(BONUS CHAPTER)
"You two!"
Naruto's eyes widened in disbelief. "What the hell is going on here? Since when did you two 'get together'?"
"G-get together?!" Ino's face instantly flushed a suspicious shade of red, her mind clearly racing to… other interpretations.
"Naruto, if you don't know how to talk, then Shut up!" Sakura's eye twitched as she snapped. "What do you mean 'get together'?! That's way too misleading!"
"Misleading?" Naruto blinked, scratching his head. "They never even hung out before, and now they're all buddy-buddy? What else would you call it?"
Sakura opened her mouth, then closed it, utterly at a loss. Finally, she took a deep breath and yelled, "You're such an idiot!"
"Sasuke just had dinner with me last night," Yuto explained calmly.
"You had dinner together?!" Naruto gasped dramatically. "Wait—was he your blind date the past couple days?!"
"Pfft—!"
Sakura and Ino nearly spat out imaginary blood, while Shikamaru facepalmed in the background.
'Unbelievable.'
They truly couldn't comprehend the chaotic hamster wheel spinning inside that blond knucklehead's brain. His thought process seemed to exist in an entirely different dimension.
"Idiot," Sasuke muttered under his breath—though not quietly enough.
"Who you callin' an idiot, bastard?!" Naruto shot up from his seat, fists clenched.
"Whoever fits the description," Sasuke replied coolly.
"Oh, that's it! I'll take you on right here!"
"Hn. Since when do dead-lasts make threats?"
"Alright, alright, today's the day I wipe that smirk off your—"
"Enough." Yuto cut in, sighing. "If you actually care about what's in that scroll, pay attention in class. Come to my place after school, and I'll show you."
"Tch. Fine, you're off the hook—for now," Naruto huffed, pointing at Sasuke like a petulant child.
"I should be saying that to you, moron," Sasuke shot back before nodding at Yuto and stalking off to his seat.
"That jerk!" Naruto gnashed his teeth, prompting Shikamaru to pat his shoulder like a babysitter calming a toddler.
Meanwhile...
"You're really planning to indoctrinate them already?" Mikoto's gentle voice held a note of concern. "Isn't it too soon?"
"The sooner the better when it comes to reshaping perspectives," Yuto said with a faint smile. "And I'm not dumping it all on them at once. Like the test I gave Sasuke—it's about gradually expanding their understanding of the world."
"And what about your date with Hinata tonight?" Kushina interjected.
Yuto paused. "...It's not a date. I just asked if she was free."
"Player." Kushina snorted.
"???"
Yuto's expression blanked. 'Since when—?'
"Bring Hinata with you," Kushina ordered. "If you're gonna flirt, you finish what you started."
*Later, at Yuto's house...*
The setting sun painted the sky crimson as the group gathered in Yuto's unusually tidy house on the outskirts of Konoha.
"First time visiting a guy's place… kinda exciting!" Ino chirped, eyeing the spotless room. "You live alone? How's it this clean?"
"No kidding—impressive!" Sakura agreed. Even her room needed her mom's help to stay organized.
"Flattering, but I'm just a bit obsessive," Yuto chuckled, retrieving a fresh exam from his desk. "Everyone, this is what the scroll contained."
"Lemme see!" Naruto lunged forward—then froze. "…Elementary school practice test? What's 'elementary school'? Wait—you gave Sasuke a pop quiz?!"
Silence.
Shikamaru, Ino, Sakura, and Hinata exchanged bewildered glances. They'd imagined the scroll held forbidden jutsu or sealed artifacts—not homework.
Yuto… made Sasuke take a test? That was real?
"Sasuke and I had a deal," Yuto explained. "If he scores 50 on this, I'll personally train him to get stronger."
"50?" Sakura blinked. "Out of…?"
"100."
"And what'd he get?" Naruto grinned.
"Sasuke's quite the prodigy," Yuto mused. "Even without fundamentals, he scored 20."
"Hah?!" Naruto howled with laughter. "20?! That's prodigy level? I pulled 40s on written exams!"
Sasuke's eye twitched.
He'd known he wouldn't hit 50—most questions were concepts he'd never heard of. Yet they felt basic, like he should know them. He'd scribbled answers, checked them, and still couldn't pinpoint his mistakes.
And now, Naruto was gloating.
Unbearable.
"No way…" Sakura paled. "Sasuke only got 20?"
"Scary…" Ino shuddered. "I haven't even seen the questions, and I've got goosebumps."
"My turn!" Naruto slammed his fists on the table. "I'll easily nail 50 and show Mr. 'Genius' how it's done!"
"I-I'd like to try too…" Hinata whispered, raising a timid hand.
"Go ahead." Yuto smiled, spreading the test on the table. "Take your time. I'll start dinner."
As the group huddled around the exam, Shikamaru's expression darkened. He followed Yuto into the kitchen and hissed, "What's your game?"
"Hm?" Yuto feigned innocence.
"Cut the act!" Shikamaru glanced at the door, voice low. "Dissecting the essence of shinobi? Deconstructing the world's systems? This isn't just a test—are you trying to become a missing-nin?!"
"Missing-nin?" Yuto's lips curled into a smirk. "Harsh accusation, Shikamaru. Since when is truth treasonous to Konoha?"
"Konoha won't tolerate your 'truth.'"
"Someone's got to say it. Lies can't bury reality forever." Yuto tied his apron and began chopping vegetables.
"So you're playing savior now?"
"More like a gravedigger."
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