"Goodbye, Mr. Tazuna!"
"Take care of yourself, everyone!"
"Inari, my friend—goodbye."
The last farewell belonged to Naruto, of course. He adjusted his backpack, turned, and waved one final time to the family standing in their doorway. The morning sun caught his blonde hair, making it shine like gold.
"Goodbye, Naruto-niisan!" Inari's voice cracked with emotion.
The fact that Naruto had singled him out for a personal farewell made the boy's swollen face light up with joy. It meant Naruto-niisan saw him as a real friend, an equal, not just some kid.
Beside Inari, Tazuna and Tsunami exchanged a glance. Their eyes drifted to their son's bruised and swollen face, then back to each other. Some unspoken communication passed between them.
If Inari falls back into depression, Tazuna thought, maybe we could try Naruto's method. Beat him until he's happy again.
Tsunami nodded slightly, apparently thinking the same thing.
A chill ran down Inari's spine. He looked back over his shoulder, suddenly wary, but saw nothing unusual. His mother and grandfather were just smiling and waving.
He shook off the strange feeling and turned back to watch Team Seven disappear down the road, with Zabuza and Haku trailing behind like shadows.
The journey back to Konoha took three days.
Without an elderly bridge builder slowing their pace, Team Seven moved at proper ninja speed. The landscape blurred past them—forests giving way to plains, rivers crossed in single bounds, the world reduced to forward momentum and the rhythm of footfalls on packed earth.
By the second day, Kakashi's hands had healed enough that he could move his fingers again, though they still ached with every flex. The breaks were mending, but full recovery would take time.
Haku's internal injuries had responded well to rest and his own considerable knowledge of field medicine. The bruising had faded from purple to yellow-green, and he could breathe deeply without wincing.
As for Zabuza—his face still carried some bruising despite three days of healing. Sasuke had beaten him thoroughly enough that the damage lingered. But with his mask back in place, no one could see the evidence of his defeat.
On the afternoon of the third day, the gates of Konoha came into view.
"Finally," Naruto breathed, stopping on a hill overlooking the village. "We're back."
"Yeah." Kakashi stood beside him, his visible eye soft. "Home."
This mission had been transformative. Kakashi had watched his team grow in ways he'd never anticipated. Naruto had shocked him repeatedly with displays of power that defied categorization. Sasuke had demonstrated techniques that should have been impossible for someone his age—Flying Thunder God, Rasengan, combat awareness that rivaled jonin.
And Sakura... well, she'd grown too. Mostly in her understanding that her role as emotional support was perhaps more important than she'd thought. The cheerleading responsibilities definitely needed work, but she was learning.
"Kakashi-sensei," Naruto said, "I'm going to head straight to the farm. I haven't been back in so long—I need to check that everything's all right."
"Of course. Go ahead." Kakashi turned to Sasuke. "You'll come with me to the Hokage Tower to file the mission report."
His tone made it clear this wasn't optional. He had questions for Sasuke—important questions about how Minato Namikaze's signature techniques had ended up in the hands of an Uchiha.
"Fine," Sasuke said, though he clearly wanted to go to the farm too.
"Sasuke, just go with Kakashi-sensei," Naruto said. Then he turned to their two new acquisitions. "Zabuza, Haku—you're coming with me."
Team Seven split up at the village gates.
The moment Naruto crossed into the back mountain territory where his farm lay, Kurama emerged from the backpack like a jack-in-the-box.
The fox leaped onto Naruto's shoulder, settled into his favorite position, and stretched luxuriously. "Ahhhh. Finally back. Nothing beats the feeling of home."
Behind them, Zabuza and Haku both froze mid-step.
A talking fox. An orange fox that had just climbed out of Naruto's backpack. And more importantly—they hadn't sensed its presence at all during the entire journey back. Not even a whisper of chakra or life force.
The two exchanged glances, their minds racing through possibilities, each more alarming than the last. Whatever this fox was, it was clearly far more than it appeared.
They walked more carefully after that.
As they entered the farm proper, Naruto took a deep breath, his chest expanding with genuine contentment. The smell of earth and animals, manure and hay, the faint sweetness of clover—it was perfect. Exactly as it should be.
Then he noticed movement in the sheep pasture.
The entire flock scattered at the sight of him, bleating in panic as they fled to the far corners of their enclosure.
Naruto's face darkened. "Kurama. Pick one for dinner tonight."
"Understood." Nine-Tails' expression turned predatory, his eyes tracking the fleeing sheep with professional interest. "Let's see... which one ran the fastest? That one's getting roasted tonight. It's been too long since I've used my spatula. My cooking skills are getting rusty."
They continued deeper into the farm, past the chicken coops and pig pens, until Naruto spotted something unusual near the cattle enclosure.
"Hey, that cow looks like she's about to give birth."
He approached the tree line where one of his cows stood alone, separated from the herd. Her sides were heaving, her eyes rolling with distress. Based on everything Naruto had learned from Prenatal Characteristics of Cows and Maintenance of Cows During Pregnancy, the signs were unmistakable.
Labor had begun.
Naruto moved closer, gesturing for Zabuza and Haku to follow. This was perfect timing, actually. Watching new life enter the world—that might help Haku understand what he'd been trying to explain about the value of existence.
The cow ignored her audience, too focused on her struggle. Tears leaked from her large eyes as she strained, her body trembling with effort. But nothing was happening. The calf wouldn't come.
The cow lowed in distress, a long, mournful sound.
"Hey! Move aside! What are you all crowding around for?"
A new voice cut through the moment. Naruto felt himself being physically shoved aside as someone pushed past him to reach the cow.
"Shikamaru!" Naruto's face lit up with genuine delight.
Shikamaru didn't respond. He didn't even look up. His entire focus was on the laboring cow, his hands already moving across her swollen belly with practiced confidence.
He felt carefully, his fingers pressing and probing, his expression intensely focused. After a full minute of examination, he finally raised his head and looked at the gathered audience—three people and one fox.
"Abnormal fetal position," he announced with the authority of an expert.
"Can you fix it?" Haku asked, stepping forward despite himself. There was something compelling about watching someone work with such competence.
"Of course I can." Shikamaru's confidence was absolute.
He moved to the cow's side and began a careful massage, his hands working in steady, practiced movements. Sweat beaded on his forehead despite the cool weather. His breathing grew labored as he maintained consistent pressure, manipulating the unborn calf into the correct position through touch alone.
Five minutes later, he stepped back and wiped his face with his sleeve. "There. Fetal position is corrected now."
He moved to the cow's head, placed one hand gently on her muzzle, and spoke with surprising tenderness. "You can do this. Come on, girl. Push."
The cow lowed again, her entire body straining with renewed effort.
Two minutes passed. The calf still hadn't appeared.
"She's exhausted." Shikamaru's expression turned grim. "I'll have to help manually."
He moved to the cow's rear without hesitation, rolled up his sleeves, and reached in. His face remained calm and professional despite the circumstances. "Got you. Easy now. Come out slow and steady."
Two tiny hooves emerged first, then slender legs.
"Naruto, look at this!" Kurama was practically vibrating with excitement on Naruto's shoulder. "That Pineapple boy learned so much! He can even deliver calves now! I told you he could manage the farm!"
Naruto nodded, impressed despite himself. Shikamaru really was a natural at this. Both management talent and technical skill—a rare combination.
Slowly, carefully, Shikamaru guided the calf into the world. It emerged in a rush of fluid and membrane, landing on the grass with a wet thump.
The calf made a weak sound—moo, moo—announcing its arrival.
But it didn't stand. It just lay there on its side, ribs heaving with the effort of breathing.
"Premature," Shikamaru said quietly, wiping his hands on the grass. He looked at the calf with concern. "The body's very weak. If it can't stand up on its own, it won't survive. But it has to do it itself—we can't help with that part."
During Naruto's absence, Shikamaru had been left with a mountain of books courtesy of Nine-Tails: Efficient Sheep Raising Techniques, Encyclopedia of Breeding Techniques, Farm Management Methods, The Effect of Music on Cattle and Sheep Growth, How to Encourage Successful Mating, Sewage Treatment in Farms, Air Purification Technology, Prenatal Characteristics of Cows, Maintenance of Cows During Pregnancy, and more.
He'd read them all. Practiced everything. And now he could speak with genuine expertise.
"Then we'll make it stand up," Naruto said firmly. This was his cow, after all. Its survival mattered.
"We can't force it," Shikamaru said. "But we can encourage it."
He knelt beside the calf and spoke softly. "Come on, little one. Stand up. You can do it."
"Stand up," Naruto added, crouching on the other side. "Come on."
Haku found himself moving forward without thinking, drawn into the moment. "You can do it. Please stand."
Even Zabuza, feeling absurdly out of place, muttered something that might have been encouragement.
Perhaps the calf drew strength from their voices. Perhaps it simply had the will to live.
Either way, it began to move.
Its legs trembled as it tried to gather them beneath its body. Once, twice, three times it nearly collapsed. Each time it caught itself, wobbling dangerously but refusing to fall.
And then, impossibly, it was standing.
The calf swayed on unsteady legs, looking like it might topple at any second. But it didn't. It took one careful step, then another, until it reached its mother's side and began to nurse.
The cow turned her head, her large eyes soft with love, and began licking the birth fluids from her calf's coat with gentle strokes of her tongue.
"I need to dispose of this placenta," Shikamaru said, already moving with professional efficiency. "If the cow eats it, it'll affect her milk production."
He gathered the afterbirth and carried it away, leaving the mother and calf to their bonding.
Naruto turned to Haku, an idea forming. "Hey, Haku. Why don't you name the calf?"
Haku's eyes widened. "Me? I can really...?"
"Yes." Naruto's tone left no room for doubt. "Go ahead."
Haku looked at the newborn calf, still shaky on its legs but alive, nursing from its mother, existing in the world when minutes ago it might have died.
New life. Against the odds. Fragile but determined.
"It was born here in Konoha," Haku said softly. His voice carried something that hadn't been there before—something almost like hope. "So why not call it Midori?" (Midori=Green)
The name hung in the air, simple and sweet.
Naruto smiled. "Midori. I like it."