Souta Kazuki was completely drunk.
After all, this was the first time his body had consumed alcohol, and all twelve of the little strong ones were in a dazed state. As the song finished, the group turned their gazes toward Asuma Sarutobi and Kurenai Yuhi with an expression full of ambiguity, making the two instantly blush. Being stared at by a bunch of brats with such knowing looks was simply too embarrassing!
Asuma, at least, could keep his composure a little since he was a man, but Kurenai wished the ground would open up and swallow her whole.
On the other side, Might Guy, who had been silent for a while, suddenly trembled. His whole body seemed to be quaking with excitement, his fists clenched as he fought to contain himself. But in the end, he couldn't hold back anymore!
With a loud bang, he leaped up, pointing dramatically at the ceiling.
"This... is youth!!!!"
The restaurant exploded into laughter once more, but in the midst of all this noise, Asuma and Kurenai both suddenly felt something strange. Their sharp instincts as shinobi kicked in, and they immediately noticed it—there were a large number of ninjas surrounding the restaurant.
Their expressions turned serious as they exchanged glances. Without hesitation, they grabbed Might Guy, who was still shouting about youth.
Might Guy had been so caught up in the moment that he hadn't sensed the odd atmosphere, but now he too noticed it—there were masked shinobi surrounding the building.
The Anbu had finally locked onto the location of Souta Kazuki and his group after several searches around the village. Now, they had completely surrounded the barbecue restaurant. At the same time, Kakashi arrived on the scene.
Many of the customers who had been dining sensed that something was wrong and quickly fled.
The twelve little strong ones, still somewhat tipsy from drinking, only realized what was happening a moment later. But once they did, their bodies tensed. They had been surrounded.
Masked shinobi stood at every possible exit.
Their minds flashed back to the time when Souta Kazuki had been taken away by Danzo's men at the Ninja Academy. These shinobi bore a striking resemblance to the Root ninja.
Could it be that Danzo was making another move on Souta?!
At the thought of this, the twelve little strong ones immediately shifted into battle-ready stances.
Asuma and Kurenai, on the other hand, were confused. Why was the Root involved in this?
At that moment—
Bang!
Kakashi burst into the restaurant, his gaze sweeping the room. Seeing that all the students were still there, he let out a breath of relief.
"Good! At least no one has gone missing."
After ensuring his students were safe, he turned to the Anbu and quickly explained the situation, instructing them to report back to the Third Hokage.
The Anbu, efficient as always, disappeared without a trace.
Kakashi's expression turned serious. He turned toward Souta Kazuki, Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, and Sakura Haruno, his one visible eye narrowing.
"You little brats are really out of control! Do you even realize that today is the day of team assignments? You should have been waiting at the Academy! The Hokage himself was alarmed because of this mess!"
But instead of looking guilty, Naruto just picked his nose lazily. Then, flicking the booger in Kakashi's direction, he sneered.
"Tsk! You lazy bum!"
His voice was full of disdain.
"You have the nerve to lecture us?! We waited for you at the Academy for ages, but you never showed up! We got hungry, so we came out to eat! What's the problem with that?!"
Naruto crossed his arms, looking thoroughly unimpressed.
"Besides, you look like you haven't even woken up properly! You're supposed to be some powerful ninja, right? But look at you, with that half-dead, fish-eyed stare—like someone suffering from kidney deficiency!"
"Hahahahahaha!"
The whole group burst out laughing at Naruto's words.
Kakashi twitched.
His teacher's son was not adorable at all.
He thought back to his old sensei, who had been the embodiment of warmth and positivity. And then he looked at Naruto—
The complete opposite.
Before he could retort, Sasuke scoffed.
"Naruto, that idiot, actually has a point. You were late, and now you're blaming us?"
Even Sakura muttered under her breath, "He does kind of look like he has kidney deficiency…"
Kakashi's brow twitched even harder.
Asuma and Kurenai, who had been watching this exchange, were stunned.
Kakashi… was Kidney-Deficient Man?!
Only Might Guy seemed unaffected. In fact, his face suddenly lit up as if he had an epiphany. With a flash, he appeared in front of Kakashi.
"Kakashi!!! This is youth!!!"
Without warning, Might Guy threw his hands up dramatically and started singing—
"Who is my bride—!!!"
Kakashi froze.
What the hell was this?
Where did this song come from?
And why was Guy singing it at him?!
He took a cautious step back.
Might Guy's eyes were burning with passion as he struck a pose, flashing his dazzling white teeth.
"Kakashi! Of course, it's you!"
He pointed at him boldly.
"You are my bride—!!!"
"HI HI!!! LET'S GO MEET OUR PARENTS—!!!"
Kakashi's brain short-circuited.
He quickly took three steps back, staring at Guy as if he had just seen a ghost.
"You… what?!"
You thick-browed, muscle-headed idiot!
I treated you as my best friend, and this is what you say to me?!
Meanwhile, in the spiritual realm…
Might Duy, the eternal embodiment of youth, stood beside Hatake Sakumo, watching the scene unfold.
Might Duy was positively thrilled, his fists trembling with excitement.
"Sakumo!!! Look at this! This is youth!!!"
He clapped a hand on Sakumo's shoulder, grinning widely.
"Our sons have such a deep bond! It's touching! This is youth!!!"
Hatake Sakumo, however, did not share the enthusiasm.
His face was blank as he watched his son get called a kidney-deficient man, get flirted with by Guy, and then take several steps back in horror.
"...What a rebellious son."