Nothing else in the thread was worth reading, so Naraku closed it and scrolled on.
"Classic Move, Official Team. Tradition Carried On."
OP: These two "hero saves the beauty" screenshots are wallpaper material. Definitely the Animator's original key frames.
Reply 2: Gotta admit, Naruto's tradition of homoerotic tension is strong. Part I gave us Hashirama/Madara. Those two were good. If even one of them had been a woman, we'd already have world peace. Then Part II with Zabuza/Haku, Orochimaru and his pets… Thought this time it'd finally be Minato/Kushina for some wholesome romance, but nope, we're back here again.
Reply 3: Can't finish it all, can't. (keeps stuffing face)
Reply 4: Everyone's hot anyway. Can't wait to see what Kakashi and Naraku look like grown up.
Reply 5: Come on, when has an Uchiha ever been ugly?
Reply 6: Go check Catfish's new update—she already went for it!
…
Reply 11: And these shots too: [Image], [Image], [Image]. I just love watching little boys cry, hehehe, come to mama.
Reply 12: Certified creep. Thanks though, stealing the pics.
Reply 13: Both of you are creeps. Certified.
…
Reply 22: Kakashi has to be Naraku's salvation, right?
Reply 23: Obviously. Why else would the Animator frame them like this?
Reply 24: Honestly, a yandere Naraku would slap. Stuff like "Kakashi's mine alone," "I'd do anything for you," "You're the only thing I want."
Reply 25: Any fic writers in the chat? This begs for a story.
…
"Quick Sketch of Kakashi and Naraku Grown Up."
OP: [Image].
Reply 2: Catfish, you're my god!
Reply 3: That face, that waist, those legs—awsl.
…
Reply 9: Animator, you seeing this? Just copy this style for later!
Reply 10: Naruto is blessed to have you.
…
Naraku clicked the art. First thing that hit him was the draftsmanship—fluid, alive. Grown-up Kakashi and himself floated in mid-air, bodies moving light as feathers, poses and glances faintly intimate but not over the top.
Kakashi looked exactly like his canon future self, the kind of guy who made half the girls in the ninja world blush at a glance. His own likeness skewed closer to Izuna Uchiha in his youth, sharp gaze added to keep him from looking childish. The long, smooth hair set him apart from other Uchiha—probably a hint that he was gentler in nature.
Naraku murmured a silent thank-you to the artist, saved the image into the system's storage, then finally logged off with a satisfied sigh.
"System, how many Popularity Points do I have now?"
[You currently have 2,716 points.]
"Open the shop."
The System Shop glittered with options—ninjutsu, elemental releases, kekkei genkai, even items from other worlds. Among them: Unlock One-Tomoe Sharingan, priced at 5,000 points.
Episodes five and six had only been out for a couple of hours, and his numbers were still climbing. Reaching 5,000 was doable.
Normally, an Uchiha needed emotional trauma to awaken their Sharingan. As a transmigrator acting in an anime, Naraku knew he'd never hit the "right" trigger. He'd have to buy the unlock, then stage his awakening like it came from trauma.
Given his situation, anything else would feel out of place. One tomoe was cheap, fast, and would make him way stronger immediately. Plus, he could milk more sympathy and buzz from the timing of his "awakening." Double payoff.
"Perfect. Next step—skip school tomorrow and rest at home. No one's expecting me to show up in this state anyway."
…
Back at school, Kakashi kept glancing at Naraku's usual seat. Empty. All day. His chest tightened.
That guy hadn't shown up once. Was he okay?
Images flashed: Naraku covered in bruises, fragile in a way no Uchiha should look. Kakashi couldn't sit still.
By second period's throwing drills, he cracked. When Obito failed his test again, Kakashi muttered, "Dead last." Predictably, Obito exploded.
"Don't get cocky, Kakashi! Fight me!"
Obito glanced toward Rin, who had turned at his outburst, and puffed up even more.
"Forget it, dead last. When you're half as strong as Naraku Uchiha, then maybe."
Kakashi's rare taunt slipped out before he forced a casual shrug, sliding the real question in: "Where's Naraku today?"
"Huh? No idea."
Caught off guard, Obito scratched his head. "Guy's a loner. I don't hang with him. Why, you looking for him?"
Useless. Obito's nosy follow-up only annoyed Kakashi further. He brushed him off and let it drop.
The second class ended, Kakashi bolted. He barely made it a block before realizing—he didn't even know where Naraku lived. And even if he did, non-Uchiha weren't exactly welcome in clan grounds, much less asking for someone's address.
While he was stuck frowning, he spotted his homeroom teacher, Akira Hoshino, heading in the same direction. Toward the Uchiha district.
"Sensei!"
Kakashi jogged up, uncharacteristically eager.
Akira blinked, surprised. "Kakashi? This isn't your way home."
"What about you, Sensei?"
"Oh, nothing serious. Naraku Uchiha missed school all day without notice, so I figured I'd check in." Akira smiled sheepishly, then added, "Since you're here, want to come along? You're classmates, after all."
"Sure."
Finally, a cover.
With Akira leading, Kakashi got into the Uchiha compound without issue. No one stopped a teacher visiting a sick student.
They reached Shinji Uchiha's house. Akira knocked twice. Silence. He pushed, and the door creaked open.
"Excuse me, Shinji Uchiha!" Akira stepped carefully inside. "I'm Hoshino from the academy. Are you home?"
The place was dead quiet.
Kakashi followed, peeking into the dim living room—then froze. Strands of long black hair spilled from a corner.
He flicked the light on.
Naraku lay crumpled there, unconscious. His hair tangled around his face, body streaked with dried blood. Bandages dangled loose, new wounds layered over old. He looked worse than he had yesterday—by a mile.
"Hey!"
Kakashi rushed to him, hauling him up. Still breathing. Relief nearly buckled his knees—until he saw Naraku's hands, covered in dozens of cuts, raw and bloody.
"What the hell happened?"
Akira staggered, stunned, then quickly knelt to assess his injuries. "He needs the hospital. Now."
Scooping the boy into his arms, the teacher sprinted out. He didn't care that it was Uchiha territory—he ran like his life depended on it.
Thank god Shinji's house sat on the edge of the compound, surrounded mostly by civilians. Otherwise, they might never have made it out.