Chapter 31: Destination: The Uchiha Clan!
Naruto, who was lying on the grass in a secluded, deserted corner of Konoha, blinked awake and stood up. After hurriedly brushing off the grass and dust from his clothes with his small hands, he began to run with quick steps. In the real world, he had been sleeping just like that for about an hour. Whenever he entered his inner world, the flow of time altered in a strange way, and when he woke up, everything returned to normal. Altay hadn't quite understood the principle behind this time anomaly in the sealed space, but he hadn't seen the need to dwell on it either. After all, living sealed inside the stomach of a three-year-old child was weird enough; time flowing differently was the least of his worries.
As Naruto ran with all his might on his short legs, the ANBU members hiding in the shadows silently followed him. A short while later, the little boy arrived in front of Teuchi's modest ramen shop. As soon as the few customers in the shop saw Naruto, they hurriedly walked away with their usual disgusted glares and whispers. However, this time Naruto didn't care; his mind was entirely focused on a different goal.
"UNCLE TEUCHI! UNCLE TEUCHI!"
Behind the counter, Teuchi ignored the fleeing customers who left their meals half-eaten and threw their money on the table, and turned to Naruto with a smile. After the events of yesterday and the rumors spreading around the village about Teuchi having close ties with the Uchihas, no one dared to say a single bad word to the man. Of course, not everyone had left; two ninjas sitting on the stools inside continued to eat their ramen calmly, as if nothing had happened. Watching this scene from the sealed space, Altay chuckled lightly.
"Ah... I never thought we would run into these two."
Meanwhile, the unhappy fox Kurama, who had been forced to read a massive encyclopedia of Uzumaki history, cracked open one eye and looked outside through Naruto's perspective. But finding nothing to pique his interest, he sighed and returned to his book.
"Let's see... After the man named Senju Uzumaki left the Senju clan, he began to travel the world..."
As the ancient monster, now turned into a reluctant history student in the sealed space, flipped through the pages in boredom, the identity of the two ninjas eating outside caught Altay's attention. One was Yamanaka Inoichi, who had tied his blond hair into a ponytail, and the other was Nara Shikaku, whose hair was tied up like a pineapple and who bore deep scars on his face. The duo cast a brief and sorrowful glance at Naruto before lowering their heads and focusing on their meals. In truth, they were close friends of Minato, and having to look at the legacy he left behind like strangers pained their hearts. However, Danzo's shadow was everywhere; they knew the price of communicating directly with the Jinchuriki would be extremely heavy. Their plan was simple; they would use their children to create an opening. After all, no rule could prevent two innocent children from playing together on the street, right?
Teuchi smiled affectionately at the little one approaching the counter.
"Naruto? Are you hungry? Or did you come to ask about Kakashi?"
Hearing Kakashi's name, Shikaku and Inoichi paused their eating for a moment, startled. They knew Kakashi was in a deep depression, avoiding everyone like a ghost outside of missions. Why was this three-year-old child looking for him? Shikaku weighed the possibilities in his mind.
'Could it be Hokage-sama's doing?'
But the sluggishness of his mind immediately kicked in, and with a sigh, he returned to his bowl.
'Whatever, it's too much of a drag to think about. It's none of my business.'
At Teuchi's question, Naruto shook his head.
"No, I'm not hungry, uncle, I just had breakfast. Besides, Grandpa Hokage came to see me this morning and told me that Kakashi-san was on a mission outside the village and wouldn't be back for a while."
Hearing this, Shikaku and Inoichi assumed that it was the Hokage who had directed Naruto to Kakashi, and resumed eating. Teuchi, on the other hand, sighed with a bit of disappointment.
"Oh, that's a shame. So, did you come to ask questions about Sakumo-sama again? Or do you want me to tell you about Konoha's strong ninjas once more?"
Hearing this name that had left its mark on Konoha's past, the two experienced ninjas froze for a moment. Their chopsticks remained suspended in the air; with their eyes staring into space, they recalled Sakumo's sword-bearing back. Guessing what Teuchi had been telling this boy, Shikaku pieced some things together in his mind, but then quickly pushed the thoughts away. After all, if someone had told him the legend of Sakumo, it was very natural for the boy to be curious about this hero. The ordinary villagers on the streets only remembered the White Fang as a memory, but Jonin-level ninjas had personally witnessed Sakumo's true terror on the battlefield and felt that respect down to their bones.
Naruto shook his head negatively again.
"No, uncle. I want to go somewhere and do some shopping, but I don't know the way. The people in the village... you know they don't really like me... I thought I could ask you for directions."
Hearing these words, Shikaku and Inoichi tried to continue eating, but the ramen in their mouths tasted as ashen and flavorless as dust. They knew better than anyone how Minato and Kushina had sacrificed their lives for this village. Despite this, this boy, who was their only legacy, was being treated like a cursed plague in the village. Shikaku entered into a deep internal questioning.
'If we dedicate our lives to this village, only for the children we leave behind to be treated this way... what is the point of us contributing to this village?'
After drinking a few sips of soup, his normally sluggish mind worked with a different determination this time.
'I should retire... The clan's management affairs are tiring enough as it is. As the clan head, I have no financial worries either. Once the village heals its war wounds a bit more, I will apply for retirement directly.'
Similar thoughts were crossing the mind of Inoichi, who was sitting silently next to him. Teuchi, on the other hand, let out a deep sigh at Naruto's hurt words and leaned toward him with a warm smile.
"Of course you can ask, kid. But if you're having trouble shopping, just tell me what you want to buy, and I'll go get it for you."
Inwardly, Shikaku felt a great deal of respect for the man.
'You're a real man, Teuchi. I will constantly direct my clan members to you. I'll talk to Choza and direct the Akimichi clan too; you won't suffer from a lack of customers. As long as you keep treating this kid well.'
Inoichi also smiled faintly with similar feelings. As for Naruto, guided by Altay in his inner world, he bowed slightly and thanked him.
"Thank you, uncle, but I need to go in person and see something with my own eyes."
As Teuchi asked curiously, the two experienced ninjas behind them pricked up their ears as well.
"What do you want to see?"
Scratching the back of his neck in a childish manner, Naruto voiced the scripted lines Altay had asked him to say from within, sounding just a little bit contrived.
"Does this village completely hate me, or not? If I manage to buy supplies from there today, I'll have my answer. That's when I'll distinguish who is a friend and who is an enemy. If the village completely hates me, I'll find out the reason and fix myself! But if the entire village isn't my enemy, I will act cautiously and draw a line with the people who hate me, and I'll stay close to those who are my friends."
When these sentences poured out of a three-year-old child's mouth, Shikaku flinched and turned to Naruto with astonished eyes. At that moment, Altay was chuckling with amusement in the sealed space.
"Good job, kid. Let's see what Shikaku, the 'brain' of Konoha, will do in the face of these dangerous analyses coming from the Jinchuriki's mouth. Heh! Kid, now continue like this..."
Naruto continued his speech in the same innocent yet determined voice, but this time he spoke with his true feelings; his voice wasn't contrived.
"Uncle, you and big sister Ayame are among those close to me; you always treat me well. Also, Grandpa 3rd Hokage is one of the rare people who is close to me. I will definitely protect all three of you when I get stronger in the future! But there are still many things out there I want to be sure of."
Moved by this unexpected promise of protection, Teuchi scratched the back of his neck and laughed bashfully.
"Ah... thank you, Naruto... you've really embarrassed me... Hahahaha!"
However, alarm bells had begun to ring in the mind of Shikaku, who was sitting at the table.
'Oh no! This kid has already started holding grudges against the villagers and keeping tabs on people! I knew from the start that the damn elder council's plan would bring a massive disaster! I need to discuss this with Hokage-sama urgently!'
Inoichi lightly touched the shoulder of his friend, whose face had grown tense, and linked into his mind using the Yamanaka clan's secret telepathic technique.
"Shikaku... do you think this situation is heading towards a dangerous point?"
Shikaku replied through the mental link.
"And how. If Naruto harbors resentment toward the village at this age, we'll all be screwed when he grows up. Right now, the only one who could potentially face a Jinchuriki on the battlefield is Fugaku-sama. If Hokage-sama were in his youth, it wouldn't be a problem, but he is losing his strength now. You know Tsunade-sama's situation, and it's unclear where Jiraiya-sama is or what he's doing. Whether someone will emerge in the future to stop enemy jinchurikis on the battlefield is completely unknown. This child, who is the Kyuubi's Jinchuriki and carries the Uzumaki legacy in his blood, definitely has the potential of a Kage. He can clash head-on with the Jinchurikis of other villages. But if he cultivates a hatred for his own village, it will be very hard to convince him to fight for this village in the future."
Grasping the gravity of the situation, Inoichi sighed deeply in his mind.
"So the stupid plan of those elders on the council has started to blow up in their faces. Why don't these idiots step down for the younger generation and retire already? Ever since the White Fang incident, they've done nothing but force this village to make mistake after mistake."
Shikaku muttered helplessly in his mind; Inoichi could hear him.
"What a huge drag... Haaaahhhh."
Meanwhile, behind the counter, Teuchi cleared his throat, shaking off the sentimentality, and returned to the subject.
"So, Naruto, where do you want to go?"
Naruto took a deep breath and said the two words that would completely change the atmosphere of the room.
"To the Uchiha clan!"
The moment this sentence left the boy's mouth, not only Shikaku and Inoichi but also the ANBU guards hidden on the rooftops went stiff. The atmosphere turned ice-cold; time felt as if it had stopped for a moment. Even Teuchi asked in great astonishment.
"Naruto... why do you want to go to the Uchiha clan? They are a proud clan closed off to outsiders; they don't let just anyone into their compound. Besides, I just told you yesterday that they've been a bit tense lately. It wouldn't be right at all for you to go there and bother them."
The ANBU members in their hiding spots also shook their heads helplessly, supporting Teuchi in their minds.
'Yes, Teuchi! Talk him out of it!'
Naruto, however, maintained his innocent and curious tone as he scratched his head. In fact, he wasn't faking it, because he genuinely wondered if they would ostracize him or not.
"Well... You told me that they are the strongest clan in the village and also one of the founding families of this village... So I was wondering; would even such a strong and founding family ostracize a lonely three-year-old child on the street? Besides, the older Uchiha brothers who helped you in the shop yesterday didn't treat me badly at all. They didn't glare, they didn't curse, and they weren't disgusted by me like the villagers... They just looked for a brief moment and ignored me. It was as if they were distant, but there was no hatred in their eyes. So I wanted to go and try my luck! After all, I've never stepped foot into any shop bearing the symbol I saw on their backs yesterday."
Faced with the boy's logical explanation, Teuchi nodded and grew serious.
"Yes, you're right. Ever since the Uchiha clan moved to the outskirts of the village along with the police force, it's become almost impossible to come across an Uchiha coming down to the center to open a shop... But how did you learn their clan symbol?"
For an orphaned and ostracized child to know clan symbols at the mere age of three was highly suspicious. However, Altay's answer in the sealed space was already prepared. Naruto tilted his head slightly to the side and spoke in an affected voice.
"Ah? Are they called clan symbols? When I wander outside, I sometimes see similar marks on the doors of some shops I want to enter or on the backs of the people there. But not all of them were shop owners, I guess they were related to each other. So I just thought it was a special mark used by certain families."
Admiring the boy's practical intelligence, Teuchi laughed cheerfully.
"HAHAHA! You are really smart, Naruto! Yes, you're right, they're called clan symbols. Great families bear these symbols to recognize one another and show their bonds. Anyway, since you are so determined, let me not keep you any longer. To go to the Uchiha district, you need to follow these roads..."
As Teuchi described the route, the ANBU guards on the rooftops looked at each other, realizing that the child was dead set on this and was truly going to the Uchiha district. One of them immediately abandoned his post and began to move swiftly toward the Hokage tower. Sitting at the table, Nara Shikaku massaged his temples with his hand, contemplating the approaching storm.
'Today is going to be a long day for Konoha... But considering the proud nature of the Uchiha clan, they won't treat Naruto shabbily like the ignorant villagers do. However, due to political balances, embracing him openly is equally impossible... I can't quite predict what the outcome will be. Fugaku and Minato were two friends who had immense respect for one another. Mikoto and Kushina loved each other like real sisters... Ahhhh, what a huge drag...'
Etching the directions into his mind, Naruto cheerfully thanked Teuchi and began running toward the Uchiha district. The surrounding civilians were once again backing away from him with hate-filled whispers. Shikaku, meanwhile, fell into deep thought as he watched the lonely but determined back of the child.
'Well... At least with this move, Naruto's suffering life might improve a little bit today... Because even for Danzo, there are some very sharp red lines he wouldn't dare cross while Hokage-sama is still alive... And the absolute last thing the current Konoha High Council would want in this life is for that child to form a close relationship with the Uchiha clan.'