"You're back, Naruto!"
Uzumaki Shuji was in the kitchen, preparing dinner for his younger brother.
Naruto's appetite had been increasing steadily lately.
Uzumaki Shuji indulged him without restraint, taking him out to eat and drink as much as he wanted.
The daily expenses were so outrageous that even the ANBU shadowing the brothers were left speechless.
It honestly felt like these two had more money than they did.
When they went out for barbecue, they ordered ten plates at a ti.
Naruto had already begun growing taller than most children his age.
"Yeah! School ended early today. I don't know why."
"But I didn't slack off. I trained outside until it got dark before coming ho."
Naruto nodded, hurried to wash his hands, and started carrying the prepared dishes to the table.
Even without parents, and despite the emptiness that sotis lingered in his heart, Naruto always felt complete when he returned ho and saw his older brother waiting for him.
That alone made this place feel like ho.
"School let out early?"
"They're probably preparing for sothing."
"Go to bed early tonight. We've got the day off tomorrow, and I'll train with you."
Uzumaki Shuji placed the final dish on the table, wiped his hands on his apron, and smiled.
"Okay!"
Naruto grinned brightly.
Of course he had no objections.
Still, he couldn't help feeling a little discouraged.
His brother barely seed to train, yet he was sohow always stronger.
"Looks like they're finally about to make their move."
"During the day, I sensed quite a few unfamiliar presences."
"And the number of ANBU guarding Naruto has increased."
Uzumaki Shuji's sensory ability made the changes impossible to miss.
The unfamiliar chakra signatures were nothing unusual.
What truly mattered was the increased security around Naruto.
Clearly, Hiruzen Sarutobi was guarding against this possibility.
The Nine-Tails incident had left a deep scar on him.
He could not help but be wary—especially of the Uchiha.
By around eight in the evening, Naruto was asleep.
Training was exhausting.
The mont his body relaxed, he drifted off without resistance.
"I have a feeling they'll move tonight."
Uzumaki Shuji opened the front door and stepped onto the wooden corridor.
Leaning against the railing, he gazed into the distance.
Tonight, the darkness seed especially heavy.
"You two, cover that side. You, take the east."
"No one is allowed to approach. Anyone who ignores the warning is to be killed imdiately."
Nearby, Kakashi was arranging the defensive periter.
The security was divided into three layers:
A warning ring.
A combat ring.
And a final protection ring.
Kakashi did not know exactly what the village was planning.
But he could sense that it was extrely dangerous—and that the threat was internal.
Otherwise, there was no reason to protect the jinchūriki with such overwhelming force.
"Yes, sir!"
The ANBU quickly dispersed to their assigned positions.
"Not while I'm alive."
"No one will threaten them."
"This ti, I will protect them."
Kakashi's expression was resolute.
After issuing his orders, he noticed Uzumaki Shuji standing outside.
"He's looking at ?"
Kakashi's eyes widened slightly.
No matter how he shifted position, Uzumaki Shuji's gaze followed him.
That shocked him.
His concealnt had not been broken.
"Co here, Kakashi."
Uzumaki Shuji mouthed the words silently.
He knew Kakashi was an expert at reading lips.
The mont Kakashi understood, his heart skipped a beat.
The boy knew his na?
Sothing was definitely wrong.
After a mont of hesitation, Kakashi jumped onto the corridor and landed in front of him.
"You know ?"
He asked directly.
His face was hidden behind a mask, and even his voice was deliberately altered.
"Tell , Kakashi."
"Do you do all of this because you love this village?"
"Because you want to protect your ideals?"
"Or because you're simply completing a mission?"
Leaning casually against the railing, Uzumaki Shuji asked the question.
For a strange mont, Kakashi felt as though he were being questioned by a father asking his son about his work.
Uzumaki Shuji looked so relaxed that he seed only a cigarette away from completing the image.
"You…"
"What exactly do you know?"
For the first ti in a long while, Kakashi felt genuinely unsettled.
If a close friend had asked him such a question, he might not have thought much of it.
But this was just a child.
A child he had barely spoken to.
And yet the question cut straight into the deepest part of his heart.
"I'm deciding whether you're an enemy…"
"…or an ally."
"After all, you were my father's student."
"But you're also a ninja of Konoha."
Uzumaki Shuji's voice remained calm.
This ti, Kakashi was truly shaken.
What exactly was going on?
"I know everything."
"So there's no need to panic."
Uzumaki Shuji's next words only made matters worse.
"You… what are you talking about?"
"I'm not your enemy. I'm here to protect you."
Kakashi's thoughts were in complete disarray.
His words ca out awkward and disjointed.
But the aning was clear enough.
"Very soon, you will be."
Uzumaki Shuji turned and looked directly into Kakashi's eye.
"You have only two choices."
"Stand with Hiruzen Sarutobi."
"Or stand with ."
"Why?"
Kakashi found the entire conversation absurd, yet he could not stop himself from asking.
"Is the Third Hokage planning to do sothing to you?"
Uzumaki Shuji's lips curled into a faint smile.
"It's not about what he intends to do to us."
"It's about what I intend to do to him."
"???"
Kakashi froze.
What exactly was this child saying?
Boom!
At that mont, a violent explosion echoed through the village.
"The battle has begun."
Uzumaki Shuji turned toward the flas rising from the direction of the Uchiha compound.
Then he looked back at Kakashi.
"Kakashi."
"Have you made your choice?"
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