Naruto's Way Home

The Uchiha Clan compound lay northeast of Konoha, beside the lower reaches of the Naka River, quite a distance from the village center. In other words, Naruto had a long way home. Letting a five-year-old child walk that far alone was clearly irresponsible.

Not to mention that Naruto was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

If anything happened on the way, the Uchiha Clan would not be able to explain themselves even with a hundred mouths.

To be safe, Sōken personally escorted Naruto home.

"Sōken, be careful on the road."

The old man, nearly seventy years old, was still full of vigor, his back straight and unyielding like a blade tempered a thousand times. Standing at the doorway, he looked at his exceptional eldest grandson and earnestly reminded him, "It's getting dark. Be careful walking at night!!!"

"I will, Grandfather."

Sōken chuckled softly. "I even brought out the treasure I've been keeping hidden for so long." He wore the traditional dark blue Uchiha robe, with the Uchiha Gunbai emblem on its back. A long sword hung across his lower back, but the most eye-catching thing was the massive object wrapped in bandages and strapped to his back, like a door panel.

"...That's good."

Genji Uchiha said nothing more and turned to enter the house.

For someone who had returned alive from the battlefield, a single reminder was enough. There was no need to waste more breath.

"Naruto, see you at school tomorrow."

Toka had come out as well to see off the only little brother—or rather, friend—she had at the Ninja Academy.

She waved goodbye to Naruto.

"Yeah, see you at school."

Naruto nodded vigorously, feeling incredibly happy.

It was his first time eating at such a lively dinner table, and the food had not been instant noodles or ramen. He was happier than he had ever been before... Even when facing Sōken, he no longer felt the same fear and wariness as before. Though calling it closeness might still have been a bit of a stretch.

After Uchiha Masashi and Uchiha Saki led their daughter back inside, only Sōken and Naruto remained at the door.

"Alright, Naruto. Time for you to go home too."

Sōken reached out, grabbed Naruto's head, and gave it a rub. His messy hair grew wildly in every direction. Despite looking malnourished, his hair quality was actually quite good. Was that also the effect of the Uzumaki Clan's bloodline?

As they walked home, Naruto kept sneaking glances up at Sōken beside him. After they had gone a little over a hundred steps, he finally worked up the courage to speak. "Um, Toka's brother... I, um..."

"What is it? Need to use the bathroom? Number one or number two? Didn't bring any toilet paper?"

"That's not it!"

"Haha!"

Sōken burst out laughing at Naruto's intense reaction.

"Kid, don't be so stiff. It's not like I'm some bad guy. I'm happy that you're willing to be friends with Toka. She's ten years younger than me, the youngest in the family, and a girl too. Grandfather, Father, everyone—including me—we all spoiled that girl from the time she was little. That's how she ended up with this lawless temper..."

Sōken stopped smiling and spoke with some seriousness. "I was worried she wouldn't be able to make friends at the Ninja Academy, that people would isolate her, or that she might run into something like silent bullying... The fact that you can put up with Toka's temper and be her friend really takes a weight off my mind! Naruto, thank you!"

"...Toka's brother, I'm the one who should be thanking you!"

As Naruto walked, he kicked at the pebbles beneath his feet and spoke in a very quiet voice. "I was really happy today. I made my first friend at the Ninja Academy, and it was the first time a friend invited me over to play. And I even got to eat such delicious fried chicken for dinner... I'm the one who should say thank you!"

Sōken shot a surprised sidelong glance at Naruto, who had lowered his head.

Was this really that hot-blooded, single-minded idiot protagonist from the future? His thoughts were so delicate that even Toka, a girl, could not compare!

"And... I'm sorry. Um... Toka really does think of me as a friend! Most of the other students in class run away whenever they see me... It's because of me that Toka can't make other friends. I..."

"You're Toka's friend, and Toka was the one who invited you to my house. If you have something to say, say it to Toka yourself. Why are you telling me? Listen up! I hate the trouble of passing messages for people. Whatever you want to say, say it yourself. Stop always asking someone else to deliver your words."

"...Toka's brother, you don't mind me being friends with Toka?"

Naruto stared at Sōken with an incredulous look.

Up to now, he had played with many children around his age in the park near his home, but most encounters had only happened once. Whenever a parent saw him, they would immediately take their child away, and neither of them would ever appear at that park again.

"I already told you, what does the matter between you and Toka have to do with me? It's not like you're making friends with me. Still, kid... Toka is my precious little sister, so don't get any funny ideas!" Sōken warned him, though for some reason, the warning did not seem very effective.

Naruto had no idea what "funny ideas" meant. He was not yet the little pervert who would later invent the Sexy Jutsu, a lewd ninjutsu to catch people's attention.

At this age, five-year-old children could still sleep on the same mat regardless of gender!

Naruto did not understand the latter half of Sōken's words, but he understood the first half. Sōken was not forbidding him from being friends with Toka. As a child who had grown up under strange looks, Naruto could vaguely sense the malice others directed toward him.

He did not feel the disgust and disdain of those parents from Sōken.

Even before, the reason he had feared Sōken... was a different instinct, an instinct that sensed danger. It was like when he had encountered a water python beside a stream in the Forest last summer. Of course, it was only similar; the sensations were not entirely the same.

From beginning to end, Naruto had never felt the kind of discouraging, despair-inducing malice from Toka's family.

"Toka's brother, thank you!!"

"...What are you thanking me for? You're just a kid, so why are you acting like an adult? Kids should act like kids." Sōken unceremoniously punched Naruto on the head. Naruto did not get angry after being hit; instead, he rubbed his head and grinned foolishly.

"Um, Toka's brother, Toka said you're an incredibly, incredibly strong ninja. Is that true?"

"Of course it's true."

Sōken held his head high and chest out.

"You really cut down six mosquitoes with one slash?"

"Was it true that your sword caught fire too? Didn't the blade burn your hand?"

"Um, um..."

The veins near Sōken's temples throbbed. This brat sure talked a lot, his little mouth firing away like a machine gun.

And what exactly had Toka told Naruto? They had known each other for less than a day, hadn't they? Why did it feel like she had spilled every last detail about her brother?

And so, they chatted nonsense as they traveled, soon leaving the Uchiha Clan's territory.

They proceeded along the broad, empty road, where not even a third person could be seen. The land the Uchiha Clan had moved to was truly rather remote. Aside from members of the Uchiha Clan, there were no other residents nearby. After leaving the clan territory, there was still a long stretch of uninhabited forest before they reached anywhere populated.

Sōken looked around and slowly narrowed his eyes.

This place, was perfect for an accident.