Icha Icha paradise

The next morning broke with a golden hue.

Naruto, surprisingly energetic, shot up from his bed and zipped through his morning routine like a storm.

After a quick rinse and a bite, he dashed out the door—his destination clear.

As he skidded to a halt before the Hokage building, he spotted Sakura and Sasuke already waiting near the entrance.

"Good morning, Sakura!" Naruto greeted with a sheepish smile, scratching the back of his head.

Sakura glanced at him, her expression neutral. She gave a slight shrug before turning her eyes forward again.

Naruto's gaze shifted toward Sasuke. The two locked eyes.

Hmph! they both grunted, looking away in perfect synchronization.

They waited in silence until the familiar sound of footsteps approached.

"Yoo—Naruto arrived early today?" Kakashi's voice came in lazy and teasing, a book in hand.

Naruto gave a small cough, pretending he hadn't heard that. "Eheh, yeah... just felt like it today..."

But then, something odd happened—Kakashi didn't lead them in. Instead, he leaned casually against the wall, eyes glued to the book in his hands. The trio stood confused, glancing at one another.

Shouldn't we be heading inside?

Naruto curiously edged closer and tilted his head to sneak a peek. The glossy orange cover with dramatic lettering caught his eye.

"Kakashi-sensei, what are you reading?" Naruto asked, trying to sound innocent.

Kakashi immediately snapped the book shut, clearing his throat.

"Cough! Cough! Naruto, this is top-level ninja literature. Only for the eyes of experienced shinobi. You should focus on your training for now."

Naruto blinked and nodded as if some profound truth had just been shared.

"Hmmm… sounds reasonable, Kakashi-sensei."

Behind him, Sakura and Sasuke exchanged knowing glances, both holding back smirks.

Should we tell him…?

Their eyes said yes, but their common sense said no.

Finally, trying to shift the awkward air, Kakashi straightened up and said,

"Alright, let's go inside and pick up today's mission."

The familiar scent of paper and polish lingered in the air as Team 7 followed Kakashi to the mission desk. With a lazy flick of his wrist, Kakashi picked out another D-rank mission.

Naruto stared at the clipboard in disbelief, his face drooping like a deflated balloon.

"Another D-rank?" he muttered. Then, puffing his cheeks, he tried to put on his cutest pleading face. "Kakashi-sensei, can't we do a C-rank mission now?"

He looked up with sparkling eyes, even clasping his hands together like a beggar. But Kakashi simply stared at him with his infamous dead fish eyes.

"…"

Naruto felt his soul leave his body. He already knew the answer.

Sigh... I tried.

The team shuffled out of the building. Once outside, Kakashi casually shared the mission details.

"Today's task is to water the plants."

Naruto almost tripped. "Wha—? Seriously?" His whole body slumped as if someone had unplugged him.

Still, grumbling under his breath, he followed along.

The mission led them to a huge mansion tucked in the quieter part of the village. A vast garden spread out in front of the house, lush and blooming under the morning sun.

Kakashi walked ahead and exchanged a few polite words with an elderly man, the mansion's owner. After receiving instructions, Kakashi turned to the group.

"You know what to do," he said, and without another word, he pulled out his Icha Icha Paradise and got comfortable under a shady tree.

Naruto, ever curious, tiptoed closer behind Kakashi. The moment he got near, he squinted at the page.

Just a few lines in, his eyes widened.

> "Cornered in the candle-lit room, Bai could feel the heat of danger. Three beautiful kunoichi crept closer, eyes burning, as if ready to devour him whole..."

Naruto's face turned red. He leaned in and whispered innocently, "Kakashi-sensei… what happened to Bai after that? Did he survive those bad guys?"

Kakashi blinked, caught off guard. "Eh?"

"I mean, those three kunoichi must be really fat, right? If they were trying to devour him... Poor Bai, having to live such a tragic life…"

Kakashi's vivid imagination, which had painted a rather… idealized scene with three seductive ninja, suddenly crumbled. In its place, his mind now showed three massive, sweaty kunoichi with crooked teeth and raspy laughter surrounding Bai like a nightmare.

A cold sweat rolled down Kakashi's neck.

His mood? Destroyed.

He slowly turned to look at Naruto, who was now watering the flowers with a bright, innocent smile on his face—completely unaware of the psychological damage he had just inflicted.

Kakashi stared at him in horror, like he was looking at a demon in disguise.

Wuwu… Why did this brat have to ruin it like that…?

On the other side , after a while

While Naruto was watering the plants with a long hose, everything was going smoothly—until suddenly—

PSSHHHH!

The pipe burst near the handle with a sharp hiss, spraying cold water all over him.

"Gahhh!!" Naruto yelped, completely drenched from head to toe. His hair stuck to his face, clothes clinging tightly as water dripped from every corner of him.

Kakashi, glancing over his book, gave a Smirk. Serves him right, he thought, recalling how his earlier reading session was ruined.

Sasuke smirked from the side, folding his arms as he muttered, "Idiot."

Naruto stood frozen for a second, blinking as water dripped down his eyelashes. "W-what just happened…" he muttered in disbelief, then started flailing around, trying to shake the water off like a wet dog.

"Ughh, my clothes! Why me?!"

Despite the chaos, he still tried to keep working, wringing out his sleeves while dragging the broken hose behind him.

The morning dragged on as the three of them completed the task with soaked boots, muddy hands, and tired sighs. But eventually, the plants were watered, the tools returned, and the mission—finally—came to an end.

Naruto, still damp and grumbling, looked like a soggy rice ball as they began heading back.