Two People Who Couldn't Stand Each Other

The three of them ate in silence.

Although Uchiha Sasuke couldn't stand Naruto Uzumaki, he didn't do anything particularly rude.

As for Naruto Uzumaki... he was already hungry.

Besides, home-cooked meals like these felt completely new to Naruto. He couldn't cook, and there was no one at home to cook for him.

And... unless he used the Transformation Technique, no one would sell him food!

Naruto Uzumaki was like a plague god in Konoha. Everyone avoided him, and aside from the few people approved by Sarutobi Hiruzen, hardly anyone could get near him.

Although Uchiha Shunichi was curious about why Sarutobi Hiruzen would let Naruto Uzumaki come near him, he had no intention of passing up this great opportunity.

Sasuke's bodily tissue and blood were easy to obtain, and he wasn't at all wary of Shunichi. There was already Uchiha Sasuke's tissue being cultivated in Uchiha Shunichi's laboratory.

And now was the perfect opportunity to obtain some of Naruto Uzumaki's bodily tissue.

He just had to be careful not to leave any trace...

Uchiha Shunichi ate while carefully carrying out his plan. Since he had to control how much force he used, he was extremely cautious.

"Shunichi, your cooking is so good!" Naruto Uzumaki hadn't noticed what Uchiha Shunichi was doing at all and continued wolfing down his food.

As he ate, Naruto Uzumaki suddenly felt like crying. But he forcibly buried that weakness deep in his heart.

"Well, there are only the two of us at home, so naturally I had to learn how to cook. Actually, you should learn too." Uchiha Shunichi discreetly hid the glass vial in his sleeve and spoke.

Naruto Uzumaki fell silent at that. He didn't answer right away. After a long while, he pretended to be nonchalant and said, "I don't know how, and there's no one who can teach me."

"Easy. I'll give you a recipe later. Anyone who isn't an idiot can make it." Uchiha Shunichi said calmly.

Uchiha Sasuke suddenly chimed in, "With his brains, I think that'll be difficult!"

"What did you say!"

Naruto was instantly angry, but as soon as he stood up, he realized he was eating at someone else's house. Reluctantly, he sat back down.

"Was I wrong, Dead Last?" Uchiha Sasuke had already finished eating. He looked at Naruto Uzumaki smugly.

"Tch! I'm not going to stoop to your level." Naruto Uzumaki curled his lip and said nothing more.

"Idiot..."

The friendly atmosphere lasted until the meal was over. After clearing the table, Uchiha Sasuke grudgingly saw Naruto Uzumaki out.

After all, the Uchiha Clan compound was quite large, even though it was much emptier now.

After Naruto Uzumaki left, Uchiha Shunichi didn't rush to the laboratory. There was no need to hurry with the cultivation process; he only had to make sure the tissue and blood he'd taken hadn't all died.

For now, Uchiha Shunichi needed to act as if everything were normal.

Although Uchiha Shunichi had learned Sensory Ninjutsu, he still couldn't tell whether he was being watched.

So he carried out all his actions as if under surveillance. He wasn't afraid of anyone discovering his little tricks, but he didn't want to disrupt his plans.

Half an hour later, Uchiha Sasuke came back.

He had a few faint scratches on him. They were so slight that you wouldn't notice them unless you looked closely.

"Did you fight with Naruto?" Uchiha Shunichi lifted his gaze from his book, looked at Uchiha Sasuke, then closed his eyes.

"Yeah! That Dead Last got beaten pretty badly." Uchiha Sasuke nodded, his face a little red.

"That kid is strong. He just can't bring out the power inside him, and no one's taught him. If you were on equal footing, you wouldn't be his match!" Uchiha Shunichi shook his head and said.

"How is that possible! I absolutely don't believe it!" Uchiha Sasuke's pupils widened, and his whole face filled with furious disbelief.

The intensity of his anger even left Uchiha Sasuke himself a little puzzled.

"Find some time to teach him. Pass on what I've taught you. Then he'll become a good whetstone for you and help you grow faster." Uchiha Shunichi hesitated for a moment before finally speaking.

Uchiha Shunichi figured that no one in the village had ever told him anything about Naruto, nor had anyone warned him about Naruto. So he shouldn't be too wary of him.

A little contact with Naruto should help him better conceal his identity.

"How could I? That Dead Last..." Uchiha Sasuke voiced his displeasure to Uchiha Shunichi, but Shunichi didn't care about it at all.

Whether Uchiha Sasuke went or not made no difference to him. Either way, Uchiha Shunichi absolutely wouldn't provoke Naruto until he could protect himself.

Of course, that didn't count if Naruto Uzumaki came looking for him first.

"It's up to you. I was only telling you how to train. Whether you do it is your choice. Sometimes, teaching others can make you stronger, too." Uchiha Shunichi got up and headed toward the laboratory.

Behind him, Uchiha Sasuke looked upset.

Once Uchiha Shunichi reached the laboratory, he first checked the equipment around him, then began cultivating the small amount of flesh and blood he'd extracted from Naruto Uzumaki.

Uchiha Shunichi wasn't sure what he could achieve with it, but once it had been cultivated, it might come in handy someday.

Chakra in this world had many uses, but certain things still required knowledge.

There was still far too little for Uchiha Shunichi to learn. Most importantly, there was no mentor around to guide him.

After examining the test subject again and finding nothing worth noting, Uchiha Shunichi finished processing Naruto Uzumaki's tissue and left.

When Uchiha Shunichi returned to the room, he found that Uchiha Sasuke was still sulking nearby. He found it a little amusing, but didn't pay him any mind.

After finding some books on Medical Ninjutsu, Uchiha Shunichi began to read.

Uchiha Sasuke saw that Uchiha Shunichi hadn't even bothered with him and felt a little miffed. But those feelings soon vanished without a trace.

They were the same age, yet beside Uchiha Shunichi, Uchiha Sasuke always felt like a little kid.

Feeling a little dispirited, Uchiha Sasuke returned to his room, lay down on his bed, and stared blankly at the ceiling.