Dawn broke.
The bells rang throughout Konoha.
Bright sunlight bathed the schoolyard of the Konoha Academy.
Parents crowded the entrance to see their children off on their first day of school.
It was a heartwarming sight.
Yet two boys arrived at the school alone, their shadows reflected in each other.
Before Sasuke,
a yellow-haired boy appeared, carrying a worn-out backpack.
Just like him,
nobody had come to see him off today.
Sasuke's parents were too busy.
Chuan Yu wasn't around, either.
As for this yellow-haired boy...
Well, it was a long story.
They pursed their lips at each other and walked into the school together.
Neither seemed willing to back down.
They'd only just met...
and already they were at it...
The one with the biggest headache was Iruka-sensei.
"My name is Uzumaki Naruto!"
"My dream is to become Hokage one day!"
After entering the classroom,
Naruto gave a brief introduction under Iruka's direction.
But his grand declaration of his dream at the end made everyone laugh.
Iruka shook his head helplessly.
He thought Naruto was simply too young.
How could anyone take a child's words seriously?
At the same time, he felt he couldn't accept Naruto.
Because just yesterday,
Naruto had grabbed a bucket of paint, leaped onto Kage Rock, and indulged in some outrageous artistic expression.
As it happened,
Iruka had shown up and stopped him.
After learning of the incident, Hiruzen Sarutobi had sought Iruka out.
He knew Iruka's parents had died at the hands of the Nine-Tails.
But Naruto wasn't the one who had killed them.
Hiruzen Sarutobi hoped Iruka would accept Naruto.
The main reason was to keep Naruto from turning evil.
Because inside Naruto,
lay a power that could make the entire Ninja World tremble.
But at the same time, if that power could be put to good use,
it could be a great asset.
The one to blame was Danzo, who had constantly spread rumors around the village that Naruto was the Nine-Tails' human incarnation.
Iruka was torn.
He knew Naruto wasn't the culprit.
But the Nine-Tails was sealed inside Naruto.
Because of this,
he had gone to Kakashi.
And Kakashi had told him
that Iruka was the only one who could help Naruto.
If Iruka could accept Naruto,
he would also be able to let go of the hatred in his heart.
That way,
Iruka could give Naruto the attention he needed.
Iruka had just come back to his senses and was about to give everyone a gift for the start of the school year.
Suddenly,
a commotion broke out in the classroom.
When he looked closely,
he was utterly stunned.
On top of a desk,
Naruto and Sasuke were kissing, their lips pressed together.
Their new classmates, Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino, clutched their heads in anguish.
Sasuke and Naruto hurriedly sprang apart.
They quickly covered their mouths and started coughing.
"You good-for-nothing loser!"
"One of these days, I'll kill you with my own hands!"
After five years of hardening,
Itachi's departure,
and Chuan Yu's coldness,
Sasuke was no longer the naive little brat he'd once been.
A hint of sharpness now showed in his fiery gaze.
"Bring it on!"
"Let's fight right now!"
"Like I'm scared of you!"
The two glared at each other.
"Tch!"
"Tch!"
They folded their arms and turned away again.
Neither would speak to the other.
Iruka rubbed his hair helplessly.
What a headache...
In a forest somewhere in Konoha,
on a treetop,
Kakashi was reading a copy of Icha Icha Paradise.
Suddenly, someone appeared in front of him.
The newcomer snatched the book right out of his hands.
Chuan Yu glanced through it in annoyance.
"Chuan Yu?"
"Long time no see..."
By the time Kakashi recovered from his surprise,
he recognized the person in front of him.
"I need you to do me a favor."
Chuan Yu flipped through the book a few times, then tossed it back to Kakashi.
Kakashi caught it and gave a lazy yawn.
"What could you possibly need my help with...?"
On the night Danzo died,
Kakashi had chosen to cooperate with Chuan Yu.
After giving it careful consideration, Hiruzen Sarutobi had decided to remove Kakashi from the Anbu.
He had assigned him to the school instead,
hoping to keep any more trouble from cropping up.
"Look after Sasuke for me."
Chuan Yu spoke calmly.
Over the past five years,
Kakashi and Chuan Yu had grown familiar with each other.
Kakashi knew about many things.
As for Sasuke,
Chuan Yu was now famous for being strict with him.
"Isn't he already at school?"
Kakashi didn't understand what Chuan Yu meant.
"I mean after he graduates."
"I want him to become your student."
Chuan Yu shared what he had in mind.
He didn't want Sasuke getting caught up in the matter with Itachi.
At the same time, he hoped Kakashi would help him.
So much had happened,
and Chuan Yu was truly afraid it might trigger some butterfly effect.
"Ah... that's what you mean..."
"Leave it to me."
"But how have you been lately?"
Kakashi flipped to his feet.
They both dropped down from the tree.
"Iwagakure is making a move."
"They'll probably attack Konoha before long."
Chuan Yu had now joined Root.
As the faith and hope of his entire clan,
he had naturally been appointed captain.
Kakashi sighed deeply,
his face full of concern.
"Even hearing about things like that is exhausting now..."
"Being at school is better..."
"Free of worries..."
"I still owe you thanks for what you did back then..."
Kakashi turned his back to Chuan Yu and waved.
The two went their separate ways.
When Chuan Yu returned to Root,
he received new intelligence.
"Iwagakure will launch its first attack on Konoha tonight."
"I hear their forces will be joined by an allied army."
"Based on our surveillance, it should be from Sunagakure."
Five years had passed.
Karin had grown into a beautiful young woman.
She had also become the most important sensor ninja under Chuan Yu.
Karin had gathered all this information.
There was no need to verify whether it was true.
Chuan Yu trusted Karin completely.
But the one thing he couldn't figure out
was Iwagakure's alliance.
Sunagakure.
At a time like this,
Chuan Yu could think of only one possibility.
Orochimaru.
By my calculations, at this point...
Orochimaru should have made contact with the Fourth Kazekage.
It wouldn't be long now.
Orochimaru would launch his attack on Konoha.
But was this supposed to be a probe before the war?
Ever since returning from Ryūchi Cave,
Chuan Yu hadn't seen Orochimaru again.
But there was one thing Chuan Yu still remembered clearly.
During the final trial at Ryūchi Cave,
when he had taken out the Kusanagi Sword,
the White Snake Sage had recognized the weapon.
When Chuan Yu had asked whether Orochimaru had ever been there,
the White Snake Sage had nodded.
And she had told Chuan Yu
that Orochimaru couldn't practice Senjutsu because of his body.
His constant changes of body
meant he couldn't withstand the power of Senjutsu.
But the many snake genes in his body had earned the White Snake Sage's approval.
In the end, though, he had only signed a Summoning Contract with Manda of Ryūchi Cave.
So...
Orochimaru had been lying when he told Chuan Yu he'd never been to Ryūchi Cave.
Chuan Yu could still vaguely remember what Orochimaru had said when they first met.
It was obvious Orochimaru had set his sights on Chuan Yu's body.
"Will he try to take my body after I learn Senjutsu?"
"Heh..."
"Orochimaru..."
"We'll meet again soon..."
Late that night,
Konoha was silent.
Suddenly,
a man in a black cloak darted across the eaves at the street corners.
After slipping past the guards at the Uchiha compound,
the cloaked man finally stopped outside Uchiha Fugaku's house.
At that moment,
Chuan Yu suddenly opened his eyes, roused from sleep.
He pushed open the door and slowly stepped outside.
Chuan Yu looked at the man before him without expression.
Beneath the cloak,
a faint glint reflected the moonlight.
The man's lips curled slightly.
He casually adjusted his glasses.
"Uchiha Chuanyu..."
"Lord Orochimaru is very eager to see you..."
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