Naruto and Kuro
Here, an ice pop.
"Thank you, thank you."
On the park bench, Naruto subconsciously took the popsicle that Koko had just broken in half from his hand, but his eyes never left the face of this "peer" beside him.
He glanced at the strange boy sitting next to him with his legs crossed, a strange look on his face, and held the popsicle to his mouth, but hesitated to take a bite.
Completely ignoring Naruto's gaze, Koko continued to munch on the half-eaten popsicle in his hand.
The park was quiet late at night, with only the rustling of the night wind through the trees and the chirping of cicadas, a sound unique to Natsuhi.
"Where did this guy suddenly pull out that popsicle from?"
Naruto looked at the popsicle in his hand and couldn't help but mutter to himself:
"Speaking of which, is there a 24-hour convenience store around here? I've walked this road so many times and I didn't even know it..."
Thinking of this, Naruto secretly glanced at Koko beside him again, and his heart sank even further.
Even someone who has always been the least concerned about anything has now clearly realized one thing.
This strange person is after me!
Just as Naruto hesitated for a moment, preparing to say something, a loud bang suddenly exploded in his mind without warning.
"Naruto, don't eat anything given to you by strangers!!"
At this moment, within Naruto's consciousness space.
Kushina's red hair was standing on end as she nervously stared at the unfamiliar boy who was eating an ice pop.
"Quick, Naruto! Create some distance from this guy, then use Shadow Clone Technique to hold him off, and make as much noise as possible!"
"With Kakashi's speed, he'll be here very quickly once he senses something's wrong!"
"Kushina, don't be impatient, calm down!"
Just as Kushina was eager to say something more, a steady hand gently pressed on her shoulder.
Kushina subconsciously turned her head, and what came into view were Minato's calm blue eyes, which always reassured her in crucial moments.
Looking at his anxious wife, Minato said earnestly:
"Kushina, try not to make a big commotion right now, otherwise Naruto might be in danger!"
"Although I still don't know who he is, there's one thing I'm sure of."
This person... is very strong!
Moreover, he has a considerable understanding of Konoha, or at least the surrounding terrain!
Through Naruto's gaze, Minato looked at the unfamiliar boy eating an ice pop on the bench, a deep sense of wariness flashing in his eyes:
"Due to the visit of the Mist Village delegation, Konoha's security measures have been raised to the highest level recently."
With this level of security, it would be virtually impossible for outsiders to sneak into the village undetected.
This person not only entered, but also brazenly appeared on the streets of Konoha...
Facing a powerhouse of this caliber, rashly resisting is not a wise choice!
At this point, Minato's gaze fell on the half-eaten popsicle in Koko's hand, which was still steaming cold:
If I'm not mistaken, the popsicle he bought was a "Snow Peak" popsicle, which is only sold at the nearby Chollitz Grocery Store.
The shop owner was an elderly man, and the location was quite remote.
Apart from Kakashi and Guy, who pass by there every morning during their jogs, very few of the surrounding residents know of its existence.
The fact that he was able to find that shop means he knows the area very well.
With Naruto's current strength, escaping from such a well-prepared and powerful opponent is virtually impossible.
Listening to Minato's detailed analysis, Kushina bit her lower lip and asked unwillingly:
"So what should we do next? We can't just do nothing!"
"The most important thing to do now is to buy as much time as possible."
Minato said with certainty:
"Naruto hasn't gone far yet. Kakashi and Kurenai are nearby. Judging from what this mysterious man just said, he doesn't seem to have any intention of attacking Naruto for the time being."
Perhaps we could have Naruto cooperate with him temporarily, while we look for an opportunity to make Kakashi and the others nearby aware of Naruto's current situation!
"This is the only way..."
Kushina nodded, sighed deeply, and then shouted loudly at Naruto:
"Naruto, did you hear that?!"
"Don't be nervous, just do as your dad says— Naruto!!"
In the real world, Naruto nodded earnestly, silently responding to his worried parents:
"Don't worry, Mom, Dad, I completely understand!"
Naruto looked at the popsicle in his hand, which had begun to melt slightly, and subconsciously swallowed.
"Based on what Dad just said, this popsicle should be edible, right?!"
"Thump!!"
In Naruto's mental world, Minato and Kushina collapsed to the ground simultaneously.
"No! That's not the point!!"
In the real world, Naruto completely ignored the two helpless figures slumped on the ground in his mind, and impatiently stuffed the popsicle into his mouth, taking a big bite.
The cool sugar water melted on his tongue, mixed with the crunchy texture of crushed ice, and Naruto's eyes lit up instantly:
"Mmm~ Crunchy and flavorful!"
On the bench, Kou looked helplessly at the blond kid beside him who was wolfing down an ice pop and showing it off without any guard, and couldn't help but complain:
"I'm telling you, you should at least have some sense of caution."
Never eat anything given by a stranger. Leaving Jiraiya who just returned, didn't Kakashi teach you these basic common sense rules?
"These troublesome things don't matter, anyway, none of those unruly people in Konoha will be kind enough to give me anything."
If they really give it to me, it certainly won't be anything good!
Naruto casually remarked while munching on an ice pop:
"I don't even know you. If you give me something, you definitely have ulterior motives. Isn't that obvious at a glance?"
Listening to Naruto's matter-of-fact words, Kouchi was momentarily at a loss for whether to feel sorry for the boy's overly clear-headed self-seriously earnestness, or to be speechless at his reckless behavior of being so unafraid of trouble.
"That kid actually makes a lot of sense..."