Undercurrents Stirring

"What a drag!" Hearing Choji's voice beside him, Shikamaru rolled his eyes and looked at the somewhat nervous Naruto in the room.

As the future head of the Nara Clan, Shikamaru knew a little more than ordinary people—more even than Choji and Ino.

After all, the Nara Clan was highly intelligent. Simply put, they matured far earlier than others their age, and Shikamaru's father had taught him far more than most children were told.

At the very least, Shikamaru knew that Naruto was being watched by all of Konoha's higher-ups. His family had also instructed him not to deliberately mock Naruto, but not to get too close to him either.

Although he did not know the reason behind his family's instructions, Ino had now become friends with Naruto because of that guy Samu Kokaze. As her childhood friend, he naturally could not embarrass her on her birthday.

With a soft sigh, he walked toward the somewhat nervous Naruto.

"Hello, I'm Shikamaru, Ino's friend, and this guy's too!"

Standing before Naruto, Shikamaru looked at the purple hair clip in his hand, and his voice became much more sincere.

"I'm Choji, same as Shikamaru!" Seeing Shikamaru walk over to Naruto, Choji grabbed a handful of chips, stuffed them into his mouth, and walked over as he spoke.

In Choji's view, following Shikamaru could never be wrong. Since Shikamaru had shown Naruto goodwill, he naturally had to do the same.

"I... I'm Naruto Uzumaki!" Naruto shouted excitedly as he looked at the two people greeting him.

Shikamaru nodded and turned back. "Feng, time's tight. We'll go prepare Ino's gift first. Choji and I will come back later." After a pause, he gritted his teeth and added, "Write down a list of what you want. I'll help you get it tomorrow!"

"Heh! Then I'll be troubling you, Shikamaru!" Samu Kokaze said somewhat sheepishly from behind him.

"You bastard!"

Shikamaru snorted and walked out of the shop, followed by the bang of the door shutting.

"Are they here to celebrate Ino's birthday too?" Naruto asked, excitement still lingering in his eyes.

"Yeah! They've known Ino even longer than I have. You could say they're friends who grew up together!"

Samu Kokaze responded to Naruto's question.

"I see!" Naruto seemed to think of something and looked slightly dejected, but when he looked at Samu Kokaze before him, he quickly perked up again.

"Naruto, find a place to sit first. Let's play some shogi. I play with Shikamaru sometimes too. Once Choji and Shikamaru get back, we'll head to Ino's house."

Seeing Naruto standing in the room with no idea what to do, Samu Kokaze took a board from the back room, placed it on the counter, and called out to him.

"Shogi?" Naruto hesitated for a moment, then quickly shouted excitedly, "Feng, watch me crush you!"

"Check! Hahaha, Feng, you're done for!"

"Hey! You can't move that piece like that! That's not check at all!"

"Oh, oh! Then like this! Still check!"

"That move's wrong too! Naruto, do you even know how to play?"

"Won't I learn if I practice more? Come on, another round!"

"One game with you is more tiring than ten games with Shikamaru!"

"Haha..."

Capital of the Land of Fire.

Although technology in the Naruto World could not be considered advanced, the highly adaptable supernatural energy known as chakra made constructing cities quite simple.

As the face of the Land of Fire, the capital had been built with extraordinary splendor. Bluestone paved the ground, tall buildings lined the streets, and ten-zhang-high walls carrying the scent of wind and rain enclosed the entire city.

At the very center of the capital stood the residence of the Land of Fire's Daimyo. In a cluster of luxurious buildings near the Daimyo's residence, a group of people dressed in aristocratic clothing were fiercely arguing within a lavishly decorated hall.

"Sato Liandu, what are you trying to do by sending someone to Konoha to kill without consulting us? Are you trying to drag the Sato Clan into hell!? Do you have any respect at all for us old men!"

An oval table stood in the center of the room, surrounded by chairs. An elderly man seated at the head of the table was slamming his hand down as he roared at a man below him who was far younger than the others.

One look at his flushed face and the way his beard stood on end made it clear just how furious he was.

The man called Sato Liandu sat cross-legged in the Sato Clan's council hall, a place representing the clan's public face. With a frivolous expression, he lightly tapped the table as he listened to the shouting echo through the room.

After the room fell silent.

Sato Liandu said flippantly, "Oh, my dear Clan Head, what if Konoha finds out? We are nobles with a heritage spanning centuries. We were nobles of the Land of Fire before Konoha was even established." He placed extra emphasis on the last sentence.

"And aside from those few clans in Konoha that willingly lowered themselves to mingle with commoners, who else is worthy of the Sato Clan's attention?"

"Besides, killing a six- or seven-year-old child and disguising it as an accidental death is the simplest thing in the world. Even in Konoha, considering the person I sent was a Chunin."

Sato Liandu picked at his ear as he spoke, then eyed the elderly figure who had risen to his feet in fury and said darkly, "Or are you afraid, Clan Head? Afraid of Konoha, or afraid that if I succeed, my prestige within the clan will rise greatly? That the little power you still hold will become even less?"

"Sato Liandu! Is that how you speak to the Clan Head!"

A middle-aged man seated beside the Sato Clan Head stood up in anger and pointed at Sato Liandu as he shouted.

A venomous smile curled across Sato Liandu's lips as he looked at the man who had stood up. He lowered his crossed leg, rose to his feet, and bent slightly at the waist. "Isn't this our esteemed Second Elder? Your grandson Yuanji has been transporting supplies to the Land of Sand lately, hasn't he?"

"The world is so unsettled these days, with bandits everywhere. Tell me, what would happen if Yuanji died on his way back?"

"Making an old man bury his grandson... tsk, tsk, tsk... Just thinking about that scene makes my heart ache."

"You bastard! Are you threatening me!" The man known as the Second Elder rose to his feet, his face red with rage. He clenched his fists tightly as he stared at the vicious face before him.

"Tsk! I never said that. But if you keep standing in my way..."

Sato Liandu stood up, moved to the Sato Clan's Second Elder's ear, and whispered, "Your only descendant, Yuanji—I guarantee he will never return from the Land of Wind!"

"And don't bother placing your hopes on the three Chunin in the escort team. They... have long since become my men!"

"You...!"

The Sato Clan's Second Elder's pupils suddenly constricted. He stared fixedly at the face before him, then finally let out a despondent sigh. Lowering his head, he sat back down, not daring to look at the old companion beside him.

He was nearly sixty years old. In the Naruto World, where people often died due to years of war, that was already an impressive age. If it were only his own life, that would be one thing—he had lived long enough—but he simply could not bear to watch his only grandson die amid the clan's internal strife.