Inside the crowded tent, the light was bright.
Hinata stared out at the pouring rain, lost in thought, while Ino also frowned, feeling a bit uneasy as she listened to the sound of the rain hitting the tent.
A rustling sound caught Hinata's attention, and she looked up to see Ino getting up. She was slightly stunned. She didn't ask Ino where she was planning to go in such a heavy rain. Instead, she turned around and looked at the seven kids inside the tent.
Hinata tried to make her voice as gentle as possible, smiling as she usually did.
"Stay here and don't run around, okay? When the rain stops, we will come back to check if you are well behaved."
"Big sister, are you two going out?"
Ino looked at Hinata with some surprise, but didn't say anything. She forced a smile in response.
"I suddenly remembered that there are still some things I haven't done."
"Right." Hinata added, 'There were some things I wanted to verify personally.'
Maybe now is not the best opportunity, but she doesn't want Ino to go see Naruto alone. The unease in her heart was growing. Any more unexpected events, and things might develop in a direction she wouldn't like.
The tent opened slightly, and the two girls left in the pouring rain.
Outside a cave not far from the tent.
With a splash, a puddle was stomped on, sending water splashing half a meter high.
"Naruto-niichan, there's a cave ahead!"
"Hurry! Get inside!" Naruto felt his underwear was soaked, and his sandals were slowing him down.
"It's no good! It's on a cliff; it's too high." Udon shouted.
"What are you afraid of? You've got me, haven't you?" Naruto yelled back.
"But Naruto-niichan, didn't Iruka-sensei say that we cannot rely on the power of the leading Genin?" Konohamaru asked as he ran, glancing back.
"I didn't hear it at all, so it doesn't count!" Naruto wiped the rain off his face, "Shinobi can't be too rigid. Moegi is a special case."
"Let's get up there first!"
After saying that, he grabbed Konohamaru and Udon, one in each hand, and climbed up the cliff. When they entered the cave, the three of them realized that they were soaked to the bone.
Naruto pulled out some firewood he had bought, and with a flash of Lava Release, the fire ignited with a bang. Konohamaru took off his coat while hopping on one foot.
Fortunately, it is not late autumn yet, so the temperature around wasn't too low.
"Actually, I have a tent."
As they sat down by the fire, Naruto's first sentence left Konohamaru and Udon stunned.
"What?" Konohamaru stared at Naruto in a daze, his lips trembling slightly, "Naruto-niichan, you did this on purpose! Why didn't you take out the tent if you have one?"
Udon nodded, echoing the sentiment.
Naruto looked irritated, "What's the big deal about getting a little wet? Do you think it'll melt you?"
The firelight flickered in Naruto's eyes as he spoke lazily, "I may not be the most responsible, but being too responsible doesn't do you any favors either. I've always thought this summer camp-like mission from the Academy is stupid, like some kind of Shinobi playing house."
"How can you discover any real issues by following a set plan? If everything is prepared for you, what's the point of being a Shinobi? And Moegi…"
"Moegi didn't do it on purpose. She just acts like that sometimes." Konohamaru explained.
"I didn't say anything bad about Moegi. At her age, she is allowed to be a bit willful, but I hope she can learn and grow from this experience." Naruto said.
"After today, who knows when we'll see each other again. But since I'm your team leader, even if just for a day, I'll teach you what I can within that time."
Konohamaru and Udon lowered their heads as the firelight flickered on their faces.
"Don't look so down. I wasn't planning on bothering with you kids. I just have too much free time." Naruto said.
"Yes." The two responded.
"Konohamaru, do you think Moegi will be mad?" Udon poked Konohamaru and asked in a low voice.
"Who knows? When we get back, she might complain again." Konohamaru sighed, "Let's wait and see. Hopefully, Moegi won't lose her temper again."
Naruto placed his clothes near the fire to dry, glancing at the whispering Konohamaru and Udon before turning back to the blazing flames.
He couldn't help but rolled his eyes at this moment, 'No wonder Tsunade had insisted on canceling my break just to ensure I joined these Konoha's young students on their summer camp. Even the team assignments were meticulously planned. She really spared no effort in stacking connections for me.'
But Naruto didn't really want these bonds. Besides roughing up Konohamaru a bit, he hadn't had much interaction with these heirs of prominent clans.
But obviously Tsunade didn't think so. She didn't know that he had already released Kyubi and is no longer a Jinchuriki.
Even if the next Hokage is not from Hiruzen's lineage, they will not be able to do anything to him.
But Naruto wasn't clueless either. Tsunade's intentions were obvious, practically blatant favoritism. Whether it was through temporary assignments or this summer camp, she was continuously stacking social connections on him, trying to pile the entire legacy left by Sandaime onto Naruto.
The method was crude, but it was undoubtedly effective. Naruto couldn't let Tsunade's goodwill go to waste.
The Konoha 12 are basically the backbone of Konoha, except for Sasuke.
In addition, he has now established good relations with the descendants of the Sarutobi Clan, the Kazematsuri Clan, and the Ise Clan. No matter what the situation will be in the future, Uzumaki Naruto's position in Konoha will be unshakable.
Moreover, Tsunade wasn't aware of any hidden conspiracies in the Shinobi World. She was just standing from the perspective of a Hokage and trying to channel resources towards him as much as possible him.
Although Naruto was somewhat reluctant, he still put some effort into helping the kids. Although his methods are a bit extreme, it was just to get the job done. Even if Moegi ended up resenting him, it didn't matter.
It wasn't manipulation, it's just that the routine has been used to win people's hearts since ancient times and it has always worked.
For now, instead of thinking about all that mess, he needed to think about how to report back to his hot-tempered blonde superior. After all, the results weren't stellar, but they were still acceptable.
Just as he was thinking about his excuse, Konohamaru's sudden exclamation interrupted his thoughts.
"Naruto-niichan, those two sisters are coming through the rain!"
"Huh?"
Naruto, who had been sitting shirtless, immediately stood up and quickly walked to the edge of the cave on the cliff. Looking down, he saw two figures making their way toward the firelight on the cliff.
"What are they doing?" Naruto hurriedly grabbed his half-dried clothes by the fire and put them on, then immediately jumped down the cliff.
The heavy rain did not last long, and the three teams reached the mountaintop at the same time, completing their training mission.
After giving a head-ups to Iruka, Naruto, who was soaked all over, walked towards the two women who were also drenched in the rain. With a pair of dead fish eyes on his face, he said helplessly, "Whatever you need to say, let's talk later. Let's go, my home is closer."