"Ta-da! Naruto, I brought you bento!"
Watching Sasuke pull box after box from his enormous bag, Naruto's eyes lit up like lanterns. His mouth began watering uncontrollably, hunger suddenly making itself known with a vengeance.
Seeing Naruto practically drooling, Sasuke couldn't help but feel a surge of pride. This is bento my brother spent several hours making before dawn, he thought with satisfaction. Of course you're drooling.
Soon, more than a dozen bento boxes sat arranged in front of them.
"Let's open them," Sasuke said, gesturing at the spread.
Naruto couldn't wait another second. The moment Sasuke gave permission, he grabbed the nearest box and opened it carefully. The instant the lid came off, a wonderful aroma hit his nostrils. His eyes practically sparkled as he exclaimed, "Wow! Miso soup! Look at that color—I could eat three bowls of rice just with this!"
He opened another box. "Wow, eel rice!"
Another. "Pork rice bowl!"
"Takoyaki!"
"Asuka hot pot—even Asuka hot pot!"
With each box Naruto opened, he called out its contents with growing excitement. Every dish was not only delicious-looking but beautifully presented, making his mouth water even more intensely.
Sasuke watched Naruto's reactions with deep satisfaction.
Finally, all the bento boxes stood open, displaying their beautiful contents like treasures. Sasuke said formally, "Let's eat, Naruto."
"Yeah, then I'll start!" Naruto put his hands together in a reverent gesture of gratitude, then immediately reached for a portion of eel rice. He added two generous spoonfuls of miso soup with a ladle.
The eel glistened golden-yellow against perfectly white, plump rice grains, all glazed with a rich sauce. Now mixed with the savory miso soup, the combination looked absolutely perfect. Naruto took a large spoonful of the eel rice mixture and brought it gently to his mouth.
The moment it touched his tongue, Naruto felt the wonderful texture of the rice grains—each one with that perfect Q-bomb chewiness. The miso soup had penetrated through, blending seamlessly with the rich, delicate flavor of the eel. The sensation was so incredible that Naruto couldn't help but close his eyes, gently shaking his head as he chewed slowly, savoring every nuance.
After swallowing, Naruto opened his eyes and sighed with genuine appreciation. "This is absolutely incredible."
"It is, isn't it?" Sasuke looked at Naruto expectantly, seeking confirmation. "My brother got up really early to make all of this."
"It's so delicious! Your brother is a true master chef. Please tell him thank you for all his hard work." Naruto gave an enthusiastic thumbs-up, completely sincere in his praise.
Then Naruto pointed at the array of lunchboxes spread before them and asked, "So which one did Sasuke make? I want to try your cooking too."
He looked at Sasuke with eager anticipation.
"Uh... um..." Caught off-guard by the question, Sasuke froze. He stammered slightly, "Well, I slept too late today, so I didn't have time to prepare anything. I had to trouble my brother to do all the work by himself."
"Ah, I see. Well, I'm looking forward to trying Sasuke's cooking next time, then!" Naruto accepted the explanation without suspicion and continued eating his eel rice with gusto.
Sasuke released a quiet breath of relief.
On the other side of the river, thick clusters of weeds grew densely. Suddenly, the weeds parted slightly to both sides, revealing a small gap. Within that gap, four eyes peered out, watching intently.
"Wait... is Sasuke actually bringing lunch to Naruto?" Ino Yamanaka asked in a daze, her voice filled with confusion and unmistakable envy.
"What kind of question is that? Obviously he is—they're both eating it right now!" Sakura Haruno responded with exasperation, a dark expression crossing her face.
But internally, she was screaming: AAAAH! Why isn't it ME sharing lunch with Sasuke?! Why, why, why?! How come Naruto gets to eat it?!
"It smells so good," Ino murmured wistfully. "Sasuke's bento really smells incredible. The aroma is carrying all the way over here."
Ino and Sakura hadn't eaten lunch. Instead, they'd followed Naruto and Sasuke here after school, driven by their concern about the two boys growing closer.
Smelling the mouthwatering aroma of the food, Ino's stomach suddenly growled loudly, beyond her control. She lowered her eyes, her voice small. "Sakura... maybe we should go eat first?"
"What are you talking about?!" Sakura immediately became serious, her expression intense. "This is a bigger event than eating! Do you want to just sit by and watch while Sasuke gets stolen away?!"
"Gurgle." Her own stomach betrayed her at that exact moment, growling audibly. Clearly, she was also being tempted by the delicious scents wafting across the river.
"Then... let's go eat first," Sakura finally conceded, deflating.
The two girls backed away slowly, retreating from the weed pile and heading off in search of their own lunch.
Back at the farm, Nine-Tails crouched on his stone, staring at the distant intersection with narrowed eyes.
Why hasn't Naruto come back yet?
It's been so long!
Usually by this time, Naruto would have returned for lunch already. After squatting and waiting for what felt like an eternity, Nine-Tails finally jumped down from the stone. He went back inside the house and looked at the table full of dishes—all of them cold now, their steam long since dissipated.
Bored and somewhat deflated, Nine-Tails flopped onto the sofa. His thoughts began to wander...
To be honest, Nine-Tails had actually come to like this way of living with Naruto. He enjoyed their conversations, even though that bratty kid sometimes bullied him mercilessly.
But at least he was free.
The breath of freedom.
It was infinitely better than being trapped in that dark, oppressive seal with no one to talk to, nothing to do, and nowhere to go.
Thinking along these lines, Nine-Tails found his mind drifting back over his long life. My life as a fox has actually been pretty miserable, he reflected with a touch of melancholy. The early years were good, at least. When the old man was around, I was happy and carefree.
The Sage of Six Paths—that's who "the old man" was. When the sage had still been alive, life had been wonderful. Sure, sometimes Nine-Tails was forced to study and train when he'd rather play. But overall, those times were filled with happiness and purpose.
Later, after the old man passed away, Nine-Tails discovered that his luck had taken a dramatic turn for the worse. He kept getting sealed away by this person or that person, over and over again, trapped inside one human container after another.
The worst part? The people whose bodies he was sealed into were almost always dull, taciturn individuals. None of them liked to talk to him.
That Kushina woman was no exception—she rarely spoke to him, treating him like he didn't exist. And the most infuriating part? That Namikaze Minato guy! Every single night, when darkness fell and Minato was alone with Kushina, he would completely block Nine-Tails' perception. Nine-Tails couldn't see anything, couldn't hear anything.
Why block me out? Nine-Tails had wondered with frustration. It's not like you're doing anything wrong.
Or maybe they were. Nine-Tails had his suspicions but could never confirm them.
The whole situation had been deeply frustrating and lonely.
Then came that terrible night. The masked man had summoned Nine-Tails and taken control of his mind through force... After that nightmare, he'd been sealed inside Naruto's body. Again. Another prison.
At first, Nine-Tails had resigned himself to this pattern. This is just how fox life is, he'd thought bitterly.
In his heart, he'd hated Namikaze Minato with burning intensity. Hated the man for sealing him. And naturally, that hatred had extended to Naruto—the son of his jailer. When Nine-Tails had first met young Naruto face-to-face, he'd actually felt a genuine impulse to devour the child, to make the boy's father pay for what he'd done.
But then he'd discovered something crucial: this bratty kid had a backer. And that backer was far stronger than Nine-Tails himself.
There had been no choice. He'd had to follow his heart—or rather, follow the path of survival. Since he couldn't resist, he could only embrace his new circumstances and try to enjoy this different kind of life.
Slowly, gradually, Nine-Tails had made a surprising discovery: this new life wasn't bad at all. And Naruto, that annoying brat, wasn't completely useless either. He had his good points.
Nine-Tails was beginning to genuinely like this kind of life.
As these reflections passed through his mind, a soothing, almost peaceful expression settled on Nine-Tails' face. Suddenly, his ears perked up straight. He heard footsteps approaching from outside—familiar footsteps, with a distinctive pattern and rhythm.
It was Naruto. It couldn't be anyone else.
However, Nine-Tails thought with stubborn pride, I'm not going to go outside to greet him. He snorted coldly in his heart and remained sprawled on the sofa, maintaining his position.
The door opened.
Naruto stepped inside and immediately took in the scene: a large table covered with dishes, all grown cold. And there, lying quietly on the sofa beside the table, was Nine-Tails—who didn't so much as acknowledge his return.
Naruto understood immediately why. He walked over, gently picked up Nine-Tails, and rubbed his chin softly against the top of the fox's head in an affectionate gesture.
"Nine-Tails," Naruto said quietly, his voice filled with genuine remorse. "I'm sorry I'm late."
Nine-Tails' tail twitched slightly, but he said nothing—maintaining his dignified silence even as he leaned ever so slightly into Naruto's touch.