At the time of the senior graduation, the other grades were coincidentally on break.
Right now, Natsuki was playing "Ninja Killer" by the river with his friends, but he seemed a bit distracted.
Over the years, he never really had the chance to meet Might Guy—either they simply hadn't run into each other, or the timing just wasn't right—so it kept getting delayed.
And the key to that connection was always through Tenten.
Of course, he truly cared for Tenten, but because of his appearance, she had changed—Tenten was now incredibly strong, which might very well impact the original storyline.
If Tenten didn't end up in Guy-sensei's team, Natsuki figured he might be in trouble.
"Natsuki, worried about Tenten?"
Ino glanced at him and said, "You know better than anyone how strong she is. What are you even worried about? Focus on the game."
Sakura, ever the good friend, tugged at Ino's sleeve. "Ino, give it a rest. Natsuki and Tenten have been together for years now. It's normal for him to worry about her now that she's become a ninja."
Thanks to Ino taking the initiative back then, the two of them had finally buried the hatchet. Now, their relationship was really close.
Though they still bickered over trivial stuff now and then—Sakura calling Ino a pig, and Ino retorting with 'forehead girl'—their friendship remained strong despite the occasional squabble.
Hearing this, Natsuki unleashed a flurry of "Who Built the Dam" cards, wiping out enemy ninjas, rogue ninjas, traitors, spies, and even his own teammates, leaving only his "Kage" card alive—securing a win for the Kage.
Naruto exploded: "Natsuki! Who even plays like that?! You even killed your own teammates, dattebayo!"
But Shikamaru chimed in, "Still, he did win."
That's right. According to the rules of the card game, even if everyone died and only the Kage remained, it still counted as a victory in the Village Defense mode. Of course, that ending didn't sit well with Naruto.
But honestly, Naruto didn't have much room to talk.
Natsuki looked at him and said seriously, "Naruto, when you were the Kage, you accidentally took out your teammates more than once. Why are you yelling at me?"
Naruto was stunned speechless, guilt flooding his face. He had no ground to stand on.
Then Shino spoke up with a fair point: "Naruto, in the end, it's just a game. In the pursuit of victory, any tactic is allowed. But in reality, Natsuki values his comrades deeply and would never do that. It's you who's gotten too obsessed with the game, and now you're struggling to separate reality from fiction."
With that one statement, all eyes turned to Naruto.
He scratched his head awkwardly. Yeah... he had gotten a bit too into "Ninja Killer." Especially the thrill of playing the Kage.
Analyzing Naruto's psychology made things clear. He was always the dead last. Add in the Nine-Tails chakra constantly messing things up, and he could barely control his chakra. Becoming Hokage someday? Not likely. Heck, just graduating might be hard. At times like this, he needed an escape. In the original story, there wasn't one. But now, there was this card game.
As long as he was in the game, Uzumaki Naruto had a shot at becoming Hokage!
But now that Shino had called him out on it so directly, he felt a bit embarrassed.
Natsuki calmly gathered up the cards. "Naruto's showing some serious symptoms. From now on, no one play cards with him. Let's wait a bit and see how he does."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
While "Ninja Killer" was fun, they weren't addicted. At the very least, their studies and training still came first. Plus, their parents kept an eye on them, so no one really got that into it.
Naruto's situation was a bit unique, which is why he ended up so hooked. That kind of behavior couldn't continue—he needed to take a break.
"What?! No way!" Naruto panicked.
But everyone really did stop playing. They started relaxing by the river—fishing, grilling fish, skipping stones, or just lying around.
Even the soft-spoken Hinata blushed as she spoke up, "N-Naruto-kun, I… I also think y-you're too into the game…"
Naruto scratched his head, giving a sheepish grin. "I'm pretty lame, huh? Everyone's doing this for my own good, I get it, dattebayo. Don't worry, I can handle it."
He said he could handle it, but his eyes kept drifting toward the pile of cards nearby.
Yeah… his condition was pretty bad.
Natsuki sighed. If this future savior ended up a burnout because of a card game he invented, and no one was left to fight Kaguya, that'd be a serious problem. Sure, Natsuki was confident he could defeat the Ootsutsuki himself, but better safe than sorry.
So he pulled out a character card and waved it in front of Naruto's face. "Naruto, guess what this is?"
Naruto's eyes lit up. "That's the Third Grandpa's character card! Natsuki, you actually have one?!"
Everyone's ears perked up. They instantly swarmed over. After all, even though the card game had been out for years, there were never any Hokage cards. Fans had begged for them, but the developers always refused. Bootleg versions existed, but no one took them seriously. Now Natsuki suddenly had a card for the Third Hokage—it was a huge deal.
Natsuki explained, "The Hokage is the symbol of our village. Without the Third's permission, he couldn't be made into a card. But recently, he gave me permission to create a character card based on him. The new set will be announced soon. Everyone will be able to buy it then. This one's a prototype—hasn't even been sold yet."
Everyone stared hungrily at the card in Natsuki's hand.
It was the only Hokage card in existence right now!
Even though the Third wasn't some pretty boy or drop-dead gorgeous woman, he was the Hokage—someone deeply respected by all. Who wouldn't want his card?
Natsuki had said it would be released soon, but they all wanted to be the first to get their hands on it—and flex it.
Naruto quickly scooted up to Natsuki. "Natsuki, Natsuki, can I have that card?!"
Natsuki pulled the card back a bit. "Not saying no, but you're too addicted to the game. If I give you this now, it might do more harm than good…"
"Natsuki, I promise I won't be addicted anymore! Just give me the Third Grandpa's card!" Naruto begged.
"You've got some nerve, Naruto. We want it too, okay?!" The others chimed in.
"Alright, alright, calm down, everyone."
Natsuki held up a hand. "Naruto's the one with the most serious addiction right now, so I'll use this card to help him out. One month. If Naruto can go one whole month without playing cards, I'll give him this Hokage card as a reward. But if he can't… then someone else gets it."
Everyone immediately looked at Naruto with devious grins.
Even Hinata hesitated. Even if it was for her beloved Naruto-kun, she really didn't want to give up a Hokage card.
(End of Chapter)
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