Chapter 85

Chapter 85 - 85 [Power Stone Event Started!] [+100PS = +1 Chapter!] [+10 Reviews = +1 Chapter!] Tenten looked utterly stunned. "No way! You two are really... uh, I mean, no offense! I totally respect your choice!" "It's not like that! Tenten, don't believe Natsuki's nonsense!" Naruto and Sasuke were about to explode. They never thought Tenten would actually believe Natsuki's ridiculous claims. Sure, they had kissed, but that was purely accidental! There was no love involved! Hadn't she ever heard the phrase, "Don't spread rumors"? But at that moment, a voice even more terrifying than Natsuki's rang out: "Oh my, I just arrived and already overheard such juicy news. Looks like as your teacher, I didn't truly understand you two after all. Naruto, Sasuke, I never expected this kind of relationship from you. I always thought you didn't get along, but clearly, I was wrong." Kakashi appeared on a nearby rooftop, casually delivering a bombshell that nearly made Naruto and Sasuke die on the spot. Naruto jumped up, shouting, "Kakashi-sensei! Don't believe Natsuki's nonsense! It was an accident! It was just an accident, dattebayo!" Sasuke's face darkened: "Idiot Naruto! Stop talking!" This idiot was only making it worse. Now the entire world would know about their accidental kiss! Sure enough, Kakashi's eye widened in amusement. "So you're admitting you really kissed? It wasn't just Natsuki making it up? Wow... the world truly is full of surprises. But don't worry—I won't discriminate against you two!" "It's not like that! Kakashi-sensei, please stop!" Naruto and Sasuke were truly at their breaking point. Meanwhile, Sakura was still frozen in shock. At that moment, Natsuki added fuel to the fire. He pulled out a photo and first showed it to Tenten. Tenten gasped, clapping her hands over her mouth in disbelief. Then Natsuki casually handed the photo to Kakashi. Kakashi, confused, took it—and upon seeing it, his jaw dropped even further. The picture clearly captured Naruto and Sasuke's accidental kiss—perfectly timed and framed. In the background, Sakura's stunned expression was also immortalized. Natsuki grinned: "This masterpiece was taken by yours truly, the ultimate photographer. The theme? 'Naruto and Sasuke's Love Story,' or perhaps 'The Beautiful Moment of Team 7.' Kakashi-senpai, look closely—Sakura's shocked face is also framed beautifully!" Kakashi scrutinized the picture and clicked his tongue in amazement. "You really caught the perfect moment... All of Team 7, frozen in time. This photo is priceless!" "Haha, right? I'm giving it to you, Kakashi-senpai. Consider it a treasure of Team 7!" "A treasure of Team 7? Excellent. I'll keep it. If any of you ever misbehave... I'll print out a giant poster and stick it all over the village for everyone to admire your youthful love!" "Please don't, Kakashi-sensei! x2" And so, the chaos ended with Natsuki treating everyone to Ichiraku Ramen as an apology. As for the photo? Of course, it would never be destroyed—such a precious memory of youth had to be preserved forever. At Ichiraku Ramen, Team 7 devoured their bowls with gusto. Natsuki and Tenten, still full from barbecue, just sipped on drinks. Between bites, Naruto glanced up and asked, "Natsuki, how do you know Kakashi-sensei, dattebayo?" Natsuki didn't hide it. He pointed at Tenten: "Tenten's team leader, Might Guy, is friends with Kakashi-senpai. I wanted to learn from Kakashi-senpai, so I asked Guy-sensei to introduce us." "Oh, I see..." Naruto nodded, but then frowned suspiciously. "But that's not all, right? I heard Kakashi-sensei speaks very highly of you, dattebayo. There's gotta be more to it!" Natsuki rolled his eyes: "Mind your own business, Naruto. You should worry about yourself first. Honestly, after hearing you brag about your mission earlier, I almost lost it." Huh? The rest of Team 7 immediately looked over. Even Kakashi was intrigued. Sasuke scowled: "Natsuki, are you saying we did poorly on the mission?" Natsuki turned to Kakashi instead: "Kakashi-senpai..." Kakashi put down his empty bowl and smiled under his mask. "Actually, I'd like to hear it too. Go ahead, Natsuki. Speak freely." But Naruto had already leapt to his feet: "Natsuki, you're just jealous that we completed a B-rank mission, dattebayo! We did great! Even the Hokage praised us and upgraded the mission from C-rank to B-rank! How could you say we did badly?!" Natsuki gave him a side glance: "See, I haven't even said anything yet, and you're already getting defensive. With a temper like that, you think you're suited for missions?" Naruto froze, unable to respond. Even Sasuke and Sakura had to nod reluctantly. In truth, Naruto's impulsive nature had caused quite a few problems during the mission. Natsuki organized his thoughts, then said: "First of all, when you discovered that Tazuna was hiding the truth, that there would be enemy shinobi, you should have reconsidered. You had no intelligence on the enemy—you didn't even know what you were walking into—and yet you chose to proceed blindly. That was reckless." "But... but you want us to just abandon Tazuna and the Land of Waves?" Naruto protested, getting worked up again. "Did I say anything about abandoning them?" Natsuki's tone sharpened. "I said you were reckless. Now shut up and listen." He continued sternly: "Leaving aside Tazuna's lies, you had a duty to prioritize your comrades' safety. You should have paused the mission, returned to the Hokage, reported everything, and asked for reinforcements or a revised plan. Instead, you gambled with your lives based on sympathy. If things had gone badly, it wouldn't have been just your deaths—the whole situation could have turned into a diplomatic nightmare for Konoha." Naruto opened his mouth to argue—but no words came out. In truth, after experiencing the mission firsthand, he realized just how dangerous it had been. If another team had taken it, they might not have been so lucky. Deaths would have been inevitable. Summering it up: They were lucky to have survived. Wanting to help people was noble—but charging in blindly wasn't heroism. It was stupidity. Sakura timidly raised her hand: "But... the Land of Waves is really poor. Tazuna-san didn't have the money to request a higher-ranked mission..." Natsuki chuckled coldly: "And that justifies lying? He could've arranged a payment plan—pay later after the bridge was built and profits rolled in. You think the Hokage is some cold-hearted tyrant who would turn him away? If Tazuna had been honest, Hiruzen-sama would have absolutely sent support. Instead, Tazuna chose deception, gambling with your lives. And you—did you even once trust your Hokage's judgment over some random drunk builder?" Sakura opened her mouth, but couldn't argue. Kakashi scratched the back of his head, embarrassed. "Well... to be fair, I bear responsibility too..." (End of Chapter) [Check Out My Patreon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!][/zaelum] [+500 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter] [Thank You For Your Support!]