Sasuke and Naruto (Part 1)

"Come, Shisui, have a seat." Uchiha Toko gestured for Shisui to sit down, then poured him a cup of tea.

Although Shisui had already returned to work at the Military Police Force, Fugaku naturally could not trust him completely. Thus, he had only assigned him to a Logistics Post.

"Toko, it's not a solution for the Military Police Force's complaint rate to stay this high." Uchiha Shisui looked somewhat anxious.

"Shisui, I find this matter quite difficult to handle as well." Uchiha Toko feigned a troubled expression and rubbed his brow. "Back when the Uchiha controlled the Military Police Force alone, the villagers were dissatisfied with it. Now that we've recruited so many Commoner Ninja, they're still dissatisfied with us. I truly don't know what to do."

Shisui let out a long sigh. He, too, could not understand why the clan's efforts to integrate into the village had yielded so little.

"Forget it. For now, we should at least use Red Envelopes to settle the unrest within the Military Police Force. As for the rest, leave it to time." Uchiha Toko looked at Shisui. "Once the village sees the Military Police Force's sincerity, we will surely come to understand one another."

"Mm, Toko, I believe in you," Uchiha Shisui said.

"Take the Red Envelope. Everyone in the Military Police Force gets one, so naturally you can't be left out. You're part of the Military Police Force too." Uchiha Toko pushed the Red Envelope toward Shisui.

"I understand." Shisui had not wanted to accept the Red Envelope, but he could not refuse the reason Uchiha Toko had given.

After Shisui left, Uchiha Toko relaxed and leaned back in his chair, flipping through the Copy of Documents containing the Evidence of Crimes he had obtained from Orochimaru. At the same time, he thought to himself.

When you see these, I wonder whether you'll stand with the Will of Fire, or with the village.

Before he knew it, it was time to get off work. Uchiha Toko, who had been sitting all afternoon, stretched his body. After tidying his desk a little, he prepared to leave work. A little brat would be coming to his house that evening.

At the same time, Kakashi, who had spent the entire day at the Hatake Clan's Old Residence helping Naruto clean out a room, stepped out of the house and headed toward the Ninja Academy.

It was dismissal time at the Ninja Academy, the most miserable part of every day for Naruto.

The other children at the Ninja Academy either had family members come pick them up or went home with friends. But Naruto had neither family nor friends to walk with. Whenever this time came, he could only sit alone on the school swing and wait until everyone else had left before starting his walk home alone. At least that way, there would be fewer hostile stares on the way back.

For Sasuke, however, dismissal was the time he looked forward to most each day. Every time school ended, he would be the first to rush out of the school gates, hoping to see whether his beloved older brother had come to pick him up. If he could see his brother after school, he would spend the rest of the day in high spirits.

But today, after Sasuke rushed out of the school gates, the one he saw was not his gentle older brother, but his stern-faced father.

"Father?" Sasuke was somewhat surprised to see Fugaku at the school gates.

"Come, Sasuke." Uchiha Fugaku kept a cold expression and motioned with his eyes for Sasuke to follow behind him. The two walked one after the other toward the Uchiha Clan Territory.

"Um, Father, why didn't my brother come pick me up today?" Sasuke finally could not help asking after a while.

"Itachi has a mission during this period," Uchiha Fugaku said.

"Okay." Sasuke looked somewhat downcast after hearing his father's words.

"Also, I found you a Teacher. From now on, go there by yourself after school."

"A Teacher?" Sasuke raised his head curiously. "Who is it?"

"You have fairly good talent in Lightning Style, so I asked Clan Head Toko, who is the best at Lightning Style in the clan, to teach you. Sasuke, study hard under your Teacher and don't bring shame upon the family," Uchiha Fugaku said.

"Clan Head Toko?" Little Sasuke froze at that. Although clan affairs during peacetime had little to do with children his age, Sasuke had heard enough from those around him to know that his father had once been the Clan Head, but no longer was. The person who had replaced his father as Clan Head was the Clan Head Toko his father was now speaking of.

"Yes, Sasuke. Though your Teacher is only a few years older than you, he is a very wise person, and also the strongest in the clan," Uchiha Fugaku said patiently.

"I understand, Father. I'll study hard under my Teacher," Sasuke said.

On the Ninja Academy's swing, Naruto watched his classmates leave one by one. The sun was about to set, and beneath the orange evening glow, he was the only one left in the vast academy.

Just as he put away his sadness and prepared to go home alone, a long, slender shadow appeared before him.

Naruto looked up and saw a white-haired man standing before him, wearing a mask with his Forehead Protector covering one eye. The eye left exposed was filled with complicated emotions.

"Mister, who are you looking for?" Naruto asked.

"You," Kakashi said.

"Me?" Naruto froze.

"If your name is Uzumaki Naruto, then I found the right person."

Because Uchiha Toko had given advance notice, when Fugaku brought Sasuke to Uchiha Toko's doorstep, the Steward Keiko was already waiting outside and ushered the two straight in.

"Lord Toko is waiting for you both in the Study."

When Keiko led them into the Study, Uchiha Toko, now wearing a haori, was writing something at his desk.

"Elder Fugaku, this must be Sasuke." Uchiha Toko stopped what he was doing and smiled at the two of them.

"Sasuke, aren't you going to greet your Teacher?" Uchiha Fugaku said.

"Hello, Teacher. My name is Sasuke." Little Sasuke bowed timidly, then examined Uchiha Toko with curious eyes.

"Toko, I'll leave Sasuke to you," Uchiha Fugaku said.

Ichiraku Ramen.

"Thanks for the meal!" Little Naruto clasped his hands around his chopsticks in prayer, then began wolfing down the ramen, while Kakashi quietly watched from the side.

"White-haired mister, aren't you eating?" Naruto suddenly lifted his head from his ramen bowl halfway through the meal and asked curiously.

"I won't be eating. Also, by seniority, you should call me Brother Kakashi," Kakashi said.

Just then, Ichiraku poked his head out from behind the counter. "Kakashi, it's been a long time since you last came by. But what does Naruto have to do with you? Why did you suddenly decide to treat him to ramen?"

"This child's father had some connection to me," Kakashi said.

Kakashi's words made Naruto, who had been eating with his head lowered, stop moving.

"Naruto's father?" Having run his shop in the village for over a decade, Uncle Ichiraku was naturally familiar with Kakashi, once a regular customer. Kakashi's words left him stunned. Then he looked at Naruto's blond hair, and some of his earlier suspicions rose to the surface. "Could it be...?"

But at that moment, Uncle Ichiraku noticed Kakashi's gaze—and the slight shake of his head.