"Of course! When have I, Naruto Uzumaki, ever lied to you guys? ( ˝ᗢ̈˝ )…"
Just as the words left his mouth, Naruto suddenly froze, as if realizing something. He whipped around — and there, standing behind him, was Shinju.
His eyes lit up with excitement.
"Ah, Shinju! You're back! վ--0027ᴗ--0027 ի"
Shinju nodded. "Yeah. The war's about to begin. I wrapped up things in Kumogakure as fast as I could and came straight back."
Kiba, sitting beside Naruto, grinned and waved.
"Shinju! You came at the perfect time — we were just talking about you while eating. Come on, join us! (•̀⌄•́)"
"Sure! (｡◝ᴗ◜｡)"
Looking around the table, Shinju saw familiar faces — old classmates and teammates — and agreed, ready to find a seat.
The moment he did, everyone moved in sync — "clatter-clatter!" — chairs scraped, and the seating arrangement shifted in an instant.
The spot next to Hinata suddenly opened up — courtesy of Ino, who had just vacated it.
Hinata, on the other hand, found herself placed beside Naruto.
Seeing everyone conspiring like this, Ino gave them a grateful look, then turned shyly toward Shinju.
"Shinju-kun, you can sit here. There's just the right amount of space for you…(´つヮ⊂︎)"
Before Shinju could respond, Naruto spoke up with visible dissatisfaction.
"Wait, shouldn't the guys sit together and the girls sit together? Wouldn't it make more sense for me and Shinju to sit next to each other—"
Before he could finish, everyone shouted in unison:
"Shut up! (▼ヘ▼#)"
...
Shinju took his seat.
As the group dug into their meal, Naruto spoke through a mouthful of grilled meat.
"Shinju, are we really supposed to just sit this one out like they said? Feels like a waste not to fight! (´⌒`｡)"
"I mean, just the two of us could totally crush the Fourth Great Ninja War in minutes! ୧⍢⃝୨"
Neji smirked. "You? Don't flatter yourself. Shinju sweeping the war I can believe — but you? You'd just be an accessory. →_→"
Naruto scowled. "Hey! That's rude! I'm strong too, y'know! (´இ皿இ｀)"
Shikamaru, always the calm strategist, interjected.
"Never underestimate war. I've read records about previous shinobi wars — tens of thousands of ninja died each time. And even more civilians lost their lives."
He leaned back slightly. "The situation on the battlefield changes every second. Honestly, hiding the jinchūriki during wartime is probably the smartest move they could make."
Kiba sighed. "Didn't we agree not to talk about the war today? Let's not make the mood heavy. Can we just chat about normal stuff for once? -_-||"
Everyone fell silent at that.
The truth was, even if they joked and laughed, the tension of the coming war weighed heavily on all their hearts. Apart from the war, none of them really knew what to talk about.
Ino turned toward Shinju.
"You've traveled all over the world, haven't you, Shinju? Tell us about your adventures!"
She smiled teasingly. "And maybe about… any girls you've met along the way? (⌯︎¤̴̶̷̀ω¤̴̶̷́)✧︎"
...
Hokage's Office.
Tsunade was buried in work, her desk covered with reports and supply lists.
"The ration pill reserves aren't enough," she muttered, rubbing her temples. "They'll be consumed like crazy during battle — we need to make more."
Shizune spoke up softly, "We're also running low on some of the emergency medicine supplies…"
Tsunade groaned. "Right, and the stock of ingredients for those is low too. That means we'll need to send out a team to collect herbs and produce another batch…"
Just as she was wondering who to assign the task to, Shinju suddenly appeared in a flash of light — Flying Thunder God.
"Sensei, I'm back."
Tsunade's face brightened immediately.
"Shinju! Perfect timing. Gather your things and take Naruto to the Land of Lightning right away."
Shinju looked exasperated.
"Sensei, I just came from the Land of Lightning. I came back to rest for a couple of days. ╯﹏╰"
Tsunade paused, then nodded. "Alright, fine. In that case, go check in on Jiraiya when you have time."
"Got it."
With that, Shinju left the Hokage's office.
...
Walking through the streets of Konoha, Shinju noticed how busy everyone was. The tension of the impending war filled the air — every ninja, every villager, seemed to have something urgent to do.
After a while, he arrived in front of Ichiraku Ramen.
To his surprise, the usually bustling ramen shop was completely empty.
"Wow… guess the war really has everyone on edge."
He stepped inside. "Old man, one bowl of tonkotsu ramen, please."
The old man poked his head out from the kitchen — and when he saw who it was, his face lit up.
"Shinju! You're back! ∩_∩"
"One bowl, huh? How about I throw in some extra noodles?"
Shinju smiled. "Sure, why not?"
A few minutes later, the steaming bowl arrived.
But when he looked down, Shinju nearly laughed — it was piled high. There was way more than "a little extra." Noodles almost overflowed from the bowl, and the slices of meat, eggs, and Naruto fish cakes were stacked to the brim.
"Old man, this looks like a bit more than 'extra noodles.'" Shinju chuckled.
The old man laughed from the back.
"It's not special treatment for you! Every ninja who eats here before the war gets the same. ^_^"
"After all… once they head to the battlefield, who knows if they'll ever come back to eat ramen again."
Hearing the melancholy in his voice, Shinju suddenly found he didn't have much appetite left.
"Don't worry, old man. We'll win this war."
After saying that, Shinju asked for a takeout box — planning to bring the ramen back for Naruto.
Just as he was taking it, a familiar voice called from outside.
"Shinju!"
Turning around, Shinju saw Konohamaru rushing in.
"Yo, Konohamaru."
"Shinju, I heard there's gonna be a war soon. Is it true?" Konohamaru asked seriously.
Shinju nodded. "Yeah."
"Then… can you teach me a new jutsu? I want to fight too! I want to protect the hope that Grandpa talked about! ୧⍢⃝୨"
Shinju opened his mouth, about to respond — but before he could, Asuma pushed open the door and stepped inside.
"Konoha hasn't fallen so low that we need kids like you on the battlefield," Asuma said calmly. "If it ever does, we might as well give up altogether."
Konohamaru frowned. "I'm not a kid anymore! I'm a genin of Konoha!"
"I know, I know," Asuma sighed. "But this war will be fought mostly by chunin and jonin. Sending a genin to the front lines would just be suicide."
"Listen, Konohamaru. Do as you're told and stay in the village. That's what's most important right now."
Afterward, the three of them talked a bit more. In the end, Shinju still took Konohamaru to a small forest outside the village.
Before starting the lesson, Shinju spoke seriously.
"Let's make one thing clear first. You'll follow the village's orders. I'm teaching you a new jutsu so you can protect the people who stay behind — not so you can run off to the battlefield. Got it?"
Konohamaru nodded earnestly. "Got it! I'll be good. ´∀`"
Shinju gave him a firm look. "I'm not joking."
"And once you've mastered this jutsu, I'll teach you something else afterward…"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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