An alleyway near the Ninja Academy.
A black-haired boy reached out and stopped two other boys.
The two sides exchanged a few words, and the atmosphere didn't seem pleasant. The two boys shook their heads vigorously, seemingly arguing about something with very intense expressions, but the black-haired boy ignored their struggle and shouting and dragged them into the alley.
A moment later, the sound of children crying came from the alley.
Mamoru walked slowly out of the alley, tidying his collar which had been pulled a bit messy, a refreshing smile on his face.
Those two brats were very scared, crying incessantly after just one slap each. They clearly made a deal with upperclassmen to corner someone, yet they stubbornly refused to admit it.
He knew what he was doing now was childish, but he enjoyed it. As long as it made him feel better, he didn't care if it was childish or not.
Tell me, which man doesn't have his childish moments?
Shikamaru and Choji, who had been standing outside the alley, saw Mamoru walk out and exchanged helpless glances.
"Hey, don't be too rough." Shikamaru said to the approaching Mamoru.
"Don't worry, I have a sense of proportion." Mamoru replied nonchalantly.
"When it comes to educating bratty kids, I'm an expert."
"Educating bratty kids... aren't you a kid yourself?" Shikamaru couldn't help but roll his eyes and mutter.
Mamoru didn't seem to hear Shikamaru's retort and instead looked at Choji, who was still eating snacks, and said, "Why are you still eating? I haven't seen you stop except during class. Where do you get so much allowance to buy snacks?"
"Want some? I have candy here." Choji pulled some candy from his pocket.
"Thanks." Mamoru wasn't polite, taking it, unwrapping it, and tossing it into his mouth.
"Where are we going to play next?" Mamoru asked with a mouthful of candy, his voice muffled.
At this age, being playful is natural. Occasionally, he had to play the part to mislead any prying eyes in the shadows. Besides, it was also a good way to kill time.
Choji's eyes lit up as he immediately suggested, "I heard a new dango shop opened on the street, want to go try it?"
Shikamaru furrowed his brows, though his tone didn't sound very serious. "Eating again? Let's get this straight, I won't lend you any money this time."
Just as he finished speaking, his peripheral vision caught something near the school entrance, and he couldn't help but stop.
Under the setting sun, that familiar blonde boy was sitting alone on a swing, swaying slightly, his shadow stretching long behind him.
Shikamaru remembered a conversation his father had at the dinner table a few days ago—the subject of the topic was Naruto.
"Isn't that Naruto?" Shikamaru slightly raised his chin, indicating a direction. "Should we ask him to come along?"
Mamoru and Choji followed his gaze and saw Naruto's lowered head and exceptionally lonely figure.
"Sure." Choji responded readily.
"I have no objection." Mamoru chimed in calmly.
He actually never quite understood why most people in the village treated Naruto with such distance, even to the point of loathing. Even if they didn't feel grateful for the sacrifice the child's parents made for the village, they shouldn't reject their child like this.
Did it really have to go that far?
Or rather, someone was doing this intentionally behind the scenes.
Sometimes Mamoru even felt it was a miracle that Naruto could still be so cheerful after growing up, without becoming cynical and resentful.
Perhaps it's Asura's soul at work—a life manipulated by fate, Naruto might never have lived for himself from beginning to end.
The moment he heard Shikamaru call out to him, Naruto snapped his head up, his face filled with disbelief because he never thought anyone would take the initiative to invite him.
"What are you dazing for?" Mamoru passed by and lightly patted his back, then turned toward the street without looking back.
"Let's go."
Shikamaru and Choji naturally followed.
"Oh... Oh!"
Naruto finally came to his senses, jumped off the swing, and hurriedly chased after the figures ahead. "Wait for me!"
A few small shadows thus blended noisily into the setting sun's glow leading toward the village's central street.
The sun set and night quietly descended. Streetlights flickered on, gradually enveloping the streets in bright light. Pedestrians became more numerous, and the constant clamor of the bustling crowd filled the air.
It was time for Shikamaru and Choji to head home, getting home late meant a beating.
But for Mamoru and Naruto, there were no adults in their homes, so it made no difference whether they went back or not.
Shikamaru and Choji bid them farewell and left.
"Naruto..."
As soon as Mamoru spoke, Naruto let out a shout and lunged to the side. He crossed his arms in a defensive posture, watching him warily.
"What are you doing?" Mamoru stood in place, finding it somewhat amusing. "Why such a big reaction?"
"Don't think you can fool me. I saw everything, you're the kind of guy who bullies people all the time."
"Oh, really?"
Mamoru took a step forward, and Naruto took a step back.
"Then why didn't you say anything while we were playing just now?"
"I... I was observing you, looking for your weaknesses."
Mamoru deliberately made a move as if to chase him, scaring Naruto out of his wits. Naruto turned and bolted, vanishing in an instant.
"Heh... Idiot." Mamoru couldn't help but chuckle.
He looked around at the lively crowd, shrugged his shoulders, and started walking toward home.
He thought to himself, 'Playing with Shikamaru and the others was partly to pass the time and partly to avoid drawing the ill-intentioned attention of certain people too early. Acting like a child of this age was still very necessary.'
Of course, most of the time he was thinking about other things, such as using the advantage of the Six Eyes to see through everything and develop new Ninjutsu.
With the Six Eyes activated, as long as he sees a Ninjutsu with his own eyes, fully mastering its usage was only a matter of time.
There was a pile of Fire Release scrolls at home, but he had a doubt—could Fire Release actually burn someone to death?
Probably... right?
Lost in thought, Mamoru unknowingly arrived at his front door.
Coincidentally, Sasuke was also returning from somewhere, appearing to have just arrived home as well.
"You're coming home this late too."
Mamoru tried his best to make his smile look a bit softer. After all, this child had suffered a massive psychological trauma. It was better not to provoke him for the time being.
If Sasuke became withdrawn again, he would have to take responsibility for looking after him. Wouldn't that be asking for trouble?
"Where were you? And stop smiling so disgustingly."
Sasuke's eyes were cold as he brushed past him, then took a key from his pocket, opened the door, and walked into the house.
Mamoru's face stiffened.
Disgusting?
What? Starting to act cool already?
They lived under the same roof, how were they going to get along happily in the future?
He couldn't help but click his tongue and mutter, "Stinking brat."
He grumbled inwardly, 'Think you're so tough? Let's see you never smile again.'
Presumably because he disliked Mamoru's cooking, Sasuke had taken over the kitchen duties. Mamoru was more than happy to be a hands-off manager. He didn't even know how he had survived these past few days.
A small figure was busy in the kitchen, and soon a rich aroma wafted out.
Mamoru's nose twitched as he caught the scent. He couldn't help but swallow his saliva, and his stomach let out an uncooperative growl.
At the dining table, the two sat opposite each other, eating dinner in silence.
Mamoru would take a bite of food, sometimes looking dazed, and sometimes his gaze would unconsciously drift toward Sasuke.
"What are you looking at?"
Sasuke, seemingly unable to stand his strange behavior and gaze, asked without looking up.
"Nothing." Mamoru shook his head.
He turned his gaze back to his bowl, thinking, 'This food is much better than my own, and the taste has an indescribable sense of familiarity.'
It seemed Sasuke's cooking skills were learned either from Mikoto or from Itachi. Mamoru felt it was more likely he learned from Itachi.