Three days passed quickly.
In the blink of an eye, Kurenai Yuhi's vacation for Team 8 came to an end.
During these three days, Izayoi and the Hyuga Sisters had almost visited all the famous spots in the Leaf Village.
All three of them had prepared photo albums, which were now filled with a large number of photos.
Seeing the smiles on the girls' faces, Izayoi felt that buying this camera was definitely the right decision.
After the vacation ended, Izayoi started working hard like an ox, filled with motivation, which surprised both Kurenai and Aburame Shino.
Hinata, however, seemed to recall something and felt a bit guilty.
"Izayoi-kun, here's my payment for you."
After Team 8 disbanded, Hinata handed an envelope containing cash to Izayoi.
"No need, I won't starve to death."
Izayoi pushed the envelope back, pinched Hinata's cheek, and smiled, "When I can't afford to eat anymore, I'll come to you, the young lady, for support."
"Okay."
This time, Hinata didn't shyly lower her head because her attention was elsewhere.
Seeing Izayoi refuse, Hinata didn't insist either. Instead, she decided to use the entire payment to buy ingredients.
Only now did Hinata realize that Izayoi had always wanted to buy a camera but couldn't afford it.
The reason was her large appetite.
Ever since she started bringing Hanabi along to visit Izayoi, the two of them rarely went out for picnics anymore. It was always Izayoi who went out to buy ingredients.
Living a comfortable life, Hinata had never paid attention to this.
Only now did she realize that Izayoi's circumstances were incomparable to her family's.
Thinking of this, Hinata's eyes slightly reddened, and her heart was filled with emotion.
She decided that from now on, she would also work hard to earn money and share the burden with Izayoi-kun.
Izayoi, unaware of Hinata's thoughts, didn't notice the change in her either.
Because at that moment, his gaze was drawn to someone.
The person wasn't a handsome man or a beautiful woman, but an elderly man with dark, weathered skin.
Beside him was a wooden box, and in his hand, he held a bottle of alcohol, but he couldn't bring himself to drink freely, only taking small sips each time.
He sat on a bench, seemingly waiting for someone, or perhaps he couldn't afford to stay in a hotel.
He was clearly an outsider, someone from another village.
Such outsiders entered and left the Leaf Village every day.
They could be locals from the Land of Fire or foreigners from other countries.
Izayoi had seen countless such outsiders since he was a child.
But not one of them had captured his attention like this old man.
Seeing this old man, memories that had been buried deep in Izayoi's mind, even blurred to the point of being forgotten, gradually became clear.
Although it was the first time he had seen this old man, Izayoi could actually say his name.
Tazuna! The bridge builder from the Land of Waves.
The client of Team 7's first C-rank mission.
Key figures and iconic scenes from the first arc flashed through Izayoi's mind like a slideshow.
"Izayoi-kun, what are you looking at?"
At this moment, Hinata's voice brought Izayoi back to reality.
He smiled and shook his head, "Nothing, I was just spacing out, thinking about something."
"What is it?"
"In a little over a month, the village will hold the Chunin Exams. Do you think we should participate?"
"Of course."
Hinata nodded vigorously, her expression serious as she said, "I want to become a Jonin as soon as possible."
"Oh? Why?" Izayoi was immediately intrigued, looking at Hinata with curiosity.
He had only intended to change the subject.
But he hadn't expected that Hinata, who usually seemed to have no particular ambitions, would have such a goal.
"It's a secret."
Hinata suddenly mimicked Izayoi, placing her index finger against her lips. Izayoi was momentarily stunned.
"Hehe…"
Seeing Izayoi's dumbfounded expression, Hinata laughed happily.
"Well, well, you've learned how to tease people, huh?"
Izayoi snapped out of it and immediately reached out to pinch Hinata's cheeks, pretending to be fierce as he said, "Don't think I won't punish you by making you my grip trainer!"
"Wh-what's a grip trainer?"
With her cheeks being pinched, Hinata's voice was muffled.
"Want to know? I'll tell you when we get home."
Izayoi flashed a mischievous smile and was about to drag Hinata home for some exercise.
Just then, a greeting voice approached from a distance.
"Yo… Izayoi, Hinata, long time no see."
Following the direction of the voice, a tall figure and three shorter ones immediately came into view for Izayoi and Hinata.
Silver hair and dead fish eyes, a blond fox-like face, a cool little handsome guy, and a kimono-clad fangirl… it was Team 7.
Seeing Uzumaki Naruto waving as he walked over, Izayoi raised his hand in response and smiled, "Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, long time no see."
It had been two months since graduation, almost without them realizing it.
For Izayoi and the others, it really had been a long time.
After all, the ninja school had three semesters a year, and only the summer break was slightly longer.
"Are you two on a date?"
Uchiha Sasuke's first words as he approached immediately made Hinata's cheeks flush red.
Haruno Sakura looked at Hinata with envy.
Both of them were in teams with the most popular figures in their class and the people they liked. When would her relationship with Sasuke ever be like Hinata and Izayoi's?
Izayoi didn't answer but instead asked, "Are you guys heading out for a mission?"
"We're about to pick up a mission."
Uzumaki Naruto pointed at Kakashi Hatake, who was walking while openly reading a small yellow book on the street, and said, "He's Kakashi-sensei, our Jonin Instructor."
"Kakashi-sensei."
Izayoi and Hinata immediately greeted him politely.
"Yo, hello."
Seeing that they were talking about him, Kakashi Hatake put down his Make-Out Paradise and waved at Izayoi and Hinata.
Then, after taking a look at the two, whose height and build completely outclassed Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura, Kakashi didn't even need to lift his forehead protector to see that their Chakra levels far surpassed Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura's.
So, he deliberately provoked Izayoi, saying, "So this is the top student, huh? Not bad, not bad. Clearly, our class's genius and dead last can't compare."
Kakashi had expected Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke to look displeased, but instead, he found that they didn't seem to care at all.
Even Haruno Sakura and Hinata thought Kakashi's words made perfect sense.
Seeing this, Kakashi immediately gave Izayoi a very high evaluation in his mind.
Even Uchiha Sasuke, who had awakened the Sharingan and evolved it to the Two-Tomoe level, capable of effortlessly using the Phoenix Immortal Fire Technique and the Great Dragon Fire Technique, felt that losing to him was only natural.
It seems this generation also has a dazzling civilian genius.
"Kakashi-sensei, you flatter me too much. Naruto and Sasuke are both exceptional shinobi, and Sakura consistently ranks in the top three in academic subjects. I've only managed to surpass them slightly in overall grades by sheer luck," Izayoi humbly smiled before complimenting, "Kakashi-sensei, you are renowned across the Shinobi World as the 'Copy Ninja,' the 'Konoha Technician' who has replicated over a thousand ninja techniques, the direct disciple of the Fourth Hokage, and a legendary Lightning Release Expert who once severed lightning itself. With you guiding their training, it won't take more than a few months for Sasuke and the others to master numerous techniques and completely surpass me."
"..."
Kakashi Hatake's dead-fish eyes immediately narrowed, and he began to sweat profusely.
Sure enough, he soon saw Team 7 staring at him wide-eyed, and he knew he was doomed.
"Kakashi-sensei, you're actually this amazing!" Uzumaki Naruto pointed at Kakashi and shouted, "You're the Fourth Hokage's disciple and know over a thousand techniques, yet you refuse to teach us any?"
"Kakashi-sensei, you're being too unfair," Haruno Sakura chimed in, joining the accusation.
Uchiha Sasuke remained silent, but his gaze toward Kakashi was filled with intensity.
And a hint of... disdain.
Kakashi knew he wouldn't be able to slack off anymore.
Meanwhile, Izayoi, the instigator of this mess, had already slipped away with Hinata.
--Support me in Patreon for more chapters 35+ chapters in there
patreon.com/TLGod
Thanks!