After moving their belongings, Inuzuka Hana led the two to a Barbecue Restaurant for a meal.
Naruto stroked Gray-Da's head; it had been a while since Gray-Maru's Three Brothers had seen Naruto.
Seeing their big brother being petted, Gray-Ni and Hai San immediately crowded over, vying to rub their big, fluffy heads against Naruto's chest and arms, making affectionate 'wooing' sounds, their tails slapping the floor with a rhythmic thud.
For a moment, Naruto was surrounded by three enthusiastic large dogs, almost engulfed in fur.
"The Gray-Marus still like you so much."
Watching Naruto, who was stroking Gray-Da's head and being nudged by Gray-Ni and Hai San, Inuzuka Hana smiled and suggested, "Do you want to raise a Ninken too?"
Naruto was being enthusiastically 'face-washed' by Hai San's tongue when he heard this and paused, "Huh? Raise a Ninken?"
"That's right!"
Inuzuka Hana put down her cup, leaned forward slightly, a encouraging smile on her face.
"Kuro-Maru would be very happy if he knew you had this intention!
Kuro-Maru is the summoning beast of Inuzuka Hana's mother, Inuzuka Tsume, and holds a status among the Ninken clan equivalent to Gamabunta's status in Mount Myōboku.
And he can speak human language and communicate normally with humans.
It must be said, Naruto was indeed tempted.
In his previous life, he always wanted a puppy, so raising a Ninken seemed like a good idea too.
"Is that possible?"
"Of course, why don't we go pick one after dinner?"
"Alright!"
On the way back, Sakura looked at Naruto, who was grinning foolishly while holding a small yellow dog.
It was a small Ninken, seemingly a few months old.
It had fluffy, soft, bright yellow fur like the rising sun, two round, wet black eyes curiously and excitedly surveying this new world, and a pink tongue constantly sticking out with joy, trembling with its tender 'woo~awoo~' barks.
Its four short legs paddled happily in the air, and a similarly fluffy tail wagged like it had a motor.
"Da-Huang is very cute, isn't he!"
Naruto put Da-Huang on his left shoulder and turned to look at Sakura.
The little yellow dog seemed to adapt well to this position, using its small paws to cling to Naruto's clothes to steady itself, continuing to stick out its tongue and make excited 'woo-awoo' sounds, tilting its head curiously at Sakura.
A smile unconsciously appeared on Sakura's face.
She stepped forward, her voice unconsciously softening, carrying a hint of anticipation and caution:
"Yes... it really is... so cute."
She looked into Da-Huang's round eyes and couldn't help but reach out a finger.
"Can I... hold it?"
"Of course you can!"
Naruto was even happier that Sakura also liked Da-Huang, more joyful than if he himself had been praised.
He gently lifted the little yellow dog from his shoulder and carefully offered it to Sakura.
Just then, Da-Huang suddenly sprang from Naruto's hands, its fur bristling, a low growl rumbling in its throat. Like a golden arrow, it shot towards an alley entrance on the other side of the street.
"Da-Huang!"
Naruto froze, with no time to think, his body instinctively chased after the leaping golden shadow.
Sakura also immediately ran after them: "Wait for me, Naruto!"
Their footsteps were exceptionally clear on the quiet evening street, urgently tapping against the stone path.
Turning the narrow corner piled with debris, the scene before them suddenly changed.
This was the road behind the public bathhouse, where swirling steam mixed with the faint scent of soap was wafting from within the bathhouse walls.
Immediately after, a cry of pain exploded:
"Ah! Whose dog is this! Let go! Quickly let go!"
A white-haired man with spiky hair, wearing gray casual clothes, was frantically shaking his left hand.
Da-Huang was clamped tightly onto his hand, its small body dangling in mid-air, swinging back and forth with the man's movements, its throat rumbling with low, threatening growls, its four paws still desperately clawing at the man's arm.
"Da-Huang!"
Naruto rushed forward, grabbed Da-Huang by the waist, and forcefully pulled it down.
The puppy reluctantly kicked its legs, baring its teeth at the white-haired man.
"Awoo~ Awoo~ Woo~ Woof!"
Almost simultaneously, Sakura's gaze, sharp as a knife, swept across the man's face, then quickly glanced at the small hole in the public bathhouse wall beside him, and her expression instantly turned grim.
"You."
Her voice was icy, and her finger pointed directly at him without hesitation.
"You're peeping!"
As a frequent visitor to the Village's public bathhouse, she was all too familiar with this location.
This was the Women's Bath!
And at this moment, the angle and posture of this white-haired man made his intentions blatantly obvious!
"Peeping tom..."
Sakura's fists clenched, cracking, and flames of anger burned in her emerald eyes.
"Die!"
Those words, filled with murderous intent, made the white-haired man, who was shaking his hand and hissing in pain, stiffen all over.
He seemed to want to explain something.
However, as his gaze swept over Naruto, who was tightly clutching the dog and glaring at him vigilantly, he was struck by lightning, completely stunned.
An expression of extreme astonishment and disbelief appeared on his always cynical face, his mouth slightly agape, his pupils trembling, as if he had seen a phantom that should never have appeared here.
He unconsciously mumbled a name:
"Minato?"
"What are you looking at! Bastard!"
Naruto placed Da-Huang on a clear spot nearby, shielded Sakura, and, using the momentum of his charge, delivered a fierce kick to the white-haired man's stomach!
"Oof!"
The man was caught off guard, letting out a short cry of pain, and was sent flying, his back hitting the brick wall behind him with a 'bang,' kicking up a small cloud of dust.
He clutched his stomach and bent over, but the ghost-like shocked expression on his face remained undiminished, still mixed with the distortion of intense pain, fixed on Naruto's face.
Inside the Hokage Office, the atmosphere was so heavy it could almost drip.
The lingering glow of the sunset filtered through the window, casting a warm hue over the serious room, yet it could not dispel the chill and awkwardness of the moment.
Jiraiya was trying hard to straighten his back, attempting to maintain some dignity as one of the "Sannin" under Hiruzen Sarutobi's almost fiery gaze.
He patted the dust from his clothes, cleared his throat, and explained in a tone mixed with helplessness and forced righteousness:
"Oh, Old Man, and you two little ones, it's a misunderstanding, a huge misunderstanding! I was just conducting necessary 'field research.' Art comes from life, and as a creator, observing various details of life is..."
"I was just conducting necessary 'field research' only. Art comes from life, as a creator, observing various life details is..."
"Bang!"
Before he finished speaking, a stack of documents, whistling through the air, accurately struck Jiraiya's face, interrupting his obviously unbelievable sophistry.
The papers scattered, fluttering down.
"Keep it down, is it glorious?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi abruptly stood up from behind his desk, his pipe thudding heavily on the tabletop, making a dull sound.
The veins on his forehead subtly throbbed, clearly indicating his immense anger.
"You call peeping into the Women's Bath 'research'? Jiraiya, I think you're getting worse with age!"
Caught peeping, don't you dare say you're my disciple when you go out, you bastard!
Thinking this, the Sandaime looked at the drawer where he kept his crystal ball.
When I die, this crystal ball must be buried with me.
Only Jiraiya knows about my use of the Telescope Technique to peep; the crystal ball must be disposed of before I die, I must leave a good name in the world!
Beside him, Sakura, with her arms crossed, still had unextinguished anger in her eyes, mixed with deep disdain.
Naruto stood beside her, holding Da-Huang, who was baring its teeth at Jiraiya.
"Just returned to the Village! Haven't even figured out which way the Hokage Office door opens, and the first place you go is the public bathhouse's women's section!"
The Third Hokage's voice was filled with the heartbreak of disappointment, and the deep shame brought by Jiraiya's absurd behavior.
"My old face! Konoha's face! You've completely disgraced us!"