In Konoha, This Naruto Has Decided To Take It Easy

Sakura glanced at Ino and said, "If you're with someone you like, everything you do together becomes addictive. Over time, the relationship will become so strong that it's impossible to separate."

Hearing this, Ino's face immediately turned red with embarrassment, and she muttered softly, "Sakura, what are you talking about!?"

"I'm talking about Hinata." she said.

"Huh?" Ino's expression visibly dropped, and jealousy was written all over her face.

Seeing this, a playful smile crept across Sakura's lips, 'Just mentioning Naruto always elicited a strong reaction from Ino. No matter how much she tried to deny it, it was useless.'

"It's just a guess. You don't have to take it seriously." Sakura said casually, as if she didn't mean it, "Ino."

"What?"

"Nothing. Hurry up, or we'll lose sight of them." Sakura pointed toward the disappearing figures ahead.

The brightly lit streets of Konoha.

"I have another mission in a few days." Naruto put his hands in his pockets and said lazily, "I also wanted to participate in the Chunin Exams, but I don't know if I'll make it in time."

Hearing this, Shikamaru rolled his eyes, "Who's going to face you in a match? Obviously, missions are more important, right?"

"The share of the reward for doing missions as Genin is too low. Isn't this just working for nothing?" Naruto said matter-of-factly, "It's feels like a rip-off. How can a Shinobi continue to work like this?"

"Are you short of money? I' could lend you some." Choji offered.

"Damn it! You bunch of rich dogs!" Naruto complained, feeling defeated. Shikamaru and Choji seemed to have never ran out of money, while he could only 'humbly' rely on Gato's inheritance.

'Gato-sama is such a kind-hearted man. I cried so hard. I wonder if there are any flowers blooming in front of Gato-sama's grave now.'

The three of them walked arm in arm into a yakitori restaurant. Before even stepping inside, the smell of grilled meat filled the air. The summer night's breeze was still hot, and the boys laughed and joked as they entered, with a grumpy Neji following behind them.

Tenten, walking alongside Hinata, spread out her hands with a helpless look on her face, "Those boys sure are full of energy."

Hinata smiled softly. As Sakura and Ino caught up with them, the four girls greeted each other and headed inside together. Teenage worries came and went quickly, and once gathered together, the group's mood became cheerful again.

Around the long table, laughter never ceased. At some point, Kurenai also joined them, with Anko following behind.

"It's so lively in here!" Anko stood at the edge of the long table. Her gaze met Naruto's, and her brows immediately furrowed, "Uzumaki Naruto!"

Naruto's reaction was more direct. He immediately spat towards a trash can, "Ptui!"

"Damn it! You little brat!"

"You old hag." Naruto shot back.

"You deserve to die! Uzumaki Naruto!" Anko pounced over two seats, and grabbed Naruto, causing chaos to erupt at the table.

Ino turned to look in their direction, while Hinata let out a soft 'eh'. Sakura looked back and forth between Ino and Hinata's faces, and smiled calmly the moment she lowered her head.

Anko ended up sitting right next to Naruto, stubbornly squeezing herself between him and Shikamaru, taking up half of both their seats.

"Kurenai-sensei, please sit here." Hinata offered, standing up to give up her seat.

"Kurenai-sensei, why didn't Asuma come?" Shikamaru suddenly turned around and asked Kurenai.

"Well…" Kurenai was momentarily caught off guard, but fortunately, Ino quickly came to her rescue.

"Come on, Shikamaru, Asuma-sensei must have something important to take care of," Ino said, pausing before adding, "Otherwise, if Kurenai-sensei were here, Asuma-sensei would definitely come too."

"Hey, you Team 10, don't bully Kurenai-sensei." Kiba chimed in, defending her. After all, Kurenai was the Jonin Instructor of Team 8.

Kurenai's face turned slightly red as she endured their teasing. Anko, meanwhile, glanced up and, seemingly realizing something for the first time, asked, "What about Asuma?"

Just then, with a sudden noise, the door to the private room slid open, and Asuma entered with a cheerful smile.

"Sorry, I had something to take care of, so I'm late."

The room fell silent for a brief moment, then erupted with excited cheers. Shikamaru and Choji, in particular, were causing a scene, clapping and shouting as if enjoying the spectacle.

"Not too late! There's a seat next to Kurenai-sensei!" Shikamaru was the most excited. Despite claiming earlier that he wasn't interested in women, he was clearly invested in Asuma's love life.

Asuma, not one to get flustered easily, confidently took a seat next to Kurenai. Shikamaru stood up to order drinks, since Asuma, Kurenai, and Anko certainly wouldn't be drinking juice like the rest of them.

"Hinata, don't they look so sweet together?" Tenten rested her elbows on the table, propping her face up with her hands as she sighed.

"Ah, I guess so. Honestly, I don't really understand these things either." Hinata murmured softly.

"Huh? Isn't that simple? It's love. Who would've thought that a beautiful girl like Kurenai-sensei would actually like someone like Asuma-sensei?" Tenten mumbled like an old man.

"But it really is hard to understand. Love makes people blind. Well, I don't like Asuma-sensei's type anyway. Though, it's not like I have a specific type."

"Hey? Hinata, are you even listening?"

"Oh, yes." Hinata suddenly replied, "Go on, Tenten."

"Ah! I'm still so envious!" Tenten pouted, sipping her juice and pretending to cry in envy.

Hinata seemed a little distracted, her gaze wandering toward the corner where Naruto was sitting, which is a bit farther away. Shikamaru and Anko had left their seats to join in on the teasing around Asuma and Kurenai, adding to the lively atmosphere.

The table was full of laughter, and Naruto, holding a glass of juice, watched the scene from the sidelines with a smile on his face. Though he seemed happy, he didn't join in the fun. Hinata wasn't used to such a boisterous environment too, however, being part of the group, she couldn't avoid the attention entirely.

"They really are a perfect match. How did I not notice before?"

After causing ruckus for a while, Anko shook her head and muttered to herself. She then sat back in her original seat. After grabbing a skewer of meat, and then turned to Naruto.

"Why don't you go say something?"

"Say what?" Naruto narrowed his eyes and huddled his arms and legs together. He always felt extremely uncomfortable sitting cross-legged like everyone else.

"I'm not one for joining the crowd, unlike you, a fake Jonin."

"You're a strange one. Everyone's having fun, and yet you're sitting here chatting with me." Anko remarked, "Are you always like this?"

"Pretty much. I usually just sleep at home."

"You don't train?" Anko asked in surprise, as if she had just heard a top student say they slept through class and spent their free time playing games.

"What's training?" Naruto smirked and returned to his usual cocky expression, "No one still bothers with training, right? Training hard is for second-rate Jonin."

"Don't mock my hard work! Damn you!" Anko pinched him, then let out a small burp and muttered, "Ordinary people like us have to work very hard. Damn you geniuses!"

"Ture." He agreed with a nod.

"You don't get to say that!" Anko, a little tipsy, gave Naruto a playful shove, "By the way, have you figured out anything about what we saw in the Land of Whirlpools?"