They knew he was doing important work, yet part of them had always hoped he'd take them up on the offer one day.
Now, seeing him in Konoha—dressed in elegant robes, flanked by attendants, and escorted by Kamizuki Izumo—was more than a surprise. It was surreal.
"Naruto, you're not allowed to speak so casually to His Highness!" Izumo quickly reminded Naruto with a stiff posture. He hadn't expected the prince to be on such familiar terms with a team of Genin.
"His Highness?"
Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura blinked in confusion.
Carl chuckled lightly. "I forgot to mention it last time. In addition to being a monk at the Fire Temple, I'm also the prince of the Land of Fire. I've come to Konoha as a guest to observe the Chunin Selection Exams."
"You're a prince?!" Sakura's jaw dropped, her eyes wide with disbelief.
Even Sasuke, usually unshaken, arched an eyebrow. While he hailed from the prestigious Uchiha clan and was no stranger to powerful lineages, hearing that Carl—a battle-hardened companion from a dangerous mission—was actual royalty gave him pause.
Naruto scratched his head, utterly puzzled. "What's a prince?"
Sakura promptly smacked the back of his head. "You idiot! A prince is someone super important—just as important as the Hokage!"
Naruto scowled, still rubbing his head. He had always dreamed of becoming Hokage, not for the title, but for the recognition. In truth, he didn't understand how noble the position really was. To him, the Third Hokage was just an old man who could be tricked with a henge and a prank—not someone untouchably regal.
"Anyway, enough of that. I'm starving!" Naruto announced suddenly. "Carl, let me treat you to ramen at Ichiraku! It's super, super, super delicious!"
"Not right now," Carl replied with a smile. "I need to meet the Hokage first. But if you're willing to wait for me at Ichiraku, the next round is on me. After all, a prince never travels without coin."
He winked playfully, and the three Genin exchanged excited glances before nodding.
"Alright! We'll be waiting!" Naruto grinned from ear to ear as Carl and Izumo continued toward the Hokage's office.
As they walked, Carl found himself reflecting on the trio. Among Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura, he felt the closest affinity with Naruto. The boy was rough around the edges and had little understanding of etiquette or propriety—but his boundless optimism, even after being rejected and ostracized by the village for years, made him shine brighter than most.
To Carl, goodness was partly shaped by one's environment, but a larger part came from within. Some people were born kindhearted, unshaken even in the darkest situations. Naruto was one of them.
Just as they reached the stairs leading to the Hokage's tower, a group of Leaf shinobi exited the building. All wore the standard flak jackets, marking them as Jonin and Chunin. Carl paused to observe.
"They probably just wrapped up a strategy meeting about the Chunin Exams," explained Shen , another of Carl's attendants. "These are likely the shinobi currently not assigned to any missions."
Carl scanned the group and recognized several familiar faces. Kakashi Hatake was easy to spot with his silver hair and masked face. Then came the bowl-cut man with impossibly thick eyebrows—Might Guy, the master of the Eight Gates technique. That was one of the abilities Carl had come to Konoha specifically to learn.
The Eight Gates released the body's natural limiters, allowing a shinobi to perform feats of unbelievable power. Guy's father, Might Dai, had once used it to fight the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, killing four and crippling the others—all as a Genin. Guy himself had kicked Madara Uchiha to death with it during the Fourth Great Ninja War.
If Carl could master the Eight Gates and enhance it with his Power Pills, Military Ration Pills, and his technological reinforced physique, his taijutsu could rival the most dangerous of enemies.
Behind Guy walked a bearded man smoking a cigarette—Asuma Sarutobi, son of the Third Hokage and a close friend of Carl's teacher, Chiriku. Beside him strolled a graceful kunoichi with striking red eyes—Kurenai Yuhi, a Jonin known for her illusionary prowess.
Further down the line, he recognized Mitarashi Anko, a former pupil of Orochimaru, and Morino Ibiki, the stern head of Konoha's torture and interrogation department. Many others were less distinct, but still impressive in their presence.
Suddenly, Guy stopped Kakashi. "Kakashi! Our students are about to engage in youthful battle! Let's mark the occasion with our 110th showdown beneath the Hokage's windows!"
Kakashi, who had been planning a peaceful visit to the bookstore for the latest volume of Icha Icha Paradise, sighed internally. As always, Guy's energy was relentless—and exhausting.
He looked around for an escape route, but his gaze halted the moment it landed on Carl. Recognition lit up in his eyes.
Carl waved cheerfully. "Good morning, Kakashi!"
That single greeting drew the attention of every Jonin and Chunin present. Kakashi was a prodigy, after all—graduated at five, Chunin at six, Jonin by twelve. When someone casually greeted him like an old friend—especially someone dressed in royal garb—it was bound to turn heads.
"Carl? What are you doing here?" Kakashi asked, vanishing in a blur and reappearing in front of him. Suspicion tinged his voice.
The Fire Temple had never sent representatives to Chunin Exams before. And now Carl stood here, dressed as a noble, with a full escort and an air of mystery.
"Kakashi," Izumo spoke respectfully, "this is Prince Carl of the Land of Fire. He has come to observe the Chunin Exams."
Carl nodded with an easy smile. "Since I've trained at the Fire Temple and have some experience in ninjutsu, the Daimyo thought it would be wise for me to see Konoha's finest in action."
Kakashi's visible eye narrowed for a brief moment, then widened in understanding. Back during their mission in the Land of Waves, he had suspected Carl carried a deeper identity. But even so, he hadn't imagined that the calm, unassuming monk he'd fought alongside was a royal heir.
He now realized—Carl's journey through the ninja world was far from ordinary.