Chapter 221: Reconciliation
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Konohamaru walked down the streets of Konoha, his long scarf trailing behind him. Udon and Moegi followed closely by his side.
"Konohamaru, are we going to disturb Naruto-niichan's training if we head over there now?" Moegi asked.
"I don't know what kind of nerve Tianyu and those other two struck today, but they actually apologized to us! They even said we are comrades, that competition is necessary but they went too far before, and that they want to reconcile. I don't believe him for a second! I'm going to find Boss Naruto and ask for his opinion," Konohamaru said with a face full of suspicion.
Moegi replied, "Isn't that a good thing? Tianyu and the others are actually quite nice. Even though they play pranks occasionally, they usually help give pointers to the other students."
Udon added, "Yeah, yeah."
"You guys are members of the Konohamaru Corps! How can you say that? They've beaten us up so many times; that debt hasn't been repaid yet!" Konohamaru was very angry.
He felt it wasn't that simple. He suspected that as they got older, they realized the "value" of his status as the Third Hokage's grandson and wanted to suck up to him. Hmph, as if it were that easy!
Boss Naruto was already a Genin, had defeated Ebisu-sensei, and was very worldly in Konohamaru's eyes. Naruto had even developed such powerful ninjutsu. Only Naruto's opinion was worth trusting.
Moegi whispered, "But... he said he could teach us ways to get stronger!"
Udon chimed in, "Exactly. They really are strong."
Konohamaru felt a bit tempted at the mention of getting stronger, but he couldn't bring himself to lose face. Besides, he was getting stronger quickly too—just not as fast as Tianyu and his crew. Curse his grandfather; the old man was always "busy, busy, busy" and never had much time to teach him.
"Hey, Konohamaru, we're at Boss Naruto's house," Moegi noted.
Konohamaru nodded and knocked on the door.
Knock, knock, knock!
Knock, knock!
"Boss Naruto, it's me, Konohamaru..."
After waiting for a while, Konohamaru realized Naruto wasn't there. "Usually Boss Naruto has finished training by this time. Why isn't he here today?" He had done his research.
"Maybe he's still training. After all, he's preparing for the Chunin Exams!" Moegi suggested.
Udon said, "Let's go back, Konohamaru."
"No, I have to find him." Konohamaru felt unsettled; he really wanted to hear Naruto's thoughts. Udon and Moegi had no choice but to follow. They began searching the nearby training grounds.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The three used all the tracking skills they had learned at the Academy and began searching through Konoha.
"This is the top of the Hokage Rock. It's a great view, right? Isn't it spectacular?" Naruto sat high atop the Hokage Rock, looking down at the scenery below with a grin. This was his favorite spot; whenever he was unhappy in the past, he would come up here for a while. Looking at the vast expanse of Konoha always gave him a brief moment of joy. Today was no different.
"Yeah, it really is a different kind of scenery!" Boruto looked at the distant landscape. It was indeed different from the future; the buildings were older, possessing a certain historical beauty. There weren't as many modern architectural styles as in his time.
So, this was the environment his father grew up in. He looked at the bright, sunny Naruto—his current "dad" was indeed very different from the dad he knew as an adult. If it weren't for the photos of his father as a child at home, he might have thought he had the wrong person. Was this really the same dad who was always buried in work?
He looked at Uncle Sasuke and found him gazing at Konoha with a nostalgic expression.
"Right? I told you! Since we're done here, let's go to another place. It's somewhere I go often too," Naruto said mysteriously. He even started drooling a little.
This made Boruto and Sasuke suspicious. What kind of place could it be?
"Where is it?"
"You'll know when I take you there! It's one of my absolute favorite spots. I guarantee you'll be satisfied." Naruto stood up and began to lead the way.
Curiosity piqued, Boruto followed. What could his father's favorite childhood "scenery" be? Sasuke followed as well, knowing that to find Urashiki, he had to stay by Naruto's side.
"Brother, do you think Konohamaru and his friends will agree?" Maki asked Tianyu. They were walking home. Wataru followed behind, equally curious about this question. They had been at odds with Konohamaru since the first grade, fighting for several years now. How would they react?
Tianyu laughed, "They will definitely agree. The Will of Fire of the Third Hokage is about unity and comradeship. How could Konohamaru refuse? He's the Third's grandson, after all."
"Why did you suddenly decide to reconcile with him? You weren't like this before," Wataru asked. Although they didn't have any deep-seated hatred, only minor frictions, they had been classmates who fought for years.
Tianyu gave a sly grin. "This is all part of the plan. I actually wanted to stop fighting him in the second grade, but then I suddenly thought: one day, I'm going to be the man who becomes Hokage. I need supporters. Konohamaru is the Third's grandson and has great talent. With his support, my chances will be even better."
He continued, "The books say that fighting is a form of closeness and scolding is a form of love. We've built a bond through years of fighting. As long as I apologize and invite him to train together, I'll have the upper hand. He'll always be behind me, and the initiative will stay in my hands. That's why we decided to keep fighting until the third grade."
Maki nodded. "Exactly, that's it."
"Wow, you guys are so devious!" Wataru exclaimed.
"What do you mean 'devious'? The Shinobi Manual says that a ninja must learn to utilize the power of information, otherwise they'll always be second-rate," Tianyu said, unfazed by Wataru's evaluation.
"Hearing you say that makes me feel you're even more devious."
"Wataru!"
"Haha, fine. I have a feeling that when Konohamaru trains with you, he'll surpass you. When that happens, even if it's your home turf, you won't have the advantage," Wataru teased.
"...Impossible. People I surpass will only ever stay behind me, getting further and further away."
"Brother, those sound like lines from the stories Dad tells. Don't go using those lines randomly; I don't think it'll work."
"It'll work!"
At a corner of a Konoha street.
Three heads popped out one by one, from bottom to top, watching the one tall and two short figures in the distance.
"Konohamaru, who is that? He looks just like Boss Naruto," Moegi whispered.
"Could it be Boss Naruto's twin brother? They're identical," Udon added.
Konohamaru looked on suspiciously. "You guys have a point, but according to my investigation, Boss Naruto doesn't have a brother. His only 'brothers' are me—his little brother Konohamaru—and you two."
"Could it be a new 'little brother' he took in?"
"It's possible."
"How could he do this? He already has the Konohamaru Corps, yet he's taking in others! Boss Naruto is so unfair, and he didn't even tell us!" Konohamaru's head was practically steaming with jealousy.
He had temporarily forgotten all about Tianyu's team.
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