After returning to his little home, Sora resumed his peaceful farming life once more.
Now that he had reached the peak of Kage-level strength, he occasionally sensed a faint, almost imperceptible gaze on him. Other than the Sage of Six Paths, he couldn't think of anyone capable of such surveillance.
So he could only lay low and stay put, just in case the Sage decided to make a sudden move.
In the blink of an eye, more than eight years had passed. Sora was now nineteen years old, having fully transformed into a handsome and confident young man.
Over the past eight years, because Sora had kept an extremely low profile, he had become a sort of legend among Konoha's villagers.
Living alone atop the hill behind the village, the only people who came to visit were Kakashi, Might Guy, and occasionally Kurenai.
Oh, and once, Kushina had brought Naruto over to "familiarize him with the place." Other than that, Sora hadn't taken a single step beyond the back hills.
Last year, Might Guy had come bursting in with excitement, telling Sora that he had finally become a squad leader, and that among his three students, one had perfectly inherited his legacy.
And today was the graduation day of nine of Konoha's Twelve Young Chūnin. At the age of twelve, they had all officially graduated.
Without the Nine-Tails' chakra interfering with him, Naruto had even taken first place, beating Uchiha Sasuke.
Sasuke, of course, was a bit disgruntled about it, but since he hadn't gone through the trauma of losing his clan, he didn't carry much darkness in his heart.
Thanks to the intertwined chakra of Indra and Asura, the two still became an inseparable pair of rivals.
For some reason—maybe fate—the team assignments hadn't changed, even though the Hokage was Minato.
That night, Kakashi, Kurenai, and Guy all showed up at Sora's house.
Guy brought a few bottles of sake, Kakashi had some food, and they all barged in as if they owned the place.
"What's the happy occasion? The three of you showing up together?" Sora asked, a little puzzled.
Usually, they only came together for holidays or special events.
Kakashi and Guy were orphans—holidays alone were meaningless, so they usually spent them here with Sora.
Kurenai's father, Yuhi Shinku, was still alive, but she still often came by. Perhaps their bond had deepened after what they went through together at Death God Mountain.
"Hahaha! Today, both Kakashi and Kurenai have officially become team leaders. We came to celebrate!" Guy laughed heartily, clearly in a great mood.
One look at Kakashi's masked face and Kurenai's soft smile, and Sora knew exactly what was going on.
Sora and Kakashi drank heartily, exchanging toasts and laughs.
Kurenai quietly sat beside Sora, smiling softly as she poured his drink.
"Kakashi," Sora said, patting his shoulder after a few drinks. "When are you and Rin getting married? You two have been dating for over a decade now."
The moment Sora learned that Kakashi and Kurenai had become team leaders, he knew the plot was finally starting.
Kakashi and Guy were his best friends—he didn't want them to drift aimlessly like in the original timeline, so he had been nudging Kakashi toward marriage for years.
If Guy had a love interest, Sora would've pressured him too. But that bowl-cut fool hadn't shown the slightest romantic inclination.
"Soon, soon," Kakashi replied, long used to Sora's nagging. "Rin and I have agreed to get married next year."
Even Kakashi couldn't help but smile with joy.
Kurenai, watching from the side, was full of envy. She shot a glance at Sora, full of resentment.
She silently cursed him for being as dense as a log—after all these years, he still hadn't noticed her feelings.
Ever since Death God Mountain, Kurenai had quietly fallen for Sora, but he remained oblivious to it all.
Kakashi and Guy exchanged a knowing smile, wisely ignoring her sulking.
Not until past midnight did the little gathering end and the three finally left.
"It's finally beginning... I've waited far too long for this," Sora muttered as he watched their silhouettes disappear into the night, his gaze deep and distant.
Nine years.
He had waited nine full years for the story to begin—he had almost forgotten his original plan.
With that, he washed up and went to bed. The time was almost here. Very soon.
A month passed quickly. Kakashi and Kurenai's teams had gotten used to working together.
Sora received word that Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura's Team 7 had received their first C-rank mission—the bridge-building job in the Land of Waves.
After all these years, Sora had forgotten most of the original plot. Only some key points remained in his memory.
Frowning, he struggled to recall the details, and finally remembered—this was when they'd encounter Zabuza and Haku, the team's first real battle.
After some thought, he decided to tail them from the shadows, just in case something unexpected happened.
He didn't even want to imagine what Minato and Kushina would do if anything happened to Naruto.
The next morning, Sora strolled leisurely to Konoha's front gate, where Kakashi's team was assembling.
"Well, well, look who decided to leave his little hilltop retreat," Kakashi said in surprise.
It had been years since anyone had seen Sora step foot outside. A true once-in-a-lifetime event.
"Nothing special," Sora replied with a wave of his hand. "Just wanted to stretch my legs a bit, tag along with you for fun."
"No problem." Kakashi wasn't at all surprised that Sora knew about the mission—within Konoha, there was nothing Sora couldn't find out if he wanted to.
"Good morning, Uncle Sora," Naruto greeted a bit nervously. He'd only met this "uncle" once before and found him a little intimidating.
Especially after hearing stories from his mother—he was in absolute awe of the man.
Seeing Naruto like this stunned Sasuke and Sakura. The guy who feared nothing and no one was actually being polite and shy?
Just who was this person? Why had they never heard of him? But Kakashi and Sora didn't offer any explanations.
After greeting Naruto, the group set off.
Tazuna, the bridge builder, had initially wanted to say something—but the moment he met Sora's gaze, he immediately clammed up and obediently followed along.
Inwardly, he was trembling.
He feared Sora would find out he had lied about the mission's rank. If that happened… he might not live to see tomorrow.
That look in his eyes—like staring into the very depths of hell—was terrifying.
Still, he felt a bit reassured. With someone this powerful on their side, they had a much better chance of taking down Gato.
And so, chatting idly with Kakashi, the group quietly made their way forward.
But in Sora's mind, he was already thinking—should he take this chance to kill Zabuza?
Given Zabuza's strength, he might just drop a card.
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