While Ayame was busy explaining to Naruto what had changed over the past few days and how they had invested the money,
Naruto was silently observing his surroundings. He had sensed someone following him ever since he left the Hokage Tower.
He had activated his Kagura's Mind Eye the moment he exited his house, and sure enough, someone had been tailing him
watching his every move up until now.
It wasn't until now, the presence vanished right around the time Ayame began talking non-stop.
Naruto let out a small sigh of relief, but his mood quickly turned gloomy the moment the ANBU left.
He wasn't actually in the mood to laugh or enjoy himself. Everything he had been doing was just an act.
He knew the Third Hokage would send someone after him.After seeing Naruto's face earlier, Hiruzen would have doubts in his mind.
So he had no choice but to pretend to be normal, even though he felt anything but that.
His trust in the Third Hokage had plummeted after learning the full truth.
Right now, all he wanted was a moment of peace.
"...Naruto?" Ayame's voice cut through his thoughts.
Noticing Naruto's sudden change in mood, Ayame grew confused.Just a moment ago, he looked happy. Why had he suddenly gone gloomy?
"Naruto, what happened?" she asked. "Why do you look so down? Aren't you happy about how well Ichiraku Ramen is doing?"
Naruto was pulled out of his thoughts by her voice.
"Ahh, it's nothing, Sister Ayame," he replied with a small smile.
"I just remembered something bad. But I am really happy about Ichiraku Ramen's progress."
"Let me tell you the biggest news!" Ayame beamed.
"We've opened Ichiraku Ramen stores outside of Konoha! Can you believe it?
Our ramen's finally reaching the rest of the world!"
She said it proudly. This was the biggest milestone she had accomplished so far
a move that would expand the Ichiraku franchise even further.
"That's… really great," Naruto said, managing a genuine nod of approval.
Right then, his stomach let out a loud grumble.
Ayame burst out laughing.
"Ahh, you're hungry, aren't you? Come on! I'll make you a special deluxe ramen extra pork, just for you."
Smiling, she practically dragged him into one of the rooms in the shop for a hearty meal.
.
.
.
An eagle soared high above Konoha, its wings slicing through the clouds as it let out a piercing screech that echoed across the village.
The moment the jonin spotted it, they understood what it meant.
The Third Hokage was calling for them.
Within minutes, all of Konoha's jonin began assembling, leaving behind their tasks to gather for a new directive.
Hokage Tower
All the jonin of Konoha now stood in orderly rows inside the Hokage Tower, silently waiting for instructions.
Among them were Kakashi Hatake, Might Guy, Asuma Sarutobi, and Kurenai Yuhi each one present and attentive.
Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi stood before them, scanning the group briefly before beginning to speak.
"As you've all noticed," he began, "there have been some changes in the village over the past few days.
Ninjas from across the Five Great Nations are starting to enter Konoha.
"The Chūnin Exams will officially begin in seven days.
Registration starts today and will remain open until the exams starts."
"You are each authorized to recommend your respective teams provided you believe they're ready to become Chūnin."
"From now on, foreign shinobi will continue arriving in Konoha.
All of you will be assigned to maintain security and order throughout the village."
With that, the Third Hokage dismissed them.
As the jonin began dispersing, Might Guy approached Kakashi eagerly.
"Hey, Kakashi! Now that you're free, how about a rematch?" he asked, eyes gleaming with challenge.
Kakashi gave him a deadpan stare. "No, Guy. I'm busy today.
I still need to inform my team about the Chūnin Exams."
"You're right, Kakashi! I almost forgot!
As expected of you, my eternal rival always focused!" Guy shouted dramatically.
"…"
Kakashi was just about to slip away before Guy could get even more fired up,
but Asuma stepped in with a smirk.
"So, Kakashi, is your team ready for the exams? Or are you going to take your time?"
he asked while lighting a cigarette.
"Let's just say... they're more interesting than you'd expect.",Kakashi replied confidently, glancing at Asuma.
He had faith in his students especially Sasuke, whose performance had been outstanding so far.
"That's good. I'm looking forward to seeing how they match up," Asuma said smugly, clearly confident in his own team.
"Count my team in too!" Guy jumped into the conversation, grinning with pride.
"My students will surely shine in the Chūnin Exams!"
As the three continued chatting, the rest of the jonin had already dispersed
each heading off to prepare for their duties during the upcoming exams.
Just as Kakashi was about to take his leave too, Kurenai approached the group.
" Asuma, when you're done chatting, meet me at the barbecue shop this evening," Kurenai said as she turned to leave.
"Sure," Asuma replied casually.
Leaving the three men to continue their conversation, Kurenai was the first to head off and gather her team at one of the training grounds.
Training Ground 10
Kurenai looked at her Team 8 with satisfaction before delivering the important news.
"The Chūnin Exams are coming up soon."
"Wait—what? So soon? That's awesome!" Kiba exclaimed, practically bouncing in place.
"I'll be able to become a Chūnin already? Even Sister Hana had to wait a whole year before she got to take the exam!
Akamaru, we're gonna be Chūnin in no time!"
"Awoo~!" Akamaru howled excitedly in response, wagging his tail.
Hinata blushed, shy but happy.
If she participated in the exam, she might get a chance to see Naruto again.
They hadn't interacted much since graduating from the academy,
and the thought of seeing him again made her heart feel lighter.
Shino on the other hand simply nodded, calm and silent, his face was unreadable beneath his high collar and dark glasses.
"It's not going to be as easy as you think," Kurenai said, her tone firm to ground their excitement.
"You'll all have to pass several difficult tests before earning the rank of Chūnin."
"That's why I'm telling you now...double your training.
Ninjas from outside the village will be participating, and it's going to be extremely tough."
"Yes, Kurenai-sensei! I'll triple my training from now on!" Kiba declared, fired up with confidence.
Hinata and Shino nodded seriously, taking their sensei's warning to heart.
They knew Kurenai wouldn't say something like this lightly
and they could already feel the weight of the Chūnin Exams settling on their shoulders
On the other side of the village, Kakashi had also gathered Team 7.
As he looked at them, he gave a nod of acknowledgment but immediately noticed something off about Naruto.
Though Naruto stood in his usual posture, something felt wrong.
He wasn't his usual curious, loud self today the way he always was whenever Kakashi called them together.
"As I mentioned earlier about the Chūnin Exams," Kakashi began,
"they'll begin in seven days. I've already Nominated all three of you.
Do your best, I have high expectations for each of you."
With his usual brief approach, he was about to leave
but then paused.
None of them reacted.
He could understand Sasuke's silence; that was just his personality.
Sakura, as always, was too busy staring at Sasuke to care about much else.
So, in their case, the silence made sense.
But Naruto?
Since when did he fall quiet?
"Sakura, Sasuke you two can go. Train however you like.Naruto, stay back for a moment," Kakashi said, turning to them.
"Yes, Sensei," Sakura replied, quickly following Sasuke, who was already halfway out of the training ground.
Naruto stayed where he was, lost in thought, confused on why Kakashi had stopped him.
Once Sasuke and sakura were gone, Kakashi turned to Naruto and looked at him carefully.
"Naruto, what's going on? You seem… off today."
"Huh? What are you talking about, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto replied, forcing a cheerful smile.
"There's nothing off about me!"
Kakashi sighed.
He could clearly tell this wasn't Naruto's usual grin.
He had spent enough time with the boy to know the difference between a real smile and a fake one.
"If something's bothering you, you can tell me," Kakashi said gently.
"I may not be able to fix everything, but I can help if you'll let me."
Naruto looked away slightly, then shook his head.
"It's nothing, really, Kakashi-sensei."
Naruto doubled down on the lie he really didn't want Kakashi's help right now.
He was sure all he needed was some time.
Kakashi sighed.
As much as he wanted to help, he knew he couldn't do anything without Naruto's cooperation.
Still, he was confused.What could have made Naruto this upset so much that he wouldn't even talk about it?
On the other side, Naruto looked at Kakashi for a moment… then slipped back into his thoughts once again.
Naruto was lost right now.
His main goal in life had always been simple: to be acknowledged by everyone and become Hokage.
But as time passed, he began to realize something painful
he couldn't be recognized by everyone.
And even worse, he finally understood why people had mistreated him all this time.
It wasn't his fault. Yet, he was the one who suffered.
These realizations shook the very foundation of the life he'd built.
He had chosen his path based on that one dream to earn everyone's recognition.
But now, that goal felt hollow. Not because he hadn't worked hard enough,
but because he might have misunderstood the world from the very beginning.
He now saw how much he didn't understand.
There were emotions, experiences entire parts of life that had always been missing for him.
And for the first time, he felt incomplete.
In truth, he didn't know what paternal love felt like.He didn't truly understand self-worth, or what it meant to be loved
to grieve, to be vulnerable… or even who he really was.
In chasing recognition, he had unknowingly abandoned something precious:
himself.
Sure, he was Naruto Uzumaki. But beyond the name, who was he?
What did he truly want, if recognition was no longer his goal? Then what was it now?
Right now, he had no answer.
And that emptiness left him feeling... faded, like he was living life without color, without purpose.
His question now was simple but heavier than anything he had ever carried:
"What now?"
He had spent his entire life chasing a dream that now felt impossible.
Reflecting on everything he'd gone through, he realized he needed guidance desperately.
But he hesitated.
He wanted to ask Kakashi.He wanted to break down and cry.He wanted to scream, "Why didn't you tell me the truth?" But he didn't.
If Kakashi had told him earlier… maybe the pain wouldn't have been so unbearable.
Maybe, knowing the reason behind the villagers' hatred would've made it hurt less.
Instead, he had been left to suffer alone without even knowing why.
"Kakashi-sensei… can I go now?" Naruto asked, his voice quiet but steady.
Kakashi looked at him for a moment, then gave a small nod.
"Yeah, go ahead."
Kakashi didn't stop him. He just stood there, watching as Naruto slowly walked off.
A few moments later, he began to follow keeping his distance, just enough to observe.
He wanted to see what Naruto was up to, where he was going, and maybe even figure out what was bothering him.
But deep down, Kakashi couldn't help but feel like he had failed.
He had hoped Naruto would open up… but that didn't happen.