Dinner among friends

Ryo walked through the city after doing some shopping, buying food and some new clothes for himself. He passed through the forest where he had trained a few months ago with Sae and Naruto. Letting out a sigh, he continued on his way, but something caught his attention deeper in the forest. He saw a silhouette and raised an eyebrow, then walked further into the woods.

The silhouette he saw was small and standing in front of some training trees. Ryo didn't expect to see her there in that location. Before him stood Uchiha Sae, his friend and classmate. Ryo approached her without trying to conceal his presence, causing her to hear the sounds of breaking branches and look in his direction.

"Sae. How are things?"

He asked in a calm tone, but he had a bad feeling in his chest. Sae responded shortly after.

"The clan is on high alert all the time, with their own movements and those of Konoha. Perhaps by the end of the year, the clan will leave the Leaf Village."

She spoke with a sense of regret in her voice, as if it were the worst-case scenario, but Ryo knew what the worst-case scenario really was. He walked closer to her, stopping by her side, looking at the training tree with a target marked on it.

"Have you been training with Kenji lately?" She nodded, and Ryo placed the shopping bags at the base of a tree, then moved to stand a few meters in front of Sae, a slight smile on his face as he assumed a combat stance. "You've missed a few exams at the academy. Want to spar?"

She raised her eyebrows upon hearing and seeing what Ryo was doing. The young girl had been under numerous pressures during the past few months, training, striving to be the best, studying strategies, weapon training, unarmed combat training. She hadn't even been able to see her own parents at home due to all the tension in the clan.

Seeing Ryo there brought back the pure feeling of doing something by her own will, without having a mountain on her shoulders, being able to train again as it used to be, with enthusiasm and fun. A small smile escaped her lips, and she replied, "Yes!"

And so, the two began their duel. Neither of them fought to harm the other, but simply for the pleasure of having someone to spar, a fight whose outcome wouldn't alter the world, but was their moment nonetheless.

Ryo managed to make the young girl feel a little calmer, and also helped him refocus on his goals. The combat was simple; they attacked and defended while enjoying each other's company. After some time, they could be seen sitting on the ground, breathing heavily.

"I'm going to make us something to eat. I'll also call Naruto. Knowing him, he's probably planning to prepare a cup ramen because he's out of ryos."

Ryo said, rising and grabbing the bag of groceries, then starting to walk towards his house. After a few meters, he used the Shunshin, with Sae following him, and they soon arrived at Naruto's house. Ryo knocked on the door a few times.

"Naruto, I'm here to make dinner. Let's go."

He didn't wait for a response, given the numerous noises and shouts of Naruto, indicating that he was getting ready to open the door, probably tidying up his house quickly before opening it.

"Hurry up, come in! What are you going to cook, Ryo!?"

Seeing Naruto so excited, Ryo chuckled, entering and heading to the kitchen, which was connected to the living room. He placed the grocery bags on the table and began to unpack some vegetables, a packet of fillets from a large beast that the seller had said was very tender, and some potatoes. There was also a small jar of fat.

Ryo was going to make something special, seeing that Naruto had some bread in the house. He said, "Sit down and watch." With that, he started working, taking the fillets and coating them with breadcrumbs.

He sliced the potatoes into thin strips, also cutting up some vegetables to set aside for later. In one pot, he started cooking rice, and in another beside it, he began to fry the fillets with the fat he had bought, filling the air with a pleasant smell.

Naruto and Sae watched with curiosity as Ryo worked; they hadn't seen anything like it before, at least not in that way. After finishing frying the fillets, Ryo moved on to frying the potatoes. After about 20 minutes.

it was finally ready, and he served three plates, each with equal portions of rice, two fried fillets, and some french fries. Looking at the plate, Ryo thought, "I wish there were beans, but there's nothing like that in Konoha. I don't even know if they have them in this world."

But he had done his best to recreate one of the dishes he liked, the minute steak, which was very famous, especially in Brazil. Sitting down in one of the chairs, he looked at the two in front of him and said, "I hope you enjoy it." He had a slight smile on his face, then watched as Sae and Naruto exchanged glances before starting to eat.

The two immediately had funny reactions; Naruto was all excited, saying it was really good and more. But Sae was surprised. It was something she hadn't tried yet, as her diet was always controlled by the clan. Without saying anything, the young girl continued to eat in silence but with eagerness.

Ryo chuckled loudly at this and soon started eating as well. The night was calm as the three friends enjoyed a good meal. Unfortunately, it would probably be the last one they would have together, but none of them knew that, not even Ryo.

After a few hours of conversation, Ryo persuaded Naruto to do the dishes after losing in a card game. Naruto reluctantly washed everything, complaining all the while and making some jokes amidst it.

As Ryo handed Naruto a glass to place in the sink for washing, Naruto noticed what he was doing and suddenly splashed water in Ryo's face. This led to both of them engaging in a playful scuffle with punches and kicks amidst a cloud of smoke.

Seeing this, Sae let out a slight laugh. Then, two knocks were heard at the door, followed by, "Miss Sae, please come with us." Hearing this, Naruto and Ryo stopped their playfulness. Ryo was on top of Naruto, holding his arms behind his back, but upon hearing the voice, he quickly released him and stood up again.

Sae looked at the two as she left the room. "See you later." She said before closing the door and disappearing with the clan ninjas who had come to fetch her. Naruto, still sitting on the floor, placed his hands behind his head. "I didn't expect to become friends with her. She reminds me of Sasuke, but in a cooler way," he laughed as he saw his friend's hand extended towards him, helping him up.

"Yeah, she's a good friend," Ryo agreed.

With that, Ryo glanced out the window. "It's already night; let's go to sleep now, Naruto." And so, they ended the night like that. With this, the next few days for Ryo would have a change in schedule. Only a few months remained until the end of the year, and there were two more exams at the academy to be completed.