But these children were at an age when they loved watching drama unfold, and the bigger the fuss, the better. There was no way they would listen to his explanations.
No matter how Naruto explained, how anxious he became, or how firmly he denied it, none of them believed him.
They crowded around him, talking over one another and questioning him relentlessly, their accusations growing more outrageous by the moment.
"You're lying! You called him an old bastard in front of everyone!"
"Your eyes don't lie! You couldn't fake that hatred!"
"Naruto, you usually seem so clueless. Who knew you could hold such a grudge!"
The children grew more animated as they spoke. Completely unafraid of him despite his being the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, they surrounded him and relentlessly teased and questioned him.
Naruto was so frantic that he was practically turning red.
Meanwhile, on Konoha's bustling shopping street, the atmosphere was entirely different.
Wearing his black mask and casual clothes, Kakashi sat leisurely outside a dumpling shop, holding a freshly purchased skewer of rice dumplings.
Ever since Tsunade had specifically assigned an additional Anbu squad to secretly guard Naruto and Sasuke around the clock, the pressure on him as a Jonin who had previously been on constant standby had plummeted. He finally had time to relax.
He no longer needed to keep his nerves stretched taut or watch the two most powerful wild cards day and night. For once, he had stolen a little leisure from his busy life.
He bit into a soft, chewy dumpling and looked up at the Sky Screen hanging high above, a trace of worldly detachment in his eyes.
"History really does repeat itself. How interesting."
Kakashi sighed softly, murmuring to himself.
"Back then, the Uchiha Clan was feared, isolated, and manipulated into internal conflict,