Torrential rain poured down, as if the sky had split open. The white sheets of rain fell so hard they almost ford a solid wall. Drops the size of soybeans pounded on Uchiha Genshi's straw hat with a relentless patter. Fortunately, Konoha Village's drainage system, built under the supervision of the Second Hokage, was excellent. The water was quickly drained away, sparing the old man from having to waste chakra walking on water.
He arrived in front of a slide, slightly raising his head to et Naruto's gaze, who was sitting on the platform, hugging his knees.
Naruto hadn't expected to run into anyone at this place, especially not now. He stared in surprise at Uchiha Genshi for a mont, until Genshi broke the silence.
"Hey, kid, what are you hiding here for?" Uchiha Genshi barked, his tone anything but friendly.
"...Fujika's grandpa?" Naruto finally recognized the face under the straw hat, which he'd seen a few tis before. Instantly, he beca flustered. His instincts had told him from their very first eting that Uchiha Genshi didn't like him much.
But this dislike was different from the usual scorn he encountered. Though Naruto didn't fully understand the difference, he knew one thing for sure—Genshi was Fujika's grandfather. To protect his only friend, Naruto forced a smile to try and win over the old man.
"I... I'm just hiding from the rain," Naruto stamred, offering an excuse that was obviously a lie.
He couldn't admit what was really on his mind.
If it had been his friend standing before him, he would've opened up without hesitation. But this was just his friend's grandfather, a man who didn't seem to like him.
"I see," Uchiha Genshi nodded in understanding. "The rain sure ca on fast today. Well, kid, don't just sit here spacing out. You haven't eaten yet, have you? Co on, let's go grab a bite. I haven't eaten anything all day either."
"Huh? But..."
"What are you standing there for, kid? Hurry up and co over here. And here, put this on." Uchiha Genshi pulled out another straw hat from behind him and placed it on Naruto's head. It was big enough to shield Naruto's small fra from the wind and rain.
Naruto grabbed the rim of the hat and followed Uchiha Genshi out of the park.
To be honest, Torifu Akimichi and the others were overreacting a little. The Eight Trigrams Seal inside Naruto wasn't going to break so easily. The seal, created by the Fourth Hokage at the cost of his life, wouldn't just fall apart at the slightest disturbance. That would be underestimating the legendary Yellow Flash.
Unfortunately, none of those present were experts in sealing techniques. Despite the Byakugan's great insight, it couldn't comprehend the intricacies of sealing jutsu. So when Naruto's spirits had been down for a while, it alard the village leadership into taking unnecessary asures.
---
"I don't understand why young people these days like these useless things. What's wrong with good old-fashioned straw hats and raincoats? Instead, they all wear these flashy, impractical things." Torifu Akimichi grumbled as he struggled to peel off a raincoat that was a size too small for him, clearly unhappy with the younger generation's taste.
Shikaku Nara chuckled bitterly.
None of the others—Hiashi Hyuga, Shibi Abura, or the rest—said a word.
Luckily, the interim Fifth Hokage didn't waste ti on such trivial matters. Tossing his raincoat aside, he sat cross-legged on a tatami mat and nodded lightly at Shikaku Nara, signaling for him to begin. Shikaku pressed the remote in his hand.
A fourteen-inch screen in the corner of the room flickered to life. Despite its low resolution, it clearly showed Uchiha Genshi and Naruto sitting in a private room downstairs, waiting for their food. Genshi's voice echoed in the room, synchronized with the movents of his lips.
They were at a restaurant called *Moon Lake*.
Though it wasn't as elegant or interesting as *Matsutake Pavilion*, it was still a decent restaurant in Konoha. Having grown accustod to ran and instant noodles, Naruto felt out of place in a restaurant like this, a place he'd always avoided walking past. He felt uncomfortable until they were seated in the private room, where he finally began to relax a little.
Truth be told, Uchiha Genshi wasn't a fan of this kind of restaurant either.
He much preferred izakayas.
But since he had a little brat with him, that wasn't an option. Besides, it wasn't his idea to pick this place. He'd seen Shikaku Nara standing at the entrance and knew he had no choice. Sure enough, once inside, he noticed the caras and audio equipnt.
"...There were no classes at the ninja academy today?" Uchiha Genshi took a sip of tea, trying to make conversation.
"It's a day off," Naruto answered cautiously.
"A day off, huh?" Uchiha Genshi paused, then nodded heavily as he rembered. "With Fujika not around, I forgot it was a day off. Looks like I'm really getting old." The old man sighed sincerely. His son and daughter-in-law were busy with their own work, while Sozen and Fujika were far off on the eastern border of the Land of Fire. Living alone at ho had made him feel quite lonely recently.
When Fujika's na ca up, a small light flickered in Naruto's blue eyes. Gathering his courage, he asked, "Um, Grandpa, when will Fujika co back to school?"
"I'm not sure. Probably a while longer," Uchiha Genshi replied, shaking his head. Though the war likely wouldn't last much longer, it was unlikely that Sozen and Fujika would return as soon as it ended. The situation on the front lines was more complicated than anyone imagined, and it would take ti to sort through the chaos.
The light in Naruto's eyes dimd instantly.
He wanted to share his troubles with his only friend, but unfortunately, that friend wasn't in the village right now. So all his worries remained bottled up inside, the bitterness gnawing away at him.
"What's the matter? Got sothing you want to tell Fujika?" Uchiha Genshi asked, his sharp, clear eyes studying Naruto.
"No, it's nothing. It's just... Lately, the ninja academy feels really boring. Fujika is my only friend!" Naruto forced a smile, worried that if he upset Uchiha Genshi, the old man might forbid Fujika from playing with him in the future.
"Only friend." Those heartbreaking words left Uchiha Genshi speechless for a mont.
Naruto, the son of the Fourth Hokage—the child of the hero who had saved Konoha—had received neither the glory nor recognition he deserved. Instead, he had endured nothing but cold glares and malice. It was enough to make anyone feel disgusted.
Not only did Uchiha Genshi feel this way.
Even Torifu Akimichi and the others upstairs fell silent. Whatever the reasons, they had stood by and let the Fourth Hokage's orphan suffer the cruelties of the world. At such a young age, Naruto had already learned to watch others' expressions carefully.
None of those present were fools.
Even with the low-resolution monitor, they could clearly see how Naruto constantly observed Uchiha Genshi's face, adjusting his behavior and mood according to the old man's reactions, a behavior so well-trained it was painful to watch.
"Hmph! A bunch of old fools," Shibi Abura muttered under his breath.
He didn't na nas, but everyone knew who he was talking about.
No one called Shibi out for disrespecting the dead. The Fourth Hokage had been an extraordinarily charismatic man. His charm hadn't just captivated the village won, young and old; even n couldn't bring themselves to envy him.
In fact, many were deeply inspired by him.
Shibi Abura, Torifu Akimichi, Tsu Inuzuka, and Kagemura Youmakura—these were people who still hadn't forgotten the bright light that was the Yellow Flash of Konoha.
Just then, the speakers crackled back to life.
"...Hey, kid, are you afraid of dead people?" Uchiha Genshi suddenly asked.
"Dead people?" Naruto was confused. He scratched his head in bewildernt. "I don't know. I guess... I've never seen a dead person before?" he replied uncertainly. In the deep recesses of his mind, broken fragnts of mories suddenly flashed.
In that fleeting image—
He saw blood-red hair, and a pair of eyes brimming with endless love and tenderness.
His heart throbbed like it had been pricked by a needle.
Tears silently stread down his face.
He didn't notice until they landed on his pants. Panicking, he rubbed his eyes with his sleeve. "It's just... there was so sand—or, no, it was a mosquito! Yeah, a mosquito flew into my eye." Naruto lied, his voice hoarse, as Uchiha Genshi's face grew darker and darker.
Upstairs,
The room had fallen into utter silence.
If not for the sharp attention of everyone present, you could hardly hear a breath.
The interim Fifth Hokage said nothing, watching the screen in quiet contemplation.
"Kid, hurry up and wipe those crocodile tears. It's just a mosquito bite! Making such a fuss, aren't you ashad? A real man doesn't cry at the drop of a hat!" Uchiha Genshi scolded angrily. Once Naruto wiped away his tears, Genshi continued, "If you're not afraid of death, then go find Tōkah! It's about ti you saw the world outside the village. You'll never grow if you just stay cooped up here."
As he said the last sentence, he glanced at the cara hidden behind the landscape painting.
Those words—
were ant for Akimichi Torifu upstairs.
(End of this chapter)
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