Kakashi walked at the very front of the group with his usual nonchalant gait. His hand had already reached back into his ninja tool pouch, touching the corner of Icha Icha Paradise. He would probably sneak it out to read within a kilometer.
Sakura followed closely behind, chattering away at Sasuke's heels about what desserts she wanted to eat when they got back.
Sasuke walked in the middle of the group, expressionlessly dealing with Sakura's chatter. After walking for a while, he turned his head slightly and glanced out of the corner of his eye at Naruto, who was at the very back of the group.
Naruto walked at the back of the group. He was thinking about what would happen after returning to Konoha.
It went without saying that as soon as he stepped through the gates of Konoha, it wouldn't be long before the Anbu's eyes were stuck back on him.
With the identity of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki hanging over him, no matter how kind and amiable Hiruzen appeared, it was impossible for him to truly let Naruto move about the village freely without keeping tabs on him.
Not to mention that Hiruzen had the Telescope Technique to locate him at any time, he could watch whenever he wanted.
Eating instant noodles in his apartment, sleeping in, staring blankly at the wall—Hiruzen might have seen all of those scenes.
Thinking of this, Naruto felt uneasy all over. But at this stage, there was nothing he could do.
He couldn't show any awareness of the surveillance. A Genin who had only graduated from the Ninja Academy a few months ago shouldn't have the ability to detect Anbu tracking him.
Before Hiruzen died, he had to continue playing the role of Uzumaki Naruto—someone who had matured slightly after the baptism of the mission, but was still fundamentally that same loser.
This restrictive feeling made Naruto very unhappy, but he had no choice but to endure it.
He hoped that the Chunin Exams would arrive quickly. Once the Konoha Crush Plan started, Hiruzen would die within the Four Violet Flames Formation, and Tsunade would take over as the Fifth Hokage. By then, his situation would be completely different.
Tsunade's attitude toward Naruto was different from Hiruzen's. She wouldn't stare at him every moment, nor would she use the Telescope Technique to pry into his private life.
'Hurry up and start, Chunin Exams.' Naruto muttered to himself in his heart.
—
As dusk approached, the gates of Konoha finally appeared in the sight of the group.
Two middle-aged ninjas stood at the entrance, one on the left and one on the right.
Naruto remembered these two, Hagane Kotetsu and Kamizuki Izumo.
They were Konoha's famous gatekeeping Chunin. Don't let the fact that they were just gatekeepers fool you. When it came to a real fight, their strength was nothing to scoff at.
Casting his gaze past the gate, he looked into the village. In the distance, the red roof of the Hokage Building was particularly conspicuous in the setting sun, and directly above the Hokage Building, the Hokage Rock carved into the entire mountainside was clearly visible.
Naruto only glanced at it before retracting his gaze, not lingering for even a second.
Kakashi led the three of them to the mission registration office to complete the handover procedures, signed the papers, submitted the mission confirmation form, and collected the reward for this mission.
Although the mission in the Land of Waves had been upgraded from C-rank to A-rank halfway through, because the client, Tazuna, could not afford a higher commission, Konoha settled it as a C-rank mission according to custom.
Kakashi weighed the money bag in his hand, then turned to face the three of them.
"Congratulations on completing the protection mission in the Land of Waves. As a reward, you get two days off. Hurry back and get some good rest."
"Great!"
Sakura clasped her hands together, the fatigue on her face instantly swept away.
"I'm going to go home and have a nice hot bath, then sleep until I wake up naturally. The last few days in the Land of Waves, even the showers were cold water, I feel like my hair is about to turn into straw."
She spun around excitedly on the spot, her pink hair whipping an arc through the air. Then, her movements gradually slowed down. She realized that she was the only one happy at the scene.
Kakashi leaned against a lamppost, one hand in his pocket.
Sasuke stood to the side with his head lowered, showing no reaction to the two-day holiday, as if he were thinking about something else.
As for Naruto, his gaze was focused on the ground in the distance, his brows slightly furrowed. Clearly, his mind was not here at all.
The smile on Sakura's face slowly stiffened. She looked at Kakashi, then at Sasuke, and finally at Naruto.
Kakashi and Sasuke were one thing. One was naturally expressionless, and the other was the aloof type.
But shouldn't Naruto be cheering happily with her? Didn't he love holidays the most before?
Every time Kakashi mentioned a holiday, he would jump up and shout, "Great! I'm going to eat ramen," and then lean in close to her to ask, "Sakura, do you want to go together?"
But now, Naruto didn't even glance at her.
Sakura turned her head away, crossing her arms over her chest.
'Hmph, ignoring me, are you? Then I won't pay attention to you either.'