For Naruto, it had been a perfect day.
He had reignited the fighting spirit of a dejected Lee and given Sasuke further insight into his own aspirations.
More importantly, he had showcased his own strength and his embodiment of the Will of Fire.
He believed his standing in the Third Hokage's eyes had risen another notch.
Hokage's Office.
"Naruto's taijutsu is truly outstanding. To think he's been training with so much weight at such a young age. Naruto's determination to become stronger cannot be ignored."
The Third Hokage took a puff from his pipe, his gaze shifting away from the crystal ball, his expression contemplative.
The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki interacting with the Uchiha clan was hardly good news.
The Uchiha clan had always been a prominent family that Konoha's upper echelons yearned to control.
Their kekkei genkai, the Sharingan, was considered Konoha's foremost bloodline limit.
But alongside its power, the Sharingan was also known as an "evil" kekkei genkai. It required the stimulus of life-and-death situations to awaken, and the Mangekyo Sharingan even necessitated killing someone with blood ties to develop.
All of this had shrouded the Uchiha in a veil of bloodiness and cruelty.
Furthermore, their ancestor, Madara Uchiha, had co-founded Konoha with the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, only to later turn towards darkness.
Many villagers had thus come to define the Uchiha by darkness and bloodshed, remaining deeply wary of them.
And Konoha's leadership, spearheaded by the Third Hokage, had used political maneuvering to compel the Uchiha to relocate to a remote district, assigning them the thankless role of managing the Konoha Military Police Force.
Over time, the friction between the Uchiha and other villagers had grown increasingly severe.
This was why the Uchiha were so disliked within Konoha.
For the Third Hokage, they had to prevent the Uchiha from becoming any stronger.
The Uchiha could not be allowed to gain Naruto's friendship.
Otherwise, unforeseen complications might arise.
At this thought, the Third Hokage's brow furrowed tightly.
Being in a position of power wasn't just about suppression; it was about balancing acts.
It was like how he had permitted the establishment of Root. While it had, to some extent, diluted his own authority, it also provided a department to handle the village's dirty work.
"For now, we'll observe. Perhaps Naruto, who has inherited the Will of Fire, can assimilate Sasuke."
"Make Sasuke love Konoha deeply, just like his older brother, Itachi."
The Third Hokage muttered to himself.
Meanwhile, back at the Uchiha residence. Sasuke, upon returning home, was quickly met with his family's "friendly" concern.
A certain individual with a notable brother complex had an instantaneous change in expression upon seeing Sasuke's bruised and swollen face.
A boiling killing intent brewed within him.
Our Uchiha clan may not be well-liked in the village, but we haven't reached the point of being bullied!
Who was it?
Who hurt my dear little brother?
But in an instant, he regained his usual gentle smile and walked over to ask Sasuke, "Sasuke, how did you get so many injuries on your face?"
Sasuke touched his wounds, wincing in pain, and replied, "I sparred with Naruto today. But the gap between us is pretty big, so I kept losing."
"But it's okay! With Naruto's guidance, my taijutsu is constantly improving."
"Naruto is really great. He was very patient in guiding my moves."
"Uzumaki Naruto." Itachi Uchiha narrowed his eyes, a hint of displeasure in them.
"I didn't expect Naruto's talent to be so exceptional that even Sasuke is no match for him," Fugaku Uchiha said thoughtfully.
It seemed highly probable that Naruto had inherited the talent of his father, Minato Namikaze.
If so, Konoha would likely tighten its grip on him even further.
At this thought, Fugaku's expression darkened.
For the Uchiha, this might not be a good thing. He was very worried that Konoha would use Naruto as an excuse to make things difficult for the Uchiha clan again.
Fugaku sighed.
The Uchiha clan's endurance, through constant forbearance, was nearing its limit.
If things continued this way, rebellion would be inevitable.
"Stop chatting, dinner is ready. Go wash your hands first," Sasuke's mother, Mikoto Uchiha, said gently as she emerged from the kitchen.
The family gathered around the dining table, and Sasuke continued to recount the various details of his training that day, from his taijutsu to his ninjutsu.
"Sasuke, you even used the Great Fireball Jutsu?" Not just Itachi, but even Fugaku looked incredulous.
Sasuke's control over ninjutsu was still unstable, but even so, the power of the Great Fireball was not something a five-year-old child should be able to block.
When they heard that Naruto had sliced the fireball apart with a single sword strike, their expressions turned to ones of utter shock.
"Uzumaki Naruto's taijutsu and swordsmanship are likely already at a Genin level," Itachi Uchiha and Fugaku exchanged a look, nodding slightly.
He decided to observe Naruto carefully in the coming days.
"Naruto said that not working hard will only waste one's talent. So, I'm going to work even harder! Kaa-san, from now on, I'm going to train with Naruto and Lee every day! I can't lose to them!" Sasuke was filled with fighting spirit.
Fugaku naturally gave his full approval to Sasuke's decision.
He had always felt that Sasuke lived too comfortably under his older brother's protection.
This was good. Experiencing setbacks and understanding the struggles of commoners would surely help Sasuke go further in the future.
Nightfall.
Mikoto had just finished clearing the dining table when Sasuke, having just eaten, dragged Itachi out to the courtyard for extra training.
In his words: the gap between him and Naruto was too large, and he might not even be a match for Lee. He had to work harder. He couldn't lose because he was a proud Uchiha.
Watching Sasuke's retreating figure in the courtyard, Mikoto Uchiha's eyes held a touch of melancholy. She washed the dishes with a complex expression, her thoughts unreadable.
Fugaku Uchiha came up behind her and said in a low voice, "The relationship between our Uchiha clan and the village is becoming increasingly strained. As the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Naruto will undoubtedly be kept under tight control by the Third. We cannot change Naruto's current situation."
"I know," Mikoto replied, tears silently falling as she thought of her departed friend, "but he is still Kushina's child. If the village weren't so hostile towards us, we could at least give Naruto a decent life, so he wouldn't be loathed by so many people like he is now."
Fugaku sighed.
"These things are unchangeable. As long as the Third Hokage's lineage remains in power, our Uchiha clan will never see a day of true prominence," he muttered.
Since the Third Hokage had taken office, Konoha's top clans and military strength had been declining at an astonishing rate.
In just over a decade, even the Uchiha clan was now facing an unprecedented crisis.
"Will the Uchiha truly have a tomorrow in Konoha?" Fugaku's eyes were filled with immense struggle.
Elsewhere.
"Where tree leaves dance, one shall find flames."
Naruto put down the book titled "The Will of Fire," resting his chin on his hand as he sank into deep thought.
He had been continuously exploring the Will of Fire, the ideology that had sustained Konoha to this day.
As the saying goes: know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.
Naruto was attempting to dissect the ideology of Konoha's leadership through the Will of Fire.
Through repeated investigation and contemplation, Naruto discovered something.
After the Third Hokage took power, the Senju clan, one of Konoha's founding families, gradually declined and was even wiped out during the Great Ninja Wars.
And the Uchiha clan, the traditional counterpart to the Senju, was also in a very precarious situation now.
They had been relocated to a remote area and, although they managed the actual Konoha Military Police Force, their reputation and status within Konoha had been steadily declining.
"First, annihilate the most threatening Senju clan. Then, isolate the Uchiha. Though they control the Military Police Force, they're actually managing miscellaneous, thankless tasks that create enemies. Exploit the Uchiha's proud nature to create conflict between them and the villagers, thereby weakening the Uchiha from their very roots."
"Perhaps in a few years, the Uchiha clan will also be annihilated for various reasons."
A look of apprehension crossed Naruto's face as he reached this conclusion.
"This definitely isn't something one Hokage could achieve alone. The Third must have a very important accomplice. And I wonder… what is that accomplice's attitude towards me?"