Naruto paused, his fork hovering above the last few grains of rice. The orange juice had calmed the churning in his stomach, and the warmth of the food had replaced the cold pit of despair. Agung's question hung in the air, heavy and true.
What if the one who helps you is the same one that made you suffer?
He thought of Kakashi-sensei. Lazy. Always late. Always reading those weird, embarrassing books. But when he lectured them, his eyes were serious. He wasn't mocking them; he was genuinely disappointed.
Naruto looked down at his plate, then glanced at the empty spots where Sakura and Sasuke usually stood during training. He remembered his rage when Kakashi tied him up and denied him food. He remembered the sting of watching them eat.
But he also remembered what happened next.
He remembered Sakura-chan nervously offering him her rice ball, her eyes flicking toward Kakashi's warning glare. He remembered Sasuke, the brooding jerk, shoving his own lunch toward him, insisting he needed the strength. They were risking getting in trouble just to feed him.
He hadn't seen betrayal. He had been too focused on his own hunger and anger. He had missed the point entirely.
Naruto placed the fork down with a small clink and finally looked up at Agung, his eyes clear for the first time since leaving the training ground.
"If the person who made me suffer was trying to make me stronger…" Naruto started, his voice barely a whisper, thick with shame. "Then I messed up. I didn't see it."
He pointed at the now-empty plate. "He told me, 'Shinobi who break the rules are trash, but shinobi who abandon their comrades are worse than trash!''
Naruto's face crumpled slightly, but he didn't cry. He was thinking.
"I thought it was just about getting the bells. I was trying to beat him by myself. And when he tied me up, I just focused on being mad and being hungry. I didn't see that Sasuke and Sakura… they broke the rules right there to help me."
He clenched his fists on the table. "The suffering was supposed to teach me the rule, and they showed me the exception. The lesson was about them! It was about being a team!"
He looked at Agung, his expression a mix of revelation and deep embarrassment.
"If I had seen that, I would... I would thank him. I would go back and tell him I understand now. And I owe Sakura-chan and Sasuke one, because they were being my teammates when I wasn't being theirs."
Agung gave a long, slow nod. He didn't smile, but his eyes held deep satisfaction. The boy had found the answer himself. The therapy session was complete.
"It takes a lot of strength to see your own mistakes, Naruto," Agung said quietly. "You didn't just eat the food tonight; you digested the truth. Now, tell me, how do you feel?"
"Full," Naruto said, a massive, sincere grin finally splitting his face. "And ready to go back and show them I'm not a knucklehead when it counts!"
Agung smiled faintly. "That's the spirit."
He knew the boy's time was up. Agung reached into a small ceramic bowl behind the counter, pulling out a small, smooth, polished river stone.
"Now, about the payment."