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The next day, after having breakfast, Naruto cheerfully headed out.
Two hours later, he returned home.
Sasuke was sitting on the floor, maintaining his katana. Hearing footsteps, he looked up at the panting Naruto.
"Why did it take so long?" He continued polishing the oil on his blade with a cloth in hand.
Naruto waved his hand dismissively and quickly ran to the kitchen, opened the fridge, grabbed a drink, and gulped it down. After letting out a loud exhale, he finally spoke.
"I went all around Konoha! Luckily, no one had a mission today."
"Did you invite everyone?" Sasuke smiled slightly. "Thanks."
"No problem!"
Naruto grinned and sat cross-legged in front of Sasuke, looking at the sword in his hand.
"Sasuke, you didn't use to wield a sword, right? Your fighting style has changed a lot from before."
Sasuke thought about why he learned swordsmanship, and his expression darkened a bit.
It's all that guy's fault.
He had boasted so much, but in the end, couldn't teach me much. My unreliable uncle...
Of course, there was no need to tell Naruto about that.
He turned the sword left and right, inspecting the gleaming blade. At the same time, he spoke nonchalantly, "I'm not one to stay in one place. As long as it strengthens me, I'll learn it."
"Is that so?" Naruto squinted his eyes, raising a hand to touch his chin. "Should I learn it too? It does look cool."
"Forget it. It doesn't suit you," Sasuke glanced at him briefly.
"Why not! If you can learn it, then of course I can too!" Naruto protested, unwilling to give up.
"Your fighting style is different. Don't push yourself."
Sasuke skillfully twirled the sword in his hand before sheathing it with a sharp "shing."
"But you use a sword, and I use kunai. Doesn't that mean I'm at a disadvantage?" Naruto still wasn't convinced.
"You just want a weapon, right? It doesn't have to be a sword. Think about what suits you best."
Sasuke began gathering his maintenance tools and neatly placed them into a small wooden box.
Naruto's eyes lit up, "Oh! What should I choose then… how about a meteor hammer?"
Sasuke, having packed the small box into his ninja pouch, stood up.
"I don't know much about other weapons. You should ask Uncle Minato."
"Oh." Naruto scratched his head as he also stood up.
---
Around noon, Sasuke and Naruto arrived early at the restaurant for the gathering — Konoha's well-known BBQ place, "Yakiniku Q." After selecting a private room, they placed their order and sat down to wait.
Soon, when all the meat had been served, the others arrived one after another.
Thanks to Naruto enthusiastically greeting everyone, Sasuke only needed to stand up occasionally and say a few words.
Even so, Sasuke's attitude shocked their old classmates. Not to mention, Sasuke inviting them to a dinner in the first place was already an oddity!
Although everyone wanted to voice their thoughts, they held back their unusual feelings and tried their best to engage in small talk. However, despite everyone's efforts, there was still a lingering sense of awkwardness in the room.
Of course, Naruto, Lee, and Kiba didn't notice a thing.
At this moment, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio from Team 10 finally arrived, fashionably late.
"Yo, we're late," Shikamaru greeted.
Choji's eyes sparkled at the sight of the piles of meat stacked high on the table, and he happily squinted his eyes.
"Thanks, Sasuke, for treating us to such delicious meat!" His goodwill towards Sasuke was now at maximum level.
"Didn't expect you to be so generous, Sasuke."
Shikamaru didn't bother stopping Choji from diving into the barbecue nor did he interfere with Ino and Sakura's bickering, choosing instead to reluctantly engage in socializing.
'This is such a drag', Shikamaru thought.
He hadn't wanted to attend this troublesome gathering, but Choji sold him out the moment he heard "barbecue." Since he had promised Naruto, he had no choice but to make an appearance.
Sasuke stood up and nodded, "Take a seat."
Everyone sat down and began grilling their meat.
Perhaps it was the warmth of the fire or the delicious taste of the barbecue, but as time passed, the atmosphere gradually became more relaxed.
"Sasuke!" Naruto suddenly spoke up loudly. "You have something you want to say to everyone, right?"
As he spoke, he kept winking at Sasuke.
'This idiot!' Shikamaru was at a loss for words, watching Naruto.
Of course, he knew the significance of Sasuke inviting them to dinner.
Those who understood, understood. But wasn't this something that was best left unsaid, a silent understanding? Making Sasuke say it out loud would only make things awkward.
Sasuke was also at a bit of a loss, but with Naruto pushing him, he had no choice.
"The reason I invited everyone here today is because of what happened three years ago," Sasuke began awkwardly. "I heard several of you were seriously injured back then. I want to apologize to you all and say thank you."
No sooner had Sasuke finished speaking than Lee immediately burst into tears and gave him a thumbs-up.
"It's okay, Sasuke! Youth allows for mistakes!!"
"So that's why you invited us? You've become much more agreeable compared to your arrogant self from before."
Kiba eyed Sasuke up and down before tossing a piece of grilled meat into the air.
"Isn't that right, Akamaru?"
"Woof!" The now full-grown Akamaru jumped up and caught the meat in his mouth.
Shikamaru glanced at Naruto, who looked deeply moved, and felt suffocated.
'Here it is! The idiot who doesn't understand unspoken intentions! What I consider common sense is something beyond the comprehension of some fools. And my clever brain just doesn't get how an idiot's mind works.'
"You don't need to apologize or thank me," Shino's eerie voice sounded. "If you're asking why, it's because I wasn't part of that mission."
'There it is! The legendary "Killjoy King"!!' Shikamaru's eyes widened in shock, feeling even more suffocated.
'Did Sasuke not know you didn't participate? What exactly are you trying to say by bringing this up? Couldn't you just quietly enjoy the benefits of being a teammate?'
"Sorry, Sasuke-kun. I… I wasn't part of that mission either," Hinata mustered up the courage to say. She glanced at Naruto, then blushed and lowered her head, seemingly too shy to even eat her barbecue.
"I..." Sakura doodled absentmindedly in the air.
"I wasn't part of the mission either! So what's the big deal!" Ino fearlessly declared. "Since it's Sasuke-kun's treat, let's just consider it a class reunion."
'Well done, Ino!' Shikamaru cheered internally. That's the way!
Let's end this awkward topic and focus on eating!
"Hinata," Sasuke suddenly looked at Hinata, "Is it just me, or do you seem really afraid of this idiot?"
"Pfft..."
"Cough cough cough..."
"Cough cough cough cough..."
'There it is! The idiot with zero emotional intelligence!!' Shikamaru's eyes became lifeless as he glanced sympathetically at Hinata.