In the streets of the Hidden Leaf Village, Naruto walked ahead with his arms crossed, visibly fuming, while Kakashi followed beside him.
Since leaving the Hokage's office, Naruto had been like this. After learning about the Nine-Tails incident, it was impossible for him to feel happy.
"Geez, why do some people always talk without listening to others? It's so infuriating! They don't care about anyone else's opinions!" Naruto complained.
"Maybe it's because the Fourth Hokage believed in you?" Kakashi said calmly.
"Then why me?"
"Like I said, he believed in you. You were the one he entrusted his purest feelings to."
"Hmph! It sounds like you knew the Fourth Hokage personally! His hairstyle was so weird, though!"
"Don't be so hard on my hairstyle!" Kakashi laughed, noticing that though Naruto still looked disgruntled, he wasn't as angry as before.
Maybe it was because, decades ago, the Hokage had believed in him, and that made Naruto feel a small sense of pride.
Though life had been tough for him these years...
But the Fourth Hokage truly saved the villagers, and that included infant Naruto.
"Hey, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto suddenly turned to Kakashi, "You knew the Fourth Hokage, right? Did you ever hear about my parents? I was born on that day, right?"
Kakashi froze for a moment. After a pause, he said, "They... like everyone else in the village, they sacrificed themselves that night."
Naruto nodded, his face betraying no emotion.
Neither of them spoke after that, just walking side by side, though Kakashi felt a slight headache.
He'd already been briefed by the Third Hokage about being assigned to Naruto's class. But today's meeting had been a bit of a surprise.
They hadn't even exchanged formal introductions...
Naruto suddenly turned his head, looking toward a building in the distance, a shop with transparent glass walls surrounding it.
"Is that new? Did it open recently?" Naruto scratched his head. Kakashi followed his gaze.
At that moment, a young man entered their line of sight, smiling at them through the shop's glass, his lips moving.
Kakashi's expression grew a bit strange.
"What's this? Is that guy talking to us?" Naruto looked around, noticing no one else around.
"He said 'come in and have a duel'," Kakashi whispered.
"What?" Naruto blinked, then immediately shouted, "Damn it! Why does every shop owner have to pick on me? What a jerk!"
He stormed off toward the shop, and Kakashi quickly followed him.
Naruto shoved open the glass door, and the next moment, a cool breeze swept through his hair.
"Wow, that's refreshing!"
Naruto said instinctively, but what surprised him even more was the voice that followed.
"Welcome!" The man greeted them with a friendly smile.
"Welcome... me?" Naruto was a bit thrown off, but quickly recovered and asked, "Wait a second! Didn't you say you wanted to challenge me?"
"Well, there aren't any other customers, so don't mind me," the young shop owner smiled, looking a bit mischievous.
Naruto and Kakashi both froze, staring at him, unimpressed.
What kind of shop owner lures customers in by challenging them like that?
Seeing the two of them looking at him speechlessly, the man chuckled and said, "Since you're already here, how about a cup of coffee?"
So he's just going to start selling coffee now? Kakashi couldn't help but facepalm.
"The owner's got some nerve!" Naruto grumbled.
"No need to be so polite. Though, I'd prefer you call me handsome instead of that last word. Come on, follow me."
"Oh, thanks... Who said I wanted coffee?!" Naruto retorted.
"Hmm? Well then, let's have a duel," the man said, pulling out his phone and waving it. "If you win, I'll make your coffee free!"
"A Ninja Mobile Game duel, huh?" Naruto smirked. "Did you miss yesterday's match? I was the one who won!"
"Heh, it was a match you didn't participate in. Seems like you still don't understand what real strength is, kid!" The man laughed confidently.
"Haha! You're pretty confident, aren't you, owner?" Naruto taunted.
"Of course! So, what will you have to drink? I recommend the classic espresso!" the man replied.
"See, don't just start selling coffee in the middle of a conversation!" Naruto complained.
However, Naruto still ordered the coffee and found a spot by the window with Kakashi.
Maybe it was the good atmosphere, but even if they didn't order anything, it wasn't a bad place to sit for a while.
At least this owner didn't seem to have any ill intentions toward him, and he was humorous, which made Naruto willing to spend some time here.
Even though Naruto had never had coffee before.
"Naruto, are you sure about the black coffee the owner recommended?" Kakashi asked, holding the menu, a bead of sweat forming on his forehead.
"What's wrong?" Naruto fiddled with his phone.
"Nothing. I'll have a latte, please. Thanks." Kakashi spoke to the owner and pulled out his own phone.
Though Naruto had decided to challenge the owner, the duel function wasn't unlocked yet, so they both went into the story mode first.
As they played through the plot, Kakashi glanced at Naruto discreetly.
This game was indeed based on Naruto's perspective, although other characters appeared as well.
Naruto didn't graduate, Mizuki tricked him into stealing the Sealing Scroll, Naruto learned the Shadow Clone Jutsu, graduated successfully, Konohamaru appeared, and finally, it ended with the bell-stealing test with Kakashi.
That was the full story of Chapter 1.
Kakashi pondered it for a moment after reading through, and it seemed quite reasonable overall.
Of course, there was no need to worry about Mizuki's situation.
They were progressing slowly in the plot, and once that matter came to light, someone would take care of it.
"Kakashi-sensei is so sneaky! Using the Thousand Years of Death on me!" Naruto suddenly shouted loudly.
"Those who secretly ran off to eat lunch during an exam have no right to complain, especially when they fell into a trap," Kakashi retorted.
"Tch, it really scared me. I thought I was going to get sent back to the Ninja Academy again!" Naruto grumbled.
"Heh, well, I'll give you guys credit for barely passing."
The teacher and student sat together, progressing through the game while chatting aimlessly.
It was funny—though they hadn't known each other for long in real life, the story in the game had made them feel much more familiar with one another.
"The second chapter is the Land of Waves? Why can't I get in?" Naruto kept tapping at the screen.
"Stop poking at it, you'll break the screen," the owner, Takuya, said, walking over with their coffees. "It's not unlocked yet, but the duel function is open."
Naruto tapped the duel arena, and sure enough, it appeared, with options for both normal matches and ranked battles.
"What's the difference?" Kakashi asked.
"Normal matches are for practicing skills, while ranked battles have several tiers. The stronger you are, the higher the rank you can reach, and the better the rewards," Gu Cheng explained, sitting beside them.
"The owner knows his stuff," Kakashi said with a laugh.
"A little bit," Takuya smiled back.