Chapter 5

A familiar voice suddenly rang out.

Naruto jerked his head up. "Sasuke?!"

He was a little surprised and delighted. But after calling Sasuke's name, he didn't know what to say. He could only stand there, dumbfounded. "I went to buy a few things. I figured you could use them." Sasuke held out some fresh milk and food.

Naruto looked at the things, and his heart clenched. "I don't need them." He tried to refuse. "There's plenty of food at home. I usually..."

"Aren't we friends?"

Sasuke cut him off before he could finish. "Yeah!" Naruto nodded hard. "I'm going to become the strongest ninja someday." Sasuke said, "If you don't get stronger, I'll leave you in the dust."

He shoved the bag into Naruto's arms.

Then he formed Hand Seals. "Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

Flames burst forth, exploding into a huge fireball above the lake.

"See that?" Sasuke said. "I can already use ninjutsu."

"So you'd better hurry up and train."

When he finished, a warm smile spread across his face.

Naruto stared at him, his face full of surprise and envy. He was simple-minded and didn't overthink things. "I should head home."

Sasuke turned and took a couple of steps, then looked back. "Don't forget, we're going to school together tomorrow!"

"Can I invite you over to my place this weekend?"

As he spoke, he held out his hand. "Sure!" Naruto hugged Sasuke's gift tightly, then reached out with his other hand and slapped Sasuke's palm. It was a promise between men.

Hidden in the shadows, Uchiha Natsume watched, his mind on the verge of exploding.

He knew Naruto Uzumaki's identity. As a powerful member of the Uchiha, he knew a thing or two about what had happened back then ** .

Sasuke's move was practically burying a bomb under the Uchiha.

There was no way those narrow-minded people in Konoha would agree to let the Jinchūriki set foot on Uchiha land.

If he weren't responsible for Sasuke's security, he'd have rushed back at once to tell Uchiha Fugaku.

The other two groups were just as stunned.

Root was searching for dirt on the Uchiha, hoping to use it as an excuse to seize their Sharingan; the Anbu were keeping an eye on the Uchiha, afraid they might ** ** .

And now Sasuke had just invited Naruto over.

They were dumbfounded. They couldn't use this to find fault with the Uchiha, could they? It was just a friendship between two children, after all.

All they could do was send people back with the news.

Sasuke, the one who'd caused all this commotion, was now cheerfully heading toward the Uchiha Clan Compound.

He'd finally found an opportunity.

He hadn't invited Naruto over on a whim.

There was no way he could give Naruto electrotherapy out in public.

But inside the Uchiha Clan Compound... Even if Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō were keeping watch, they wouldn't dare brazenly barge into Uchiha Fugaku's home ** .

This was his best chance.

In the days that followed, aside from practicing Shuriken, going for runs, and receiving family news from Fugaku, Sasuke spent all his time figuring out how to become even closer to Naruto.

But eventually, he realized he'd been overthinking it.

Naruto didn't need any effort at all.

As long as Sasuke took the initiative, Naruto practically wanted to pour his heart out to him.

Whenever Sasuke and the little girl with the two buns were both around, Naruto didn't hesitate anymore. He went straight to Sasuke's side.

At the end of the day, that was the fate of the Fourth Hokage's son, the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki...

"Sasuke, I didn't bring anything. Is it okay if I show up empty-handed?"

"Sasuke, do you think these clothes look kind of shabby?"

"Sasuke, I—"

"Enough, enough. You're coming over to have fun, not to meet a potential spouse. Why bring anything?"

Naruto just kept chattering away, and Sasuke was tired just listening to him.

Sasuke even felt a little awkward using that coaxing tone.

But five-year-old Naruto fell for it. "Okay!"

Naruto grinned foolishly and nodded hard.

That was right—it was the weekend.

Sasuke had gone to Naruto's house before dawn and waited outside.

Now, the two of them were walking toward the Uchiha's sprawling compound.

Naruto had put on the old clothes he thought were his best, but since it was his first time visiting a friend's home, he was still nervous. "Those tails following us?"

Sasuke's mental strength, honed over two lifetimes, wasn't for show. He'd already sensed the presences behind them.

There was no need to guess. They were Anbu.

If they'd been Danzō's men, they probably would have attacked already.

On the surface, Sasuke chatted cheerfully with Naruto about this and that.

In secret, he kept an eye on the Anbu's movements.

Fortunately, they weren't crazy enough to target a child.

Before long, the two of them could see the walls surrounding the Uchiha Clan Compound. "Naruto, we're here. This is the place."

"I told Mom we were coming, so we can go right in."

"There'll be plenty of good food later, so save some room."

Sasuke led Naruto into the courtyard of Fugaku's home.

The Anbu had no choice but to stop outside the Uchiha Clan Compound.

Without the Hokage's authorization, they weren't even allowed to step onto any clan's land.

Breaking into the clan head's home was even more out of the question.

For now, they could only wait for word from Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Meanwhile, in the Hokage's office... "That Uchiha boy took the Jinchūriki to their compound?!"

"What are they planning?"

"Are they going to use the Sharingan to control the Nine-Tails again and turn against the village?"

"Is this because we forced them to move last time? Are the Uchiha planning to fight to the bitter end?"

Utatane Koharu looked extremely tense.

The Uchiha had veterans like Fugaku, Nagasawa, and Natsume holding them up.

And they had promising newcomers like Shisui and Itachi to back them up.

If they joined forces ** , on top of the Nine-Tails' power...

Could Konoha withstand them as it was now?

"I don't think it's as serious as you're making it out to be. It's just a child visiting another child."

"The Uchiha hate the Nine-Tails as much as anyone else in the village."

"Besides, Fugaku's youngest son brought the Jinchūriki home. Maybe we won't even need to act. They might drive the Nine-Tails out themselves."

"No need to worry about it."

Mitokado Homura was taking it in stride.

After all, they were the ones who'd used the Nine-Tails incident as an excuse to force the Uchiha to move last time.

Several Kunai were embedded in the target, their tails still trembling slightly. "Sasuke, I did it!"

"So I'm supposed to guide the direction with my wrist, not just rely on throwing strength."

Naruto had finally managed to sink a Kunai into the bull's-eye for the first time. He was so excited that he couldn't hide his grin.

Sasuke nodded. "Not bad. Now you just need to practice until you get a feel for it."

He paused, then added, "When you throw Kunai, you also need to pay attention to the surrounding terrain. We'll talk about that this afternoon."

With that, he led Naruto outside.

He was hungry.

And he wasn't just here to help this guy train today.

The two of them went into the living room.

The table was already piled high with dishes. "Aunt—"

Naruto started to call her Auntie, then changed his mind. "Mom."

Only Mikoto Uchiha was there.

Fugaku and Itachi were nowhere to be seen.

Naruto was practically drooling over the feast, but he still greeted her properly first.

Mikoto smiled. "You must be Naruto."

"Sasuke told me you're his best friend."

"Don't be shy here. Make yourself at home."

Then she added, "Don't rush off after you eat. Try on some clothes. I've prepared a few sets for you."

"And don't go home tonight, either. You can share a room with Sasuke."

Naruto opened his mouth, wanting to say something.

In the end, all he managed was, "Thank you, Auntie!"

His eyes stung a little.

For a child who'd grown up with no one looking after him, someone else's kindness felt warmer than anything.

But he didn't have time to feel moved for long.

Sasuke had already started devouring the food.

If he didn't start eating soon, Sasuke would polish off the whole table.

That afternoon.

Naruto changed into a new training outfit.

It fit perfectly, as if someone had taken his measurements and made it just for him.

That afternoon, Naruto was happier than a kid who'd just found a wallet.

Not only did he have someone to train with, but at Sasuke's place, he could use as many Kunai and Shuriken as he wanted. He didn't have to worry about running out. He'd never even dared to imagine having this much to spare.

And with someone bringing him food every so often, Naruto felt like he'd fallen into a pot of honey.

As for whether anyone was jealous... With his one-track mind, it never even occurred to him.

After dinner, the two little boys took a bath and returned to their room. "Sasuke, why'd you pick me to be your friend?"

Naruto lay sprawled across the bed, curiosity filling his eyes. "Why?"

Sasuke tilted his head. "There's no reason. I just wanted to be friends with you."

He paused, then suddenly sat up straight, his expression turning serious. "By the way, Naruto, I've got a really amazing training method. Want to try it?"

"It might make you get stronger really fast!"

"What method?"

As soon as Naruto heard he could get stronger, he immediately forgot his earlier question and waited eagerly for Sasuke to explain. "Zzzzt—"

Sasuke raised one hand. A crackling ball of lightning sprang to life in his palm. "Lightning Release!"

"You can use Lightning Release too, Sasuke? Don't you know Fire Release as well?"

Naruto's eyes widened with amazement. "You're way too impressive."

"I came up with this method myself, but I think you can do it too."

"You know how to mold chakra, right? The teacher explained it in class."

"It's a special energy formed by mixing the experience we accumulate through training with the energy in our body's cells, then storing it."

"Lightning Release can ** cells—in short, I can use lightning to temper cells and make them tougher."

After Sasuke explained the principles in detail, Naruto was clearly itching to try it.

Even though the arcs of lightning in Sasuke's hand looked painful, they couldn't suppress the impulse building inside him. "Okay, I'll try!"

Naruto nodded hard. "All right!"

Sasuke answered and immediately held out his hand.

Naruto swallowed.

He gritted his teeth, reached out, and grabbed Sasuke's palm.

Lightning Release surged through him at once.

A violent impact jolted Naruto from head to toe.

But his body was made of tough stuff. Lightning of this intensity couldn't hurt him at all.

At the same time, Sasuke used the power of Lightning Release to sense what was happening inside Naruto.

The moment Naruto's powerful cells came into contact with the lightning, they began to temper themselves.

"Quick, start molding chakra!"

Sasuke urged him in a low voice. "Okay!"

Naruto immediately sat cross-legged and began circulating the chakra-molding technique with all his might.

Combined with the insights he'd gained from training during the day, the two little boys began a strange sort of "dual cultivation."

Before long, Sasuke's face showed both surprise and delight.

Naruto really was heaven's favorite son!

His physical constitution, his speed at molding chakra...

Even Sasuke couldn't help feeling a little envious.

At the same time, Sasuke got a clear sense of Naruto's body.

The Uzumaki bloodline was incredibly powerful.

By contrast, the cells in Sasuke's own body were nowhere near as strong as Naruto's.

He figured it was probably a weakness brought on by the Uchiha bloodline. "Huh?!"

As Sasuke pondered this, a strange sensation suddenly swept through his entire body.

Though he hadn't deliberately tried to refine chakra, his body began moving on its own, automatically circulating it.

His cells contracted and expanded, and chakra surged and churned within him.

The chakra mixed with Lightning Release and actually began strengthening Sasuke's cells.

"Ding! Host has completed the 268th tempering."

"Ding! Host has completed the 269th tempering."

As the system notifications rang out one after another, the corners of Sasuke's mouth curled upward.

He didn't understand exactly how it worked, but he'd figured out how to get through this stage.

Next—

"Naruto, circulate your chakra the way I do."

"I'm about to increase the amount of Lightning Release. Stay steady."

Sasuke lowered his voice as he gave the instructions.

Seeing that Naruto's gaze didn't waver in the slightest, Sasuke didn't waste time. He unleashed an even stronger burst of Lightning Release. "Crackle..."

The sound of electricity burst forth, and lightning flashed wildly in every direction.

But Sasuke immediately pulled it back in, regaining complete control.