January.
Compared to the still-chilly climate of the Land of Wind, things were much warmer in the Land of Fire.
Ever since the war with Kumogakure ended, Konoha had returned to a period of recuperation. Even though Kirigakure remained a persistent nuisance, the Leaf's approach was clear: avoid war if at all possible.
Simply maintaining a strong presence at the borders was enough to keep Kirigakure in check.
That year…
A new generation in Konoha began to rise.
The Uchiha clan's prodigy—descendant of Uchiha Kagami, a disciple of the Second Hokage and a comrade of the Third—had become famous across the shinobi world: Uchiha Shisui, a shinobi who had inherited the Will of Fire.
The name "Shisui of the Body Flicker" had gained renown almost rivaling the legendary "Yellow Flash of the Leaf." Even deep within the ranks of Kirigakure's shinobi, there was a saying:
"If you encounter Shisui on a mission, retreat immediately!"
At such a young age, he was already capable of instilling fear in Kirigakure's ninja. Even Ao, one of their veteran shinobi, would back off rather than face him directly. That alone said a lot about his strength.
He was now considered the Uchiha clan's greatest hope for revival.
But what they didn't know…
Was that Shisui, at such a young age, had taken on burdens he should never have had to bear. And deep down, he was exhausted. Especially after the Nine-Tails incident, the relationship between the Uchiha clan and the village—already tense—had grown even worse.
On his return to the village, he saw it clearly in the eyes of the villagers: anger, fear, hatred… and mockery—all directed at the Uchiha.
All the evidence from the Nine-Tails' attack pointed at the Uchiha clan. And in that kind of climate, even the Fourth Hokage's orphan was treated with disdain just because of the whisker-like marks on his cheeks. He was still a toddler, yet villagers who didn't know the truth spat on him.
What could the Uchiha clan do to ease the hatred directed at them?
As for the Fourth Hokage's orphan…
That was a decision made by those at the top. As shinobi, they had no say.
Now, with the Uchiha clan stuck in such a hostile position, even the clan head—who had once had a decent relationship with the Fourth Hokage—chose to stay silent. No one dared associate with the jinchūriki. At this point, the Uchiha had no options left beyond silence and low profiles.
One misstep could mean disaster. Best to do nothing at all.
As for Shisui… he still held hope that, by relying on the legacy of Uchiha Kagami—student of the Second, comrade of the Third—he could help mend the relationship between the Uchiha and the village. He wanted to show everyone that the Uchiha, too, held the Will of Fire.
Then suddenly—
"Get lost, you freak!"
Shisui heard the angry shout from the doorway of a nearby shop. He instinctively turned toward the commotion, already guessing what he'd see.
Sure enough…
A little blond-haired kid was shouting indignantly,
"I have money! I just want to buy something!"
But the shop owner looked furious and disgusted, yelling at him to scram. "This store doesn't sell to monsters!" he barked. The surrounding villagers joined in, calling him names, demanding he leave the street entirely.
Shisui frowned.
He knew the truth about that incident—and he knew exactly who that child was.
The Fourth Hokage had saved the entire village.
He hesitated for a moment. Just as he was about to step forward and speak up for the child, the boy lowered his head in anger and clenched his fists—but after a long pause, said nothing. He turned and walked away, stubborn and silent.
Shisui stopped mid-step and watched the boy's retreating figure.
"Truly the Fourth Hokage's son."
He was angry, proud, hurt—but even at that age, he was able to control his temper and walk away.
Shisui let out a soft sigh and shook his head with a bitter smile.
"That was almost a mistake…"
The Uchiha had been explicitly forbidden from getting close to the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki. The village feared a repeat of what had happened before. After all, no one knew who that mysterious man with the Sharingan during the Nine-Tails attack really was… or what power the Uchiha clan might still be hiding.
With a wry smile, he sighed again and walked on.
But he hadn't gone far before he spotted Naruto again.
This time, the kid was standing in front of a store… with a weird sign.
It was a picture of a four-wheel-drive mini race car.
Shisui recognized it. Some of the younger kids in the clan had been playing with them. But as far as he knew, those were only available outside the village—Konoha didn't sell them.
Word was, they came from Sunagakure. And Danzo-sama had once ordered them banned, fearing they posed a threat to the village.
So how was there a shop selling them now?
At the entrance, Shisui watched.
He expected Naruto to be thrown out again. Expected him to be humiliated again.
But instead…
Naruto went in.
"???"
Naruto stepped inside cautiously, as if expecting a trap—like someone would knock him out the moment he walked through the door.
He didn't understand why people saw him as a monster. He hadn't done anything wrong. But for some reason, everyone just… hated him.
And yet…
Nothing happened.
Sure, people gave him dirty looks and moved away when he walked in—but no one kicked him out.
Clutching his little four-wheel-drive car in his arms, Naruto lit up and ran toward the shelves.
"Boss, I heard you've got new motors in stock?!"
"Yeah."
The store clerk clearly didn't like him, but he didn't chase him out. He pointed coolly toward a display.
"Over there. Go take a look."
"Okay! Thanks!"
Naruto didn't get angry at the tone. Instead, he gave a polite little bow of thanks.
Because today…
No one had thrown him out.
And that made him feel really, really happy.
Meanwhile, in the back of the shop…
"Look, customers are customers. The Fourth Kazekage once said, 'Every customer is like the Sage of Six Paths.' We can't just kick out the Sage, right?"
The man speaking was one of the specialists dispatched to Konoha to oversee the launch of the four-wheel-drive specialty store. Deep in his heart, he still carried the wise teachings of the Kazekage:
"This isn't Sunagakure where we can mess around all we want. Even if you screw up, just treat it as experience."
So even though he didn't really understand why that little kid was treated like a monster…
That wasn't his problem. Not his village. Why should he care?
And anyway, if the kid bought something, he got a cut of the sale.
If this were in Sunagakure, they'd happily sell him the product… then grin as they kicked him out right after taking his money.
He might not be a true Suna shinobi, but the great "Will of Sand" still flowed through his veins!
"Oh right—don't forget to post the event flyer later. That's going to be a huge competition across the entire shinobi world~"
The important mission entrusted to him by the Kazekage couldn't be forgotten!