Unexpected Incident!!!

On my way home from school.

The shopping street was bustling with people: students leaving school, housewives buying groceries, couples strolling around, the small street crowded with all sorts of people.

Suzuran gazed at this scene, so different from Amegakure, her eyes filled with curiosity.

Brightly colored banners fluttered in the wind, the laughter of girls filled the department store, the rich aromas wafted from various delicatessens, the clean roads and the tall green trees lining the streets—everything before my eyes was different from Amegakure. The peaceful atmosphere brought a gentle smile to my face.

"Hey! Suzuran, fried meat patties, be careful, they're hot!"

Naruto jogged over and handed Suzuran a freshly fried, steaming meat patty.

"Hey, Naruto, where's mine?"

Shuyuan extended her hand.

"... I only have enough money for two." Naruto looked at the half-eaten fried meat patty in his hand. "How about...?"

"Forget it! I was just teasing you."

Shuyuan bared her teeth, decisively and clearly expressing her refusal.

"Suzuran, it tastes good, right? At least half of my allowance each month goes to the fried meat patty uncle, and let me tell you..." Naruto blew on the hot fried meat patty while rambling on and on.

Suzuran took a small bite of the fried meat patty, a tiny smile appearing on her face.

"Naruto, I think you'd be a perfect tour guide instead of a ninja!"

"Huh? Tour guide, I have absolutely no interest in that stuff. I'm determined to become the Sixth Hokage."

Naruto put his hands on his hips, raised his head, and said with an air of smugness.

"Why the Sixth Hokage? Isn't the current Hokage the Fourth Hokage? Why not the Fifth?"

"Suzuran asked curiously."

"Well... Uncle Katsuki said there are quite a few people vying for the Fifth Hokage, even my dad is one of the candidates, so it seems like there's not enough time... That's about it!"

"Hmph, it's rare that a fool like you has any self-awareness. The Fifth Hokage is none other than my elder brother."

At the alley entrance, Sasuke leaned against a telephone pole, a disdainful smile on his face.

"Why are you here? Sasuke, this isn't the way home, is it?" Naruto shouted, instantly becoming energetic like a dog that has spotted a bone.

As for Sasuke's words--

Proud of his noble Uchiha bloodline, with an arrogant and awe-inspiring expression.

"A haughty cat and an active dog?"

Shuyuan stroked her chin, letting her thoughts wander.

"Um, Shuyuan, are they alright?"

Suzuran looked on in alarm at the two people who were grabbing each other by the collar and had already started fighting, not knowing what to do.

"Is this... a split personality?" Recalling Naruto's calm yet fierce demeanor during her fight with Suzuran, Shuyuan muttered to herself before smiling and giving a thumbs up. "Relax, relax, these two are the kind who get itchy if they don't fight for three days. Just let them be, we'll just watch the show."

Although they had started fighting, the two men temporarily let go after exchanging a punch, then left the bustling shopping street and went to the nearest park.

Fighting on the street violates public order and law, and can result in being arrested and detained by the Police Force.

The two young people had already served time in jail. Although their parents came to pick them up soon, those two short hours left an incredibly deep impression on them, not to mention the bamboo shoots stir-fried with pork they got home.

We learned our lesson!

If you want to spar or fight, you should either go to an open space in a park or a training ground; you can't do it on the street.

"Suzuran, sit down and rest your feet."

It wasn't yet time for children to be out and about, so there were very few people in the park. Shuyuan and Suzuran sat on a bench, watching the two people in the sandpit who were about to clash.

"You damn Sasuke, I'm going to teach you a lesson today!"

"Can you do it? You idiot! You're good for nothing but empty talk."

Sasuke raised his chin at Naruto, his smug look making Shuyuan's fists itch.

That's quite a skill at drawing hatred!

Just then...

"Hello, brat from the Uzumaki Clan!"

A chilling sound, like a cold wave, came from the bushes behind me, blowing into my ears and numbing my brain.

"Get out of the way! You have to get out of the way!"

Danger alarms were blaring in my mind.

Shuyuan instinctively lunged forward, rolling twice on the ground before settling into a half-kneeling position and looking back at where she had just been sitting.

Suzuran lay limply on the bench, but her Chakra fluctuations hadn't disappeared, only become somewhat chaotic. It seemed she had been under Genjutsu or drugged. And where she had sat... a neat crack had been cleaved into the wooden bench. The smooth edge revealed the sharpness of the weapon.

"He actually dodged it! As expected of the son of a natural disaster, he hasn't disappointed me!"

Parting the bushes, a strange figure shrouded in black robes stood before the bench.

"Huh? What happened? What's wrong with Suzuran? You'll catch a cold lying in that place..."

"You idiot, quiet down! It's the enemy! The enemy is attacking!"

Compared to the bewildered Naruto, Sasuke was much quicker-witted. He made a judgment based on the wary Shuyuan on Hideyoshi's face and the broken bench, threw away the unsharpened toy in his hand, and took out a gleaming Kunai from his Ninja Tool Bag.

"An enemy?" Naruto was stunned for a moment, then his face twisted in pain. "An enemy!!? Doesn't that mean Suzuran is in danger...? Shuyuan!"

"Ah! I know, you don't need to remind me."

Shuyuan licked her lips, secretly wiping her sweaty hands on her thigh. Her gaze fell on Suzuran, who was lying unconscious on the bench. Regardless of what this strange man's purpose was, her primary task was to ensure Suzuran's safety.

"... Still thinking about saving people? Just as arrogant and disdainful of everyone as your father!"

The black-clad man's voice sounded displeased, but his tone changed instantly.

"That's fine too. If you want to save her, go ahead and attack me! Don't even think about taking this little girl back without killing me."

"Shuyuan, what should we do?"

Naruto was an idiot; his beast-like instincts told him he was no match for that strange man in black, and that even if he charged at him, it would be a waste of effort.

"What to do? Of course, we must..." Shuyuan gritted her teeth, stood up, and gasped for breath, "Help!!"

"Murder!! Help!!"

Shuyuan's shouts echoed all around. Naruto and Sasuke were initially stunned as they stared at Shuyuan, who was shouting hoarsely. But they quickly came to their senses and joined in the howling.

For a moment, the air was filled with the wailing of ghosts and howls of wolves, creating an extremely eerie atmosphere. (To be continued)