Naruto Wants to Make Friends

Uchiha Arashi looked down at Naruto.

The little guy was thin and small, showing signs of malnutrition, and his clothes were quite old, though fortunately, they looked clean and tidy.

Little Naruto's life was not easy.

In truth, he didn't lack money; at the very least, he had enough to feed himself. His real problem was that he couldn't spend it even if he wanted to.

Influenced by rumors, the people around him all believed Naruto was the Nine-Tails fox demon. Merchants refused to do business with him, parents forbade their children from playing with him, and everyone took the initiative to isolate him. Under these circumstances, Naruto had to expend a great deal of energy just to secure food every day; he would even go to the river to fish by himself. Yet now, he was saying he wanted to buy a book... Uchiha Arashi was genuinely curious.

What exactly made him reach such a decision?

"I... I..."

Naruto hesitated, his face flushing as he snuck a glance at Uchiha Arashi.

Seeing the shopkeeper brother looking at him with nothing but a smile, he suddenly found a sliver of courage.

"I saw other classmates reading that book... I thought, I thought... if I read this book too, maybe I could be friends with them..."

He stammered out.

So that was it!

Uchiha Arashi had a sudden realization.

Naruto had lacked friends since he was small; he craved recognition from others, and even his initial determination to become Hokage stemmed from this very reason.

"Just because you've read the same book doesn't mean you'll become friends, you know... But why would I turn down a sale? Teyvat Travelogue, right? There are two volumes in total; which one do you want?"

Uchiha Arashi walked out from behind the counter, reached up to the shelf to take down both books, and placed them in front of Naruto.

"I suggest you buy one first to see if you like it. If you really don't, you won't have to buy the second one, and you can save yourself some money."

"Shopkeeper brother, are you really, really willing to sell them to me?"

Naruto's eyes widened, seemingly unable to believe it.

"Why wouldn't I be? You buy books, I make money; I can't find a reason to refuse."

Others feared the fox demon, but he certainly didn't. Not to mention that the seal on Naruto was still quite sturdy, even if the seal were to accidentally break and the Nine-Tails escaped, he didn't believe that two pairs of Mangekyo couldn't suppress a single Nine-Tails. If they couldn't, then he and Izumi might as well give up on avenging the Uchiha by overthrowing Konoha and just run off to some place where no one knew them to raise a family.

"I, I want them all!"

Finally having someone willing to sell him something, Naruto shouted excitedly.

"My advice is to buy one first, and if you like reading it, then buy the second."

"No! I want them all! Even if, even if I don't like them, I'll keep them as a collection!"

"Suit yourself."

Uchiha shrugged, no longer trying to persuade him.

Naruto paid the money, clutched the two books, and ran off happily.

Once he was gone, Izumi emerged from the back.

"Is this brat special?"

She asked.

"Why do you ask that all of a sudden?"

Uchiha Arashi was counting the money and looked at Izumi in confusion.

"You aren't usually this earnest with customers, especially when it comes to children... Only he is special. Is there something different about him compared to the others?"

Izumi asked, watching Naruto's retreating back.

"He is quite special; he is the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails."

Facing Izumi, Uchiha Arashi could speak about certain things without any reservations.

"Nine-Tails? You mean..."

Izumi's eyes widened immediately.

"That's right. When the Nine-Tails was resealed a few years ago, he was the vessel used."

He didn't mention Naruto's true identity, mainly because the village's secrecy measures regarding this were too thorough. Aside from a few high-ranking officials, most people didn't know that Naruto was actually the son of the Fourth. It was difficult to explain the source of such intelligence, so he simply didn't bring it up.

"So, are you planning to control the Nine-Tails?"

Izumi was thoughtful.

If the Nine-Tails were released, it would indeed be the fastest way to create a crisis in Konoha.

And with the Mangekyo, controlling the Nine-Tails wouldn't be a problem, provided they laid out a plan...

"Stop, stop, stop. Where is your mind going? Don't worry, although I want to avenge the Uchiha, I'm not insane enough to release the Nine-Tails in the village. Besides, once the Nine-Tails is released, this little guy is a dead man. I won't do that unless it's the final resort."

Uchiha Arashi shook his head with a smile.

Furthermore, the Nine-Tails wasn't invincible. Like the Mangekyo, it looked powerful, but if Konoha went all out, they still had ways to deal with it; it would just cost them a higher price.

Therefore, the Nine-Tails was at most a bonus. If one hoped to overthrow Konoha by relying solely on the Nine-Tails, one could only say they were overthinking it.

"Alright, let's stop worrying about him. What's for dinner? I'm a bit hungry."

"Why have you been eating so much lately? You only just finished lunch... is it because of that?"

Izumi's gaze fell silently upon Uchiha Arashi's right arm.

"Perhaps it has something to do with it. Regardless, I've felt a ravenous appetite lately. Prepare more meat for dinner, and don't forget the younger ones; they're growing and need plenty of nutrition."

"I don't need you to remind me of that!"

Izumi shot Uchiha Arashi a glare and turned to head toward the back.

Uchiha Arashi smiled at her retreating figure and continued to sit behind the counter, lost in thought.

"What a truly wonderful story."

Kakashi closed the book and sighed softly.

He had finished reading the entire Teyvat Travelogue. The first nation was one of freedom, and the bond between Barbatos and Dvalin had moved him deeply. The second nation was one of contracts, where people protected by gods sought growth, stepped out of their comfort zones, and learned to protect themselves—a tale that filled him with longing.

Yet, it was a pity that the stories of these two nations could not be applied to Konoha or the Ninja World.

Ninjas had no connection to freedom, and ordinary people could never escape the protection of ninjas.

That was the beauty of novels; they could transcend reality and allow for unbridled imagination.

"As expected of someone who could become a Reviewer, the writing is truly excellent. I wonder when the third book will be written. The Eternal Nation Locked by Lightning, Inazuma... what an intriguing name."

Kakashi was still unaware that three Anbu squads had been completely wiped out. He had been tracking intelligence on Orochimaru lately, but unfortunately, Orochimaru was better at hiding than he had imagined. He had scoured the Land of Fields from end to end, yet he hadn't found a single trace of Orochimaru or his so-called lair.

There were many others across the Ninja World who felt the same way as Kakashi.

Together, they provided a vast amount of Power of Recognition, which flowed like rivers and eventually converged before Uchiha Arashi.

Inside the Shadow Space.

I can already vaguely sense the upper limit. In six months at most, the Gnosis will be ready to be forged.

Uchiha Arashi thought, his eyes gleaming with excitement.