He decided to give up thinking

Ninja Academy, rooftop.

The three students from Class 7 sat side by side on the steps.

Opposite him was Kakashi Hatake, leaning against the railing with a lazy expression.

"Let's go through the motions since it's our first meeting."

Kakashi's dead fish eyes were half-closed, and he said casually:

"Please introduce yourselves, tell us your names, what you like, what you dislike... what your dreams are, and things like that."

"dream?"

Sakura asked curiously, "Teacher, could you demonstrate first?"

"I?"

Kakashi pointed to himself and shrugged.

"My name is Kakashi Hatake. As for what I like and dislike... I don't want to tell you."

"As for dreams... they don't seem to be anything special."

"As for interests, I have quite a few."

The three of them were speechless; they hadn't said anything except their names!

"Alright, it's your turn now."

Kakashi pointed to Sasuke on the far left, "Let's start with you."

Sasuke had a cold expression, his hands supporting his chin, giving off an unapproachable vibe.

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. I hate a lot of things, but I don't like much."

"As for dreams, those are just empty words; I'm not interested in them."

"I have my own ambitions!"

"I will revive the Uchiha clan, and... kill that man."

The atmosphere froze instantly.

Sakura looked at Sasuke with some worry, and Kakashi's eyes also flickered slightly.

"As expected..."

Kakashi sighed inwardly; it was truly difficult for him to bear so much at such a young age.

"Alright, it's your turn."

Kakashi pointed to the girl in the middle.

Sakura immediately put on a shy expression.

"My name is Sakura Haruno, and the person I like... well... I should say the person I like..."

She first stole a glance at Sasuke, then secretly glanced at Naruto who was quietly reading a book beside her, and blushed.

"A dream... Should I tell you...?"

"Ahhh—"

Finally, she let out a scream that made no sense.

Kakashi was covered in cold sweat.

Are girls these days so precocious?

Finally, he focused his gaze on the blond boy on the far right.

Kakashi also had high expectations for this "top student" who was praised by the Third Hokage and who was even willing to give him special treatment.

"It's you in the end."

Naruto Uzumaki closed the book in his hand and said calmly:

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki. What I like is studying, training, and... being fully prepared."

What I dislike are "accidents" and "variables".

Kakashi raised an eyebrow slightly; this was indeed a peculiar preference.

"So, what about dreams?"

Naruto was silent for a moment. "My dream... is probably to create a world without 'accidents'."

"No surprises?"

Kakashi was taken aback.

"Yes."

Naruto stared into Kakashi's eyes.

"I want everyone to be able to sleep peacefully at night."

"There's no need to worry about an uncertain tomorrow, no need to worry about war suddenly breaking out, and no need to worry about being betrayed by your comrades."

"I want to eliminate uncertainty in this world so that everyone can live peacefully until they die of old age."

The rooftop suddenly fell silent.

Sasuke turned his head and looked at Naruto with some surprise.

He thought Naruto would, as always, say things like "become Hokage" or "surpass Hokage".

Unexpectedly, it turned out to be like this...

It sounds both heavy and somewhat grandiose.

Sakura didn't quite understand some of what she heard.

But I felt that Naruto was glowing when he said those words.

And Kakashi, for the first time, fully opened his dead fish eye that had been exposed.

The pupils constrict slightly.

What Naruto said was not the kind of dream a 12-year-old boy should have.

It doesn't even seem like the dream a ninja should have.

It's more like the dream that a seasoned politician, or even a leader, should have.

For Kakashi, who experienced the Fourth Shinobi World War and suffered greatly from the ravages of war.

This statement carries special weight.

"Is there a world without surprises...?"

Kakashi gave Naruto a deep look, suppressing his shock, and resumed his languid tone.

"Well, that's quite a unique idea."

"Okay, that concludes my self-introductions."

"Meet at the third training ground at 5 a.m. tomorrow for a survival drill."

"Remember not to eat breakfast, you'll throw up."

After saying that, Kakashi waved his hand and disappeared in an instant.

The three of them were left staring at each other in bewilderment, and the rooftop fell into a brief silence.

Sasuke suddenly spoke, his tone carrying a hint of complexity:

"A world without surprises? What a naive idea."

Naruto leaned against the railing, gazing into the distance:

"Isn't it precisely because of this innocence that it is all the more beautiful and worth striving for?"

Sakura looked at the two of them with a somewhat confused expression, seemingly understanding but not quite.

But she vaguely sensed that the atmosphere between the two men seemed to have undergone some subtle changes.

……

After the team disbanded, Naruto did not go home, but went to Konoha Hospital.

Although several days have passed since the Shuimu incident.

Kiba Inuzuka, however, remains hospitalized for observation due to the direct impact of the attack.

As soon as Naruto reached the door of the ward, he heard loud shouts coming from inside.

"Akamaru! Bring me that apple!"

"Damn it, Mizuki really went all out! My ribs aren't even healed yet..."

Naruto knocked on the door and went inside.

"Ya, you look pretty good."

"Naruto?"

When Kiba Inuzuka saw Naruto come in, he almost jumped up from his bed.

As a result, it aggravated the wound, causing him to grimace in pain.

"Why are you here?"

Kiba Inuzuka was a little embarrassed.

After all, he was tricked by Mizuki that day and almost got Naruto hurt, but in the end, he was saved by Naruto.

"Let's see if you're dead yet."

Naruto placed the fruit basket on the bedside table and smiled slightly.

"I also have good news for you: your application to retake the exam has been approved."

"real?!"

Kiba Inuzuka's eyes lit up at first, then his expression dimmed, and he lowered his head.

"But... I'm too ashamed to retake the exam. You were the one who saved me, I... I almost..."

"Don't talk nonsense."

Naruto patted him on the shoulder, interrupting his self-blame.

"In that situation, you rushed forward to protect me, which proved yourself."

"From now on, as long as you use your brain more and don't let others use you as a weapon, everything will be fine."

"Use your brain more..."

Kiba Inuzuka seemed to have thought of something, his brows furrowed as if he were having a fierce internal struggle.

A moment later, he suddenly raised his head:

"I've made up my mind! I'm giving up on thinking!"

"?"

Kiba Inuzuka's unconventional thinking surprised Naruto.

"Since everything I'm thinking is wrong anyway, I might as well just listen to a smart person!"

Kiba stared intently at Naruto:

"Naruto, you're my boss from now on! I'll do whatever you say!"

"That way, I won't be easily deceived!"

"It's like avoiding many detours!"

A glint of seemingly foolish wisdom flashed in Kiba Inuzuka's eyes.

"...Aren't you afraid I'll deceive you?"

Looking at Kiba Inuzuka, who was neither quite clever nor quite stupid, Naruto asked with some curiosity.

"I admit I was blind!"

"Don't worry, boss, even if you go and bomb the Hokage Building, I'll... keep watch for you!"

Naruto's lips twitched slightly.

Bombing the Hokage Building wouldn't be necessary...

However, these straightforward underlings can sometimes be more useful than smart people.

Just then, the door to the ward opened.

"Kiba Inuzuka, it's time to change your medication."

A gentle voice rang out.

Naruto turned his head, his pupils slightly contracting.

The person who entered was a young man wearing round-framed glasses and with a silver ponytail.

He was wearing a white lab coat, with his signature harmless smile on his face.

Yakushi Kabuto.