Konoha Notes.

Chapter 461 The Children

The school bell has rung for the third time.

Most of the students had left the classroom, with only a few still slowly packing their bags.

Naruto muttered to himself, still pondering something.

Shikamaru had long ago understood the air.

The corner where the girls usually gathered was now filled with a subtle atmosphere. Karin and Shion stood side by side, both with hesitant expressions on their faces, their gazes occasionally drifting towards Sakura and Ino, who were packing their school bags.

"Choji, it's time to go."

Shikamaru lowered his voice and reminded him.

Choji carefully stuffed the last bag of snacks into the side pocket of his backpack. Hearing this, he looked up and followed Shikamaru's gaze, immediately understanding what was going on.

"oh oh……"

The two began to pack quietly. Shikamaru stacked his textbooks and stuffed them into his bag, trying to be as quiet as possible so as not to attract any attention. He then kicked the leg of Naruto's chair in front of him.

The blond boy looked up blankly, clearly still lost in his own world.

So Shikamaru abandoned his plan to help Naruto, and Choji gave him a wink. The two picked up their bags and tiptoed towards the back door. Just as they were about to reach the door...

Ino.

Sakura's voice came from the front of the classroom. She had already slung her backpack over her shoulder, walked through rows of empty desks and chairs, and stopped in front of Ino's desk. Ino had just zipped up her backpack, looked up, and her usual expression had returned to her face.

The pink-haired girl opened her mouth first, her expression resolute and calm.

After Ebisu interrupted their argument in the hallway, they calmed down for the entire class period. Now, Sakura felt she had figured things out.

"I will not give up."

The last few students dawdling in the classroom also looked over.

"Ino has a lot to think about," the girl said, "but I'll seize this opportunity."

"No matter how unwilling you are, it's no use."

"As an opponent, I have already taken a step forward."

Ino stared blankly at Sakura, her eyes, which always held a smile, now appearing somewhat vacant, as if she hadn't yet grasped the true meaning of her words. "Sakura…" she finally found her voice, "What are you saying…?"

"Stop playing dumb."

Sakura interrupted her.

"Karin admired Shuji-sama, so she initially aimed to become a medical ninja, but then switched to the sensory team because of Shuji-sama's invitation." "At that time, Ino clearly agreed with her."

"If it weren't for resentment, why would Ino stop me?"

"Sasuke-kun has invited me to come along for the apprenticeship."

"This is my chance; I can already see the path I want to take."

Naruto finally came to his senses. He blinked, his gaze shifting between Sakura and Ino, belatedly noticing the unusual tension in the air.

Do girls argue?

He instinctively wanted to look for Fu, but the short green hair was no longer in the classroom.

Turning his head to look behind him, he realized that Shikamaru and Choji were about to slip out the back door. When he saw him looking over, Shikamaru quickly raised his hand, put his index and middle fingers together and pointed towards the door, and mouthed "hurry up".

Naruto shrank his neck, trying to get up from his seat with minimal movement.

"This is completely different!"

Ino's voice suddenly rose in pitch.

Naruto was startled and almost lost his balance. He remained frozen in his half-standing position, unable to move forward or backward, stuck in the narrow aisle between the tables and chairs.

Ino stood up from her seat. Her cheeks were flushed, and her breathing was a little rapid.

"Karin... that's what Lord Shuji asked her to do."

She wanted to make it clear that the Sensory Class was a department that had existed in Konoha for a long time, where one could learn systematic ninjutsu knowledge just like there.

She wanted to say that Xiu Si was the person at the top of the village, and the path he pointed out inherently carried a certain guarantee.

She wanted to say that Sasuke was different, and the Joint Affairs Bureau was different too. It seemed they didn't directly teach ninjutsu there. It was fine for the Uchiha clan to go, but Sakura...

Too many opposing ideas swirled in her mind.

Shuji-sama's importance is different from Sasuke-kun's; the training at the Bureau of Affairs is different from regular ninja training… These thoughts were intertwined. She vaguely understood the reasons, but didn't know how to express it without seeming to belittle Sasuke or deny Sakura's choice. Sakura looked at Ino's hesitant expression. She was silent for a few seconds, then looked away.

"I have nothing else to say."

She turned around, her back to Ino, and walked towards the classroom door.

Just as Sakura was about to step out the door, Naruto finally couldn't help but speak.

"Um, Sakura..."

Sakura turned around and her gaze fell on Naruto's face.

"This is none of your business, Naruto."

His tone was calm, yet carried a clear sense of distance.

The pink-haired girl left the classroom.

Ino remained standing. She looked at the spot where Sakura had been standing, at the empty doorway, and then slowly, very slowly, sat back down in her chair. Karin and Shion exchanged a glance.

Shion went over first, reached out her hand, hesitated for a moment, and then gently patted Ino's shoulder. Karin then knelt down in front of Ino, looking up at her face.

"Ino..." Karin called softly.

Ino did not respond. She lowered her head, her golden bangs falling down and obscuring her eyes.

Naruto watched this scene, scratching his head. He had absolutely no idea what was happening; he only felt a tightness in his chest, a dull ache. Shikamaru and Choji had somehow returned to the classroom door. The two stood by the door, not coming in.

"It's Sasuke's fault again," Naruto muttered.

Shikamaru scratched the back of his head: "This is probably... never mind, girls' matters are troublesome. Let them handle it themselves, Naruto." But Naruto didn't move. He looked at Ino, who was lying on the table, and at Karin and Shion, who were squatting to the side. He also remembered the unfamiliar expression on Sakura's face when she left—an expression he had never seen on Sakura's face before, calm to the point of being indifferent.

Shikamaru didn't say anything more, he just leaned against the door frame and looked at the scene in the classroom.

Naruto moved a few steps, left his seat, and walked across the classroom.

There were hardly any people left in the corridor. The setting sun bathed the corridor in a warm orange light, but that warmth couldn't penetrate into one's heart.

Naruto ran out of the school building and looked around the playground for a while, but didn't see Sakura. He thought for a moment, then turned and ran towards the school gate. He waited there for a while, until he saw the black-haired boy appear with a bag on his back.

"Sasuke!"

Naruto jumped out from behind the tree.

The black-haired boy stopped in his tracks. He had a bag on his back, one hand in his pocket, and his brows furrowed slightly when he saw Naruto.

"What?" Sasuke's tone was clearly impatient. "I don't have time to play those boring games with you right now."

Naruto ran up to him and blocked his way.

"Sakura and Ino had a fight," he said bluntly.

Sasuke's expression didn't change much. He turned to the side, trying to go around Naruto.

"What does this have to do with me?"

"But the reason they were arguing..." Naruto pressed on.

Sasuke stopped in his tracks.

"That's just an internship offer. If you don't want it, you can just decline."

His voice was calm, so calm that Naruto felt the tightness in his chest even more intense.

The blond boy wanted to say something, but found himself unable to articulate it clearly. He only knew that Sakura and Ino had a falling out over this matter, that Ino looked very sad, and that Sakura seemed like a different person.

"Question..." Naruto hesitated.

Sasuke looked away and started walking again, clearly not intending to continue the conversation.

"Since you care so much, why don't you just tell them that this is not true?"

Naruto was stunned. He stared at Sasuke's retreating figure, a strange anger rising within him.

"What kind of attitude is this!" He chased after Sasuke and blocked his way again. "Why are you talking like it has nothing to do with you?" Sasuke stopped.

"It had nothing to do with me in the first place," he said.

After saying that, he prepared to leave again. Seeing this, Naruto instinctively reached out and grabbed his arm.

Sasuke twitched his shoulder slightly, easily sidestepping the attack, and at the same time grabbed Naruto's outstretched wrist with his other hand, pulling it downwards.

"What exactly do you want?" Sasuke asked, a hint of suppressed annoyance finally creeping into his voice. "What does this have to do with you? Whether they accept or refuse, it's their own decision. I just offered an option, nothing more."

"But they're friends! Very good friends!" Naruto struggled but couldn't break free. "Anyway...anyway, I don't want to see them like this!"

Sasuke released his grip.

"Do whatever you want." Sasuke turned around, leaving Naruto with his back to him. "I'm just doing the work I was assigned. I'm completely different from someone like you... who's free-spirited and does whatever he wants."

Naruto stood there, watching Sasuke walk away without looking back, the setting sun casting a long shadow. The blond boy puffed out his cheeks, the lump in his chest feeling like a heavy stone.

He wanted to go to the western suburbs, to see his brother Xiu Si, to ask what was going on and what to do.

But his feet seemed nailed to the ground, and he couldn't take a step.

He probably didn't want to admit it, yet he had to—that the current situation was something he was powerless to change. And the only person he could still directly question and demand from was Sasuke.

Sakura doesn't seem to have done anything wrong. Temari graduated and went to the Joint Affairs Bureau. Sasuke was there, and Shikamaru was too.

And then there are those things he doesn't quite understand, things about the future and choices... things that seem like they're not his place to get involved in.

Even if I told Gaara and the others, I would probably only get a similar answer to Shikamaru: "It's their own business."

So he went home, sat cross-legged on the floor of his room, his ninja academy textbooks spread out in front of him, but he couldn't concentrate on a single word. The sky outside the window gradually darkened. The streetlights came on one by one, casting a dim, yellowish light into the room.

Naruto stared blankly at the spot of light.

I don't know how much time passed.

Naruto suddenly sensed something outside the window.

He remained cross-legged, without turning his head.

"If you keep peeking, I'll tell Shuuji-nii, you lecherous sage."

"Don't just randomly show up outside people's windows and do things like that!"

But the figure outside the window did not move.

Naruto stood up and yanked open the curtains.

A man was standing outside the window.

Golden hair, white Hokage robe.

The man was watching him quietly.

Naruto was stunned. He blinked, then blinked again, to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

"You... are not a lecherous immortal."

The man outside the window tilted his head slightly. His expression was gentle, so gentle that Naruto felt a sense of familiarity, a familiarity that came without reason, yet it lingered in his heart.

"The teacher has also acquired an interesting nickname," the man said. "It seems he's done some remarkable things as well."

Naruto looked at the stranger through the glass. The man's eyes were blue, a very clear blue, like the autumn sky.

"Who are you?"

The man outside the window didn't answer immediately. He just stood there, looking at Naruto, for a very long time.

Then, the man raised his hand and placed his palm on the glass.

"My name is Minato Namikaze."

"You are my son, Naruto."

Naruto stood inside the window, while Minato Namikaze stood outside.

A pane of transparent glass separated the two, along with nine years of time. The twilight outside the window deepened, and the streetlights cast a warm glow behind the man.

Naruto's eyes were wide open. He looked at it again and again, rubbing his eyes repeatedly.

He said.

"What the heck..."

"They clearly said he was gone."

"Suddenly, he came out again and said something strange."

Shuimen watched the child's movements through the glass, watching tears slide down his hands.

"You've grown up well, Naruto."

"Is something bothering you?"

Naruto didn't answer. He just stood there, looking at Minato through the glass, tears streaming down his face, no matter how much he wiped them away. Minato was waiting outside the window. His figure appeared somewhat unreal in the ambiguity of the night and the lamplight, but his eyes were so real that no one could doubt them.

After a long while, Naruto sniffed and wiped his face haphazardly with his sleeve.

"Are you really... Dad?"

"Hmm," Minato said.

"But, but..." Naruto stammered, "They said... they said you've already..."

"Those are true."

Naruto took a few steps back, then rushed forward and flung open the window.

Minato's figure leaped lightly into the room through the window, his white Hokage robes fluttering gently in the wind. He landed in front of Naruto, taller than Naruto had expected, but his gentle demeanor instantly erased any sense of distance.

"Why now again..." Naruto's voice choked.

Minato crouched down, bringing his line of sight to Naruto's. His movements were so natural, as if the nine-year gap had never existed.

"I had some things to take care of, and thanks to everyone, I was able to get out."

He reached out, seemingly wanting to touch Naruto's hair, but his hand stopped in mid-air.

Naruto looked at the hand, then looked up at Minato's face. The man's eyes were a little red, but he was trying to smile.

"Can I... hug you, Naruto?"