Friends

The three of them stopped in front of the park, watching Naruto and Danzo from afar.

"Uncle Dan, let's go," Naruto said softly, tugging at Danzo's sleeve, though there was obvious disappointment in his voice.

Danzo said nothing and silently led Naruto away from the park.

After the two of them left, Shikamaru and the other two slowly made their way into the park.

On the way to Ichiraku Ramen, Naruto kept his head lowered.

Though he had spoken such mature words about earning other people's acknowledgment, deep down, he still longed for someone to reach out to him and keep him company.

"Let's go back."

Danzo, who had been walking silently, suddenly stopped and blocked Naruto's path.

Naruto, who had kept his head down, was not paying attention and bumped into Danzo's thigh.

"What?"

Naruto dazedly looked up at Danzo. He had not heard him clearly just now.

Danzo looked at him seriously and repeated himself. "Let's go back. You actually want to get to know them, don't you?"

Naruto froze. A smile could not help appearing on his face, but it was full of bitterness. "Better not disturb them. They wouldn't want to play with me."

It was not as though he had never tried stubbornly forcing his way into other people's company, but whether adults or children, things always ended unhappily because of him.

Now that Naruto knew his identity and had responsibilities and goals, he no longer wanted to disturb others.

"It's different." Danzo shook his head. "Most of the people you approached before were civilians, or people who did not know the truth."

"Everyone just followed the crowd, so they were unwilling to approach you."

Seeing the hope in Naruto's eyes, Danzo explained, "Your father and mother were both extraordinary people. Although your identity was concealed to protect you, since I know who you are, there are naturally others like me who know as well."

"The three children just now come from the Yamanaka Clan, the Akimichi Clan, and the Nara Clan. Their families were all on good terms with your father."

"Although their elders did not tell them your identity in order to keep it hidden, they will not stop them from interacting with you either."

Danzo was not wrong. Going by the timeline, Naruto would only come into contact with the children of those great clans after entering the Ninja School, and only then would he finally gain friends of his own.

He was merely helping Naruto meet them ahead of time.

Naruto thought for a long time before quietly asking, "So... they might actually be willing to play with me?"

Danzo shook his head. "Children from these clans generally will not care about your identity, but whether you can play with them depends on your own ability."

"Ability?" Naruto asked in confusion.

"The ability to make others willing to approach you and become your friends." Danzo had never expected that one day, he would be teaching someone how to make friends.

Was I a preschool teacher in my previous life?

Danzo began to doubt his former profession.

With a sigh, Danzo asked, "Did you hear what that little girl said just now?"

Naruto nodded. "She said they were bored?"

"That's right. They're bored right now. Since none of you know each other, play to their interests. Think of an interesting game and tell them about it. If everyone plays together, you'll naturally become familiar with each other as you go," Danzo responded after some thought.

Friendship between children should be that simple, right?

Even Danzo was not entirely sure.

Naruto lowered his head and frowned as he thought for a long while. Then he looked at Danzo. "Since they're all children from great clans, they should have already learned how to extract Chakra, right?"

Danzo nodded. "The three little ones just now all had traces of Chakra flowing within their bodies."

"Let's go back!" Having gotten his answer, Naruto looked at Danzo. He had a feeling that today, he would meet the first, perhaps even second and third friends of his own age in his life.

Ino sat atop a stone statue, swinging her short legs. "Shikamaru! This is really boring. Let's find something to do."

Because of the war, the flower shop was temporarily closed, and she truly could not think of anything to do.

"Isn't lying around and sleeping great? Dad's finally not home, so why do I have to wander around outside with you two?" Shikamaru lay on a stone bench and complained.

"Crunch, crunch."

Choji sat beside Shikamaru without saying anything, continuously stuffing chips into his mouth.

"Huh."

Ino let out a soft sound and looked outside the park. "That kid actually came back."

Shikamaru opened one eye and looked toward the park entrance. The blond kid shunned by the villagers was nervously walking toward them.

And beside him—

That uncle looks familiar.

Shikamaru had felt all along that the uncle standing beside the blond kid looked familiar. That was why he had made Ino and Choji stop, only reentering the park after the two of them had left.

After thinking for a moment, Shikamaru said to Ino, who was sitting on the stone statue, "Ino, go ask what's going on."

Still very young and doted on by all three families, Ino was completely a tomboy.

With a flick of her body, she jumped down from the stone statue and swaggered over to Naruto. "Hey, kid, what do you want?"

Shikamaru also sat up from where he had been lying flat, quietly watching the nervous Naruto.

"Can I play with you guys?"

After hesitating for a moment, Naruto finally spoke.

"No!" Ino rejected him immediately.

The hope in Naruto's eyes dimmed, but he still forced a smile as he prepared to say goodbye.

"But if you can think of something interesting to do, I might consider it." Seeing Naruto's expression, Ino spoke mischievously, as though she had gotten her way.

She was bored anyway. One more person or one less person did not matter to her.

"What do you think, Shikamaru, Choji?" Ino turned around and asked Shikamaru and Choji behind her.

"I don't mind."

Shikamaru glanced at Danzo behind Naruto, then lay back down on the stone bench.

His main concern was Danzo behind Naruto. As for Naruto, he was merely a rather pitiful blond kid to Shikamaru, and he did not care much about him.

"I don't mind either." Since Shikamaru did not mind, Choji did not mind either.

Overjoyed, Naruto's smile became brilliant enough to make Ino pause in surprise.

Naruto's smile somehow gave her a warm, sunlit feeling.

"Let's climb trees!"

"Lord Danzo, the Hokage has summoned you."

That familiar, emotionless tone rang out again.

An Anbu Ninja suddenly appeared beside Danzo.

Danzo looked at Naruto, who was covered in dirt from falling yet still wore a smile, as well as the little Ino-Shika-Cho trio beside him, who were also trying hard to climb trees. He smiled with satisfaction.

Then he froze.

What was with this feeling of being an old father?

"Go to the Hokage Building."

Danzo calmly instructed the Root Ninja hidden in the shadows.

The familiar sedan chair appeared silently in the park. When Danzo left, no one besides Shikamaru noticed, including Naruto.

The confusion on Shikamaru's face vanished. So it was him.