The next morning.
"Naruto-kun, we're heading out first."
"Dear~ I don't want to be apart from you… but fine, I understand. I'll come find you after I finish my task."
"..."
Since I had just become a genin, I didn't need to leave the village for missions yet.
That morning, Naruto still invited them over for breakfast.
After finishing his meal, he rested for a bit before resuming his meditation.
As for the survival training?
Kakashi had warned them not to eat anything beforehand unless they wanted to throw up.
But he never said anything about breakfast.
Meanwhile, at another part of the village, Sasuke and Sakura, both up early, happened to cross paths.
"Morning, Sasuke-kun. Are you also scouting the terrain and gathering intelligence?" Sakura greeted cheerfully.
Sasuke merely glanced at her with cold indifference before walking past without a word.
Left standing there awkwardly, Sakura sighed before following him to the training grounds.
Upon arrival, she quickly realized—
The training ground was so small she could gather all the necessary information in just a few minutes.
With nothing else to do, Sasuke sat down, forcing himself to meditate.
Sakura, debating whether to bother him, hesitated until a familiar voice interrupted her thoughts.
"Huh? Ino? Hinata?"
She had originally intended to discuss strategy with Sasuke, but his usual cold demeanor made her reconsider.
"Forget it. No point in sucking up to someone who doesn't care."
Turning around, she spotted Ino and Hinata, both looking well-fed and content after breakfast at Naruto's house.
She trotted over to them, her curiosity piqued.
"Sakura? Why are you here so early?" Ino asked.
"Didn't Naruto say the training starts at noon?" Hinata added.
"Oh~ so Sasuke's here too," she noted.
Hinata smiled warmly. "Sakura, you're really dedicated."
"Wait… you're not in the same team. Why did you come together?"
Caught off guard, Sakura hesitated before shifting the topic.
"You guys just came from Naruto's house, huh?"
Seeing the look on Sakura's face, Ino quickly understood the misunderstanding.
"No, no, don't get the wrong idea!" Hinata stammered, flustered. "We were just there for breakfast, really!"
"Jeez, Hinata, if you act all shy like that, you're only making it sound more suspicious~" Ino teased with a playful grin.
Hearing this, Sakura recalled that back at the Academy, Ino and the others would often visit Naruto's place.
One time, when she had forgotten her lunch, Ino had shared some food with her.
It had been delicious—better than anything her mother cooked!
Her stomach grumbled at the memory.
Kakashi's warning echoed in her mind.
"Remember, don't eat breakfast tomorrow, or you'll regret it."
"Sakura… was that your stomach?" Ino asked, amused.
Years of good nutrition had sharpened Ino and Hinata's senses far beyond their Academy days, making the sound impossible to miss.
Sakura's face turned bright red.
"Uh… I'm just trying to lose some weight, haha~"
Just as she laughed it off—
Grrrrrrgle.
A similar sound came from nearby.
The three girls turned in unison.
Sasuke's face was slightly flushed. He scoffed and turned away.
Though his life circumstances were better than in the original timeline thanks to Naruto, some things remained unchanged—like his reluctance to show weakness.
Ino checked the time. "Oops, we need to get going. Sakura, good luck~!"
She grabbed Hinata's hand and quickly left, sparing Sakura any further embarrassment.
The area outside the training ground fell into silence.
Sakura wished she could sink into the ground.
Sasuke, meanwhile, kept his back to her, pretending he hadn't heard anything.
She pouted. Naruto's still at home, probably resting… and he had breakfast too…
"I should go eat something too. We still have time before training starts, and if I throw up, well… no one really cares what I look like anyway."
Sakura debated with herself.
But if I go back now, Ino's totally gonna question me… Ugh, such a hassle…
She hesitated, then turned toward the direction Ino and Hinata had just come from.
"Oh, right."
She looked back at Sasuke.
"Sasuke, I'm going to share intel with Naruto and grab some breakfast. Want to come?"
He scoffed, acting disinterested.
Grrrrgle.
"If you don't want to, I'll go alone. I'll trade information for food… I heard Naruto's a great cook!"
Sakura's cheeks flushed slightly.
If I tell him I haven't eaten yet, he won't refuse to feed me, right?
We're classmates and teammates, after all. And Ino and I are close…
Deep in thought, she failed to notice Sasuke had already stood up.
By the time she did, he was walking past her.
"Huh? Sasuke, where are you—"
"Tch. We need to strategize. We can't let someone clueless hold us back."
"…Uh, I was actually going to say you're heading the wrong way. Naruto's house is over there."
Sasuke: "…"
When Naruto opened the door, he found both Sakura and Sasuke standing there.
Sniff sniff.
Their noses twitched involuntarily.
Smells so good! Smells so good! (x2)
The lingering aroma of breakfast filled the air, teasing their senses.
So this was what Ino and Hinata got to eat every morning?
"Uh… Naruto, we just came from the training grounds and gathered some intel. We thought—"
Before Sakura could finish, Sasuke's stomach grumbled again.
Naruto smirked knowingly.
"Come in. We made pancakes and dumplings today. You haven't eaten yet, right?"
Both of them shook their heads.
Naruto stepped aside, letting them in.
Another free meal secured.
Naruto had never heard of this kind of breakfast before, but the aroma alone was enough to pique his curiosity.
With swift movements, he took off his shoes, stepped inside, and sat at the dining table—all in one seamless motion.
Naruto shook his head with a small smile.
He had never had any particular aversion to pink hair.
Let's not even discuss how well Naruto managed his image in the original story.
The first time he saw Sakura, he had even thought of a potential name for a child.
Yet, the pink-haired girl's heart was entirely set on Sasuke.
How could she not be annoyed when Naruto kept pestering her every day?
It seemed that, in reality, Sakura was quite gentle—at least compared to how things could have gone. She never truly hurt Naruto, even when she was at her most frustrated.
Though she did say some thoughtless things and acted a bit manipulative… well, best to leave that to the professionals to sort out.
"Do you want spicy soup?"
Naruto poked his head out of the kitchen.
The two of them exchanged glances and nodded in unison.
The aroma in the air had become even richer and more enticing.
Not long after, Naruto sat to the side, observing the two as they started out polite but soon discarded any pretense, eating and drinking without concern for manners. A soft smile formed on his lips.
No one could resist good food.
Especially not kids who had never tasted proper, high-quality meals before.
After finishing their meal, they noticed Naruto watching them with an amused expression.
Sakura, at least, had already made her decision to go all-in. She wasn't as nervous anymore.
"By the way, Naruto, I wrote down some information for you. Take a look."
Sasuke turned his head slightly, his voice calm. "How much? I have the money on me."
At this moment, Sakura finally realized why Kakashi had told them not to eat breakfast.
There was definitely something suspicious going on.
Truly worthy of being the prodigy that Orochimaru had been obsessed with for so long.
"It's not much," Naruto replied with a chuckle. "Honestly, I just wanted to give it to you. Just let me take a break when we're doing easy missions in the future."
He smiled as he started clearing the dishes, silently thanking the ever-wealthy Uchiha clan for their generosity.
Sakura quickly stepped forward to help, while Sasuke remained seated, lost in thought.
Only then did he take the time to look around Naruto's home.
It was small, but tidy.
Just as that thought crossed his mind, his eyes landed on Naruto's open bedroom door—and the unmistakable pink bedding inside...
"Naruto-kun, we're really full… Will lunch be like what Kakashi-sensei said?"
Being alone with Naruto already made her heart race. Now, thinking about certain possibilities, her face turned bright red.
"No, don't worry about it." Naruto waved her concerns away.
"Your theoretical and intelligence analysis scores have always been among the best in class."
"It's just that you're too easily swayed by your emotions. If you think about it carefully, you'll see there are a lot of contradictions in this situation."
"If our opponent is Kakashi-sensei… and this is a survival exercise…"
Hearing Naruto's words, Sakura quickly caught on.
"Such an obvious misdirection… Oh, I just realized it now. But Naruto-kun, you're amazing. You saw through the contradiction so quickly."
Sakura: Oh, wait—where's your focus on Sasuke?
"No wonder Sasuke wanted to plan tactics in advance. He must have realized something was off this morning. This test is probably meant to assess teamwork."
"There's no way three individuals who don't trust each other, don't cooperate, and don't function as a team could pass this kind of exam."
"No, that's not it. I wasn't thinking that far ahead."
At some point, Sasuke had made his way to the kitchen doorway.
"I knew something felt off, but I didn't analyze it that deeply."
He met Naruto's gaze. "You're strong. You really were the best in our year."
At that moment, Sasuke finally noticed something about Naruto—an aura that felt strangely familiar.
Warm, comforting, almost magnetic.
That warmth… It reminded him of something he hadn't felt in a long time.
A father's presence.
—
+50 Advanced Chapters: P-com/LordMerlin