Uzumaki Naruto's Choice

The small insects around Uzumaki Naruto quickly and silently flew away, passing through the eaves where sunlight streamed, and landed on a rooftop not far away.

A ninja was crouching on the rooftop, a complete "Root" squad. Their movements were calm, their presence perfectly concealed, almost blending into the air.

The ninja at the front gently extended his hand, and several insects quickly landed in his palm, flying above his palm and drawing complex patterns. This was a special Insect Communication Technique, transmitting information through aerial flight trajectories.

"Target confirmed, Uchiha Rei and Uzumaki Naruto are traveling together, heading towards a place suspected to be Sasuke's usual haunt."

The ninja controlling the insects said with deep eyes, "I didn't expect that tracking Uchiha Rei would yield an unexpected bonus."

The ninja beside him frowned, "Didn't Lord Danzo tell us to secretly contact Uchiha Rei and have him join Root?"

"The mission has changed now," the ninja controlling the insects calmly ordered. "Terminate the mission to contact Uchiha Rei and change it to covert tracking, using him to find Uchiha Sasuke."

"Sasuke is Itachi's brother. If we control him, it's equivalent to grasping Uchiha Itachi's whereabouts," he added. "The insect swarm will continue tracking, and simultaneously transmit to Lord Danzo, requesting support."

As the order was given, the insects danced again, drawing hidden arcs in the air before disappearing into the blue sky.

Meanwhile, on another street, Uchiha Rei pretended not to notice the movement behind him.

He was holding Uzumaki Naruto's hand, walking through the streets and alleys of Konoha.

"I'm walking too fast! If I don't hold your hand, big brother, you'll definitely get lost," Naruto said with a laugh as he trotted along.

"We're being followed," Rei didn't intend to explain. Because he had his own plan.

The two continued to walk. Sunlight filtered through the tree shadows of Konoha, casting shadows on the stone path. The sound of children's laughter came from a street corner; a group of children were playing tag, their running stirring up the heat of midsummer.

Just then, Naruto's steps suddenly stopped. His gaze was drawn to a pair of siblings on the side of the street. They were sitting on the steps, each holding an ice pop, eating and laughing with satisfied smiles on their faces.

Naruto's expression faltered slightly, a trace of unspeakable loneliness appearing in his eyes. He lowered his head, looked at the hand he was holding, then looked up at Uchiha Rei, but said nothing.

It wasn't that he didn't have money. It was just that this small stall selling ice pops never sold anything to him. He was the "Jinchuriki," and many people in the village avoided him.

Uchiha Rei saw this, stopped, and walked towards the ice pop stall.

"Boss, give me both of these ice pops. The freshest, the most delicious."

The stall owner hesitated for a moment, then looked up at Uchiha Rei and immediately nodded, taking two ice pops from the refrigerator.

"This is mango flavor, and this one is watermelon flavor."

Uchiha Rei took the ice pops, walked back to Naruto, and smiled slightly, "Uzumaki Naruto, which one do you want? Mango or watermelon?"

Mango flavor was yellow.

Watermelon flavor was red.

Naruto's eyes immediately lit up. He ran forward, his voice rising by eight octaves in excitement, "You're really buying me one?"

But after the excitement, he immediately fell into severe indecision, "But... I like both mango and watermelon..."

Uchiha Rei's lips curved slightly, and he couldn't help but shake his head, "Then have both."

"Not making a choice, that is my ninja way."

Saying that, he split the two popsicles in half on the spot, dividing them into two sections, handing one half to Naruto in each hand.

"Your half, my half," he said.

Naruto took the popsicles, carefully licked the mango-flavored one, then the watermelon-flavored one. The cool sweetness instantly bloomed on his tongue.

He looked up at Uchiha Rei, revealing a brilliant smile.

"Lord Uchiha Rei, you are truly the best person in the world! Next time Grandpa Third Elder gives me living expenses, I'll treat you to popsicles too!"

In the summer Konoha, the sun was scorching.

The two walked side-by-side on the streets of Konohagakure, two popsicles each.

Konoha was hot, and also cold.

Popsicles were cold, and also hot.

When the bugs around Uzumaki Naruto disappeared, Uchiha Rei took a bite of his popsicle, tilted his head to look at him, and casually asked, "Do you like Sasuke?"

A true man always gets straight to the point.

Uzumaki Naruto was stunned. He turned his head, thought seriously for a moment, and shook his head, "I don't dislike him."

Uchiha Rei naturally knew those bugs were from Root. He also knew that he and Uzumaki Naruto were being watched.

So what? He dared to kill Danzo himself, these nameless nobodies, he disdained to act personally.

After discovering the trackers outside the Uchiha Clan Compound, he immediately sent out a Genjutsu clone to contact Uchiha Rekka. An order was quietly issued: "Eliminate that squad from Root."

In less than fifteen minutes, Rekka sent back the result: the squad was wiped out, no survivors.

Uchiha Rei finally told Uzumaki Naruto the truth.

"Uchiha Sasuke is currently in danger."

"You have two choices!"

"First, go find Sasuke, you will be in danger."

"Second, go home now, and nothing will happen."

As a member of Konohagakure, how would Uzumaki Naruto choose to respond?

There are many ways to find Uchiha Sasuke, or to find a way to find Uchiha Itachi.

Uchiha Rei didn't care if he could find Sasuke. What he was truly interested in was the choice in Naruto's heart.

Would he venture to save Sasuke, who was in danger?

Or would he play it safe and protect his own peace?

His choice made Uchiha Rei pay special attention.

"I'm going to help him," Uzumaki Naruto answered without hesitation, his tone as firm as a rock hitting the ground.

Uchiha Rei looked at him and asked softly, "Then... aren't you afraid of danger?"

Naruto gritted his teeth, lowered his head in thought for a moment, then looked up, his eyes clean and bright, "I am afraid. But, I believe in you, big brother."

"You're a Jonin, you'll definitely protect me," he said again, his tone firmer and more confident than before.

Hearing this, Uchiha Rei couldn't help but chuckle.

Indeed, for Konohagakure at this time, there was no safer place than "by his side."

"Then let's go," he said in a low voice, "Let's hurry and find Uchiha Sasuke!"

The two quickened their pace, passing through the village alleys, heading straight for outside the village.

Their destination was a pond outside the village, as Uzumaki Naruto had said.

The pond water was tranquil, shimmering with light. Weeds grew all around, as if no one had been there for years. Uchiha Rei's gaze quickly swept across the water's surface and the woods, and soon, he spotted a small figure by the pond.

"He's here after all," he said in a low voice.

"Go and persuade him to come home, as soon as possible. If Root finds him, Sasuke will be in mortal danger," Uchiha Rei said.

"Okay!" Naruto nodded vigorously, then quickly ran towards the edge of the pond.

Uchiha Rei didn't move, just stood under the shade of the trees, watching quietly.

By the pond, Uchiha Sasuke sat alone on a rock, his back looking small. He was holding a small stone, looking down and concentrating on skipping it across the water. The stone gently skimmed the surface, bounced twice, and then sank to the bottom.

"Still not good enough..." he frowned, picking up another stone.

This was a method taught to him by his brother, Uchiha Itachi.

Practicing throwing hidden weapons through skipping stones. His brother could skip a stone more than a dozen times, but he could only manage two or three.

"Why does everyone say brother is a rogue ninja... He's so strong, how can he be a bad person?" Sasuke muttered to himself, his gaze fixed on the water, filled with stubbornness and sadness.

"I don't believe them... they're all lying to me. Brother will definitely come back! This is our secret place, he'll come back for me!"

Just then, not far away, a small figure darted out from behind the grass.

It was Uzumaki Naruto.

"Sasuke, it's already dark, why aren't you going home yet?" Naruto said.

Sasuke didn't respond, just lowered his head, staring at the water's surface, silently avoiding Naruto's gaze.

Uzumaki Naruto scratched his head, shook it gently, hesitated, and finally walked over, sitting down beside Sasuke.

"When I was little, I always sat here alone, watching others go home," he said, his voice low and distant. "But I myself didn't even have a home."

The wind by the pond blew, bringing a hint of coolness.

"I know, something happened to your brother, and you're not feeling well," Naruto said, looking at the water's surface with a calm tone. "But you still have others at home, your parents. I don't even have parents..."

Sasuke's fingers twitched. He remained silent, but the corners of his eyes seemed to tighten.

"But I figured it out later," Naruto continued. "Actually, going home alone is always better than staying outside forever."

He tilted his head and smiled. "Because if you don't go back, others won't know who you're waiting for. If you squat outside, people will laugh at me, calling me a useless idiot nobody wants."

It was quiet by the pond for a while, only the ripples stirred by the wind on the water's surface, gently swaying.

"You're so annoying," Sasuke finally spoke, his tone still cold, but he showed no intention of leaving.

"Heh heh!" Naruto grinned. "You spoke, which means you heard me!"

Sasuke lowered his head and said softly, "I just want to be alone. I just... miss my brother."

"I know," Naruto's gaze was serious, unlike his usual playful demeanor. "Then I'll stay here with you. When you want to go back, I'll go home with you."

Sasuke slowly turned his head, looking into Naruto's eyes. For a moment, he felt a surge of emotion, but he quickly hid it, merely nodding gently.

Twilight fell, and the sky grew darker.

Two small figures sat side-by-side by the pond, leaning on each other, saying nothing, yet their silence conveyed more than a thousand words.

On a utility pole not far away, Uchiha Rei watched the scene silently.

He slowly opened his Mangekyo Sharingan—within his pupils, blood-colored light flowed. His gaze swept around the pond, and soon, his sight settled on the utility pole.

"Found you..."

He sneered inwardly.

"Uchiha Itachi, I didn't expect you to come to a place like this. You actually have a weakness?"

"Should I just get rid of you now?"

Killing intent flashed in Rei's eyes.