Cleaning the Room

"Remember, Sasuke," Shisui said, correcting his posture as he emphasized,

"The premise of using these techniques is that you've determined a conflict is unavoidable, and your primary goal is 'disengagement,' not 'victory'."

"Until you possess sufficient strength, avoiding unnecessary harm and preserving yourself is the wise choice. This isn't cowardice; it's strategy."

He watched Sasuke practice earnestly and continued to guide his thinking:

"A person must do things that align with their capabilities at different stages."

"What you need right now is growth and learning; it's about accumulating strength, learning how to protect yourself in this complex situation, and seeing the people and things around you clearly."

"Blindly fighting head-on, or stagnating in sorrow and anger, will only cause you to lose the chance to become stronger and pursue the truth."

"Yes, Shisui! I understand!" Sasuke took Shisui's words to heart with great seriousness.

Even if he didn't fully grasp these things now, as he grew older, there would come a day when he would understand.

Just then, several black shadows descended silently like ghosts, surrounding the two of them.

The lead ANBU captain said in a deep voice, "Shisui, you shouldn't be here." The atmosphere tightened instantly.

Sasuke stood up almost reflexively; this time, he didn't feel the helpless fear he had before.

Instead, he subconsciously adopted the slightly awkward defensive stance Shisui had just taught him, nervously blocking the way in front of Shisui.

Shisui stood up slowly and placed a hand gently on Sasuke's shoulder, signaling him to relax.

"Get lost!"

All the ANBU were stunned for a moment, and then a massive force slammed directly into their brains.

The ANBU surrounding Shisui collapsed to the ground in an instant.

The Third Hokage, who was walking over while holding his pipe, was shocked.

He hadn't expected Shisui to take action so directly.

"Shisui..."

The Third's gaze swept with complexity over the fine, unmistakable cracks of the Impure World Reincarnation on Shisui's face, finally landing on the ANBU lying on the ground.

"Explain your actions."

Shisui's tone was calm, without a ripple; the respect he had for the Hokage during his life was gone, replaced only by a sense of detachment and indifference that came after experiencing death:

"There's nothing to explain. Whoever poses a threat to me now, I attack."

He didn't offer a defense, merely stating facts, or perhaps, sending a signal.

The Third Hokage looked stunned; he hadn't expected this attitude from Shisui.

"I don't have much time left." He pointed to the cracks on his face.

"I don't know when this shell will return to the Pure Land for good."

"Before I dissipate completely, I just want him to learn... how to keep a clear head when isolated and helpless, how to distinguish kindness from pretense, and how to... survive."

"A child who has lost all support and cannot even learn the truth—in this village, he needs some basic things to protect himself, doesn't he?"

These words were like an invisible needle, piercing through the Third's usual mask of gentleness.

He understood Shisui's stance now.

The Third Hokage smoked his pipe in silence, the white smoke blurring the expression on his face.

His sharp gaze lingered for a long time on the spreading cracks on Shisui's face.

A "ghost" that could vanish at any moment, a dead man full of resentment toward the higher-ups, an older brother who just wanted to teach a child to "think independently"...

Forcibly stopping him was meaningless and might even escalate the conflict.

After a long while, the Third slowly exhaled a ring of smoke, as if exhaling a sense of helplessness.

He waved his hand.

The surrounding ANBU members dragged the unconscious men away, retreating silently into the shadows and vanishing from sight.

"Once a week, and only that," the Third finally said, his voice devoid of emotion. "Shisui, do not do anything beyond the scope of 'teaching'."

Having said that, he took one last deep look at Shisui and Sasuke, turned, and left, returning the training ground to them.

Not until the Third's back had completely disappeared did Shisui look down at Sasuke, whose eyes still held lingering shock but also a glimmer of new understanding.

"Think carefully about everything today. I'll come to find you again next week."

"Hello, we meet again. I'm Trumpet Nine."

He greeted the Nine-Tails, who was curled up in its cage, in a lighthearted manner.

The Nine-Tails merely lifted its eyelids lazily, then closed them again, completely ignoring his existence.

"Heh... ignoring me is your loss, you know." Shien cast out a straight hook.

The Nine-Tails merely lifted its eyelids lazily, then closed them again, completely ignoring his existence.

Clearly, the hook was too straight; it wasn't biting.

Seeing the Nine-Tails remain unresponsive, Shien didn't get annoyed; he simply projected his senses outward.

What entered his consciousness was the sight of Naruto scrambling to clean his room.

The little guy was sticking his butt in the air, struggling to scrub the stains on the floor that had long since dried and blended with the dust—most of them were "masterpieces" left by spilled instant noodle broth.

Naruto was sweating profusely, his little face flushed red, yet the room remained a complete mess.

"It seems you don't want to know the truth after all," Shien's voice echoed leisurely in Naruto's mind.

Naruto jumped in shock!

"Trumpet Nine! Don't be mad! I'll clean it up right away! Right away!"

He explained in a panic, and in his haste, he kicked over the water bucket nearby.

"Clang—"

A bucket of dirty water poured out onto the floor, making the already chaotic situation even worse.

Naruto looked at the sewage flowing across the floor, his little face turning pale instantly, despair welling up in his eyes.

Just then, a knock sounded at the door, and Mikoto's gentle, concerned voice came from outside:

"Naruto, what happened? I heard a loud noise."

"I... I..." Naruto was so anxious he couldn't speak clearly, tears threatening to spill from his eyes.

"Go open the door," the voice in his mind guided him.

"The people who truly care about you will be worried about you first, not blame you."

Naruto hesitated, but eventually moved to the door and opened it.

Seeing the mess inside and the sewage on the floor, Mikoto understood the situation immediately.

But her first words were, "Naruto, are you hurt?"

"Huh?" Naruto froze; the scolding he had anticipated didn't come. He lowered his head, his voice small:

"No... I'm not hurt..."

Immediately, he felt a wave of intense shame:

"I'm sorry, Aunt Mikoto, I made the house so dirty..."

Mikoto looked at this child who lived alone with no one to teach him, her eyes full of pity.

She gently stroked Naruto's messy hair:

"It's alright, child. If things are messy, you can tidy them up; if a place is dirty, you can clean it."

"It's normal not to know how to do these things. I'll teach you, okay?"

As she spoke, she rolled up her sleeves and walked into the room, deftly righting the bucket and picking up a mop to start clearing the sewage, explaining patiently as she worked:

"To tidy a room, you first have to learn how to sort things and put them away..."

"For stains like these that have dried, you have to soak them with water first before scrubbing..."

As an experienced housewife, Mikoto's movements were fluid and natural, every step clear and simple.

Naruto followed her, listening, watching, and learning, nodding vigorously from time to time.

In less than half an hour, the once filthy and chaotic room became clean and orderly.

Just then, Sasuke's voice came from downstairs: "Mother, I'm home!"

Mikoto said softly to the dirt-covered Naruto:

"Go take a good bath first and change into clean clothes. Come down to eat in a little while, you hear?"

Naruto's eyes reddened, and he nodded heavily: "Yes! Thank you, Aunt Mikoto! I'll be down in a bit!"