The lottery results were out. Naruto only remembered that he was going to fight Gaara; everything else was unimportant. He would probably force Shukaku out, and then the Chunin Exams would be interrupted, much to everyone's delight.
By the time Naruto returned home, it was already evening. As usual, he first escorted Hinata back. Of course, the sofa and small round table had long been returned.
Regarding the sofa getting dirty, Kushina not only didn't blame Naruto, but even praised him fiercely, which was inexplicable.
Jiraiya, Minato, Kushina, Kakashi, Kimimaro, Karin, Naruto, plus the two Nine Tails who didn't directly show their faces, a family of nine gathered together.
Minato raised his glass, "Karin has been here for five days, but today is the first time our family has officially gathered.
So, to celebrate Karin becoming my daughter, cheers!"
"Cheers!" *6
Seven glasses clinked together, the sound as crisp as the laughter on the table.
The adults drank alcohol, while Naruto and the others drank juice, because Kushina said that minors were not allowed to drink alcohol.
Naruto happily ate and drank. The five days of the second exam, although there was food and fun, were ultimately not as relaxed and comfortable as being at home, especially with his family being happy and the atmosphere harmonious.
Karin was probably the happiest. She remembered when she first saw Naruto, she thought Naruto was very handsome. Later, when she saw the Hokage, who was also her current father, she thought her dad was even more handsome.
Then she saw Kimimaro, this older brother was also so handsome. Even her dad's student, although he always wore a mask and looked like a salted fish, Karin's woman's intuition told her that he was definitely a handsome guy too!
Heavens, what was up with this family's looks? Looking at it this way, Naruto, this little brother, was actually dragging them down?
Ah, no, how could I think of my own brother like that? Karin shook her head, looks and such were no longer important.
Looking at Naruto constantly teasing Kakashi with Kushina, looking at Minato always smiling warmly and joking with Jiraiya, looking at Kimimaro who didn't say much but kept picking food for her, Karin felt that she was probably the happiest person in the world.
As dinner ended, the last bit of unease in Karin's heart disappeared completely. I, Karin, Konoha Genin, daughter of the Fourth Hokage, from now on—I will help Mom with housework every day!
Karin followed Kushina, busying around, the mother and daughter seemed to be chatting very happily.
Jiraiya, Minato, and Kakashi were in the living room with teacups, discussing the arrangements for later. Naruto was watching the fun, wanting to learn more about his dad's plan.
As for Kimimaro, he had already been dragged away by the three bowl-cut heads for evening practice. Frankly speaking, Naruto was looking forward to his older brother being defeated by his teammates, and then having his head shaved into a bowl cut as agreed. He was even considering secretly giving his older brother some laxatives before their competition one day...
"Jiraiya-sensei is leaving tomorrow?"
"Yes, actually, I already had some news about Tsunade last time, but there wasn't enough time. To be safe, I rushed back before the exam."
Naruto muttered inwardly: I think you want to see Orochimaru more than you want to see Tsunade. Hearing that Orochimaru was planning to cause trouble at the Chunin Exams, you happily ran back, not even caring about Tsunade.
Minato said, "Then, could Sensei take Naruto with you?"
"Huh?" Naruto put down his teacup. This involves me?
Jiraiya asked, "Doesn't Naruto need to prepare for the next exam?"
Minato proudly replied, "Actually, Naruto's Ninjutsu is already very excellent. Frankly speaking, this child has far surpassed me at his age, so I think that relative to Ninjutsu, he still needs to go out and see more to broaden his horizons.
Moreover, in terms of training, what I can teach, you can also teach him, Sensei."
"That's fine too." Jiraiya put down his teacup. "Then, Naruto, do you want to go with me?"
Naruto thought it would be good to go out and take a look, and also wanted to get some benefits for his little friends: "Can I bring a few more people?"
Jiraiya refused, "Want to bring your little girlfriend? No, this is training, not a vacation."
"Tch," Naruto felt the malice of a single dog: "I wanted to bring Sasuke and Sakura along."
"Hmm? What do you need them for?" This time it was Kakashi who asked, he was still thinking about whether to teach Sasuke something more during this month.
"What's wrong with bringing two more people? Pervy Sage has brought Genin teams before.
Just give Sasuke some pointers along the way, and Sakura is learning medicine, so I can recommend her to Lady Tsunade as a disciple.
Most importantly, if we all leave, it will allow you, this lazy bum, to share some of my dad's work."
"..." Kakashi was speechless. He had been accompanying them on missions every day last month, and he had been working hard under his master's supervision. It was exhausting, okay?
He finally got a few days off while you guys were taking the exam, and now you're giving me more work? Damn it, I haven't finished reading Lord Jiraiya's new work yet!
Jiraiya appreciated Naruto's attitude of considering his teammates: "I see, it's not impossible, but it's not mandatory. You have to convince them yourself."
"No problem." Sakura Bro was easy to deal with, just bring Sasuke along to seduce her. As for Sasuke... I have my own wonderful plan.
...
Early the next morning, Naruto first went to the Hyuga Clan to say goodbye to Hinata. Hinata, who had just finished her morning practice, was wearing a black practice suit, panting slightly, with a hint of blush on her face.
Learning that Naruto was going on a long journey, Hinata was a little disappointed, but it was normal for a ninja to have a temporary mission. Hinata said very obediently: "Naruto-kun, have a safe trip."
Naruto gently hugged Hinata and whispered in her ear: "I will miss you every day."
"M-me too." Hinata blushed, it was too close, this... this was at the entrance of her house, and she was still sweaty... so embarrassing.
In the courtyard, Hanabi, who was training, punched through a training dummy with one palm.
"Hanabi, the strength is wrong!" Hiashi scolded sternly.
"Yes!" Hanabi bit her lip—she had been keeping her Byakugan open.
...
After saying goodbye to Hinata, Naruto skillfully sneaked into Sasuke's training ground. As expected, Sasuke was practicing the Uchiha-style flashy, no-dead-angle Shuriken technique.
"Sasuke, I want you..."
"To help you train?" Sasuke learned to answer first. He didn't know why Naruto shouted this sentence every time he asked him to spar.
"...No, it's to come out and train with me."
"Go out? Where to?"
Naruto told Sasuke the whole story: "How about it? The legendary Three Legendary Sannin Jiraiya is giving offline lessons."
"No, I want to train with my brother." Sasuke was unmoved. How could the mere Three Legendary Sannin be more important than his brother?
"Are you sure Itachi has time to teach you?" Naruto asked a soul-searching question.
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