How to Wash Away the Clan's Shame

Just as Naruto was feeling a little pleased with himself, he suddenly heard a knock, knock, knock from the living room, exceptionally clear in the quiet little house.

"Who would come looking for me?" Naruto froze for a moment, then leaped off the bed. "Coming—"

He hurried over to open the door.

When he pulled it open, an elderly man with a face full of wrinkles stood outside.

The old man had a pipe clenched between his teeth and was smiling at him.

"Ah, it's Grandpa Hokage!" Naruto's eyes widened in delighted surprise.

The visitor was none other than the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

After hearing Kakashi's report, he had considered it again and again before deciding that it was necessary to come see Naruto in person.

Besides, it was time to give Naruto his living allowance for the month, so he could take care of it on the way.

"Haha, what? Are you not welcoming this old man into your home?" Hiruzen Sarutobi chuckled as he walked inside.

The moment he stepped through the door, he paused in mild surprise. "Oh? Naruto, did you clean up your house?"

Naruto scratched the back of his head and gave an embarrassed grin. "Yeah. It was way too messy, so I spent some time cleaning it up just now."

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked around. The floor was clean, and the furniture was neatly arranged. It was worlds apart from the filthy, cluttered little house he remembered. He nodded approvingly. "Not bad, not bad. You've grown up. You know to clean your room on your own now."

Hearing the praise, Naruto felt delighted, a proud and happy smile appearing on his face.

Hiruzen Sarutobi turned around, pulled a bulging envelope from his robes, and handed it to him. "This is the village's living allowance for you this month. It's all in here. Keep it safe."

"Oh!" Naruto quickly accepted it with both hands. "Thank you, Grandpa Hokage!"

He grinned as he clutched the envelope in his hands.

At that moment, Naruto suddenly remembered what his mother had told him in the dream: when receiving kindness from others, he had to thank them properly.

Seeing him take the money, Hiruzen Sarutobi was about to say something when Naruto suddenly gave him a deep, solemn bow. "Grandpa Hokage, thank you for taking care of me all this time!"

As Naruto bowed, his head lowered in complete sincerity. He no longer looked like his usual careless self.

Hiruzen Sarutobi stood there in a daze, staring at the blond boy before him.

The Naruto from before had never been this polite or courteous!

"Ahem." Hiruzen Sarutobi came back to himself, an gratified smile appearing on his face.

He gently helped Naruto up. "Good boy. No need to thank me. It's what I should do."

"No, I still have to thank you!" Naruto straightened up, nodding firmly as he insisted.

He was truly grateful for the help and care the old man had given him while he was growing up.

"Hehe, all right, all right." Naruto's words warmed Hiruzen's heart. Smiling, he stroked his beard. "By the way, Naruto, there's something Grandpa wants to ask you... Who taught you to say something like that just now?"

Naruto froze for a moment, then scratched his head and smiled. "Hehe, my mom taught me! She said that when someone gives you a gift or helps you, you have to thank them properly. You can't just take it without saying anything. That's basic manners."

"Your mom?" Hiruzen Sarutobi paused, the confusion on his face deepening. "You mean... who taught you?"

"My mom, of course." Naruto answered as though it were only natural. "My mom in the dream taught me. She had beautiful red hair, and her voice was really nice. The food she made was super delicious too! She could be a little fierce sometimes, but most of the time, she was really good to me."

Hiruzen Sarutobi listened blankly, unable to say anything for a long while.

Of course he knew who the "red-haired mom" Naruto spoke of was—it was undoubtedly Kushina Uzumaki!

In an instant, a storm surged through Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart.

Kakashi had been telling the truth!

Naruto really had met Kushina and Minato in his dreams.

Although Kakashi's earlier report had already been extremely detailed, hearing Naruto say these things in person was far more shocking than any written account could be.

Kushina had been dead for over a decade. Naruto had never met her, so there was no way he could have imagined her appearance and personality out of thin air.

Yet in his dreams, Naruto had met his mother and even learned manners he had never encountered before...

All of it proved that the unbelievable events Kakashi had described had truly happened!

Elsewhere, amid the ruins of the Uchiha Clan District.

Sasuke pushed open the half-broken courtyard gate. What greeted him was still a bleak, desolate sight.

Weeds ran rampant through the courtyard. The surrounding houses were reduced to broken walls and ruins, while the fan-shaped clan emblems painted on the walls had faded and peeled away.

But Sasuke had no time for sorrow.

He quickly crossed the courtyard and arrived before the towering stone cliff in the backyard. Without a moment's hesitation, he began climbing it with his bare hands.

The rough rock scraped painfully against his palms, and beads of sweat soon seeped from his forehead, sliding down his cheeks beneath the blazing sun.

But Sasuke gritted his teeth and climbed upward with both hands and feet, repeating the training over and over as though he could not feel exhaustion.

Whenever he thought of the duel with that man in last night's dream, hot blood rushed straight to his head.

Bang!

His fist slammed heavily into the cliff face, sending shards of stone flying.

Sasuke was hanging from the side of the cliff several yards above the ground, veins bulging at his temples. "Damn it... still not enough?"

He panted heavily, then slowly jumped down from the rock wall. His fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles crackled.

In the dream, every move he made had been utterly insignificant before Itachi Uchiha.

He had not even touched the edge of Itachi's clothes before being defeated.

That dream might have been false, but Itachi's strength had branded itself into Sasuke's heart with unbearable clarity.

The enormous gap in their strength was like an uncrossable abyss stretching before him.

"Still far from enough..."

Sasuke raised his head to stare at the towering cliff, his eyes full of unwillingness and pain.

"Damn it!" The boy lowered his head, his loose bangs covering his eyes. "At this level... how could I possibly defeat him?"

He took several deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. Then he raised his head again and fixed his gaze on the steep rock wall.

His body was exhausted, but the force driving him onward sharpened Sasuke's eyes once more.

"One day... one day, I'll defeat you with my own hands! I'll wash away the clan's shame!"

Night fell.

Konoha Village gradually settled into silence.

Dim streetlights came on, their soft glow streaming through the window into Naruto's bedroom.

Naruto lay on his back in bed, but his heart was unsettled and sleep would not come.

After staring blankly at the ceiling for a while, he suddenly rolled over and sat up. He pressed his palms together and closed his eyes, looking as solemn as if he were praying.

Heavens, please, please let me see Mom and Dad again tonight...

He silently made his wish, then took a deep breath and lay back down, pulling the blanket up to his chin.

He had deliberately gone to bed earlier than usual today, hoping to fall asleep before Sasuke.

Maybe then, he would be the one to enter the dream tonight.

At the thought that he might see his dream parents again, Naruto felt both expectant and nervous, his heart pounding in his chest.

"Calm down, calm down... I have to fall asleep early..."

He forced himself to relax, closed his eyes, and tried to steady his ragged breathing and racing heartbeat.

As time passed, exhaustion quietly overtook him.

Naruto vaguely felt his thoughts beginning to drift away. Drowsiness washed over him like a tide, and he smoothly slipped into sleep.