The next day, Naruto put on casual clothes he had never worn before, donned glasses, and headed to the Ninja Academy.
Unlike before, he carried a little more of an everyday warmth.
Naruto's new outfit attracted quite a few looks.
The villagers were all curious about why Naruto had suddenly changed his style of dress.
Having figured everything out, Naruto no longer clung to imitation in all its forms. He wanted to be himself wholeheartedly.
Under Aizen's influence and guidance, he had similar goals and ideals, but he was not Aizen's copy. He was Naruto Uzumaki, a flesh-and-blood person.
When he arrived at the Ninja Academy, Naruto's attire immediately caught his classmates' attention.
"Naruto, why are you dressed so casually today?" Ino Yamanaka greeted him bluntly as she pulled Sakura closer.
Ever since making up with Sakura Haruno, she had begun doing everything she could to help Sakura along.
"Naruto-kun, you look good in that outfit too." Sakura's little face reddened slightly as she offered him some orange juice.
"Thanks." Naruto took the orange juice and noticed the bow on Sakura's head. He immediately praised her, "That red bow is cute. It goes well with your pink hair."
After saying that, he walked toward his seat, completely unaware that the girl behind him had already turned bright red and was celebrating this early victory with her best friend.
Sasuke had not come to school. His injuries had yet to heal.
Naruto withdrew his gaze and decided to visit Sasuke after school.
After enduring the wait until classes ended, Naruto and Rock Lee headed toward the Ninja Hospital together.
"Naruto, I heard you became the top student in your year and even revealed a new Kekkei Genkai, Kyoka Suigetsu." Rock Lee said excitedly along the way. "Looks like Sasuke's training paid off. He actually forced you to use Kyoka Suigetsu. I heard it was a Kekkei Genkai that could create illusions. Was it Genjutsu?"
"Yes. You can think of it as a weaker form of Genjutsu. It differs somewhat from true Genjutsu, but it is no less practical in battle."
"Awesome! I really want to see it for myself."
"If it's you, Rock Lee, I think you might be able to break through it." Naruto smiled gently.
"Haha, Naruto, don't comfort me. Genjutsu is my greatest weakness."
Rock Lee excelled at Taijutsu and had absolutely no resistance to Genjutsu. Against Kyoka Suigetsu, he could only be completely helpless, unable to put up any fight at all.
The two chatted as they walked and soon arrived at Konoha Hospital.
The Uchiha were indeed a prominent clan. Even their arrangements were VIP rooms.
Following the long corridor, Naruto and Rock Lee found Sasuke's hospital room.
They knocked, pushed open the door, and saw a gentle-looking young man holding a peeled apple to Sasuke's mouth.
Sasuke wore a blissful expression and was just about to open his mouth when he saw Naruto and Rock Lee, then hurriedly turned his head away.
"Ahem, you two are here. Nii-san, these are Naruto and Rock Lee, the ones I always tell you about."
"Nii-san? This man is the Uchiha genius, Itachi Uchiha?" Naruto narrowed his eyes, trying to use Reiatsu to map Itachi Uchiha's Chakra.
Yet he was stunned to discover that Itachi Uchiha, who looked like no more than a teenager himself, possessed an enormous amount of Chakra. It was unfathomable, bottomless.
Naruto's body tensed, and a sense of wariness naturally rose within him.
It was an instinctive perception he had been born with.
His Reiatsu was telling him that the man before him was very strong!
"Hello. I'm Sasuke's older brother, Itachi Uchiha." Itachi turned and looked gently at Naruto and Rock Lee. "Sasuke has mentioned you many times. You've always accompanied him in training. Thank you for taking care of Sasuke." Itachi's gaze swept over Naruto and Rock Lee, lingering on Naruto for several seconds. Yet within that gentle gaze, a trace of killing intent suddenly surfaced.
Naruto, who was exceptionally sensitive to killing intent, felt as though he had been plunged into an ice cellar.
Alongside his shock, he also felt unwillingness.
Sure enough, he was still far from the truly top-tier strong.
"Still, sparring is not a fight to the death. You should show some restraint." Itachi's next words carried an implication, and Sasuke hurriedly interrupted from the side.
"Nii-san, I already told you. I was the one who asked Naruto to use Kyoka Suigetsu. I wanted to see how wide the gap between us was. Besides, I gained a lot from this fight too. If we hold back during sparring, then there's no point in fighting."
Hearing Sasuke's words, Itachi's tone softened considerably. He even apologized to Naruto, "Sorry, Naruto. I was just too worried. Sasuke has hardly ever been hurt since he was little."
"It's fine. I did hit a little too hard this time, and I haven't fully mastered my ability yet." Naruto scratched his head sheepishly, looking like a somewhat shy boy at that moment.
Naruto had heard countless versions of Itachi Uchiha from Sasuke. Without exception, they all described him as gentle and kind, someone who would never hurt others.
But as the saying went, seeing was believing. After truly sensing Itachi Uchiha's killing intent, Naruto finally understood.
Itachi Uchiha was an Anbu ninja. His hands had to be stained with blood. How could such ruthless kindness possibly extend to insignificant people like them?
The only people he cared about had to be his family.
If Naruto threatened his family, he would certainly suffer Itachi's wrath.
Although Itachi Uchiha had already withdrawn his killing intent, Naruto's guard against him had been raised to the maximum. He even wanted nothing more than to flee this place immediately.
Naruto understood perfectly well that he was still in the stage of quietly building himself up. Bullying a kid like Sasuke was one thing, but facing a true powerhouse would be nothing but suicide.
But judging by Sasuke's excited expression, he had probably been cooped up in the hospital for too long and could not wait to find someone to talk to.
So Naruto and Rock Lee stayed and chatted with Sasuke and Itachi Uchiha.
During that time,
Naruto also learned that Itachi had rushed over to visit Sasuke as soon as he finished his work in the Anbu, even feeding him personally.
In Itachi's eyes, Sasuke, with his abdominal injury, was completely unable to move and had to lie down properly and recuperate.
That left Sasuke feeling utterly helpless.
His injuries were obviously minor. Naruto had avoided the vital areas, and with Medical Ninjutsu treatment, Sasuke could actually get out of bed by now.
But under Itachi Uchiha's forceful insistence, Sasuke could only remain in bed and accept Itachi's "loving feeding."
This Itachi Uchiha is a total little-brother fanatic. Naruto mentally slapped a label on him.
It seemed he should go easier on Sasuke in the future, or Itachi might make things difficult for him.
Sasuke's words were full of admiration for Itachi.
In Sasuke's small world, Itachi was Konoha's number one genius, and he would follow in his brother's footsteps to become the second greatest genius.
After saying that, the two brothers smiled at each other, their brotherly bond on full display.
A little-brother fanatic and an older-brother fanatic. Terrifying. Naruto gave both of them labels.
Naruto suddenly grew curious. If Itachi Uchiha did something Sasuke could not accept in the future, would that not completely shatter Sasuke's immature worldview?
But it was only a passing thought.
Looking at how "loving" the two brothers were, they would surely grow old together.
Naruto chuckled softly and tossed his unrealistic fantasy to the back of his mind.
Leaving Konoha Hospital, Naruto and Rock Lee headed to Ichiraku Ramen together.
It was Naruto's favorite little restaurant.
What he enjoyed there was not merely delicious food, but also a sense of human warmth that could not be found anywhere else.
Meanwhile, Itachi stood quietly by the window, watching Naruto's retreating figure with deep eyes.
"Nii-san, Naruto is really talented. He's strong, but I'll definitely catch up to him." Sasuke's childish voice sounded from behind him.
Itachi turned around and revealed a gentle smile.
"Sasuke, your talent is no worse than his. You will definitely surpass Naruto."
"Yeah!" Sasuke nodded firmly, his face brimming with a confident smile.
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