Senju Chen declined Uchiha Fugaku's enthusiastic dinner invitation and slowly walked out of Uchiha's mansion.
He was in a good mood. Earth Flow was walking on the streets of Uchiha Clan Compound, enjoying the baptism of the eyes of the Uchiha Clan people like a pilgrim.
Just when he was about to walk out of the clan area and onto the road leading to the center of the village, his steps paused imperceptibly.
Someone is following him???
Here Konoha, there are still people who dare to "follow" me? Are they spies from other villages? Or...
He didn't look back, his mental power spread backwards silently like invisible ripples.
In an instant, the small, clumsy stalker was clearly reflected in his perception.
That tracking technique was shockingly poor.
Every time he moved, it was as if he was afraid that others would not notice him. The sound of his footsteps could be clearly heard on the quiet street. When he was hiding, he only focused on his head and not his buttocks, leaving most of his body exposed.
It was a ball of golden Chakra that was as vigorous as a small sun. It was hiding behind a telephone pole, with only half of its golden head sticking out, and its two blue eyes staring nervously at its back.
Then Senju Chen discovered that the person following him was actually Naruto Uzumaki.
This kid, why are you following me?
Feeling Naruto Uzumaki's "sneaky" following, Senju Chen's mischievous playfulness suddenly welled up from the bottom of his heart.
He pretended not to know, and continued to walk forward at a leisurely pace. However, instead of going home directly, he deliberately made a circle and strolled in the direction of Ichiraku Ramen.
Sure enough, when the little follower behind him saw the "Ichiraku Ramen" sign, his steps obviously stopped and his stomach growled, but he still gritted his teeth and continued to follow.
Senju Chen smiled secretly in his heart, and deliberately stopped for a moment in front of several toy stores and snack shops. Every time, he could clearly feel the struggle and entanglement in the eyes behind him.
After wearing down the little guy's patience, Senju Chen turned around and finally came to Training Ground Three of Konoha.
This is one of the most legendary training grounds for Konoha, and it is also where the future destiny of Team 7 begins.
The afterglow of the setting sun cast long shadows on the three lonely wooden piles. The breeze blew by, picking up a few fallen leaves, and the surroundings were quiet.
Senju Chen stopped, turned around, leaned on a wooden stake to relax, and looked at a dense bush not far away.
"You've followed us all the way, aren't you tired?"
His voice was not loud, but it was transmitted clearly like a pebble thrown into a calm lake.
The bushes trembled suddenly, and then there was no movement, as if there was just a disturbed wild cat inside.
Senju Chen didn't urge him, he just watched quietly with a half-smiling expression on his face.
After half a minute, just when he thought this little guy was going to become a "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle", a rustling sound came from the bushes.
A little blond head slowly emerged.
Naruto Uzumaki's face was filled with the embarrassment and panic of being caught on the spot. His two little hands nervously grabbed the corners of his clothes, lowered his head, and rubbed the ground with the toes of his shoes, not daring to look into Senju Chen's eyes.
"Chen...Lord Chen... I... I didn't follow you!" He defended stiffly, but his voice was as low as a mosquito's hum, "I... I just... just happened to be here for training!"
Even he himself didn't believe this excuse.
"Oh? Really?" Senju Chen raised his eyebrows, "Then you were peeking behind the telephone pole just now to observe the wind direction and prepare for throwing Shuriken?"
Naruto's face instantly turned red and his head buried even lower.
"Dooling in front of the meatball shop, is it supplementing sugar and stimulating Chakra?"
Naruto's ears are all red.
"Having been hiding in the bushes for a long time without coming out, are you practicing 'Earth Release Technique'?"
"I... I..." Naruto was left speechless, his eyes became hot, tears of grievance began to roll in his eyes, and his blue eyes were covered with a layer of mist.
Seeing the little guy looking like he was about to burst into tears, Senju Chen knew that the heat was almost done, so he stopped when he was done.
He sighed, walked to Naruto, and slowly squatted down so that his eyes were level with him.
His voice became much gentler, "Tell me, what do you want from me?"
This sudden tenderness caused all Naruto's pretense and tough talk to instantly collapse.
He raised his head and looked at the face with a gentle smile that was close at hand, and at those deep eyes that seemed to be able to see through everything. The confusion, confusion and grievance that had been suppressed in his heart were like a flood that burst a dam and could no longer be suppressed.
"I..." He opened his mouth, but his throat seemed to be blocked by something, and he couldn't say a word.
Senju Chen didn't urge him, just looked at him patiently, his calm eyes, like a pair of warm hands, gently soothing his restless heart.
After a long time, Naruto finally spoke intermittently with a thick nasal voice.
"Chen...Lord Chen... I..."
"Clan Head Fugaku and Mama Mikoto, they... they are not my biological parents, right?"
Asking this question seemed to have exhausted all his strength.
After saying that, he bit his lip and looked at Senju Chen nervously, like a prisoner waiting for the final trial.
In fact, he already knew the answer to this question.
As he grew older, he found that he was more and more incompatible with everything around him. He had brilliant blond hair that was different from everyone else in the clan, and a pair of blue eyes as clear as the sky.
Although the eyes of the Uchiha tribesmen looked at him, they were full of goodwill and respect, but that respect was more due to the entrustment of "Lord Chen", because he was the "adopted son of the tribe leader".
He could feel that it was not the way he looked at "the same kind".
He always called Mikoto "Mother" because Aunt Mikoto was really like a mother, giving him the most meticulous care and warmth. However, he could never call out "Father" to that majestic man. He could only respectfully call him "Clan Chief" like other clan members.
He kept all this in his heart and told no one.
Until three months ago, Senju Chen arrived. When he and Sasuke curiously asked who that person was, he saw the hesitation in the eyes of the patriarch and Mama Mikoto.
That day, the Fugaku couple, who had always been harmonious, had a disagreement for the first time because of one thing.
Uchiha Fugaku, I feel that Naruto is already five years old and will soon enter Ninja Academy.
Moreover, when Senju Chen finally returned from being away for so many years, it was time for the couple to tell Naruto some "truths".
But Uchiha Mikoto is strongly opposed to it. She has treated Naruto as her own child for many years, and she feels that it is too cruel to say this to a five-year-old child now.
In the end, Uchiha Fugaku convinced his wife, because sooner or later, Naruto would have to tell Naruto, and Uchiha Fugaku believed that Naruto would definitely be able to withstand these "facts", because in his eyes, Naruto was both the son of "that man" and his own "son."
That night, Fugaku and Mikoto solemnly called Naruto Uzumaki to the study and had a long talk.
They told him why his name was Naruto Uzumaki.
They told him that his father was the hero of Konoha, the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze who saved the village.
They told him that his mother was a female ninja from Land of Whirlpools, Kushina Uzumaki.
They told him that his parents had both sacrificed their lives to protect the village in the horrific Nine-Tails' Attack more than five years ago.
They told him that it was Senju Lord Chen who personally delivered him as an infant to the Uchiha Clan on that sad night.
Naruto just listened the whole time without saying a word.
In the end, Mikoto cried and hugged Naruto and said that she would always be his mother, and this mansion would always be his home.