Naruto cheerfully greeted Lee and walked forward with him, Sasuke following closely behind.
Their classmates were visibly surprised—Iruka had clearly told them to stay put, and yet Naruto and his group had casually walked off.
Ino blinked in astonishment, while Shikamaru narrowed his eyes, silently observing Naruto and Sasuke.
Uchiha Sasuke was known for his pride and aloofness, yet at this moment, walking beside Naruto, there was an almost imperceptible sense of deference in his posture.
The boy in the garish green jumpsuit must be Rock Lee—the third-year upperclassman who specialized solely in taijutsu.
Shikamaru quickly pieced together the situation in his mind. As expected of the Nara clan's heir, he processed the new information with effortless precision.
Meanwhile, Ino's eyes were fixed on Sasuke, but her gaze occasionally drifted toward Naruto. A new thought struck her.
Suddenly, she ran between the two boys with a bright smile. "Naruto-kun! Sasuke-kun! Choji and the others are planning to treat us to some barbecue. Want to come along?"
She gave them both an expectant look.
Only now did she really take notice of Naruto. Until recently, she had completely overlooked him—but now, she realized he looked surprisingly handsome.
Those whisker-like marks on his cheeks had always made him seem a bit wild, and he'd never been as eye-catching as Sasuke. But now that he was well-nourished and brimming with energy, even his aura felt different.
Ino found herself momentarily stunned.
Wait... Ino! Get a grip! You like Sasuke-kun!
But... Naruto-kun looks really good too!
It was as if two little versions of herself were bickering inside her mind.
Shikamaru listened to her invitation with an exasperated sigh.
"Women are such a drag…"
Just the thought of losing money to a group barbecue gave him a headache.
As soon as Choji heard the word barbecue, his eyes lit up. "Barbecue! Barbecue!" he chanted, already drooling.
Clearly, Choji was thrilled and more than willing to share his love of food with everyone.
Naruto glanced at Ino, who looked genuinely enthusiastic, and—without really knowing why—he found himself nodding.
"Alright."
He turned to Lee and Sasuke. "You two have been training too hard lately. Let's take a break and enjoy ourselves a little. Pushing too hard can backfire."
His words were mostly directed at Lee. Naruto knew that while Lee's drive was admirable, overtraining could lead to long-term injuries. Sometimes, a relaxed mind and body advanced faster than sheer brute effort.
Then he looked at Ino with a faint, knowing smile. "Sure, let's go. But I doubt they'll be happy to see me."
Ino was momentarily confused by his words, but still beckoned them toward the restaurant cheerfully.
They left the Academy grounds and strolled down the street. After crossing to the other side, the barbecue restaurant came into view.
As they walked, Naruto could feel the stares of passersby following him—judgmental, unfriendly gazes.
He sneered, his expression laced with disdain.
Lee and Sasuke noticed too, and their eyes hardened slightly.
Ino, however, didn't pick up on the atmosphere at all. Her mind was elsewhere, oblivious to the public's reaction.
Just as they reached the restaurant entrance, a loud voice rang out.
"You all can come in—but not him!"
The speaker was a burly man, clearly not a shinobi. Dressed in a chef's uniform, he was unmistakably the restaurant owner.
Naruto didn't even flinch. He had expected this. After all, only a few shops in the village welcomed him.
There were exactly two exceptions.
The first was Ichiraku Ramen, run by Teuchi. Naruto had always felt warmth and acceptance there.
The second was a ninja tool store run by the family of Tenten, one of the future Konoha 12. Her family weren't shinobi—they had moved to the village from outside and settled down as merchants.
Thanks to growing up around ninja tools, Tenten developed a unique fighting style that revolved around weapon-based ninjutsu. Her signature technique, Twin Rising Dragons, bombarded enemies with countless projectiles—a spectacle of both grace and destruction.
Naruto had once joked that her technique should be called The Art of Scattering Money.
Every strike burned through mountains of ryo, and her arsenal of tools was worth a small fortune. It wasn't an exaggeration—just one of her volleys could make even a Sand Village accountant cry.
The large man pointed directly at Naruto, which made Ino frown in visible displeasure.
"Why can't he come in? He's my classmate!" she said defiantly.
Naruto glanced at the girl—her tiny figure puffed up in indignation—and for some reason, he found her spirited defense… oddly endearing.
"Heh! Why?" the man sneered. "Because my shop doesn't serve the Nine-Tails brat!"
He jabbed a thick finger at Naruto again. "The rest of you can eat here. But he stays out."
The middle-aged man's voice was firm and icy, leaving no room for argument.
Naruto's expression didn't change. He'd long stopped expecting anything from places like this. And in the future, he wouldn't show mercy to those who didn't show it to him.
He was no longer the naïve Naruto who would return hatred with kindness.
The scorn of these villagers only deepened his convictions.
Just then, Lee stepped forward with a bright grin and a suggestion: "How about a picnic instead? Naruto-kun's cooking is amazing!"
Ino pouted but gave in, unhappily leading the group away. Her normally cheerful face was clouded with frustration.
As they walked off, they could still hear faint voices behind them.
"Uncle Aotake, be careful! Some of those kids come from powerful clans."
But Aotake scoffed. "I don't care. My shop doesn't serve that demon fox brat."
His voice dripped with contempt.
"My son died in the Nine-Tails' attack. Lord Fourth personally saved him once and even praised him as a promising ninja."
"He had a future. A real future. And then it was snatched away! How could I ever forgive that monster?"
Another voice chimed in, cruel and bitter.
"Uncle Aotake's right. That demon fox kid should've been killed long ago. If not for Lord Third's foolish mercy, he'd be long dead!"
Laughter echoed from the restaurant behind them. Cruel. Derisive.
Naruto said nothing.
But Ino's fists clenched. "What kind of people are they?" she said, her voice trembling with anger.
Shikamaru remained silent, lost in thought.
Naruto glanced around at the group. His companions looked outraged, while Shikamaru simply stared at the ground, brows furrowed in contemplation.
Did Shikamaru already suspect something?
Naruto looked at the Nara heir carefully.
He was smart. Too smart. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to "borrow" him when the time came to leave the village. Ahem… no, no. That would be kidnapping. Not exactly academic.
Still…
Shikamaru would make an excellent strategist.
They wandered away from the main road and headed deeper into the woods—not to their usual training spot, but to another, more secluded part of the forest.
Naruto and the others quickly got to work.
Thanks to Naruto's surprising culinary skills, the meal they put together was no less delicious than any high-end restaurant barbecue. In fact, even Choji—who'd tasted every grill in Konoha—was licking his fingers in delight.
"Listen, Naruto! If you ever need anything, just come find me!" Choji said, slapping his chest like a sworn brother.
Shikamaru rolled his eyes.
You just want more of his cooking, don't you?
Still, even he had to admit—it was good. Really good.
But what surprised Shikamaru even more was Naruto himself.
The way Naruto moved while cooking—deft, practiced, efficient—and the way he handled the wild herbs and forest spices so naturally, it all spoke volumes.
Combined with the cold treatment from the villagers… Shikamaru quietly came to a conclusion that made him pause.
He's lived alone. Since he was very young.
And then there was Sasuke.
Even with his usual arrogance, Sasuke had a subtle, unconscious respect in the way he interacted with Naruto. It wasn't fear. It wasn't obedience. It was more like… acknowledgment.
Naruto wasn't simple.
He kept urging them to eat more, proudly pointing out how he'd seasoned the meat with wild herbs he'd foraged himself.
If only he knew just how much Shikamaru had deduced from those small actions, he might have seriously considered handing him over to Shisui on the spot.
Smart people like Shikamaru… they were wasted in the village.
People like him were perfect for building something greater.
A new system.
A new order.