The Uchiha Stone Tablet That Was Tampered With

Naruto stood outside the vine-covered garden gate of Mikoto's house, craning his neck as he looked left and right, his bright blue eyes full of curiosity while he kept muttering under his breath, "This is the place, right? The address Mom gave me—the house number—yeah, it's right!"

He looked up at the house number again and confirmed he had it right, but as he stared at the tightly shut front door and the quiet yard, he scratched his head uncertainly.

"Does Sasuke really live here? Why's there no sound at all? Don't tell me he's still sleeping in."

Naruto took a deep breath and kept shouting.

"Sasuke! Sasuke—!"

Then he raised his arm, ready to use the method he was best at to wake up the guy who might still be asleep inside.

But before his palm could land on the garden gate—

Creak—

The front door of the house was pulled open from the inside.

Sasuke stood in the doorway with one hand in his pants pocket and the other still braced against the doorframe, his face dark and his brows tightly furrowed, his eyes practically spelling out, Are you an idiot? He glared at Naruto, who was already posed to slap the gate, and snapped in a low, irritated voice, "Stop knocking! You're so damn loud!"

"Are you stupid? Didn't you see the doorbell right next to you?!"

"Huh?" Naruto froze, then followed the direction of Sasuke's finger. Only then did he notice that on the gatepost beside the garden gate, there really was an inconspicuous round silver button, with a tiny sticker underneath that read "doorbell."

"Hahaha!" Naruto immediately pulled his hand back, rubbed the back of his head, and let out his signature laugh, trying to cover his embarrassment with laughter.

"So there was a doorbell!