Below is the novel-style English translation of the passage you uploaded.
It had been a month since Raftra arrived in Konoha. In that time Raftra Kitchen had been open for three full weeks.
Those three weeks had seen remarkable progress. Customers who had come at first out of curiosity were now returning as regulars. Tables that had often sat empty in the early days were now almost always full, especially at lunch and dinner.
Profit followed. From the notes he carefully wrote each night, Raftra could clearly see a steady rise in daily income.
It came down to two main things: first, his negotiations with suppliers had stabilized ingredient costs, preserving profit margins, second, he had set menu prices cleverly—affordable for villagers, yet generous enough to leave a healthy return.
A unique factor couldn't be ignored either: Raftra was the only person in the village selling foreign dishes like spaghetti, fried chicken, or martabak telur. That novelty set Raftra Kitchen apart from other stalls, as if he alone possessed some 'secret of flavor.'
Gradually, Raftra's reputation spread beyond the shop. Whenever he walked around—alone or with Kakashi—villagers began to greet him. Some offered only a smile, others made light comments like, "Hey, that's the owner of Raftra Kitchen," or "Your food is good, I'll come again." Raftra always replied warmly.
...
Sunday arrived, and as he had decided from the start, Raftra Kitchen closed for the day. For Raftra, the day off wasn't merely for rest, it was about keeping himself balanced.
'If I spend all my time in the kitchen, sooner or later I'll break. Rest is part of the strategy too.'
He also knew that one day, when the business grew and he no longer needed to work the line himself, that policy might change. The shop could stay open on Sundays while he supervised from behind the scenes.
For now, he chose to enjoy the quiet. Raftra sat on a wooden bench in the village green, leaning back with his arms stretched along the chair's back and one leg resting over the other. Morning sunlight warmed his skin—not harshly, but gently—offering a brief sense of peace amid a busy routine.
Not far away, Kakashi stood beneath a broad tree, leaning casually against its trunk with his arms folded and one eye closed as if sleeping—though Raftra knew the ninja's vigilance never truly ceased.
Silence sat between them. No conversation, no small talk. Only the sound of children running in the distance, their laughter bright against the stillness of the two figures.
Inside, Raftra felt a burden he could show to no one. 'Three full weeks I've been acting... smiling every day, speaking kindly, as if there's nothing wrong.'
'But behind it all, my spirit feels drained. It's hard to keep this mask from cracking even a little.'
He drew a long breath and stared at the blue sky above. 'And on top of everything, there's Kakashi. He's always there. Wherever I go, whatever I do, he's watching.'
'At first I accepted it, almost took it lightly... but over time it's become annoying. As if I have no room that's just mine.'
Raftra glanced toward Kakashi beneath the tree. From the outside, Kakashi looked like a guardian who kept his distance, for Raftra, however, that image pressed on him—reminding him his movements were never entirely free.
He leaned his head back against the bench and stared blankly at the sky, thin clouds drifting across the blue.
A question spun in his mind—a question that never found an answer. 'Is all this... only false freedom? The illusion of freedom that was limited from the start.'
'I can move, but each step is watched. Is this what being free means? Or am I merely a prisoner wearing invisible chains?'
He closed his eyes for a moment, holding the tightness in his chest he could not voice to anyone. 'Complain to Kakashi? Impossible. Complain to Hiruzen? Also impossible.'
'That would be the same as revealing a weakness that could be used to press me further.'
'In the end, the only place to complain is to myself. And that too... is pointless.'
Raftra's gaze drifted to the children running in the distance. Their laughter hung light in the air, mingling with the clamor of games. They ran with no set direction, utterly free, as if the world belonged to them alone. Innocent smiles, untroubled movements, boundless energy.
'I envy them...' he thought softly. 'They live without worrying about grand plans, without keeping up appearances, without a constant shadow following every second.'
'Pure, simple, completely free. Something I may never experience again.'
His chest tightened. In the silence there was a bitter realization: despite his youth, he was already caught in an adult game full of intrigue.
'The me from before would never believe that now I long for school. A place I once found boring is suddenly more valuable than I knew.'
'If I could, I would sit in class again, learn trivial things, laugh with friends. Not like this—this world of pressure where I must always survive.'
A thin, bitter laugh slipped from his lips—not of joy, but an ironic scoff at himself. 'In a matter of weeks, my life turned upside down. From an ordinary teenager with a simple routine to someone forced to play the part of an adult.'
The laugh grew louder until his body hunched and his hand clutched his stomach. Tears blurred his vision. He hurriedly wiped at the corner of his eye as if to deny any sign of weakness.
'Look at you now... pathetic man. You can't even cry properly. You just laugh as if everything's a joke—how ironic.'
Kakashi, leaning against the tree, opened his eye slightly and asked in a flat, quiet voice, "Why are you laughing?"
Raftra turned briefly, his smile smoothed back into a neutral expression, as if nothing had happened. "Ah, nothing... I was just remembering something funny."
"It wasn't funny at the time, but thinking about it now, for some reason it seems funny."
The answer came lightly but sounded too practiced, too neat. Kakashi didn't reply, he only gave a faint exhale and closed his eye again. From his position behind and to Raftra's left, he couldn't fully see Raftra's face when he laughed.
But Kakashi was not the sort of man who judged only by appearances.
'The tone... too fragile. That's not a laugh born of happiness. It's more like someone covering a wound with a cheap joke.'
...
Before long the sun climbed higher, its light spilling across the roof of the modest house Raftra and Kakashi shared. Morning rippled into noon peacefully. A breeze stirred, carrying the scent of leaves.
On the front porch, Raftra sat propped up, eyes empty as he stared at the clear blue sky. His mind was blank, as if trapped in a hollow space.
Inside the house, Kakashi sat quietly, absorbed in his book. The only sound was the occasional rustle of pages. The house was utterly still.
That silence was finally broken by a voice he knew well.
"Raftra-nii! What are you thinking about? Why so spaced out?"
Naruto ran up, small and bright-faced, waving his hands with eager energy. His breath came a little short from running, but his grin stayed wide.
Raftra turned slowly. A faint smile touched his otherwise expressionless face—just enough to answer the greeting.
He waved back and said lightly, "Oh, nothing... just business matters."
"Where's Kakashi-san?"
"He's inside," Raftra replied. "He's relaxing and reading a book."
Naruto nodded and sat beside Raftra with his legs dangling, swinging them up and down. He propped himself against Raftra's back and hummed a soft little tune to himself, swaying his head from side to side.
Raftra drifted back into his thoughts even with Naruto beside him, he didn't speak a single word, remaining as quiet as before.
A few minutes passed, and then Naruto spoke in a softer tone than usual—different, more earnest.
"You know... since I met you, I've never felt alone again."
Raftra glanced toward him, his face stayed neutral. "Oh?"
Naruto nodded. "Yeah! At first I thought you'd just be passing through the village. But you really live here, and you even opened a place for people."
A small smile spread across the boy's face. "When I used to get bored, I didn't know what to do or where to go. Now I can come to your place. It feels good... like someone finally accepts me."
Raftra looked at him without answering. His face remained cool, as if the words had not touched him at all. 'Accept me...' he thought.
Naruto turned and beamed. That smile was not ordinary—innocent, sincere, unburdened. "Feels like having a family. You're like an older brother who really cares."
Those words pierced deeply. Raftra fell silent. For the first time, he genuinely didn't know how to respond. He had long been skilled at playing roles, acting, and manipulating those around him.
But now, faced with the pure smile and simple words of a child, he lost his part.
'Should I be happy that my plan worked? That I managed to make Naruto see me as an older brother?'
'Or should I feel sad because all of those feelings were manufactured as part of my scheme?'
Naruto looked into Raftra's eyes more seriously this time. "Thanks for being my friend... even though others avoid me, you were open enough to make a deal with the old Hokage."
Raftra's heart pounded—not from joy, but from the sting of guilt. Shame surfaced, making clear that he had taken advantage of a child's sincerity for his own gain.
'Even that fake contract... I don't know if I did it out of genuine feeling or merely for future plans.'
Yet alongside the guilt there was a strange satisfaction, a pleasure that was hard to describe. He had succeeded in making Naruto view him as a brother.
Naruto looked puzzled. "Why are you so quiet? Did I say something wrong?"
Raftra shook his head gently. This time, he forced his lips into a thin smile. Calmly, he lifted his hand and ruffled Naruto's hair. "Nothing's wrong."
"I... I'm just happy to hear that."
Naruto's grin widened further, soaking in the warmth of the moment. "Ohh... really?"
Raftra said nothing more, he simply watched Naruto's smile.
In the quiet, he sank into a mix of guilt and warmth. 'Even now, I reflexively continue to act like the person Naruto wants me to be.'
Meanwhile...
Behind the house wall, Kakashi sat leaning, having listened to the exchange without intervening. From behind his black mask, a rare, small smile tugged at his lips. 'They're getting closer again,' he thought.
...
A few hours later, after lunch, the three of them sat in the living room. Naruto, brimming with enthusiasm, invited Raftra and Kakashi to play UNO.
At first the room rang with laughter and Naruto's characteristic complaints whenever he lost. But before long the energy waned.
In the middle of the game Naruto's head began to nod, his eyelids grew heavy and he fell asleep on the floor, cards still clutched in his hand.
Raftra glanced briefly and sighed softly. Wordlessly, he bent down, lifted the small boy, and carried him to the bedroom.
Kakashi, sitting in the living room, said nothing—only watched Raftra's back until he disappeared through the bedroom door.
Once inside, Raftra laid Naruto on the bed and adjusted his sleeping position to make him more comfortable. Then he sat at the bedside, staring at the child's peaceful face.
Raftra's expression was blank, his thoughts returned to Naruto's earlier words about family, being accepted, and warmth that should be sincere, not born of manipulation.
Inwardly he murmured, 'I know... manipulating someone's feelings is wrong. Especially if it's done for selfish reasons.'
He clenched his hands in his lap. 'But... my position offers me no choice. If one day others hate me for all this... then so be it. I will accept it.'
For a few seconds he remained motionless, watching Naruto's even breathing. Guilt pressed on him, yet so did the urge to keep moving forward.
Finally Raftra rose. He turned toward the bedroom door and took a step, but he stopped before leaving.
At the doorway his face looked exhausted. His eyes were empty, lacking spirit, like someone who had borne a burden for too long. Yet beneath that weariness was something else—a hard resolve, as solid as stone.
In his heart he told himself, 'From now on, I can't be half-hearted. I've already started everything.'
He closed his eyes briefly and drew a long breath. 'No more dwelling on guilt. Better to enjoy the process. Enjoy... this game of manipulation, just as before.'
With that he stepped out of the bedroom, leaving Naruto asleep behind the door.
...
As he left the room, Raftra's expression changed. The tired, empty look dissolved into something softer and warmer. A thin smile appeared, his steps becoming lighter as if some burden had lifted.
He walked slowly to the living room and dropped himself beside Kakashi. The masked ninja was still focused on the UNO cards in his hands, as if analyzing something that did not truly matter.
Without turning, Kakashi said flatly, "Now Naruto is closer to us... more than before."
Raftra glanced at him and flipped one of the UNO cards idly between his fingers. "Do you mind? If Naruto becomes closer to us?" he asked quietly.
Kakashi shrugged. "No. I don't mind at all. To be honest, I enjoy his presence. That child... he's always cheerful."
Raftra gave a small chuckle, a faint smile creased his face. "Then perhaps you should be more open with him. Don't be so stiff."
Kakashi finally glanced up, the one visible eye looked calm. "I'm comfortable like this. Being myself."
"Maybe you should be the one to open up, not me."
Raftra fell silent at that. He looked down at the UNO card he still toyed with and muttered very softly, almost to himself, "Being myself, huh..."
"You always say it like I'm fake. Honestly, it's annoying to be accused like that."
Kakashi patted Raftra's shoulder gently. "I'm not accusing you of being fake, I only want you to loosen up more."
Raftra pulled Kakashi's hand away from his shoulder. "Those words are strange. What am I supposed to do to become more relaxed?"
Kakashi didn't answer, he merely raised a hand as if to say, 'Find the answer yourself.'