Two months had passed since the battle against the Otsutsuki, and the Chunin Exams across the ninja world were forced to a halt, with no participants promoted to Chunin.
Except for a few who remained in Konoha, teams from other ninja villages had successively returned, and the once bustling Konoha Village settled back into a period of relative tranquility.
"I'm going out."
"Have a good day completing your missions today too."
"Got it, sis!"
Kiba Inuzuka, carrying Akamaru, hurried out the door. It was still early before the team's assembly time, so he planned to take Akamaru for a walk.
To better cultivate the bond between himself and Akamaru, Kiba did everything with Akamaru—eating, sleeping, bathing—and his daily walking routine was also indispensable.
This was the necessary path to fostering their deep connection.
On the streets of Konoha, pedestrians were few. Kiba walked with his hands behind his head, letting Akamaru lead him wherever he pleased.
Compared to two months ago, the current flow of people in Konoha had indeed decreased significantly. Kiba looked at the pedestrians on the street and pouted,
"Why are there so many cat lovers in Konoha? Aren't dogs more loyal than cats? What do you think, Akamaru?"
"Woof woof!"
Akamaru casually responded with a couple of barks, then sniffed the air. A hint of meat aroma wafted over. His dog eyes lit up, and he immediately took off running into an alley.
"Hey, Akamaru, don't run off! Be careful you don't get turned into dog meat hot pot."
Kiba was helpless. Akamaru was still young, and his temperament really needed more training.
Kiba thought to himself as he followed. Although it was within the village, he didn't want anything to happen to his partner.
Suddenly, a whimpering sound of Akamaru being startled came from the corner of the alley.
Kiba's expression changed, and he rushed towards the depths of the alley. A wisp of meat aroma entered his nostrils, but his mind was entirely on Akamaru, and he couldn't concern himself with anything else.
"Akamaru!"
Kiba followed the sound and found Akamaru collapsed beside a utility pole, with what seemed to be strange water stains on his body.
"Whine..."
"Akamaru, what's wrong? Are you hurt?"
Kiba quickly scooped up the damp Akamaru and anxiously checked him.
Akamaru was still trembling all over, but in his dog eyes, besides fear, there was a hint of shame.
*Sorry, Master, Akamaru has disgraced you!*
"Yo, isn't that Kiba? I was wondering who this dog looked so familiar, turns out it's Akamaru."
Kiba looked up. Not far away, at an open-air stall, a red-haired young man was smiling and waving at him.
"Teacher Hayashi, what are you doing here?"
Hayashi pointed to the meat soup on the table and smiled, "Having breakfast. Want to join me? I ordered a lot."
Kiba waved his hand, "No, no. Teacher Hayashi, did you see who bullied Akamaru just now? They threw a basin of water on him, how detestable!"
"Water?"
Hayashi looked strangely at Kiba, who was holding Akamaru, and pointed to a small white creature ravenously eating on the table. "Akamaru was probably scared by Shirou, my apologies."
"Shirou? Teacher Hayashi, are you out walking your dog too?" Kiba only then noticed a dog-like pet sitting opposite Hayashi. He inwardly disdained Akamaru's timidity.
*It's only slightly bigger than you, and it's scared to the point it can't stand steady. What a useless dog.*
"You could say that." Hayashi nodded.
Kiba breathed a sigh of relief, then walked over with Akamaru in his arms and said with a smile, "I'm sorry, Teacher Hayashi. Akamaru is too timid, causing you trouble."
"Cough, it's fine."
Hayashi silently took two steps back. The current Kiba was terrifying, capable of causing social death with a mere touch, comparable to the Genjutsu Kollosal Grey Bone.
"Whine! Whine!"
Seeing himself getting closer to Shirou, Akamaru couldn't help but nudge in Kiba's arms, trembling even more, as if another torrent of water was about to erupt.
"Akamaru, I didn't know you were so timid. It's just a dog slightly bigger than you. Huh, Teacher Hayashi, your dog breed is really unusual."
As he got closer, Kiba finally noticed that Shirou had grown ten tails. However, the more unusual the breed, the more curious it made the Inuzuka clan.
"Teacher Hayashi, what breed of dog is this? Does it have the potential to be a ninja dog?"
Kiba wanted to reach out and pet Shirou, but since he was holding the trembling Akamaru, he had to give up.
"It should be more than capable of being a ninja dog. However, Kiba, I think it's best if you go home and take a bath and change your clothes right now."
Seeing Kiba getting closer, Hayashi beckoned the waiter to pack up the meat soup. He had also eaten quite a bit.
"Why?"
Kiba instinctively scratched his head, then suddenly understood!
If no one splashed water on him, then the water stains on Akamaru were... This was truly a dog's life!
"Whine, whine!"
Akamaru whimpered twice, as if saying: *Master, you initiated the hug, it's not its fault.*
"My apologies, Teacher Hayashi, I need to go home immediately."
Hayashi waved his hand and smiled, "You haven't had breakfast yet, right? Take this meat soup with you. Consider it Shirou's apology."
"Th-this is too kind. Uh... what kind of meat soup is this?"
"Dog meat!"
Akamaru: ...
...
Outside the Hokage Office building.
"Sorry, sorry. It's because there was a cat blocking the road..."
"Ah! Teacher Kakashi, you've used this excuse at least a hundred times. Can you change it next time!"
Naruto complained loudly to Kakashi. He had heard this ridiculous excuse so many times his ears were practically calloused.
Beside them, Sasuke still had his hands in his pockets, looking cool and aloof. Sakura, on the other hand, had a melancholic expression, as if burdened by something.
She had been diligently studying medical ninjutsu recently, hoping to apprentice under that esteemed individual, but progress didn't seem to be going smoothly.
"Ahaha, I won't next time. Let's go pick up some missions first." Kakashi scratched his head, promising to change his excuse.
Although only Konoha was affected by the battle against the Otsutsuki, it had shown the Land of Fire's Daimyo Konoha's immense strength. Not only had the allocated funds increased, but various commissions also poured in.
At the mission assignment desk, Kakashi was leading Team 7 to pick up missions. As they were still Genin, they could only take D-rank and C-rank missions.
"Help the elderly till their fields, clear the debris blocking the lower reaches of the Naka River, help Aunt Wang find her missing orange cat..."
Naruto looked at the missions with a tingle in his scalp and shouted, "What kind of missions are these? I'd rather train in the training grounds! Doing these is completely useless!"
Kakashi said sternly, "All ninjas start from the basics. Naruto, have a better attitude."
"Teacher Kakashi, I think you're saying that because you can slack off on these kinds of missions!"
Kakashi instinctively touched the Icha Icha Paradise in his pocket and said righteously, "Absolutely not!"
Just then, Sasuke exclaimed, "C-rank escort mission: Escort Fūjin Yukie to the Land of Snow for an important filming, commission fee... Ten thousand Ryo?"
"Well, it's just a C-rank mission, but it'll have to do for now." Naruto pouted, about to ask Teacher Kakashi to accept the mission, when he saw a slender hand sweep over his head and take the mission scroll.
"Land of Snow, huh? Going to see the snow wouldn't be bad. What do you think, Shirou?"
"Roar~"