---
Konohagakure.
Akamaru darted ahead through the street, barking excitedly as he chased a butterfly.
Kiba and Shino trailed behind him.
"Hey, Akamaru, can you stop acting like a puppy? How old are you, chasing butterflies?" Kiba called out, slightly annoyed.
Akamaru skidded to a halt, looked back at Kiba with disdain, and huffed. "I'm a dog, sir!"
Without waiting for a response, he barked and resumed the chase.
Kiba and Shino exchanged glances.
"…That does make sense, but I'm still speechless," Kiba muttered.
"Hey, Shino," Kiba continued, "why'd you come all the way to pick me up? Don't you have to meet up with Kurenai-sensei later?"
"I occasionally like to engage in limited conversation with you," Shino replied flatly. "After all, this is part of the responsibilities of a 'team.' Tell me about your previous missions."
"Haha! That's really weirdly formal," Kiba said with a laugh. "But come on, can't we just talk about it casually? It's not a big deal."
"No. You should still talk about it," Shino insisted. "Team cooperation includes proper debriefing."
Kiba blinked. "Wait… is this just your way of admitting you missed me?"
Shino paused, then suddenly increased his pace to avoid the question.
Kiba grinned. "I knew it! You're awkward as hell…"
---
Hyūga Compound.
In the middle of the training courtyard, Neji Hyūga was locked in an intense sparring match with Hiashi Hyūga, the clan head.
"Eight Trigrams: One Hundred and Twenty-Eight Palms!" Neji shouted, his palms a blur as he traded strikes with Hiashi. Their movements created shockwaves, air visibly distorting from the force.
Eventually, both men stopped, breathing heavily.
"It's not enough. I have to get stronger…" Neji muttered, frustrated by the memory of falling behind during their last mission.
On the engawa, Hinata sat quietly, sipping tea. Naruto laid beside her, arms behind his head, grinning.
"Go, Neji! You're almost there! Looks like Hiashi-sama's gonna lose at this rate!" Naruto teased.
Neji and Hiashi both snapped their heads toward him.
"Why the hell are you even in our house?!" they yelled in unison.
"Huh? Oh…" Naruto scratched his head, then pulled a gaudy gold chain out from behind his back. "I'm here to give the bride price!"
"GET OUT!" the two Hyūgas roared together.
---
Later, Naruto wandered the streets of Konoha, hands behind his head.
Ever since he found out from the Fūma clan that Orochimaru wouldn't take Sasuke for another three years, Jiraiya had started going off on long research trips again. He even asked Naruto to tag along.
Naïve old man. I haven't even figured out what's going on in Konoha yet, and you want me to run around the world with you? Naruto sighed. I think I should go visit the Hidden Villages first…
Lost in thought, Naruto continued to roam aimlessly.
---
Back at the Hyūga compound, Kiba and Shino entered through the main gate.
"What's with all the chicken flapping this early?" Kiba asked, spotting Hiashi and Neji panting from their spar.
"Yo, Hiashi-ojisan! We're here to find Hinata."
"Woof! Woof!"
"Speak human!"
"I am a dog!"
Hiashi and Neji stared at the trio in disbelief.
"…We're leaving," Shino said flatly, tugging Kiba toward the house.
"Let's go, Hinata!" Kiba called out toward the courtyard. "Naruto didn't come with you today?"
Hinata flushed and opened her mouth to respond, but was cut off by the sudden chill in the air.
Kiba rubbed his arms. "Why is it so cold all of a sudden? Creepy… Hinata, is your house haunted?"
Hinata just stared at him, utterly silent.
"…Okay, okay, let's just go."
---
Third Training Ground.
Guy was sparring with Rock Lee and Tenten.
Tenten sat cross-legged on the ground, toweling off her face. Guy collapsed nearby, utterly exhausted.
"Lee… it's time to rest…" Guy groaned. "We need to rest!"
Lee continued his high-speed kicks with relentless energy. "Guy-sensei! Youth waits for no one! Ha! Ha!"
Guy sobbed dramatically. "It's so hard to keep my youth burning as a middle-aged man…"
"And!" Lee added, "Naruto said he'd teach me kenjutsu today!"
"NANI?!" Guy shouted in shock. He threw himself at Lee's legs. "Lee! Have you abandoned your sensei's teachings? Have you chosen another master?!"
Lee immediately dropped into a hug with him. "Guy-sensei! Youth is about always moving forward!"
Guy blinked. "Speak human!"
Lee nodded solemnly. "I mean… I've been doing pretty well with that iron mace lately, and Naruto said he'd show me some cool sword techniques…"
Guy let out a long, pained groan.
Meanwhile, Tenten stared into space, blushing slightly as a mental image of Naruto—wearing that regal cloak and easily smacking Neji around—floated in her mind.
---
Konoha Gates.
"I feel like I'm forgetting something important…" Naruto muttered, frowning. "Why can't I remember?"
He spotted Temari, Gaara, and Kankurō near the gate.
"Yo! Temari! Brother-in-law!" Naruto shouted, jogging over. "Why are you guys leaving today?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Shikamaru sighed, walking up beside him. "Sending Suna's elite to serve as instructors in Konoha's academy? Only Lady Tsunade could come up with that plan."
A flash of Tsunade dragging the Fourth Kazekage to a gold mine popped into Naruto's mind. "Ahaha… yeah, she works hard."
"It's fine," Temari interrupted. "We're happy to do it. Besides, we can use it to evaluate the strength of Konoha's future shinobi."
"Heh…" Naruto grinned and stepped closer to her. "I have something for you."
Temari blinked. "What… what is it?"
Naruto pulled out a small silver cross and looped it around her neck. "It's a Banshee Veil! A token of love!"
Temari's face turned bright red. Without another word, she turned on her heel and stormed off. "Gaara! Kankurō! Let's go!"
Gaara and Kankurō each gave Naruto a passing glance.
"We'll head out first," Gaara said curtly, then followed after Temari.
Shikamaru looked at Naruto, shaking his head. "Women are so troublesome. Why are you chasing after so many of them?"
Naruto gave him a sympathetic look.
"Oi! What's with that expression?!" Shikamaru growled.
"No, nothing," Naruto said, patting him on the shoulder. "Yukishi, get another one ready!"
"…Tch."
---
Hokage's Office.
"Shizune!" Tsunade slumped over the desk, stamping documents lazily. "Being Hokage is so boring…"
"If you accepted the position, you should take the responsibilities seriously!" Shizune scolded, slamming down another stack of paperwork. "Come on, Lady Fifth!"
"Ughhh~ I want a drink…" Tsunade complained, flipping through the next paper. "Hmm? Konoha High Security Facility? Since when did we have that?"
"It's the rebranded name for the former maximum-security prison for rogue shinobi," Shizune explained. "There haven't been many high-level offenders recently, so they renamed it."
"Huh… well, whatever." Tsunade stamped the form.
---
Evening. Konoha Forest.
"It's already dusk…" Naruto said, walking through the forest. "What did I forget? It's driving me crazy…"
He paused at the sight of a massive, heavily guarded compound.
"What's this place?" he muttered, narrowing his eyes. He spotted Kurenai and Asuma entering the building.
"…Looks serious."
He leapt into the trees and followed silently.
Inside the facility—Konoha High Security Prison—Asuma and Kurenai walked into the main hall and immediately tensed at the sight of two massive figures.
"Asuma, are those…?" Kurenai asked, her eyes narrowing.
Asuma nodded grimly. "Yeah. That's the legendary duo—The Thunder Brothers, Raijin and Fujin."
The two giant shinobi looked up at them.
Suddenly, alarms blared as prisoners poured out from all corners, having escaped containment. Dozens of dangerous criminals stood before them, grinning menacingly.
"Damn it. This is a serious problem," Asuma growled, reaching for his trench knives.
Kurenai frowned. Her Genjutsu and her awakened dōjutsu wouldn't be enough to handle this many high-level enemies…
"Looks like the welcome party is getting wild!" Asuma shouted, trying to intimidate them.
A dark chuckle echoed from behind.
"Don't worry… the welcome party has only just begun!" said a familiar voice.
Asuma turned.
"Mizuki…!"
"You're all just offerings to our new order!" Raijin roared.
"Fall to the earth!" Fujin added with a booming laugh.
---
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