Invitation!

The morning class was a cultural studies lesson.

In short—a "Shameless Hiruzen Sarutobi Self-Praise" class.

It was said that the content of this cultural course was personally compiled by the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

On the surface, it covered history, battle analysis, geography, and culture...

In reality, it was propaganda for the Third's achievements.

It even featured photographs of Hiruzen Sarutobi.

One had to admit, when it came to being shameless, Hiruzen Sarutobi was absolutely number one.

"The Strongest Hokage," "The Professor of Ninjutsu"...

Titles self-bestowed like these really couldn't be made up without a thick skin.

"Sasuke, look, is that the Third Hokage?"

"He looks just like that old man who cares about me the most, brings me things, and never looks down on me!"

"Could it be... that I have been watched over by Lord Hokage all this time?"

Naruto lowered his voice, excitedly sharing his discovery with his desk mate, Sasuke.

That was right; the two had been assigned to the same class.

Since school had just started, seating was self-selected.

Naturally, as friends, the two sat together.

"I know."

Sasuke's mouth twitched.

He wondered if Naruto would be able to handle the truth about that old man, Hiruzen.

This kind of brainwashing class was truly... remarkably effective!

This was a major problem.

In Sasuke's plan, the higher-ups like Hiruzen Sarutobi needed to be rooted out.

And Naruto, the Child of Prophecy, Kishimoto's own golden boy, certainly couldn't be abandoned.

It seemed he would have to start changing Naruto's perception of what was "good."

The morning class passed quietly while he pondered these issues.

Noon arrived.

Everyone else went to the cafeteria to eat.

Naruto, however, sat alone in the classroom.

He didn't have enough money to afford a meal.

"Here."

"I prepared this for you."

Sasuke handed his bento to Naruto.

He carried several bentos with him at all times.

They weren't prepared specifically for Naruto; he just happened to eat that much himself.

"Eat up, I have more."

Sasuke pulled out a second bento and began to eat.

Thinking all morning had cost him a lot of energy.

Besides, he had nearly come up with a solution.

The afternoon was for ninjutsu class.

At first, it mainly covered the principles of ninjutsu and the nature of chakra...

Most children from clans had already learned these basics at home.

Those like Naruto, however, listened with faces full of curiosity.

When school ended, Sasuke was the first to leave.

Naruto, who had originally intended to walk home with Sasuke, felt a pang of disappointment upon seeing him leave.

Yet, he didn't chase after him.

He didn't want to scare off this new friend by being too clingy.

Under the setting sun, he dragged his lonely shadow toward his home.

Meanwhile, Sasuke arrived at a dense forest.

"Uncle Natsume, are you there?"

Sasuke spoke softly.

Whoosh!

A figure appeared right before Sasuke.

"Sasuke, is there something you need?"

Natsume looked at Sasuke calmly.

As an Uchiha powerhouse of the same generation as Fugaku Uchiha, Natsume saw Sasuke as nothing more than a junior.

However, this junior held a rather special status as the clan leader's son.

"Uncle Natsume, I need some money."

"Could you lend me some?"

Sasuke held out his hand directly.

"Money?"

"You..."

Though puzzled, Natsume still gave the money to Sasuke.

Having received the funds, Sasuke offered no explanation and left the scene immediately.

He left Natsume standing there in a state of bewilderment.

By the lakeside.

Naruto picked up a stone and tossed it into the water.

Watching the ripples spread, his heart, which had finally calmed down, was thrown into disarray once more.

As expected, he still didn't know how to get along with his friend...

"What's the matter, waiting for me here?"

Just then, a familiar voice reached Naruto's ears.

"Sasuke!?"

Naruto was pleasantly surprised.

But after calling out Sasuke's name, he didn't know what else to say.

He just stood there, stunned.

"I went to buy some things just now; I thought you might need them."

Sasuke handed fresh milk and food to Naruto.

Looking at the food in Sasuke's hands, Naruto felt a sudden tug at his heart.

"No need."

"I have plenty of good food at home."

"These, I usually..."

"We're friends, aren't we?"

Before Naruto could continue his "boasting," Sasuke interrupted him.

"Yeah!"

Naruto nodded heavily.

"I'm going to become the strongest ninja in the future."

"If you don't grow properly, you'll be left far behind by me."

"Take it."

Sasuke shoved the bag into Naruto's arms.

Immediately, he began to weave hand signs.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

Sasuke unleashed the fire jutsu, and flames erupted, forming a massive fireball over the surface of the lake.

"This is ninjutsu; I've already mastered it."

"So, you need to pick up the pace of your training."

After saying this, Sasuke flashed a very friendly smile.

At this moment, Naruto's face was filled with surprise and envy.

Being simple-minded, he didn't harbor any other thoughts.

"I'm going home now."

"We'll walk to school together tomorrow, too!"

"When the weekend comes, can I invite you over to my place?"

After Sasuke finished speaking, he held out his hand.

"Deal!"

Naruto clutched Sasuke's gift tightly in one hand while extending the other to bump fists with Sasuke, sealing their manly pact.

Hidden in the shadows, Uchiha Natsume felt as though his brain were about to explode after witnessing such a scene.

He was well aware of Uzumaki Naruto's identity.

As a powerhouse of the Uchiha, he naturally knew a thing or two about the events of the past.

Sasuke's current behavior was, without a doubt, creating massive trouble for the Uchiha.

How could those narrow-minded folks in Konoha ever allow a Jinchuriki to enter the Uchiha compound?

If he weren't currently tasked with the duty of guarding Uchiha Sasuke, he would have returned immediately to report this intelligence to Fugaku Uchiha.

The other two parties were also left completely bewildered by Sasuke's maneuver.

The Root organization had been searching for vulnerabilities in the Uchiha, hoping to strike and seize their Sharingan.

The Anbu, meanwhile, were monitoring the Uchiha to guard against any signs of rebellion.

Now, with Sasuke extending an invitation to the...

It left them all at a loss for how to handle the situation.

This was a friendship between two children; they couldn't exactly make an issue out of something like this, could they?

One after another, they arranged for their subordinates to carry this intelligence back.

As for the culprit behind this situation, Sasuke, he headed toward the Uchiha compound with a joyful expression on his face.

Finally, he had found an opportunity.

That's right, he hadn't invited Naruto on a whim.

Out here, Sasuke couldn't find a chance to shock Naruto.

But once they reached the Uchiha compound...

Even if Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura were monitoring them, they wouldn't dare send anyone to spy directly inside the home of Fugaku Uchiha...

This... was his best chance!