All five of them strolled down the forest path, Konoha's gates still out of sight but definitely in reach. The leaves rustled in the wind, as if nature itself was sighing in relief.
Yakumo glanced sideways at Naruto. "I need to ask... where are we right now?"
Naruto casually scratched the back of his head. "Oh, y'know. Outside Konoha."
Yakumo stopped in her tracks. "What? How did we get out? And—wait—how do we even sneak back in now?!"
Naruto held up a finger, smiling slyly. "Ah, that's a loooong story."
"Make it short."
He grinned. "Say less."
Without warning, he reached out and grabbed her hand.
Poof.
In a flash of chakra and a flicker of light, the two vanished.
THUMP—they appeared in a shadowed alley in Konoha, calm and completely unnoticed, and reappeared back.
"Like this," Naruto said, arms crossed, looking entirely too proud of himself.
And then—
BOP!
A chakra hammer smacked down on his head like divine judgment.
"OW—what the hell?!"
He staggered, clutching the spot. Yakumo wobbled slightly, still dizzy from the teleport, but holding her ground like a righteous thunder goddess.
"For what you just did," she muttered.
The other three arrived seconds later, all nodding in grim agreement.
"Absolutely," Karin said, cracking her knuckles.
"You could've warned her," Haku added.
"You scared her and gave her whiplash," Kurenai sighed.
Naruto groaned. "Y'all are so ungrateful! She told me to keep it short, so I made it short! Actions speak louder than words!"
"Yeah," Karin deadpanned. "So do pain receptors."
They walked together, the sun beginning to set on the horizon, painting Konoha's skies in warm amber and orange. Silence lingered—but it was a comfortable one this time. The kind shared after a long battle, a quiet that acknowledged both weariness and victory.
As the gates of Konoha came into view, Naruto suddenly snapped his fingers. "Alright! Time to go back the same way we came out!"
Yakumo's face went pale like she'd seen a ghost. "No… no... I'll go through the front door this time."
Kurenai, ever the mother hen, just gave her a reassuring smile… and grabbed her hand.
"W-Wait, what are you doin—"
FWOOSH
Another Hiraishin teleportation. A spark, a swirl of chakra, and boom—deep in the forest behind Konoha. Not the previous landing spot, but somewhere far more remote and secluded.
The moment they landed, Yakumo slumped over the nearest tree like it owed her rent. Her face screamed, "I have made mistakes."
Karin sat down immediately, swaying. "Never. Again."
Haku, ever graceful, just nodded while bracing herself against a tree. Kurenai groaned from the ground, her hair slightly ruffled from the jutsu turbulence.
Naruto, meanwhile, stood proud and perfectly fine. Arms crossed, no sweat on his brow. "What? You guys down already? It was just a little jump. You fall from that?"
His grin sparkled with smugness—that special brand of smug only Naruto could pull off without getting instantly drop-kicked.
The others glared at him.
If looks could kill, Naruto would've been turned into chakra particles.
But their bodies betrayed them—all too dizzy, too drained, too out-of-sync to do anything but suffer in exhausted silence.
They all collectively decided to pretend his comment didn't exist.
As they brushed off the dust and shook off their dizziness, everyone slowly stood upright. Naruto gave a sheepish grin and patted his growling stomach. "Alright, team—we've battled inner demons, outer beasts, and teleportation-induced nausea. I vote for food."
Karin rubbed her stomach in sympathy. "Seconded. I'll take miso ramen, extra spicy."
Haku just gave a small, tired smile. "I suppose I could eat."
Kurenai and Yakumo both nodded. "Rations aren't going to cut it anymore."
They left the trees behind, stepping from shadows into the soft, golden light of Konoha's outskirts. The quiet hum of village life greeted them—until heads began turning.
Villagers stared. Eyebrows raised. Mouths gaped. Even a couple of kids dropped their candy apples.
Naruto blinked. "Uhh... Did we grow horns or something?"
One older man slowly approached, looking between them like they were myth made flesh. "An hour ago," he began, voice trembling a little, "a lightning bolt came down on that exact forest."
Karin's eyes widened. "Wait. That forest?" She pointed directly behind them.
He nodded. Others did too. Whispers spread like wildfire.
"Did you see the explosion?"
"They say it shook the rooftops."
"Someone said they saw figures in the lightning..."
Naruto, ever the agent of chaos wrapped in sunshine, grinned like a mischievous fox who had just found the henhouse.
"Ohhh, then maybe the gods just threw that lightning bolt for fun," he said with a dark chuckle, his eyes twinkling with playful malice. "Be careful. It might hit your house next."
The effect was instant.
One woman gasped and clutched her child.
The old man made a gesture to ward off evil.
A dog howled.
Karin yanked him by the collar like an angry sister. "Are you trying to get us run out of town?!"
Kurenai joined in, covering his mouth. "Naruto! You're scaring them!"
Yakumo, still recovering from being two people an hour ago, mumbled, "And I'm the unstable one?"
Haku bowed so hard she practically folded in half. "Apologies"
Naruto just laughed as he walked ahead, hands behind his head like he hadn't just triggered a mass migration. "What? I was joking! Come on, where's their sense of humor?"
Behind them, the old man turned to his fellow villagers, muttering, "Maybe we should… relocate."
Another villager nodded solemnly. "Agreed. Better safe than electrified."
And so, unknowingly, Naruto had sparked (pun absolutely intended) the Great Forest Adjacent Exodus of Konoha. But in his world, all he did was stretch, grin, and keep walking.
Soon, the group reached Ichiraku Ramen, their stomachs grumbling like thunderclouds.
"Oji-san! Five specials, please!" Naruto called out the moment he stepped through the curtain.
"Right away, Naruto!" Teuchi's voice boomed from the kitchen. He hadn't even looked up—but that voice? Unmistakable.
They all took their seats at the counter. The place was quiet, cozy—just them, Teuchi, and Ayame bustling around. A perfect moment.
Naruto leaned slightly toward Yakumo, mischief dancing in his eyes. "So, Yakumo-senpai… when are you gonna be ready for it?"
Yakumo blinked. "Wait—you were actually serious about that?"
"Dead serious," Naruto replied with a cheeky grin. "Let's team up. You've got the art skills, I've got the ideas. You'll become famous. Or hey, go anonymous—get a cool pen name, keep your privacy, and still rule the world!"
Ayame, overhearing them as she prepped bowls, raised an eyebrow. "What's all this about, Naruto?"
He turned to her and gave her the full lowdown—his plan, the idea of working with Yakumo on a manga or some creative project.
Once Ayame understood, she laughed. "Honestly, Yakumo, you should just say yes. If Naruto says he'll do something, he does it. He once told us he'd invest so we could open Ichiraku branches around the world! But this old man here—" she nodded toward her father—"he shut it down. Said the recipe's a sacred family secret and all that 'tradition over expansion' stuff."
From behind the counter, Teuchi appeared with a tray stacked with steaming bowls of ramen. He served them with a warm smile. "Here you go. Eat up!"
Then, narrowing his eyes at Ayame, he added, "And were you talking behind my back again?"
Ayame huffed. "I was just saying we could've made more money…"
Teuchi shook his head. "Money's not everything. Look at us—happy, content, loved by all. More money usually means more problems. Stick to what matters."
Naruto gave a thoughtful nod. "He's right. Heart over hype."
Then, with perfect synchronicity, they all clapped their hands together.
"Itadakimasu!"
And in seconds, the quiet ramen shop was filled with the glorious symphony of slurping.
Even Yakumo, still adjusting to normalcy and ramen culture, joined in. She slurped a little awkwardly at first, but by the second mouthful, she was a convert.
"Mmm," she muttered. "Okay… okay, this is really good."
Karin leaned back, wiping her mouth. "I told you, this place is the true Konoha landmark."
Naruto turned to Yakumo again, mid-bite, noodles dangling from his mouth like streamers. "Soo… about the collab?"
Yakumo sighed, but the smile on her face was telling. "Fine, I'll do it. But only because I want a cool pen name."
Naruto nearly choked on joy and miso. "YES! We'll think of a good one. Something mysterious. Something like… 'Gen'ei no Bokuei' or 'Seijaku no Gafu' or—wait—'Kamen no Gahitsu'!"
"'Kamen no Gahitsu' sounds like a toothbrush commercial," Haku pointed out with a laugh.
"I like 'Gen'ei no Bokuei'," Ayame chimed in, already invested like a proud older sister. "It's kinda spooky but elegant."
As they laughed and argued over pen names, Teuchi watched from the back, wiping down his counter with a satisfied grin. His shop might be small, his profits humble—but these were the moments he lived for.
"See?" he muttered under his breath. "No amount of money beats this kind of happiness."
And outside, as the sun set behind the walls of Konoha, the city breathed easy. Peace had returned, at least for now.