C16 Meal

After several more days of monotonous waiting, the bridge was finally complete.

"Thank you so much. We couldn't have finished this bridge without your help!"

As the bridge was inaugurated, all the workers felt a deep sense of gratitude toward the members of Class 7.

They were particularly touched when they learned that Tazuna had resorted to some underhanded tactics to bring them there, yet he had remained committed to ensuring their safety.

Without Class 7, even with their livelihoods at stake, they wouldn't have dared to undertake this construction.

Observing their genuine, moved expressions, Hong had an epiphany.

He had always felt disconnected from this world.

Even from the Naruto Universe, which he had adored in his past life.

Upon his arrival in this new world, he approached it with awe and caution.

But after unlocking the Golden Finger, he began to see himself as an invincible protagonist from a fanfiction, believing his purpose was to conquer and impress.

Yet, witnessing these individuals, whom he once viewed as insignificant, expressing such gratitude for his simple act of kindness, made him reflect.

He remembered his own past life, where he too was seen as insignificant by others.

Back then, if someone had lent him a helping hand during his times of need, he surely would have been as thankful as the people before him now.

In that moment, Hong felt a newfound connection to this world; he was no longer just an observer but an integral part of it.

Watching Sakura shyly interact with the citizens of the Wave Country, he reminisced about their shared moments.

Hong smiled to himself; despite his previous life's disdain for Sakura, in this world, she was undeniably his sister.

His gaze then shifted to Naruto and Kakashi, and his desire to protect them flourished like springtime grass.

Sakura, sensing something, looked at Hong with curiosity and saw an unfamiliar tenderness in his eyes, leaving her slightly astonished.

She had always sensed that despite Hong's outward warmth, his heart was chillingly cold.

Now, that iciness seemed to have thawed. But why?

It didn't matter to her. This was her brother, and any positive change was welcome, regardless of the reason.

The siblings exchanged a knowing smile.

Hong declined Tazuna's request to name the bridge after himself.

In the end, the bridge was still called the Naruto Bridge, just like in the original story.

Naruto swelled with pride at this recognition of his existence.

After a leisurely journey, the five of them returned to Konoha Ninja Village, a place they hadn't seen in a while.

"Alright, this is where we part ways. Go home and rest for now. I'll let you know if there are any missions," Kakashi announced at the village entrance. He then vanished from sight, heading to the Hikage Office to report on the mission's findings, which had yielded some particularly noteworthy intelligence.

Once Kakashi had departed, Hong turned to Naruto and the others with a smile. "What do you say? How about we go out for a meal to celebrate our first successful completion of a tough mission?"

"I don't have time. I need to train!" Sasuke quickly dismissed the idea and walked away.

Sakura hesitated, ultimately unable to call Sasuke back.

Watching Sasuke's retreating figure, Hong joked, "Ah, Sasuke is really dedicated, isn't he?"

Sakura shot Hong a look and pouted, "Don't you know why?"

Of course, Hong understood what Sakura was implying. "There's nothing I can do about it. His jealousy is too strong; he can't stand anyone outshining him."

"Exactly, Sasuke's such an egomaniac. Don't worry about him, Mr. Hirome. Let's go eat, just the three of us!" Naruto chimed in.

"Hmph, all you think about is food. I'm heading home! If my mother finds out we didn't check in with her as soon as we got back, someone's going to hear about it."

With that, Sakura cast a longing glance in the direction Sasuke had gone, stamped her foot, and started walking towards her house.

Sakura's words conjured up an image in Hong's mind of Mebuki scolding him, which sent a chill down his spine.

"Wait for me, Sakura. I need to head home too. Sorry, Naruto, we'll catch up some other time!"

Hong apologized to Naruto and hurried after Sakura, leaving Naruto standing there alone.

"Why does it always end up like this?"

...

Today marked the reunion of this year's graduating class.

Inside the barbecue restaurant, nine experts along with one more person occupied a large table, making a group of ten.

"Let me tell you guys, Mr. Kakashi said our mission this time is S-rank. Pretty impressive, right?"

Once everyone was seated, Naruto started to boast.

Naruto, ever the smooth talker, was met with Sasuke's dismissive attitude, Sakura's knack for undermining him, Shikamaru's constant grumbling about the hassle, Ino's affectionate behavior toward Mr. Hirome, Hinata's blushing glances at Ino, Choji's pre-meal indulgence in special potato chips, Kiba's laughter at Naruto's tall tales, Mr. Hirome's contentment surrounded by friends, and Shino's unassuming presence.

At this gathering, everyone seemed much the same, except for Mr. Hirome, who felt he had become more a part of the group.

"I heard the Middle Ninja Exam is coming up soon!"

As the gathering was winding down, Mr. Hirome's sudden announcement caught all the experts off guard, even Choji, who was usually preoccupied with his food, paused and put down his barbecue.

"Hmm? Mr. Hirome, how did you find out?" Shikamaru asked, puzzled. He knew about the Middle Ninja Exam but was unaware of its start date.

"Well, I guessed. A lot of missions have been put on hold recently. Haven't you guys wondered why? Plus, thinking back to previous Middle Ninja Exams, they seem to be around this time!"

Mr. Hirome spoke with such confidence that everyone was impressed.

Only Naruto was clueless. "What's the Middle Ninja Exam?"

The group was exasperated by Naruto's ignorance. Shikamaru reluctantly took it upon himself to fill Naruto in on the basics of the Middle Ninja Exam.

"I see, so that's it. I'm definitely going to secure a spot in the Middle Ninja Exam!" Naruto exclaimed, his excitement palpable.

But Naruto's enthusiasm was short-lived as Sasuke quickly doused it with a dose of reality.

"Idiot, we've only just graduated as Low Ninja. The village probably won't let us participate!"

"What? But I'm really strong, even the Upper Ninja are no match for me!"

Naruto, under the impression he couldn't take part in the Middle Ninja Exam, started grumbling.

"Heh, it was Mr. Hirome who defeated the Upper Ninja, not you," Sasuke retorted sharply.

When it came to teasing Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura were in a league of their own.

"I helped too..." Naruto's voice trailed off, betraying a lack of conviction.

The group couldn't help but laugh at Naruto's demeanor.

Kiba, who often clashed with Naruto, couldn't contain himself and burst into raucous laughter, slapping the table.

"Come on, Naruto is actually very strong. If it came down to a real fight, probably only Sasuke could give him a run for his money."

"Mr. Hirome gets me, as always!"

Naruto was visibly moved when he heard Hirome defending him.

"Okay, we might be fresh out of the academy, but we're no pushovers. I'm sure the Ninja Village will let us take the Middle Ninja Exam. It's best we start preparing now!"

Spurred on by Hirome's words, everyone's spirits were lifted. There's truth to the adage: a Low Ninja who doesn't aspire to be a Middle Ninja is no good ninja at all!

Only Shikamaru seemed troubled by the thought, muttering, "What a drag..."