Running Under the Setting Sun

After Naruto and Sasuke left, the kids started chattering again.

"What was that just now? A clone?"

"No way, clones can attack too?"

"When did Naruto get that strong?"

"Sasuke can use such a powerful Fire Style Jutsu!"

Kiba nudged Shino beside him. "Hey, Shino, those two just now..." The masked boy nodded. "That was definitely the Great Fireball Technique and the Shadow Clone Technique." Since neither of them was an ordinary civilian ninja, they could barely recognize these high-level techniques.

"I'm not surprised Sasuke can use the Uchiha Clan's Great Fireball... but Naruto actually mastering the Shadow Clone Technique too?" Kiba crossed his arms, his young face turning serious. "Looks like I need to master Fang Passing Fang as soon as possible."

"Woof!"

Kiba looked up, patted the dog on his head, and smiled. "You gotta work hard too, Akamaru."

"Woof!"

"Those two are strong." Choji remarked as he kept crunching on potato chips.

"Not just the Shadow Clone... the way he combined it with the Transformation Technique, and that smooth taijutsu combo... Naruto, what happened to you in such a short time?" Shikamaru pondered to himself.

"Naruto..." Iruka looked away, recalling the Third Hokage personally seeking him out yesterday.

"What is it, Lord Hokage?" Iruka walked to the corner of the hallway, where the aged Third Hokage stood.

"Iruka..." The Third took a puff of his pipe, wearing his bamboo hat, and exhaled smoke. "I entrusted Naruto to you back then because you shared the same experience—growing up without parents, craving the attention of companions. I hoped you could guide him properly as he grew up..."

Iruka nodded. He understood this well and had been trying hard to adapt.

After all, strictly speaking, Naruto—or rather, the thing inside him—was the one who killed his parents.

"But now, some things have happened... Naruto is no longer just a simple child. He might act very differently from before. Where his path will lead from here, even I can no longer predict... I only hope you can do your best to guide him correctly..." The Third said slowly. A six-year-old mind bearing the weight of seventeen years of life—who could say what would happen next?

"Some things happened..." Iruka was puzzled, but seeing the Third fall silent without any indication, he immediately realized it involved classified information he shouldn't know. He apologized, "Lord Hokage, I spoke out of turn."

"Six years... Naruto, just how far will you grow?"

The Third gradually walked away.

"What do you mean!?" Sasuke spun around, strode up to Naruto, and glared at him fiercely.

The overwhelming hatred in Sasuke's aura was still somewhat intimidating. Naruto instinctively stepped back half a pace, then stopped himself and met Sasuke's vicious eyes directly. "Exactly what I said. Right now, you can't even beat me. What right do you have to run around every day looking like you want to rush off and get revenge on Itachi? You're his little brother—you should know how strong Itachi was at your age, right? Could a six-year-old you beat a six-year-old Itachi?"

Sasuke's fury exploded. He grabbed Naruto by the collar. "What the hell are you talking about! Someone like you doesn't understand anything! Itachi... that bastard, he..." As he spoke, Sasuke's eyes reddened, and he couldn't say another word.

Naruto let him hold his collar, looking into those eyes full of hatred, anger, and grief. He tried to imagine how [he himself] had felt when treating [him] as an [important bond].

But unfortunately, the memories he'd received included everything, even [training experience], but none of [my emotions], [sorrow], [joy], [pain], [loss], [satisfaction], [happiness], [despair]... none at all.

"..." Sasuke let go, lowered his head, turned, and walked away.

Naruto was silent. Finally, just as Sasuke was about to disappear, he called out, "Hey!"

Sasuke's back stopped.

"Beat me!" Naruto shouted.

"What did you say?"

"I mean, fight me with everything you've got! If you can't train right now, then just fight me! Revenge is something you can only talk about after you've beaten me, the dead last!"

"Hmph... idiot."

Sasuke stood still for a moment, then leaped away and vanished.

After school, Naruto headed to Konoha's Back Mountain for his solo training, just like he'd been doing these past few days. But on the street, he spotted two [familiar] people.

"Huh, Teacher Kakashi, Pervy Sage!" Naruto waved to greet them, but suddenly realized they didn't know him yet. He felt a bit awkward...

Just as Naruto lowered his hand, Jiraiya turned around and smiled. "Yo, isn't this my cute disciple?"

Kakashi was visibly startled. Disciple? He looked Naruto over carefully—short spiky blond hair, bright blue eyes, a round face... Kakashi asked Jiraiya, "Lord Jiraiya, could it be..."

"Yeah, this is Minato's kid, Naruto Uzumaki." Jiraiya nodded. Since Naruto already knew his own background now, there was nothing to hide.

"Pervy Sage, you know that I know..." Naruto was surprised. He had no idea what happened in the Third's secret room back then.

The phrasing was awkward, but Jiraiya clearly understood. "Yeah, I know that you know."

Kakashi was speechless. What nonsense were these two talking about?

"Oh..." Naruto nodded, unexpectedly a little happy. Lately, a sense of loneliness had been clinging to him—one even stronger than being the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. But then his gaze flickered, and he yelped, "Whoa!"

Kakashi silently looked at Jiraiya's missing left arm. So he finally noticed.

Come to think of it, who could have inflicted such a serious injury on Lord Jiraiya?

"Ahaha, well, it's nothing to make a fuss over." Jiraiya waved a hand, then his tone shifted as he looked at Naruto. "After all, your opponent was Pain. Losing just one arm is already pretty good."

Naruto's pupils contracted. "Pain..."

A crushing sense of disaster seized his heart.

Pain's assault on the village, Konoha razed to the ground, a million White Zetsu, battlefields ablaze, the demonic Susanoo, Madara Uchiha's suffocatingly powerful Fire Style, Water Style, Wind Style, Sand Dust, explosions, Chakra phantoms... and the scene of [himself] dying helplessly.

These images, tied to the name [Pain], surged back into his mind with an unshakable stench of blood, like a lingering ghost breathing cold air down his neck, whispering ominously to Naruto: See? These aren't dreams. This is real. Your future... is death.

Naruto shuddered and forced a pale smile. "Haha, yeah, that figures..." Then he hurriedly said, "I'm heading out."

Watching Naruto dash off, Kakashi wondered, "What's up with that kid?"

Jiraiya smiled with a complicated expression. For the current Naruto, those memories might weigh more heavily than they helped...

That evening, just like the past few days, Naruto lay exhausted on the forest floor.

"No good... my current Chakra reserves can't even pull off a Rasenshuriken." Naruto panted, his face and hair drenched in sweat. Without his goggles, his short, messy blond bangs clung to his forehead.

"I've managed to enter Sage Mode before, but if I fail, I'll turn into a stone frog..."

"Chakra... Chakra..."

Naruto silently stared at the twilight sky, his hand unconsciously resting on his abdomen.

Closing his eyes, his consciousness entered that place for the first time...

Finishing his training, Naruto headed home.

Suddenly, he spotted a few boys surrounding a girl, making a ruckus like they were bullying her.

"Hey! You guys! What are you doing? Huh, it's Hinata..." Stepping in to help was only natural—whether before or after the change, Naruto's core nature remained the same. As he got closer, he saw the bullied girl was indeed Hinata Hyuga.

"Naruto-kun..." Hinata was surprised, but even more embarrassed.

"Who're you?" "You looking for trouble?" "Want a beating?" The little boys snapped at Naruto.

Naruto couldn't be bothered to argue and directly formed hand signs: "Shadow Clone Technique!"

Crap, I've already used up all my Chakra...

Poof, poof.

Two mini shadow clones, barely a few inches tall, appeared on the ground.

"..."

The little boys froze for a moment, then burst into unrestrained laughter. One of them charged forward first: "You here to be a joke or what?"

Naruto sighed, dragging his exhausted body into a scuffle with the boys. It took a lot of effort just to pin the little brats down.

"You'll pay for this!" "Don't think this is over!"

After tossing out their threats, the group quickly fled.

"You okay?" Naruto panted. Having worn himself out from training, then getting into a fight, it was really taking a toll.

"I'm, I'm fine... I'm sorry." Hinata blushed, and in her nervousness, she just bowed and apologized.

"What's there to be sorry about?" Naruto was puzzled, but thanks to those memories, he had a pretty good impression of Hinata... After all, she was the girl who'd said, [I like Naruto-kun the most], even if it was probably the same kind of like as liking Ichiraku Ramen.

"I'm off then. Be careful going home." Naruto waved and left.

"Ah, wait!" Hinata called out. Naruto stopped and asked, "What's up?" Hinata's face reddened even more as she murmured, "Thank you, Naruto-kun."

"Ha, no need to thank me." Naruto waved and walked away.

Hinata stood there for a moment, then also left.

Naruto suddenly stopped, spun around, and scanned the area, muttering to himself in confusion, "Was someone watching just now... I thought I felt... a white figure... Huh... weird..."

"Whatever. Time to go home."

Gotta train hard tomorrow too!

So I don't die!

Facing the setting sun, young Naruto Uzumaki thought this to himself, uncertain whether he felt anticipation or fear toward the future.