Visiting Sasuke, a brother-complex Itachi?

The next day, Naruto put on casual clothes he'd never worn before and headed to the Ninja Academy wearing glasses.

Unlike usual, he had a more down-to-earth vibe.

Naruto's brand new outfit certainly caught some attention.

The villagers were all curious as to why Naruto had suddenly changed his style.

Having figured everything out, Naruto no longer felt the need to imitate others; he wanted to be his true self with all his heart.

Under Aizen's influence and guidance, he shared similar goals and philosophies, but he wasn't Aizen's copy; he was a flesh-and-blood Naruto Uzumaki.

Upon arriving at the Ninja Academy, Naruto's attire immediately drew his classmates' attention.

"Naruto, why are you dressed so casually today?" Ino Yamanaka greeted him heartily, pulling Sakura along as she approached.

Ever since she reconciled with Sakura Haruno, she had been doing her best to support Sakura.

"Naruto-kun, your outfit looks great too," Sakura said, her cheeks slightly flushed, and offered him an orange juice.

"Thanks," Naruto replied, taking the juice. He noticed the red ribbon in Sakura's hair and immediately complimented, "This red ribbon is really nice; it really suits your pink outfit."

After saying that, he walked towards his seat, completely oblivious to the girl behind him blushing furiously and celebrating her victory of the day with her best friend.

Sasuke hadn't come to school; his injuries weren't healed yet.

Naruto withdrew his gaze, deciding to visit Sasuke after school.

When school finally ended, Naruto and Rock Lee walked towards the hospital together.

"Naruto, I heard you became first in your year and even revealed a brand new Kekkei Genkai, Kyōka Suigetsu," Rock Lee said excitedly on the way. "It seems Sasuke's training paid off; he actually pushed you to use Kyōka Suigetsu. I heard people say it's a Kekkei Genkai that creates illusions. Is it a Genjutsu?"

"Yes, you can think of it as a weak Genjutsu. There are still some differences from true Genjutsu, but its practicality in combat is no less than Genjutsu."

"Amazing! I really want to see it."

"If it's Little Lee, I think you might be able to break it," Naruto said with a gentle smile.

"Haha, Naruto, don't try to comfort me. Genjutsu is my nemesis."

Rock Lee, who excelled at Taijutsu and had no resistance to Genjutsu whatsoever, could only describe his encounter with Kyōka Suigetsu as 'giving up' – he couldn't make any headway.

The two chatted as they walked, and soon arrived at the Konoha Hospital.

As expected of a prestigious clan, the Uchiha had even arranged a VIP room.

Following the long corridor, Naruto and Rock Lee found Sasuke's hospital room.

After knocking and pushing the door open, they saw a gentle-looking man holding a peeled apple and feeding it to Sasuke.

Sasuke looked blissful and was about to open his mouth when he saw Naruto and Rock Lee and quickly turned his head.

"Ahem, you're here. Nīsan, these are the Naruto and Rock Lee I always tell you about."

"Nīsan? Is this man the Uchiha prodigy, Itachi Uchiha?" Naruto narrowed his eyes, trying to use his Reiatsu to map out Itachi Uchiha's Chakra.

To his astonishment, he discovered that Itachi Uchiha, who looked like a mere youth, possessed an immense amount of Chakra within him, unfathomably deep.

Naruto's body tensed, and a sense of dread arose within him.

It was his innate perception.

His Reiatsu was telling him that this man before him was incredibly strong!

"Hello, I'm Sasuke's brother, Itachi Uchiha," Itachi turned his head and looked gently at Naruto and Rock Lee. "Sasuke has mentioned you many times. You've been training with him all along; thank you for taking care of Sasuke." Itachi's gaze swept over Naruto and Rock Lee, pausing on Naruto for a few seconds, and in his gentle eyes, a flicker of killing intent suddenly appeared.

Naruto, highly sensitive to killing intent, felt as if he were plunged into an ice cave.

While horrified, he also felt a sense of unwillingness.

Indeed, he was still far from being a top-tier fighter.

"However, sparring isn't a fight to the death. You need to have some restraint," Itachi's next words were pointed, and Sasuke quickly interjected:

"Nīsan, I told you, I'm the one who asked Naruto to use Kyōka Suigetsu. I wanted to see the gap between him and me. Besides, I gained a lot from this battle. If we hold back during sparring, the fight loses its meaning."

Hearing Sasuke's words, Itachi's tone softened considerably, and he apologized to Naruto, "I'm sorry, Naruto. I'm just too worried. Sasuke has never been injured like this since he was little."

"It's okay. I did go a bit too hard this time, and I haven't fully mastered the ability yet," Naruto said, scratching his head sheepishly, acting like a slightly shy boy at that moment.

Naruto had heard countless versions of Itachi Uchiha from Sasuke, all of which described him as gentle and kind, someone who wouldn't hurt others.

But as the saying goes, seeing is believing. After truly feeling Itachi Uchiha's killing intent, Naruto finally understood.

Itachi Uchiha was an Anbu ninja; his hands must be stained with blood. How could such decisive kindness be shown to people like them who were of no consequence?

What he cared about was definitely only his family.

If Naruto threatened his family, he would undoubtedly face his wrath.

Although Itachi Uchiha had withdrawn his killing intent, Naruto's wariness towards him was at its peak, and he even wished he could escape immediately.

He clearly understood that he was still in the phase of "creeping development." He could handle a child like Sasuke, but facing a true powerhouse would be suicidal.

However, seeing how excited Sasuke looked, he was probably bored at the hospital and eager to chat with someone.

So, Naruto and Rock Lee stayed and chatted with Sasuke and Itachi Uchiha.

During this time.

Naruto also learned that Itachi, having just finished with his work in the Anbu, rushed to visit Sasuke and even personally fed him.

In Itachi's eyes, Sasuke, with his abdominal injury, couldn't move at all and had to lie down to recover properly.

This made Sasuke extremely helpless.

He had only sustained minor injuries, Naruto had avoided vital spots, and coupled with the medical ninjutsu treatment, Sasuke could actually get out of bed now.

But under Itachi Uchiha's strong insistence, Sasuke could only remain in bed, accepting Itachi's "loving feedings."

"This Itachi Uchiha is a brother complex," Naruto mentally labeled him.

It seemed he would have to go easy on Sasuke in the future, or risk Itachi holding a grudge.

Sasuke's words clearly showed his admiration for Itachi.

In his small world, Itachi was Konoha's number one genius, and he would follow in his brother's footsteps to become the second genius.

After speaking, the two brothers looked at each other and smiled, their brotherly affection evident.

"Brother complex and reverse brother complex, truly terrifying." Naruto had labeled both of them.

Naruto suddenly became curious: if Itachi Uchiha were to do something Sasuke couldn't accept in the future, wouldn't it completely shatter Sasuke's naive worldview?

But he was just thinking about it.

Looking at the "loving" appearance of the two brothers, he believed they would stay together until they were old and gray.

Naruto chuckled and cast his unrealistic fantasies aside.

Leaving the Konoha Hospital, Naruto and Rock Lee headed to Ichiraku Ramen together.

It was Naruto's favorite little shop.

There, he ate not just delicious food, but also the warmth of human connection that couldn't be found elsewhere.

Meanwhile, Itachi quietly watched Naruto's departing back from outside the window, his gaze deep.

"Nīsan, Naruto's talent is truly immense, he's very strong, but I will definitely catch up to him," Sasuke's young voice sounded from behind.

Itachi turned, revealing a gentle smile.

"Sasuke, your talent is no less than his, you will definitely surpass Naruto."

"Yeah!" Sasuke nodded vigorously, a confident smile blooming on his face.