After Fugaku learned about the series of events in the prison, he had his doubts, but he was in no hurry to uncover the truth. After all, some things were not as simple as they appeared.
So Fugaku could only ask Itachi to tell Sasuke to pass a message to Naruto, asking whether he could come over for dinner. As for anything else, stay out of it.
And so, sitting beside Naruto in the classroom was none other than Sasuke. He told Naruto everything he had learned, and it was more or less what Naruto had guessed.
Danzo was dead. Not only had he killed himself out of fear of punishment, but from what they said, he had even been cremated on the spot, burned straight to ashes. He could not have been any deader.
"Naruto, that's everything I know. That guy who wanted to harm our Uchiha Clan is finally dead. What great news. Oh, right, they also said something like, 'I shall care for your wife and children.' Does that mean Danzo really died, and our Hokage is going to take care of his friend's wife?"
At Sasuke's interpretation, Naruto found the corners of his mouth harder to keep down than an AK's recoil. He had never expected Hiruzen Sarutobi to be that sort of person. That was pretty funny.
Besides, chances were Danzo was not dead at all. The person burned to ashes was very likely one of his subordinates.
"Hmm... Zhuzi, I think you're still too young."
"Huh? Is it not what I thought?"
Naruto shook his head. If only it were that simple. Those two old foxes were nowhere near as simple as they appeared. They had put on this act merely to give the people who did not know the truth an outcome. As for whether that outcome was actually the truth, did it really matter anymore?
"Huh? Then I can't figure it out. Oh, right, Naruto, my mom told me to bring you home today. She said she'd give you a better meal."
Naruto had not wanted to go at first. After all, he felt rather embarrassed about visiting their home so often. But after seeing Sasuke's sincere gaze, he thought about how Danzo would definitely take action later. It would be better to warn the Uchiha in advance so they would not be caught off guard if something happened.
Judging by yesterday's events, Naruto had a good impression of the Uchiha. They were clear about whom they loved and hated, and dared to express both, especially that guy who had ripped into that old geezer Hiruzen Sarutobi. He had one filthy mouth.
"Sure, I'll go."
"Yes! It's settled, then. Come with me after school."
"As long as you're happy."
Naruto really did not want to deal with Sasuke anymore. He did not know whether he was imagining it, but he kept feeling that Sasuke talked far too much now, nothing like he had in the original story. Where was the promised tsundere, cocky Uchiha Sasuke? What was with that mouth of his running nonstop?
"All right, hurry back to your seat for class."
"Oh."
Seeing that Naruto did not want to talk to him, Sasuke walked back to his seat with his head hanging. The sight of him made the girls around him ache with sympathy. They wished they could hold Sasuke in their arms and shower him with affection.
"Hey, look at Sasuke Uchiha. What's wrong with him? Why does he look so down?"
"No idea. He said something to Naruto Uzumaki just now, then went back with his head hanging."
Listening to the chatter from his classmates, Naruto felt rather helpless.
"Sigh, kids are such a pain. All right, I'll teach you a Ninjutsu tonight."
"For real, godfather?"
Looking at Sasuke, who had appeared before him as if he had teleported, Naruto could only feel his face twitch. Since when had Sasuke become so shameless? He looked at Sasuke in speechless disbelief.
"Come on, the Uchiha are a major clan, aren't they? And you're the clan head's son. How could you possibly be short of Ninjutsu to learn?"
Sasuke did not agree with Naruto.
"That's what you don't understand. The Ninjutsu at home aren't as cool as yours. I think your Ninjutsu look especially cool when you use them, and they're great for showing off."
Now Naruto understood. All he could say was that this was very Sasuke. Forget strength and practicality; all he cared about was the visual effects, huh?
"Fine, I'll teach you a few cool ones later."
"Great, that's wonderful. From this day on, you're my godfather. Godfather, please accept this bow from your little brother."
Naruto found Sasuke's outrageous words rather funny.
"Zhuzi, won't your dad beat you if he finds out you're doing this? Besides, does that even make sense? One moment it's godfather, the next you're my little brother."
"It's fine. We'll each use our own terms. As for my old... my father, don't worry about him."
Naruto shooed away that ever-so-filial son Sasuke with utter disdain. He could see it now: without having experienced the night of the massacre, Sasuke was completely different from his original counterpart.
The girls who had been watching Sasuke now all wore expressions of delight at the pairing.
"Did you see that little scene they just acted out? What do you call this, 'The Domineering Ninja Falls for Me'?"
"Of course I saw it. They're both so handsome. Could they be a couple? And Sasuke Uchiha seems to really like talking to Naruto Uzumaki. He came all the way from the front of the classroom to the back just for him."
"That can't be right. How can two boys be a couple? Isn't that only for a boy and a girl?"
"Whatever. They're called boyfriends. I ship them so hard. They're both handsome, hehe."
"Please wipe that auntie smile off your face. You're grossing me out."
Hearing these girls speak so brazenly, Naruto was utterly speechless. They could even invent a miraculous term like "boyfriends." They really were something else. And shipping absolutely everything would only do them harm.
Not wanting to deal with them, he ignored Iruka's hostility during class and sank his consciousness into his system. Dealing with these people was such a hassle. Playing a couple of rounds of Naruto was far more worthwhile.
After finally enduring the day's lessons, Naruto kept his promise and obediently followed Sasuke home.
Sure enough, the moment they went outside, they ran into the girls from their class. Seeing their knowing expressions, Naruto knew they had misunderstood again.
Before he could explain, that useless teammate Sasuke spoke up.
"Come on, Naruto, let's hurry home for dinner. My mom's making loads of delicious food today."
Naruto slapped his forehead. Damn it. Now he could not clear his name even if he jumped into the Yellow River.
"Wow, are they going to meet the parents?"
Those words made Naruto's mouth twitch. Sure enough, no matter the time or the plane of existence, there was never any shortage of such talent. Meet the parents, his ass. They made it sound as if he, Naruto Uzumaki, had something going on with Sasuke.
After rolling his eyes at them, Naruto continued following Sasuke toward the Uchiha compound. Along the way, they even ran into Uchiha Itachi, who had come to pick them up.
"Big brother, you came to get us?"
"Mm."
Itachi smiled and rubbed Sasuke's head, then reached over to rub Naruto's too. He kept thinking Naruto's head of blond hair would feel very nice to touch.
The moment his hand reached over, Naruto easily twisted out of the way. What a joke. Touch his head? Impossible. His head could roll, but his hairstyle could not be messed up.
"Naruto, don't forget later, okay? Otherwise..."
"Otherwise, what will you do?"
Naruto was a little curious about what tough words Sasuke would come up with. The result was just as expected.
"Don't make me get on my knees and beg you."
Naruto: ...
Fine. He had expected too much.
Watching the two youngsters laughing, chatting, and fooling around, Itachi smiled, his eyes narrowing.
The sun sank in the west, its lingering glow stretching their three shadows long. There seemed to be light in the boys' eyes, shining in the sunset's afterglow...