After eating the fish that had undergone a qualitative leap before its life ended, Naruto and Sasuke sat around the campfire, freely chatting about their dreams.
"I'm telling you, your big bro here is going to become Hokage."
Naruto washed his greasy hands in the stream and patted his chest.
"No way. My big brother is definitely going to be the next Hokage."
Sasuke turned his head and offered his opinion.
After all, one was his beloved big brother, while the other was a blond who had beaten and tricked him into becoming his little bro. In Sasuke's eyes, deciding which one could become Hokage took no time at all.
Hashirama: Those two things don't seem mutually exclusive.
Kurama: You damn homo, don't bring your wicked thoughts into innocent children's heads! Besides, weren't you the one who talked Naruto into becoming Hokage?
"Hmph, we'll see about that."
Naruto curled his lip but didn't keep arguing with Sasuke.
After all, he would definitely become Hokage in the future, then raise the taxes of all those stupid villagers who targeted him by 100%!
Just then, a man wearing an ANBU uniform hurried over.
His hair was exceptionally smooth, and his movements were extremely agile as he leaped straight to Yugao's side.
"Itachi, here for your little brother?"
Yugao asked the younger schoolmate who could be considered her junior.
"Yes. I'm terribly sorry Sasuke has caused you trouble."
Itachi's gentle voice came from beneath his mask as he politely apologized to everyone.
"It's fine. Our Naruto was the one who lured Sasuke here. If anyone should apologize, it's us."
Yugao knew full well what Sasuke meant to Naruto. After all, he was one of only two friends Naruto currently had.
"Go get your little brother."
Since he had tracked them all the way here, he must have come to take Sasuke home. They had been playing for so long that they were all tired.
Letting Itachi take Sasuke away was fine, too. After all, the Uchiha Clan was rather strict. If another Uchiha had come looking, things really might have been difficult to resolve.
The Uchiha Hawk Faction: Ohohoho, look what I've discovered! The clan head's son has adopted a Nine-Tails Jinchuriki! Just as we thought, Konoha belongs to the Uchiha! All the clan head has to do is give the order, and we'll charge in with the Nine-Tails!
Itachi jumped down from the tree, taking off his mask as he did.
"Sasuke, let's go home."
Itachi called to Sasuke, who was discussing ways to eat fish with Naruto.
"I'm telling you, the fish my brother makes..."
"Big brother!"
Hearing his brother call, Sasuke turned to look. Sure enough, it was him!
First, he eagerly threw himself at his big brother, then looked back at Naruto.
Uh... how should I explain to my big brother that Naruto and I came here?
No, how should I explain to my big brother that I have another big bro now?
Oh no, it's so embarrassing to say out loud. My big brother won't look down on me, will he?
"Um, hello, big brother. I'm Sasuke's friend. My name is Naruto Uzumaki."
Just as little Sasuke's brain was about to overheat and crash, Naruto stepped forward and introduced himself.
He was actually still a little scared. After all, he didn't know whether Sasuke's brother would hate him. But judging by Sasuke's descriptions of his brother, he probably wasn't a bad person.
Besides, his hair looked so much like his teacher's, and he looked rather pleasant, too.
"Oh, thank you for playing with Sasuke."
Itachi walked over with Sasuke and gently patted Naruto's blond hair.
Naruto felt a little embarrassed. Sasuke's brother was so gentle, yet he had worried that he would ignore him.
After a brief conversation, however, Itachi took Sasuke home.
Still, he promised that if he had the chance in the future, he could bring Sasuke to Naruto's house to play with him every week.
As for whether he would have that chance, that depended on what their Third thought.
If the Third didn't agree, there was nothing Itachi could do. They could only wait and see whether there would be a chance for the two to be placed in the same class at the Ninja Academy.
The Hokage's office, its curtains drawn tightly shut.
"Lord Hokage, that is what happened. I deeply apologize for my little brother's behavior."
Wearing his ANBU mask, Itachi knelt on one knee and explained the day's events to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Itachi, stand up. It's fine. Children playing together is actually good for Naruto's life."
Hiruzen had already learned the full course of events from Yugao, so naturally, he didn't question Itachi about it.
But he hadn't expected Sasuke and Naruto to become "brothers." That gave Hiruzen Sarutobi a bit of a headache.
Hiruzen knew about the boy Sasuke. After all, he had the same name as his own father.
Back then, Fugaku had said he wanted to express his admiration for Hiruzen's father, so he wished to give his second son that name.
Heh. Those two old foxes both knew perfectly well what the real thoughts behind it were, but it hadn't been appropriate to say it openly at the time.
So they had treated it as an opportunity to ease relations between the two sides. After all, Konoha's internal cohesion had been rather shaky after the Nine-Tails' Attack. If conflict broke out with the Uchiha as well, the consequences would be unthinkable.
After all, the Cloud Ninja outside were still watching like hungry tigers. They absolutely couldn't let internal chaos break out.
That was how little Sasuke's name had been settled. Later, however, as the Hawk Faction within the Uchiha gradually gained dominance, their current relationship had become very delicate.
He had taken Itachi into his ANBU, while Danzo had taken an interest in Shisui Uchiha.
In short, they both wanted to plant eyes within the Uchiha to prevent problems from arising, while also making a gesture of goodwill toward the Uchiha.
At least, that was how the Third saw it. Whether that bunch of people severely afflicted with red-eye disease saw it that way was another matter.
Then what should I do about Naruto and Sasuke's relationship?
Sarutobi thought it over, then spoke to Itachi.
"Itachi, let's do this. Just as you suggested, you can bring Sasuke to play with Naruto every week."
"However, try not to let those clansmen of yours discover this, especially Naruto's identity."
After all, a child his age couldn't go without friends. It would be bad if he jumped into the water again one day.
And besides.
A document on the Hokage's desk read:
Naruto appears to lack companionship from children his own age, resulting in mental problems. He frequently talks to himself and appears to have imagined a friend. It is recommended that children his age be found to befriend him.
-Hare
If Naruto really did develop a mental illness one day, that controllable nuclear weapon would become an uncontrollable bomb.
When Naruto had unleashed that burst of power earlier, Sarutobi had examined the Sealing Technique on Naruto's stomach. Its inscriptions had not been damaged.
That indicated that Minato must have left a contingency back then, allowing Naruto to use the Nine-Tails' power when he was in danger.
But in that case, they needed to pay attention to how Naruto defined danger.
Still, there had been no reaction when Naruto had been surrounded or fallen into the water earlier, which showed that the current definition of danger was quite reliable.
Really, it still came down to his trust in Minato.
So, to keep Naruto from developing a mental illness, Hiruzen decided to allow Itachi to bring Sasuke to play with him.
Hashirama: Hey, hey, hey! Monkey! Naruto isn't mentally ill! And I'm not imaginary, either!
Before you continue