Chapter 104
2-in-1-chapter
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Uchiha Genshi questioning was flat. His attitude wasn't friendly at all.
"… Fujika's grandfather?" Naruto recognized Genshi's face under the bamboo hat, having seen it a few times before. He immediately became uneasy. His sharp instincts told him from their first meeting that Genshi didn't particularly like him.
But this dislike felt different from the contempt he usually encountered. Though Naruto couldn't yet understand the distinction, he clearly knew that Genshi was Fujika's grandfather, and even if only to protect his one and only friend, he would try his best to smile and curry favor with this old man.
"I, I, I'm here to avoid the rain."
Naruto stammered, forcing out this obviously false excuse.
He didn't dare voice the wild thoughts in his heart.
If it had been his friend standing before him, he would naturally speak freely. But before him now stood his friend's grandfather, an old man who didn't seem to like him much.
"I see." Genshi nodded as if he understood. "The rain did come suddenly today. Alright, kid, stop spacing out here. Judging from your appearance, you haven't eaten yet, right? Come on! Accompany me to grab a bite. I've been busy all day and haven't eaten anything…"
"Eh? But…"
"What are you standing there for? Hurry up, brat. Oh, and put this on." Genshi took a bamboo hat from behind him and placed it on Naruto's head. The large hat was enough to shield Naruto's small frame from the wind and rain.
Naruto clutched the edge of the hat and followed behind Genshi as they left the park.
To be honest,
Akimichi Torifu and the others were being overly cautious. The Eight Trigrams Seal inside Naruto was far from something that could break so easily. As a seal placed at the cost of the Fourth Hokage's life, if it could fail this easily, it would severely underestimate the Yellow Flash's prowess.
Unfortunately, among all these people, none specialized in sealing techniques. No matter how sharp the Byakugan's insight was, it couldn't evaluate seals properly. So when Naruto merely appeared mentally dejected for a while, the village's leadership immediately mobilized in force.
"I really don't understand why the younger generation likes these useless things. Aren't bamboo hats and straw cloaks enough? They're all obsessed with these fancy, impractical things." Akimichi Torifu complained loudly as he struggled to remove a slightly too-small raincoat.
Nara Shikaku offered a wry smile.
Hyūga Hiashi and Aburame Shibi remained silent.
Fortunately, the acting Fifth Hokage didn't waste energy on such trivial matters. Tossing his raincoat aside, he sat cross-legged on the tatami mat. With a slight nod to Shikaku, he signaled to proceed. Shikaku then pressed the remote control.
A small 14-inch monitor lit up in the corner of the room. On the low-resolution screen appeared Uchiha Genshi and Uzumaki Naruto, seated in a private room downstairs, waiting for food. Genshi's voice came through along with the movements of his lips, echoing in the ears of everyone present.
This was a restaurant called Tsukiko.
Not as refined as Shōchikutei, but still a fairly decent restaurant in Konoha. Having been used to ramen and instant noodles, this was Naruto's first time entering such an establishment—one he would usually avoid even walking past. When he entered, he was nervous and restrained, only relaxing slightly after settling into the private room.
To tell the truth, Genshi didn't particularly like this type of restaurant either.
He preferred going to Shōchikutei.
But there was no way he could take a brat along to one, and besides, he hadn't chosen this restaurant. He had seen Nara Shikaku standing at the entrance and realized he had no choice. As expected, upon entering the private room, he immediately noticed the cameras and listening devices.
"No class at the Academy today?" Genshi sipped his tea, making conversation.
"Today's a rest day."
Naruto answered cautiously.
"A rest day?"
Genshi froze for a moment, then remembered, nodding heavily and sighing. "Without Fujika around, I completely forgot it was a rest day for the Academy. Looks like I really am getting senile." The old man let out a heartfelt sigh. His son and daughter-in-law were busy with their own affairs. Rēn and Fujika were far away at the eastern border of the Land of Fire. He had been lonely at home lately.
When Fujika's name was mentioned, a small light appeared in Naruto's blue eyes. He gathered his courage and asked:
"Grandpa, when will Fujika return to school?"
"I'm not sure, probably still a while." Genshi shook his head. Though the war might end soon, Rēn and Fujika might not return right away. The situation at the front lines was extremely complicated. In his experience, it would take time to sort everything out.
The light in Naruto's eyes dimmed instantly.
He desperately wanted to talk to his friend about his worries and troubles, but unfortunately, his only friend was not in the village. So all his worries could only be kept in his heart, chewing on the bitterness again and again.
"What's the matter? Looking for Fujika for something?"
Genshi asked.
A sharp light flashed from his old but clear eyes.
"No, nothing… It's just… the Academy feels boring lately. Fujika is my only friend!"
Naruto forced a smile, afraid of displeasing Genshi and causing him to forbid Fujika from playing with him in the future.
"Only friend"—those words left Genshi speechless for a moment.
This child, the son of the Fourth Hokage, the hero who saved Konoha, not only did not enjoy the glory he deserved, but instead endured countless cold stares and malice. Such a situation was truly unbearable.
It wasn't just Genshi who felt indignant.
Even upstairs, Akimichi Torifu and the others fell into silence. Regardless of any justification, they had indeed allowed the Fourth Hokage's orphan to suffer all the bitterness of this world. At such a young age, he had already learned to read people's expressions.
Everyone present was no fool.
Even on a low-resolution monitor, it was obvious that Naruto was constantly watching Genshi's face, adjusting his behavior and mood according to the old man's expression. His obedience was heartbreaking.
"Hmph. A bunch of old bastards."
Aburame Shibi cursed under his breath.
Though he didn't name anyone, everyone knew exactly who he was criticizing.
No one objected to Shibi's outburst. The Fourth Hokage… he was an incredibly charismatic person. His demeanor had enchanted all the women of the village, regardless of age, and even the men felt no jealousy toward him.
On the contrary, many had been won over by Namikaze Minato's character.
Aburame Shibi, Akimichi Torifu, Inuzuka Jaw, Mikami Hayate… they had never forgotten the Yellow Flash who had briefly illuminated Konoha.
At that moment,
The speaker on the monitor transmitted another line.
"Hey, kid, are you afraid of the dead?" Genshi suddenly asked.
"The dead?"
Naruto was confused. He scratched his head, puzzled. "I don't know. I guess… I've never seen a dead person, right?" His uncertain tone revealed his hesitance. Yet deep within his mind, some distant, fragmented images flickered suddenly.
In that fleeting image—
He saw vibrant, blood-red hair and a gentle gaze full of boundless love.
His heart felt pierced by a needle.
Tears silently slid down his face.
He only realized when they fell onto his pants. Panicking, he wiped them away with his sleeve. "Ah, just now, there was some dust, no, a mosquito… a mosquito flew into my eye." Naruto spoke a clumsy lie, his hoarse voice causing Genshi's expression to grow darker.
Upstairs, the room fell utterly silent.
If one didn't strain to listen, even the sound of breathing would have been inaudible.
The acting Fifth Hokage said nothing, simply watching the monitor quietly.
"Kid, hurry up and wipe your tears already. It's just a mosquito! Look at you, crying like this—don't you feel embarrassed? A man shouldn't cry so easily!" Genshi scolded gruffly. Once Naruto finished wiping away his tears, he continued: "Since you're not afraid of the dead, go find Fujika! It's about time you saw the world outside this village. You'll never grow up if you stay holed up here forever."
As he said the final sentence, he glanced at the camera hidden behind the landscape painting on the wall.
That line was meant for Akimichi Torifu upstairs.
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In the ANBU detention facility:
It operated independently from the Konoha Prison. The Konoha Prison under the jurisdiction of the Police Force was packed with all sorts of criminals, including shinobi and ordinary people, but the ANBU facility was different. Every inmate imprisoned here was without exception either vicious beyond measure or possessed a special status as a high-profile criminal.
Hatake Kakashi leaned against the railing, reading under the dim corridor light.
His life here was relatively comfortable.
Even though he had committed the grave crime of attempting to assassinate the former Hokage who had abdicated, Sarutobi Hiruzen, the moment he surrendered himself he had prepared mentally to endure severe torture and eventually face lawful execution. But no torture came; only the head of the Yamanaka clan had come once to read his memories, and then he was thrown into this dark prison where he had already spent about half a month.
He was not entirely certain about the time though. He could only estimate the time by counting the number of guard shift changes.
Apart from the first few days of boredom, books were later delivered from outside. Inside those books was a note from that idiot Guy. Kakashi did not doubt that Guy could force his way in here, but to actually send items into the ANBU facility—this was definitely beyond Guy's capability.
The implication behind this stack of books was clear.
Kakashi understood that he likely would not be executed. He just did not know how long he would remain confined here.
He turned a page.
But his gaze had already drifted from the book; his sharp ears caught the approaching footsteps in the distant corridor. This was not the scheduled patrol time, which meant this was an unexpected situation. His heartbeat quickened slightly. When he decided to attempt the assassination of Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō, he had already resolved to face death.
However,
If he could live, he would not seek death.
"Hatake Kakashi?"
Two masked ANBU operatives arrived outside his cell, scrutinizing the book-holding Kakashi as if confirming his identity.
"That's me."
Kakashi nodded.
"Come out. The Hokage wants to see you." As they spoke, the other ANBU stepped forward with a key and unlocked the cell door.
The Hokage wants to see me?
Kakashi was puzzled.
Why would the current Hokage summon a criminal like him who had attempted to assassinate a former Hokage? Nevertheless, he set down his book, stepped out of the cell, and followed the two ANBU through a maze of passages, arriving at the ANBU mess hall.
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