Naruto: I Am Uzumaki Naruto!?

"Damn it! Which bastard used Fire Style down here?! Do they not know this is underground?!"

Danzo coughed violently, waving away the lingering smoke while desperately slapping at the flames still clinging to his backside.

"Quick! Put it out!"

The Root ninja beside him, expressionless as ever, silently picked up a wooden stool and took action.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The stool smacked against Danzo's rear with force, extinguishing the embers. Danzo's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets from the pain.

"AHHH!!!"

Finally free from the fire, Danzo clenched his fists, veins bulging on his forehead. His entire body trembled with rage.

"Damn it!!!"

"Which lunatic set a fire in our underground base?!"

With fury in his eyes, he threw open the door to confront the culprit.

But before he could even get a word out—

BOOM!!!

Another explosion of flames erupted from the tunnel ahead.

"AAAAHHHHH!!!"

Danzo barely had time to react before the inferno swallowed him again. His screams echoed down the halls as he flailed in the firestorm.

When the flames finally subsided, Danzo caught sight of his reflection in a nearby mirror.

A charred, blackened figure stared back at him. His hair was curled up like fried ramen noodles, his clothes were in tatters, and his entire appearance resembled that of a coal miner who had lost a fight with dynamite.

"...Damn it!!!"

Danzo slammed his fist against the wall, his rage boiling over.

Who the hell is doing this?!

Dragging his seared body forward, Danzo led his Root subordinates toward the source of the inferno.

But before they could advance—

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Three more waves of fire erupted, each stronger than the last. The underground passage was instantly turned into a blazing hellscape.

"Quick! Use Earth Style!"

"No, use Water Style!"

"Water Style: Great Waterfall Technique!"

SSSSSSSSSST!!!

The instant the water clashed with the flames, steam exploded throughout the tunnel.

"AHHH!!! The steam—it's too hot!!!"

"It's evaporating all the water instantly—what kind of Fire Style is this?!"

"Bastard! Who's the idiot that used Water Style?! Now we're all getting steamed alive!!!"

As the chaos unfolded, the once-dignified Root headquarters became a scene of complete disarray. The elite, highly disciplined shinobi were reduced to screaming messes, running around as if they were inside a boiling pot.

And after what felt like an eternity, the flames finally died down.

Danzo and his men stood there, panting heavily, their bodies scorched, clothes full of holes.

They no longer looked like an elite covert ops team.

They looked like beggars who had barely escaped a disaster.

"Master Danzo, we've located the source of the fire. It's coming from an upper ventilation shaft."

Danzo, still fuming, crawled up to the surface, glaring at the empty training ground above. His blood boiled as he let out a furious roar:

"WHICH BASTARD IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS?!"

---

Naruto, meanwhile, was completely unaware of the destruction he had caused beneath him.

After a few more rounds of training, he sighed in frustration.

"Chakra's running low..."

He turned his thoughts toward the entity inside him.

"Kurama, if you lend me your chakra, can I keep going?"

The Nine-Tails flicked his tail lazily.

"Not necessarily. My chakra is too dark. If you can't handle it, you'll lose your consciousness and be consumed by it."

Naruto nodded in understanding.

"Yeah, I figured… Your chakra's like a double-edged sword. Better to save it for emergencies."

Another Day, Another Bento (or Two, or Three...)

The next morning, Naruto arrived at the academy as usual.

As he was settling in, a very flustered Hinata approached him, her face as red as a tomato.

"N-Naruto-kun... I... I made you a bento again... C-Can we eat together today...?"

She held out a massive food box—half a meter tall.

Naruto blinked.

Was it just him, or was today's bento even bigger than yesterday's?

Before he could comment, Hinata shyly pointed to another, even larger food box sitting beside her.

"This one is mine," she whispered, her face somehow turning even redder.

Naruto: "..."

This one is nearly a full meter in size?!

Staring at the enormous food containers in disbelief, Naruto chuckled and playfully ruffled Hinata's hair.

"Thanks, Hinata. Guess I'll get to taste a bit of you—er, I mean, taste your cooking."

Poof!

Hinata practically exploded in a cloud of steam. Her entire face was crimson, and she began wobbling on her feet, murmuring, "T-Taste me... N-Naruto-kun... tasting m-me..."

Then, with a little sigh, she collapsed straight into Naruto's arms.

In the distance, Hiashi Hyuga gritted his teeth.

"HINATA!!!"

"WHY ARE YOU FALLING FOR THAT BRAT?!"

After setting Hinata down in her seat and covering her with his jacket, Naruto turned back to his desk.

Only to see another bento box placed there.

Yamanaka Ino, looking just as red-faced as Hinata, mumbled, "U-Uzumaki Naruto… I… I made this for you..."

Then, before he could react, she spun around and rushed back to her seat, burying her face in her arms.

Naruto: "..."

He looked at the two bentos sitting on his desk.

Am I being set up? I'm still young, I don't wanna die this early…

Haruno Sakura glanced at him from across the room, clearly debating something. But before she could make a move, Inuzuka Kiba clapped Naruto on the back.

"Man, I'm jealous! You've got all the girls drooling over you!"

Akimichi Chōji nodded, munching on a snack.

"Well, Naruto's strong and cool now. Even I have to admit he's looking pretty good these days. It's only natural girls would notice."

Kiba pouted.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it… but still, it's unfair!"

Nara Shikamaru sighed lazily.

"Ugh, women are a hassle. Especially Ino. She's a real pain to deal with—"

BAM!

A furious Ino appeared out of nowhere, delivering a hard punch to Shikamaru's head.

"Say that again, I dare you!"

Shikamaru rubbed his forehead, groaning.

"See what I mean? Troublesome."

Meanwhile, in the corner of the room, Uchiha Sasuke scoffed.

"Hmph. What's the big deal?"

Naruto gave him a helpless smile.

Envious, are you?

But if Sasuke thought he wanted this kind of attention, he was dead wrong.

Naruto looked at the two oversized bento boxes in front of him.

He sighed.

I love food, but… I'm about to explode at this rate.