"Who are you trying to fool?!"
Naruto shouted, then immediately leaned closer, lowering his voice just a bit.
"Kakashi-sensei, where's Sakura? Why didn't she come today?"
"Ah, about Sakura…"
Kakashi raised a finger and spoke in a casual tone.
"Because her performance in the last battle was exceptionally outstanding, Hokage-sama personally took notice of her and officially accepted her as a disciple. From now on, Sakura will stay at the Hokage Building for special training and temporarily leave the team."
"Eh?! Sakura became Granny Tsunade's disciple?!"
Naruto's eyes widened in shock, then instantly lit up with genuine excitement.
"That's incredible! As expected of Sakura!"
Even Sasuke and Haku couldn't hide their surprise.
"Alright. Sakura has her own opportunity now, but that doesn't mean you can slack off."
Kakashi stepped aside, revealing the figure who had been standing behind him.
"To make up for Sakura's temporary absence, Hokage-sama approved an external member to temporarily join Team 7 for our missions."
The three of them immediately turned their attention to the newcomer.
It was a boy dressed in a black bodysuit, with slightly messy short black hair. His face was covered with a thick layer of makeup, making it impossible to discern his original complexion—or whether he had whisker marks at all.
He stood somewhat awkwardly behind Kakashi, cautiously peeking out as he observed them.
"Kakashi-sensei, who's this guy?"
Naruto stepped forward, circling the black-haired boy twice like a curious puppy. He even leaned in to sniff him.
"Strange… I've never seen his face before, but his vibe feels weirdly familiar…"
Boruto, under his disguise, immediately broke out in a cold sweat. He clamped his mouth shut, terrified that he might accidentally blurt out Dad in a moment of excitement.
Haku glanced over as well. With his keen perception, he sensed something slightly off about the boy, but trusting Kakashi, he didn't question it.
"Ahem. Let me introduce him."
Kakashi reached out and patted Boruto on the shoulder, lying through his teeth without the slightest hint of guilt.
"He's a kid from a distant relative's family, just visiting Konoha for a while. You can call him… Menma."
"Menma?"
Naruto's eyes instantly lit up.
"That's my favorite topping at Ichiraku Ramen! Awesome name! I'm Uzumaki Naruto, the future Hokage! Since your name's Menma, that makes us good brothers from now on!"
Hearing Naruto's unrestrained friendliness, Boruto's eyes inexplicably stung.
This was his father in the past—Uzumaki Naruto before he carried the weight of the entire Village, someone who could still laugh wholeheartedly over a single bowl of ramen.
"Hmph. As long as a guy hiding his face doesn't drag us down."
Young Sasuke cast Boruto a cold glance, his tone full of scrutiny and unmistakable tsundere arrogance.
Boruto looked back at him, the corner of his mouth twitching uncontrollably.
So this is what Sasuke-san was like as a kid…? Way too cocky! He's nothing like the calm, composed uncle from the future!
"To celebrate the new member joining—"
Kakashi suddenly raised his hand, cutting off the silent staring contest. His voice returned to its usual lazy drawl.
"I propose we go eat. My treat."
The moment the words left his mouth—
"Really?!!"
Naruto's eyes lit up like lanterns. He jumped on the spot and, in the next instant, grabbed Boruto's wrist and dragged him toward the Village.
"Let's go, Menma! I'll take you to the best food ever! Ramen! Ichiraku Ramen! That's the ultimate cuisine in Konoha—"
"Wait."
A vein popped on young Sasuke's forehead as he interrupted coldly.
"Is that all the ambition you have? Since someone's finally paying, of course we should eat barbecue."
"Huh?!"
Naruto froze for a second, then suddenly turned to shout at Kakashi.
"Oh right! BBQ! As compensation for Kakashi-sensei being late, it has to be BBQ!"
Kakashi: "..."
He waved his hand helplessly.
"Fine, fine. BBQ it is. Stop arguing, or I'll change it to Soldier Pills."
"No way!!!"
Naruto and Boruto shouted in perfect unison.
Haku laughed softly from the side, and the tense atmosphere finally relaxed.
---
Yakiniku Q.
The moment they pushed open the door, the rich aroma of charcoal and sizzling meat rushed out to greet them. Naruto took a deep breath, his face instantly filled with bliss.
But as Kakashi led the group inside, they quickly realized that more than half of the restaurant had already been reserved—and it was loud.
"Another fifty plates of beef short ribs! Nom nom… Mmm, this one's grilled perfectly!"
A chubby boy sat at one table, his hands moving like windmills as he shoveled meat into his mouth.
"Choji! Slow down! Leave some for us!"
A long-haired blonde girl slammed the table in frustration.
"Honestly… even eating BBQ is such a hassle…"
A boy with a pineapple-shaped ponytail propped his chin on his hand, looking like life itself was too troublesome.
At the neighboring table, a boy with a small white dog on his head shouted excitedly.
"Akamaru, this biggest piece of meat is ours!"
"K-Kiba… p-please don't steal Choji-kun's meat, it'll start a fight…"
A short-haired girl blushed furiously as she tried to stop him.
In the corner, a hooded boy wearing dark sunglasses silently ate his barbecue, his presence nearly nonexistent.
Team 10's Ino–Shika–Chō, along with Team 8's Hinata, Kiba, and Shino—all of them were here.
At the head table between the two teams sat a bearded man with a lazy expression, a cigarette hanging from his mouth as he casually poured tea for the woman across from him.
She had wavy black hair, and the red eyeshadow around her eyes stood out vividly under the lights.
Sitting quietly beside her was a light-purple-haired girl with an ethereal presence—Yakumo Kurama, who had recently become Kurenai's disciple.
"Eh?!"
Naruto immediately stood on his toes and waved enthusiastically.
"Asuma-sensei! Kurenai-sensei! Shikamaru! Choji! Everyone's here!"
His shout instantly drew the attention of everyone in the restaurant.
"S-Sasuke-kun?!"
Ino spotted young Sasuke in the crowd. The fierce girl from moments ago instantly transformed into a starry-eyed maiden, abandoning Choji as she rushed over.
"Sasuke-kun, you're here to eat BBQ too? Come sit with us! I'll grill for you!"
"N-Naruto-kun…"
Seeing Naruto, Hinata's already flushed face turned bright red. She nervously poked her index fingers together, not daring to meet his eyes.
Asuma exhaled a puff of smoke and raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? Kakashi? You're actually treating your students to a proper meal today?"
Kakashi walked forward with his hands in his pockets, glancing at the lively scene. His eye curved slightly.
"What is this… a joint dinner?"
Kurenai smiled gently and nodded.
"Team 8 and Team 10 just finished a joint mission. Asuma suggested celebrating, so we brought the kids along. Yakumo is also getting used to everyone, so I brought her out too."
Yakumo lifted her head, her gaze briefly meeting Kakashi's before she nodded politely and quickly lowered it again.
Meanwhile, Boruto—standing behind Naruto—was completely frozen.
Shikadai's dad… Inojin's mom… Chocho's dad… and Uncle Kiba, Shino-sensei…
His eyes widened more and more, until they finally landed on the short-haired girl whose face was burning red, who didn't even dare look directly at Naruto.
That's… Mom?
Was Mom really this shy when she was a kid?!
She's completely different from the Mom who activates her Byakugan the moment she gets angry…