Satoru beamed at the crowd, utterly unrepentant.
The silence that followed was heavy—too heavy. The kind of silence that precedes a storm. The kind of silence that says, Oh, you're so dead.
Uchiha Fugaku let out a low hum, his sharp gaze fixed on his son.
This brat.
The same thought rippled through the minds of every Uchiha present.
Enjoy yourself while you can, Satoru. Because the moment we get home...
"I must say," Third Hokage chuckled, his eyes twinkling with mischief, "if it weren't for this boy, we wouldn't have witnessed such an entertaining competition."
Oh no.
Satoru's smile stiffened. Bad timing, old man! BAD TIMING!
As expected, the weight of everyone's stares intensified.
He needed an escape. Fast.
"This was all thanks to Uncle Ichiraku!" Satoru declared dramatically, throwing all blame—I mean, credit—onto the ramen chef.
He launched into an impromptu story about Uncle Ichiraku's undying love for ramen, his noble quest to share it with the world, and how this competition was a labor of love born from a childhood promise.
It was a masterpiece of nonsense.
And Naruto, ever the emotional one, was moved to tears.
"Uncle Ichiraku, you're amazing!" he sobbed.
Sasuke, on the other hand, just crossed his arms and scoffed. "Idiot."
Kakashi gave Satoru a long, unreadable look.
You just made that up on the spot, didn't you?
Satoru maintained innocent eye contact. Of course not, dear future Sensei.
Meanwhile, Third Hokage wasn't buying a word of it, but he just shook his head with a knowing smile.
He had been watching Satoru closely.
At first, he had wondered—Could this child be the key to bridging the gap between Konoha and the Uchiha?
But after observing Satoru's behavior...
No.
He was a wild card. Someone who acted purely on his own whims.
Not the kind of person who would sacrifice his own desires for the sake of the village.
Still, he was young. Time would tell.
"Speaking of which," Third Hokage said, his voice deceptively casual, "Satoru's academy age is coming up, isn't it?"
Fugaku's expression hardened.
"Indeed, Lord Hokage," he replied carefully.
"Education is important," Third Hokage continued with a small smile. "He should enroll in the academy with the other children."
Fugaku wanted to refuse.
The academy had softened Itachi—made him too gentle.
Uchiha couldn't afford softness right now.
And Satoru…
Satoru was unpredictable.
Fugaku didn't want Konoha's influence messing with him.
But with Third Hokage standing there, waiting for his response, he had no choice but to agree.
"It will be arranged," he said curtly.
Satisfied, Third Hokage took his leave, followed by Fukue and Kakashi.
Fugaku exhaled, his grip tightening slightly.
Satoru... you troublesome child.
He turned his gaze to his son, who was still standing there, looking way too pleased with himself.
"You. Come home."
That was all he said, but the message was clear.
Satoru gulped.
The others wisely stayed quiet, watching the inevitable play out.
Rest in peace, second brother.
That was the collective thought of his dear caring siblings and clanmates.
Meanwhile, Naruto, still oblivious, watched them leave with wide eyes.
"Big brother, are you leaving?"
Satoru turned back, flashing a grin.
"Of course! I'm too popular—if I stayed any longer, the crowd might riot from missing me."
He patted Naruto's head.
"But hey, short-term separation makes reunions all the sweeter. See you tomorrow, kid."
"See you tomorrow, big brother!" Naruto replied enthusiastically.
—
Hokage's Office
"As far as I can tell, the meeting between Uchiha Satoru and Uzumaki Naruto was purely coincidental," Kakashi reported.
"Satoru helped Naruto on the road a few days ago, and they just… kept running into each other. The ramen competition was the latest event."
Third Hokage nodded, then asked, "And what do you think of Satoru?"
Kakashi considered his answer.
"A strange child. Not like the usual Uchiha."
"In what way?"
"He actually enjoys interacting with people."
"And his talent?"
Kakashi hesitated before answering.
"Hard to say. As a clan of the Sharingan, Uchiha's greatest strength is their eyes… but Satoru is always wearing an eye patch."
"Perhaps his vision is damaged?" Third Hokage mused.
"Possibly. If that's the case, then he must have exceptional perception skills to compensate."
Kakashi leaned back.
"Whatever the case, he's… interesting."
Third Hokage hummed thoughtfully.
"Yes. He certainly is."