Naruto had no time to waste dealing with this "green tea." If he really wanted to brew it, it would be a piece of cake anyway.
Green tea was famous for being easy to make—yet also annoyingly troublesome.
Right now, the urgent matter was finding Yakushi Kabuto and getting hold of corpses.
After all, in the Fourth Shinobi World War, that guy managed to dig up countless bodies, and no one ever figured out how. Even Kishimoto himself seemed to have no idea. Or maybe he was just too lazy to explain.
Secondly, Naruto needed to prepare a few reliable "thugs." At present, he only had Uchiha Madara—and Madara couldn't just stroll out whenever he pleased.
The man was far too temperamental. Most people came out of coffins slowly; Madara kicked the lid off and leapt out, ready to fight. Just having him around was a headache.
Let's put it this way: if you could actually build a door strong enough to keep Uchiha Madara out, even the Shinigami would stop bothering with death notices!
After team assignments, Kakashi led Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura to the riverside as expected.
Following the usual round of introductions and "dream speeches," Kakashi silently evaluated his team, organizing his thoughts about each of them. With a casual order to meet for the bell test tomorrow morning, he dismissed them.
Naruto shot a glance at Sakura, who was shamelessly fawning over Sasuke, the human iceberg, before heading off on his own.
As for Kakashi—he barely finished saying "dismissed" before vanishing. No doubt he was already hiding somewhere, nose buried in Jiraiya's latest book. Not that Naruto minded; the fewer people around, the better.
Hands behind his head, Naruto whistled as he strolled through the village. His target was Kabuto, but the problem was—where exactly was Kabuto?
One thing was certain: he had to be in Konoha. Kabuto had grown up in an orphanage here and remained until the Chūnin Exams.
…Wait. Orphanage?
Naruto smacked his forehead. What an idiot! Of course Kabuto would be there. That place was practically his home, even if he was a shinobi now.
Without hesitation, Naruto rushed straight toward the orphanage. He didn't bother to hide his movements—why should he? The ANBU watching him weren't exactly easy to shake, unless he used the Flying Thunder God.
What he didn't know was that the Third Hokage had already pulled back most of the ANBU surveillance, leaving only nighttime monitoring.
From a nearby tree, Kakashi narrowed his visible eye. "The orphanage? What's he doing there?"
At the entrance to the orphanage—
"Senior Kabuto isn't here? Then could you please let him know that someone named Uzumaki Naruto came by to see him?"
Naruto widened his eyes and spoke with innocent sincerity.
"And why are you looking for him?" the orphanage director asked warmly. She was always patient with children.
"Because in the past, Senior Kabuto once helped me catch fish. I told him then that I wanted to be like him—to become a shinobi and contribute to the village! Today, I was assigned to a squad under a very powerful jōnin, so I came here to tell him that I'll keep working hard, always taking him as an example!"
Clenching his small fists, Naruto's face radiated earnest determination.
Up in the trees, Kakashi was so moved he almost teared up. Sensei… when I saw Naruto's home this morning, I already knew he had it rough. But this… this is beyond miserable.
He grit his teeth. Damn it, how much of Naruto's stipend have you pocketed, old man?
After that, Naruto had originally planned to visit Hinata Hyūga. After all, she was his future wife—the earlier he built the connection, the sooner he could enjoy the benefits, right?
But as the sky darkened, he sighed. Plans could wait. There was still a far more important task tonight, and time was running short.
For a man, career always comes before romance.
Naruto returned home, with Kakashi discreetly following until he saw the boy remove his sandals, change clothes, and head for the bath. Then, Kakashi disappeared. His mission was done; the night ANBU would take over.
Inside the bathroom, Naruto wasted no time. He created two shadow clones.
All day long, between team assignments, introductions, and searching for Kabuto, he'd also been strolling around Konoha, secretly leaving behind numerous Flying Thunder God markers.
The stage was set. Now all he had to do was wait for nightfall.
...
Hokage's Office
Kakashi stood before the Third Hokage, delivering his report on Naruto's activities since being placed under his watch.
Of course, he left out the trivial nonsense—like Naruto climbing pillars to "scout the horizon," sneaking onto rooftops to "simulate missions," or chasing after chickens, cats, and dogs. Kakashi figured Hiruzen had no interest in hearing about such things.
Frankly, Kakashi was sick of it himself. That kid never changes. The entire village is littered with his antics.
"So, you're saying that after the team assignments and introductions, Naruto went straight to the orphanage?" Hiruzen asked, raising an eyebrow. "And he was looking for a shinobi named Yakushi Kabuto?"
"Yes," Kakashi confirmed. "I looked into it."
He continued, voice even and matter-of-fact:
"Yakushi Kabuto is a Genin of average talent. He grew up in the Konoha orphanage, raised by the orphanage matron. She instilled in him a strong sense of service, and he inherited her will. He often goes out of his way to help others. Naruto happens to be one of the children he once helped."
The Hokage leaned forward slightly, listening with interest.
"According to the matron, there was a time when Naruto, desperate for food, was trying to catch fish. He wasn't having much luck. Kabuto stepped in, caught several fish for him, even roasted them, and then gave Naruto some encouragement. He told him to study hard, never give up on himself, and one day become an excellent shinobi of Konoha who could give back to the village."
"I see…" Hiruzen's wrinkled face softened, the corners of his mouth curling into a faint smile.
"So Naruto went to visit him today simply to share the good news—that he finally became a shinobi?"
"Exactly. That seems to be it." Kakashi nodded.
"Naruto even left a note for Kabuto. I admit, I peeked at it. It just said: 'Senior, I have successfully graduated and become a ninja! I will continue to work hard to contribute to Konoha!'"
He shrugged, as if to say it wasn't worth making a fuss over. "Nothing unusual. Just a simple thank-you letter."