Belonging

...This was really something. To be fair, it was Uchiha Gen's first time seeing a dead man's head from so close up—and one that had been cut off, at that.

Noticing someone watching him, Kakuzu turned to look at Uchiha Gen. Seeing the mask on his face, Kakuzu frowned, then checked the bounty notices. There was no one matching him on them. Having collected his money, Kakuzu was somewhat disappointed and prepared to leave. On the way, he took the target Uchiha Gen had just been eyeing. It was nearby, after all, so it was convenient.

Uchiha Gen did not say much about it. He could just choose another target. However, when he looked again, he found that Kakuzu had taken all the nearby, high-paying bounties.

The only ones left were far away, poorly paid, and very good at hiding.

"..."

Uchiha Gen pondered life for a moment before making a decision. Why bother doing missions when robbery was faster? Once Kakuzu finished his missions, wouldn't it be better to just rob him?

Well—Akatsuki probably would not be short on this bit of money, right? Compared to the six hundred billion Explosive Tags in the future, it would be a drop in the ocean. With that, it was happily decided.

At Konoha's training grounds, all of Team 7 had gathered. Because of Naruto, who considered them half of the same clan, Karin had been entrusted to Kakashi's care. So she was here now, watching Sasuke and Naruto spar.

Sasuke had initiated this practice match, and Naruto happily agreed without much thought. At the training grounds, Naruto rubbed his nose and grinned smugly, looking as if victory was already in his grasp. "Sasuke, whoever loses treats everyone to barbecue. No backing out!" It was not ramen because everyone wanted a change of pace. After some protests, they had successfully changed it to barbecue.

"Hmph, you dead last. Who wins and who loses is still up in the air!" Sasuke wore a confident smile, completely shedding the untouchable attitude he had had these past few days.

Sakura immediately swooned, hearts practically shining from her eyes. "Sasuke is so handsome~"

Karin nodded in agreement, her cheeks flushing a little as well, though she was not as exaggerated as Sakura.

Seeing this, Naruto curled his lip. He imagined himself kicking Sasuke flying, Sakura calling him handsome, and Karin admiring him. His mood instantly improved, and he took up his opening stance, ready to show off in front of Sakura.

But imagination was beautiful while reality was brutal. Two minutes later, Naruto was swiftly kicked flying by Sasuke...

Just as Naruto was about to charge forward again, Kakashi stopped him. "Naruto, that's enough. Sasuke already held back just now. If this had been a battlefield, you would have been dead."

"But, but..." Naruto sputtered for a long time without managing to say anything. He had clearly beaten Sasuke once just yesterday. How had Sasuke become so strong after only one night?

Sasuke, meanwhile, kept up his cool expression and held out his hand in the gesture of the Seal of Reconciliation used after a fight.

With his cheeks puffed out, Naruto reluctantly formed the Seal of Reconciliation under Kakashi's guidance. Sakura, meanwhile, looked as though Sasuke being the strongest was only natural.

Naruto clenched his fists, feeling aggrieved. Damn it, I clearly beat Sasuke once before, but Sakura wasn't there to see it. At that thought, an aura of dejection immediately enveloped him.

Kakashi then asked Sasuke, "If I'm not mistaken, your Sharingan reached Three-Tomoe just now, right?"

Sasuke nodded.

"Did something happen?"

"Nothing. I guess it just awakened naturally."

Kakashi: "..."

Looking at Sasuke's red eyes, which looked somewhat like her own, Karin suddenly grew curious. She raised her hand and asked, "Kakashi-sensei, is Three-Tomoe very strong?"

"Ah, you could say that. But Three-Tomoe generally awakens after someone experiences an important upheaval. As for its strength, put it this way: with Sasuke's current level, if he trains a little more, he'll soon reach the level of a Jonin."

"!" Naruto was instantly stunned. "Kakashi-sensei, is that true? A Jonin?!"

"Mm." That was why Kakashi had thought something had happened to Sasuke. But Sasuke himself would not say anything, so there was nothing Kakashi could do.

Karin stared blankly at Sasuke. So strong. A Jonin at this age... is this the genius of the Uchiha Clan?

"Naruto~ Do you remember what you said?" Sakura asked with a smile.

"..." Naruto resignedly pulled out his frog wallet. Barbecue was really ridiculously expensive. Thinking about how flat it would be afterward, his heart bled.

Seeing how pained Naruto looked, Karin thought for a moment before saying seriously, "How about I help Naruto pay? My treat today!"

Naruto immediately jumped up in alarm. "How could I let you do that? A bet is a bet. I've got money, take it." As he spoke, he stuffed his wallet into Kakashi-sensei's hand. Karin had already suffered enough in Kusagakure. As her big brother, how could he let her pay?

But the next moment, Kakashi counted the money in the wallet and mercilessly dealt him a blow. "There are five of us here. This wallet only has a little over two thousand ryo. If we're having barbecue, each of us can only eat one piece at most."

"It's fine, Kakashi-sensei. I'll pay the extra amount when the time comes. Big Brother Reikawa left me one hundred thousand ryo for living expenses, so there's nothing to worry about." Over the past few days, Karin had come to accept them. It was rare for her to be able to help out, and she hoped this would help her quickly fit into the group.

"..." Naruto wanted to say no, but she was just too rich!! Coupled with the blow of his recent defeat, he looked even more dejected.

Seeing this, Karin could not help laughing. "This isn't free. You can pay me back when you have money."

Hearing that, Naruto perked up. "Don't worry, I'll definitely pay you back."

Seeing Naruto like this, Karin's gaze softened. He's like a little sun. No matter what happens, he always seems able to stay so positive. These days in Konoha feel like a dream. I really did escape that nightmare. Thinking of this, she subconsciously hid her hand behind her back.

Because Sakura had been paying attention all along, she keenly noticed Karin's movement. She wanted to say something, but held her tongue. Just wait a little longer. If everything went smoothly tomorrow, they could begin treating the bite marks on Karin's body.

Uzumaki Reikawa had originally wanted Tsunade to remove the bite marks for Karin, but when they had just returned, Karin had fallen asleep from exhaustion. Later, because she was somewhat afraid of strangers, it kept getting delayed until now.

By the time they finished their barbecue and went their separate ways, Karin still looked a little reluctant to leave. Sasuke, however, called Naruto over. There were some things he felt he should tell Naruto and let him decide for himself.

After following Sasuke for a while, Naruto rubbed his round belly and said contentedly, "Sasuke, this should be far enough, right? What's up?"

Sasuke said calmly, "Naruto, I think I know who your parents were..."