As Iruka, Naruto, and Team 8 walked through the village, heading toward his place for lunch, they ran into Asuma and Team 10.
Asuma greeted them casually, a cigarette between his lips. "Yo, Iruka. How's training going?"
Before Iruka could respond, Asuma took a long drag and then exhaled, releasing a puff of smoke—right into Iruka's face.
Iruka's eye twitched. He slowly waved the smoke away and forced a polite smile. "Asuma, could you not do that?"
Shikamaru sighed. "That was kinda rude, Sensei."
Choji, still munching on a bag of chips, nodded. "Yeah, not cool."
Asuma chuckled. "My bad, my bad." He then looked over at Kurenai. "Since we ran into each other, why don't we all eat together?"
Before Kurenai could answer, Naruto immediately cut in. "No way! Kurenai-neechan and her team are eating with us at Iruka-sensei's place!"
Asuma raised an eyebrow, clearly not liking the answer. "Oh? That so?"
Kurenai, arms crossed, smirked. "It is."
Asuma sighed dramatically. "What's with this favoritism?"
Iruka, still annoyed from earlier smoke puffing, kept his politeness intact. "We've already made plans, Asuma. Maybe another time."
Asuma let out another long drag of smoke. "Sure, sure. Don't go spoiling them with your cooking, though."
Naruto stuck out his tongue. "Too late!"
Iruka rolled his eyes and turned to his group. "Let's go."
As they walked off, Kurenai glanced at Iruka. "You really don't like the smoking thing, do you?"
Iruka sighed. "I don't care if he does it—just not in my face."
Kurenai smirked. "Noted."
Lunch at Iruka's Place
The scent of freshly grilled fish and seasoned rice filled the air as Iruka set the plates down. The meal consisted of miso soup, tamagoyaki (Japanese omelet), and a mix of vegetables.
Naruto's eyes sparkled. "Sensei, this smells amazing!"
Kiba sniffed the air and grinned. "Not bad, Iruka-sensei. I thought teachers only knew how to eat convenience store food."
Iruka smirked. "Maybe you should focus on eating instead of running your mouth."
As they dug in, Kiba took a bite of the grilled fish. His eyes widened as he dramatically clutched his chest. "This… this flavor!"
Naruto leaned forward, eyes practically glowing. "Right?! Sensei's cooking is crazy good!"
Kiba suddenly slammed his hands on the table. "I can't go back! My life has changed forever!"
Shino, who had been eating quietly, took another bite. His fingers paused slightly on his chopsticks as he analyzed the taste.
'…This is good.'
Naruto dramatically fell to his knees and pointed at Iruka with shaking hands. "Sensei… no, you're not just a teacher. You're a messiah sent by the God of Food!"
Kiba shot up from his seat, pointing aggressively at Iruka. "Naruto's right! This isn't normal cooking! This is divine intervention!"
Shino, though composed, adjusted his glasses as he took another bite.
'If Iruka-sensei cooked every meal, I wouldn't complain.'
He remained silent but ate slightly faster.
Even Hinata, who had been quietly enjoying her meal, gave a small nod, her cheeks a little pink. Kurenai, though trying to maintain her composure, had long since accepted defeat and continued eating.
Though no one else said anything, the way they all ate just a little faster spoke volumes.
Iruka sighed, shaking his head. "You guys are ridiculous."
Kurenai gave him an amused glance. "You might have set a dangerous precedent, Iruka."
He groaned. "I just wanted to make a decent meal…"
But as he looked around the table, seeing everyone—even Shino—truly enjoying his cooking, he couldn't help but smile.
Afternoon Training – Chakra Control
After finishing their meal and resting for a bit, they all headed to the training ground.
Iruka clapped his hands. "Alright, today we're focusing on chakra control."
Naruto groaned. "Again? But I wanna learn more sword techniques!"
Iruka shook his head. "Your foundation is weak. If you don't control your chakra properly, you'll just be wasting energy."
Naruto pouted but didn't argue.
Hinata, standing nearby, looked at Iruka. "W-What will we be doing, Sensei?"
Iruka pointed to a nearby tree. "Tree walking."
Naruto's eyes lit up. "Oh! I remember this! You focus chakra into your feet and walk up, right?"
Iruka nodded. "Exactly." He turned to Team 8. "Since you're already proficient in this, you can either help Naruto or refine your own control."
Hinata, as a Hyuga, had been doing chakra control training since childhood, so this was nothing new to her. Shino, being analytical, had little trouble adjusting. Kiba, however…
"AAAAH!"
Kiba fell flat on his face as he slipped from the tree.
Naruto burst out laughing. "Pfft! I thought you said this was easy!"
Kiba growled. "Shut up! Akamaru usually helps me balance!"
Naruto smirked. "Excuses!"
As the training continued, Naruto kept failing, getting frustrated each time. But despite the failures, he didn't stop trying. His determination was clear.
Iruka watched him, arms crossed. 'He's getting better… He just needs time.'
Hours passed as they all trained, with the sun beginning to set. Finally, Iruka clapped his hands. "That's enough for today."
Naruto wiped sweat from his forehead. "Damn… I'll get this down soon!"
Iruka nodded. "We'll continue tomorrow. For now, go home and rest."
A Mysterious System Message
That night, Iruka returned home, feeling satisfied with the day's progress. He stretched, preparing to lay down and get some much-needed sleep.
But the moment he closed his eyes—
Ding!
A system window popped up in front of him.
[New System Alert!]
[You have been selected for a Trial.]
[Trial will begin immediately.]
Iruka's eyes widened. "Wait, wha—"
A bright light engulfed him.
And then, everything went dark.
To be continued…