The almost-confession made Kakashi's ear tips flush red, and he quickly averted his gaze, his words a little stammering.
"You... it's good that you know. Hurry home."
"Mm."
Naraku smiled and agreed, then turned and walked forward as if nothing had happened, leaving Kakashi alone, disheveled in the wind, his heart pounding like a drum.
Only when Naraku was about to walk far away did Kakashi snap out of it and quickly hurry to catch up.
To alleviate the strange feeling from just now, he deliberately changed the subject.
"What are we eating tonight?"
"Hmm, how about soba noodles? And fry some pork cutlets."
"Alright."
…
The next few days still involved special training, so to conserve energy, after eating their fill and washing the dishes, Naraku and Kakashi each returned to their rooms to rest.
Naraku wasn't sleepy yet and lay in bed, unable to fall asleep.
When people can't sleep, they tend to overthink, especially recalling the day's events.
Remembering his impulsive confession that had burst out today, he pulled the covers over his face and silently screamed.
Did I really say such cheesy words?
Did I really say them?
Was I dreaming?
It's a dream, a dream, a dream… No, I really said them! Ahhh!
Naraku squirmed in embarrassment under the covers, deciding to open the system and go online to distract himself.
As soon as he entered the website, a large poster for Naruto III on the homepage crashed into his view, with dynamic illustrations of him and Kakashi standing in the center, in a ready-to-fight stance.
Kakashi held a short blade in one hand and formed a hand sign with the other, while Naraku had his arms crossed, a shuriken and an explosive tag clutched in each hand.
Both illustrations were delicate and exquisite, surrounded by lightning and fire effects, and their hair and arms swayed slightly with their breathing.
Surrounding them were dozens of bold and varied brushstrokes, looking incredibly impactful.
[What will be the outcome of Kakashi and Naraku's Chunin Exams…?!]
Naraku was dumbfounded: Am I that important now? I can appear on the homepage promotions?
He excitedly rubbed his hands and clicked the poster, which directly jumped to the playback page.
After the opening song, the screen went black for two seconds, then, as if dawn broke, the sun slowly rose from below, illuminating the entire screen.
The chirping of insects and birds surrounded his ears, along with the rustling of walking through grass, from far to near.
A small purplish-green blade of grass appeared in the center of the screen, with dewdrops clinging to it, sparkling with tiny fragments of light in the morning sun.
A pair of shoes appeared next to the grass, followed by a hand wearing fingerless gloves that plucked it, root and all.
The camera moved up, showing Naraku placing the grass in the basket behind Kakashi, as the two discussed whether wild vegetables tasted good.
[Good morning, KakaNaru!]
[My roommate asked me why I had a doting smile as soon as I clicked on it.]
[Strange, I haven't eaten, but I feel full.]
[I don't know, they shoved a bowl of dog food in my face right at the start.]
[How do you think (chew chew chew) The Old Thief (chew chew chew) knows what I want to watch (chew chew chew)?]
[So Scum Shinji doesn't even provide enough vegetables!]
[Poor Naraku, so young and already having to dig for wild vegetables to fill his stomach.]
[Kakashi's expression, he must be heartbroken.]
[If this isn't love.]
During dinner, Sakumo mentioned the Chunin Exams and reminded them to find teammates.
[It's so nice to have a warm meal at home.]
[Ninja essential course: wilderness survival.]
[Sakumo, a reliable adult.]
[I think I know who they'll look for.]
[I guessed it too.]
The scene cut to a simple training ground in the forest, where a man in a green jumpsuit was training.
With such an impressive outfit, the audience immediately recognized who it was.
[Hot-blooded Uncle!]
[Might Duy.]
[Uncle Duy.]
Hearing Kakashi and Naraku invite him to team up for the Chunin Exams, Might Duy's eyes welled up with tears, and after delivering a passionate declaration, he excitedly ran on his hands.
The animator used even more exaggerated waterfall tears and chibi character designs, making the scene even funnier.
[Uncle is still so energetic… ]
[His eyes must be disguised as faucets.]
[Enemy: I don't know, he just charged at me yelling about youth and bonds.]
[Hahahahahahahahaha.]
[Both kids were stunned.]
[I get it, Naraku is actually the straight man.]
[Unexpectedly humorous.]
[I hate you natural abstract saints, no matter how hard I try, I'm not as funny as you.]
[Funny characters are all very strong in battle!]
[Begging for Kakashi and Naraku's chibi figures to be released, I'll buy them all.]
While the exams hadn't started yet, the trio often trained together, and the animator chose to highlight Naraku deflecting Might Duy's kick.
Kakashi and Might Duy, with practiced coordination, attacked from both sides, and in the close-up, the flashing lightning on the blade and the ripples of the whip-like kick cutting through the air were incredibly clear.
Just as the audience held their breath for Naraku, they saw him, for the first time, show a smile that could be described as confident, and then he disappeared.
Kakashi and Might Duy were forced to collide, sparks flying at the point of contact between the blade and the metal shin guard, and they pushed off each other.
[Close call, close call.]
[Holy crap, that shot was so cool, I'm screenshotting it for my wallpaper!]
[Ahhhhhh Naraku is so awesome.]
[So cool, so cool.]
[Baby Naraku, mama won't let you smile like that, there are many bad people out there.]
[Help, how can someone be so handsome.]
[Naraku really has a unique charm when he's confident.]
[It scared me, I thought Kakashi was going to cut off Uncle Duy's leg.]
[Me too.]