Today, Naruto Uzumaki pulled another prank in the village, aiming to get some attention. His prank worked, but it also really set someone off. So, Naruto found himself being chased through several streets. Good thing he was fast. Naruto figured if he ran just two more blocks, he could shake off the old man who owned the dumpling shop, the one who was getting weaker by the day from "paying his dues" to his wife every single day.
However... just as he was secretly gloating, his feet suddenly stepped into thin air. Naruto felt like someone had grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and lifted him up.
Oh no... this is bad! He's been caught!
The dumpling shop owner rushed over, panting, about to express his grateful joy, when his gaze suddenly landed on Uchiha Akainu's young face. His words of thanks got stuck in his throat.
"U...Uchiha..." The dumpling shop owner's face was ashen, and he seemed unaware that the rolling pin in his hand had fallen to the ground.
"Uchiha?" Naruto, still dangling, struggled a bit. When he realized he couldn't break free, he looked up with a troubled expression. Hmm... I don't know him! Naruto just felt that this busybody had a rather cold expression, and he sensed that the man was looking at him like he was some rare animal.
"What did he do?" Uchiha Akainu asked the dumpling shop owner.
"He... he..." The dumpling shop owner was sweating profusely.
"Tell the truth," Uchiha Akainu reminded him.
Gulp. Under an inexplicable, invisible pressure, the dumpling shop owner swallowed hard and, trembling, described Naruto Uzumaki's prank for the day: he had swapped the wheat flour in his dumpling shop with protein powder.
Little Naruto, still held aloft, grumbled, "Protein powder can still be used to make dumplings, and you can even build muscle if you eat them, dattebayo!"
The dumpling shop owner's blood pressure shot up in anger. "You little brat..." But seeing Uchiha Akainu standing there, seeing the man's seemingly emotionless eyes... he hastily reined in his anger and forcibly swallowed the words he wanted to say.
It was too terrifying! Why was he so unlucky to run into the Uchiha clan's famous "Plague God"? It was all that fox-demon brat's fault!
"Pulled a prank like that, huh..." Uchiha Akainu nodded slightly and said calmly, "This brat's guardian is the Hokage. Go directly to the Hokage and demand compensation. Tell him I sent you. If the Hokage doesn't pay, I'll go get it for you."
With that, Uchiha Akainu, holding a life-weary Naruto, prepared to leave. His words not only stunned the dumpling shop owner but Naruto as well.
Naruto immediately struggled, flailing his arms and legs, and shouted, "You, where are you taking me, dattebayo?! You've already caught me, can't you just put me down?!"
Uchiha Akainu raised his arm, lifting Naruto more than a meter off the ground. He calmly met the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki's gaze. His cold eyes made Naruto's small face stiffen.
Uchiha Akainu slowly said, "When a person makes a mistake, regardless of gender, age, or youth, they must receive the appropriate punishment. Your prank caused financial losses and damaged the shop's reputation. Also, the commotion you caused by running around recklessly severely disrupted Konoha's order and damaged the cleanliness of the streets."
"With multiple offenses combined, even if you're willing to pay compensation, you'd still have to be locked in the Konoha prison for half a month. And that's just if you were judged purely by Konoha's laws. Since you've fallen into my hands, that half-month will become three months."
Seven-year-old Naruto was completely stunned.
"Lock... Locked in prison for three months..." He was utterly dumbfounded.
"Oh no, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is making contact with an Uchiha!" At the same time, an elite Anbu ninja responsible for monitoring Naruto's face changed drastically. He felt like he had really messed up today. As the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki's monitor, Lord Hokage's mission for him was not only to watch Naruto but also to "clean up his messes." Essentially, no matter what prank the jinchuriki brat pulled, he had to painstakingly sort it out.
He had just gone specifically to swap back the wheat flour that Naruto had pranked and replaced in the dumpling shop. But he never imagined that in that brief moment he was gone... the jinchuriki had been grabbed by an Uchiha ninja!
He could never mistake the Uchiha Military Police Force uniform! He clearly saw the jinchuriki staring into Uchiha eyes! Those were the Sharingan, rumored to be able to control Tailed Beasts! If... the Nine-Tails' rampage from years ago were to happen again, his negligence would absolutely be the fuse that destroyed the village. He would definitely be a criminal of Konoha.
Realizing the seriousness of the situation, the Anbu ninja had no time to think further, let alone worry about exposing himself. He quickly rushed towards Naruto Uzumaki, shouting, "Put him down!"
In the sight of many onlookers, the Anbu ninja appeared with a sudden Body Flicker. One hand was already loosely gripping the hilt of his ninja sword, and the other reached out, intending to snatch Naruto Uzumaki.
Uchiha Akainu suddenly swung his arm to the side. The Anbu ninja grabbed empty air, and Naruto let out a cry of surprise; due to the large motion, Naruto was almost flung away.
"Anbu?!" Izumi, standing nearby, immediately recognized the Anbu ninja's attire—that fox mask was very distinctive. She suddenly had a bad feeling.
"Uchiha! What are you doing?!" After grabbing air, the Anbu ninja's expression beneath his mask instantly became incredibly dramatic. He demanded, "Don't tell me you don't know what this brat represents! You... huh? Uchiha Akainu?!"
When he faced the other person directly, this Anbu ninja realized that the one who had grabbed the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki was actually Uchiha Akainu! He was one of the few Uchiha who had a "good" relationship with Lord Hokage.
Hmm—at least the kind who met with the Hokage often.
Uchiha Akainu glanced at the white box above the Anbu ninja's head, his eyes brewing with a sharp, hair-raising intensity as he questioned, "Are you going to obstruct the Military Police Force's enforcement? Yamanaka Yoshinobu?"
Anbu ninja: "!!!"
"You..." He was shocked. He was clearly wearing an Anbu mask, and he had never met Uchiha Akainu before, so how did the other person recognize him?
Noticing the sharpness in Uchiha Akainu's eyes gradually turning somewhat dangerous, the Anbu ninja hesitantly put his ninja sword back. He had heard some information about Uchiha Akainu, knowing the bottom line of this [Absolute Justice] enforcer. To be safe, it was better not to conflict with him.
Phew! The Anbu ninja exhaled, trying to calm himself down. He said in a deep voice, "Uchiha Akainu, the Military Police Force's enforcement shouldn't have anything to do with Naruto Uzumaki, right? He's just an 'ordinary' child, isn't he?" He deliberately emphasized "ordinary."
Uchiha Akainu stated, "He is precisely the criminal I apprehended."
Anbu ninja: "???"
Oh no... this is troublesome.
Just as the Anbu ninja was sweating profusely, racking his brain for what to do, a sudden, hoarse, furious shout approached from afar: "Naturally evil Uchiha brat! What are you doing?! What in the world are you evil Uchiha planning?!"
The Anbu ninja immediately froze, a bit bewildered and confused. Why is someone even more agitated than me? As he looked in the direction of the voice, he saw a familiar figure.
It was... Danzō Shimura?!