I asked around, and as luck would have it, Team 10 also had a day off.
Such a coincidence, was it because of the Obito Uchiha incident?
Naruto fell into contemplation.
However.
It was a rare reunion for ninja academy classmates, and the few of them chatted and laughed.
All six were rookie ninjas.
From the apprehension of just becoming ninjas to the boredom of D-rank missions.
Everyone's psychological changes were identical.
They complained about boring trash collection, which cat from which house frequently ran away, and what farm chores were available nearby.
Shikamaru complained the most. He hated trouble.
Clearly, Team 10 sounded like they had extensive D-rank mission experience. They had obviously endured quite a bit of hardship.
Then they heard that Naruto's Team 7 had already completed two C-rank missions.
The three members of Team 10 all looked at Sasuke.
Their gazes expressed the same sentiment: It's great to have a powerhouse leading you; they've already completed two C-rank missions.
Sasuke wanted to say something about this misunderstanding, but he disdained to explain so much.
Naruto took in the three's expressions. He had forgotten that, in the eyes of his classmates, he still seemed to be the dead last.
He could only say he acted well in school.
Currently, these few people's information hadn't synchronized; their "version" hadn't been updated yet.
Hmm.
Naruto suddenly felt this was a problem. It wasn't conducive to him becoming Hokage.
How does one become Hokage?
Naruto summarized it into two points: you need to have a strong fist, and you need to have a strong reputation.
As for reputation, with the Ninja World Daily and his media group, Naruto Uzumaki was surely destined to be the only sun in the ninja world in the future.
As for the "fist" part, it was about time to show it off. It wasn't enough for only Team 7 internally to know how strong he was.
But how to display it? This was a bit difficult for Naruto.
Should he just challenge Choji or Shikamaru to a duel now? The impact would be too small, and it wasn't the right time.
If only a combat competition could be arranged, preferably a ninja world martial arts tournament. Call it the "Ninja World Martial Arts Grand Tournament." Hold a globally broadcast match, set the stage, and let Naruto make his name.
He'd plan it out when he got back.
A group of them called out to go eat grilled fish. Choji and Shikamaru swore that the grilled fish there was at least 80% as good as Naruto's.
80%?
Recalling the taste of Naruto's grilled fish, Sakura and Sasuke's eyes lit up. Even Sasuke, who wasn't usually obsessed with culinary delights, wanted to try it. As for Ino, she highly doubted Naruto's grilled fish could be that good.
Naruto said: Isn't it normal for my clone's grilled fish to taste 80% like mine?
However, the Chef God's ability was no joke. This grilled fish restaurant actually made more money than Old Daddy's. As expected of a Chef God cooking personally. It was all about the stats, no technique involved.
The group walked through the commercial street, passing a dango shop.
Sharp-eyed Naruto noticed a familiar head of white hair out of the corner of his eye.
Huh? Kakashi-sensei?
Looking at the three people next to him, they all seemed quite familiar too.
One was a man with a thick beard and a cigarette dangling from his mouth, a walking 35 million ryo bounty—this was Shikamaru's team's jonin instructor, Asuma Sarutobi.
One was a woman with thick hair, beautiful red eyes, and an elegant, outstanding demeanor—this was Hinata's team's jonin instructor, Kurenai Yuhi.
The last one was Might Guy-sensei, in a green jumpsuit, bowl cut, thick eyebrows, exuding youthful energy. This was the jonin instructor Naruto had raced against.
The four were chatting and eating dango together.
This scene made Naruto realize that it seemed all four of them were classmates too.
Such a coincidence? Was today a special day for class reunions?
But where was Hinata's Team 8? Naruto remembered that shy girl with the Byakugan that didn't need to roll, she was quite cute. Her shy demeanor was even cuter.
"Naruto, let's go." Shikamaru turned back when he saw Naruto standing still, urging him.
Naruto pointed to the four senseis sitting in the dango shop, eating dango. "Look."
"What, are you going to go say hi?" Shikamaru hated scenes like this the most.
Noticing his reluctance, Naruto didn't force him. "Wait for me."
Naruto went up and greeted the four senseis one by one, and asked Kakashi about the next team meeting time. He got the answer that it was tomorrow.
As he was leaving, Naruto deliberately winked and hinted, "Kakashi-sensei, when are you free?"
"Hmm?"
Kakashi suddenly understood what Naruto was hinting at. "Tonight, I have time tonight." Although he wasn't in the mood because of the Obito matter, he had to keep his promise to his student.
"Great! Then tonight, I'll have Sister Hana meet you here."
Sister Hana?
Asuma, Kurenai, and Guy all looked at Kakashi in surprise. The three's scrutinizing gazes and gossipy expressions made Kakashi feel a bit overwhelmed. Looking back, Naruto had already run far away.
"Oh, so you've got something going on, Kakashi~"
"Are you going to let your fiery youth bloom, Kakashi~"
Naruto, leaving, heard the teasing laughter behind him.
Back with his group, Naruto reminded Sasuke and Sakura, "Don't forget to watch the show tonight."
Choji asked, and Naruto plainly stated, "Kakashi-sensei is going on a blind date tonight. What, do you guys want to see?"
Team 10 exchanged glances.
Then, everyone agreed to watch the show together tonight.
Night fell.
The six of them secretly came near the dango shop, tracking from the rooftops. From a distance, they saw Kakashi having a clandestine meeting with a graceful, long-haired beauty.
"I think we've been spotted."
Shikamaru noticed Kakashi seemed to have glanced in their direction.
"It's not just us, look over there."
The other five looked across the street and coincidentally saw the jonin duo of Asuma Sarutobi and Kurenai Yuhi also secretly trailing them.
Looking down further, they even saw Guy-sensei disguised as flowers and plants.
The three parties met, speechless, silently indulging in the gossip.
What did they call a live broadcast on a grand scale? This was it. The number of spectators exceeded the actual gossip. There wasn't even enough "melon" to eat.
However, looking back at their own group of six, one could only say they were no less enthusiastic.
Naruto felt today was a bust.
And the result was exactly as Naruto expected. Kakashi and Sister Hana chatted and laughed, maintaining their distance, not even holding hands.
And then, there was no "then."
They had expected fireworks, but it turned out to be Shakespeare.
So disappointing, Kakashi-sensei!
A whole group watched all night and saw nothing.
"Tch, they didn't even kiss?" Ino was practically rolling her eyes like Hinata's Byakugan.
After saying that, she looked expectantly at Sasuke, "Sasuke-kun, how about we practice?"
"Ino Pig, get lost! Stay away from Sasuke!" Before Ino could even touch him, Sakura violently pushed her away.
The two girls began their usual bickering.
"What a drag."
Shikamaru felt he really shouldn't have come. It would have been much better to lie at home and watch the stars.
The six, having seen no good show, could only bid each other farewell.
After the gossip squad disbanded, Naruto's trio found Sister Hana.
This was Sakura's first time seeing "Sister Hana," as Naruto called her, up close. She was indeed a super beauty. She had a gentle appearance, with long, smooth black hair; she looked like an incredibly kind person.
"Kakashi doesn't seem to have that kind of intention. How about it, Naruto, let's just drop it," Sister Hana said gently before bidding them farewell.
The three looked at each other.