The Heavens: From Naruto to sign in

The Third Hokage was Orochimaru's teacher. Orochimaru, in turn, was Anko's teacher.

So—

If Anko became Yoruha's mentor, that technically meant Yoruha and the Third Hokage would share the same lineage.

And that lineage?

It held real weight when it came to things like selecting the future Hokage.

Unfortunately—

Yoruha's strength had long since surpassed their expectations.

Just becoming a Hokage?

That wasn't even what Yoruha wanted.

Yamanaka Inoichi gave his son a surprised look.

He hadn't expected Yoruha to know that much about Anko's background.

But thinking deeper about it...

Even though Yoruha still looked like a kid, his mind and maturity were far beyond his years.

In fact—

Sometimes, when Inoichi spoke with his son, it felt like he was talking to a grown man.

Strong, calm, and wise beyond his age.

It seemed...

The Yamanaka clan might finally be on the rise again.

Later that night.

In a quiet grove on the edge of Konoha.

Beside a gently flowing creek, a tent had been set up. The group of friends sat around a small grill, basking in the warm glow of the fire, enjoying a laid-back celebration barbecue under the stars.

And no, no wild animals ever showed up to ruin the party.

Why?

Let's just say… fate was on their side.

"Hey, Yoruha, is alcohol really that good?" Naruto asked, his mouth full of roasted meat, eyes fixed on the sake bottle in Yoruha's hand. "You're always drinking at these barbecues... Can we try some too?"

Hearing that, Yoruha chuckled. He shook the bottle lightly, the liquid sloshing inside, then turned to face him with a faint smirk.

"You're still too young to drink."

Naruto crossed his arms with a huff. "But you're only a year older than us! And if I remember right—you started drinking when you were eight! Right?!"

"Yeah!" Inuzuka Kiba chimed in. "It was during that barbecue where we roasted the giant white bear meat! You totally had sake back then!"

Yoruha corrected them with a grin. "Let me fix your mistake. I actually started drinking when I was six. Not eight."

He set the bottle down with a clink and looked around at the group with a teasing glint in his eye.

"And besides, do you really want to try it? If you do, I'm not your dad—I won't stop you."

Gulp.

The entire group swallowed hard at once.

Alcohol.

Forbidden fruit.

They weren't allowed to drink it—at least not at their age. The shops wouldn't sell it to them, and their parents would lose their minds.

But still—

They'd seen grown-ups drinking at parties. Small groups gathering late at night, laughter echoing, cheeks flushed. It all seemed so fun. So alive.

That curiosity had been bubbling in their hearts for a while now.

But unlike them, Yoruha always carried a bottle when they had a cookout.

It was said his father filled it for him himself.

And secretly, everyone envied him for that.

Still...

Drinking was a big deal.

No one had dared to follow Yoruha's example before.

But tonight felt different.

Graduation.

New beginnings.

And thanks to Naruto's bold request, curiosity had finally boiled over.

Haruno Sakura looked hesitant, then put on a shy expression.

"Well… if it's just a tiny sip… it's not like we're really breaking the rules, right?"

Naruto nodded quickly. "Yeah! Sakura's right!"

Inuzuka Kiba added, "Besides… I think Akamaru's curious too. As his partner, I've gotta check it out for him."

Akimichi Choji tossed a thick slice of grilled meat into his mouth, chewed, and mumbled through it, "Shikamaru, what do you think?"

Shikamaru exhaled in resignation.

"Man… this is such a drag."

Then, glancing up at the starry sky, he sighed again.

"Fine. But I'm telling you now—don't overdo it. We've gotta be up early tomorrow. If you oversleep with a hangover, you'll regret it."