"System, to what extent can the animator observe?"
"The animator can observe all history from the late Sengoku period to the present time, intense emotions from most people, and important inner thoughts."
"What about my thoughts? Can he hear them?"
"In principle, no. The system will activate protective measures for you, occasionally generating some irrelevant thoughts to mask yours. After all, we are hitchhikers and shouldn't be discovered."
It seemed the system naturally accepted Naraku's description of their relationship.
"What if I want him to hear them?"
"You can temporarily disable this protection when needed and re-enable it afterward. Or, you can set certain thoughts for the system to display to the animator."
"Excellent."
Naraku had a rough plan in mind, cheered himself on, and went home with the resolve of someone heading to the gallows… Bang!!
The sound of a wine bottle shattering on the floor echoed through the room. The drunken adult man bent down, grabbed Naraku's long black hair, and, ignoring the boy's young age, violently slammed him against the wall. He then lunged with a kick, which Naraku narrowly dodged.
"Useless! Move faster!"
The man reeked of alcohol, cursing and conducting "training" without considering if he was being too heavy-handed. Alcohol had numbed his brain; he couldn't think that far ahead.
"You were outmaneuvered again by that brat from the Hatake Household who doesn't even have a Bloodline Limit. Do you want to die?!"
Even though Naraku was trying his best to dodge and resist, he still reacted too slowly and was punched in the back. He instinctively grunted, further enraging the man.
"How dare you make such a pathetic sound?!"
His hair was yanked, and Naraku was forced to stand, avoiding the man's furious gaze and concealing the indignation in his own eyes.
'Domestic abuser, you'll get what's coming to you when this old man gets up,' Naraku sneered inwardly.
"It would have been better if Kako hadn't given birth to you! If I had known you'd be such a good-for-nothing, why would I have let Kako go through with the pregnancy?! Why would I?!"
Naraku stumbled to his feet, trying to clearly see the man's every move, continuing this torment that seemed to have no end.
As "Uchiha Naraku," he had no option to "give up training."
About ten minutes later, the punches and kicks raining down on him gradually lessened and then stopped. Uchiha Shinji left him and returned to the bedroom.
Naraku got up and went to the bathroom mirror to check his injuries, finding his limbs and torso covered in bruises. His lip was split, and his brow was also bruised, making his delicate young face look quite miserable.
The good thing was that this would make it easier to approach Kakashi. So Naraku had no intention of trying to treat himself; he even went back to his room and dug out some loose clothing that would easily expose his body, planning to wear it to school tomorrow.
Before going to sleep, he reviewed his plan once more, and only after confirming it was mostly sound did he close his eyes.
The next day, Konoha Ninja Academy.
In the lively classroom, students were still gathered in small groups as usual. Girls chattered and giggled, while most boys were roughhousing or showing off new Ninjutsu they had learned.
Naraku entered the classroom, subtly tugging at his sleeves to cover the bruises on his body. As usual, he kept his head down, trying to minimize his presence, and quietly sat in the back corner.
For the plan to go smoothly, he couldn't let anyone else at school discover his condition.
The only one to notice the anomaly had to be Kakashi.
Fortunately, Uchiha Naraku had no friends since childhood, and since enrolling, he had always kept his long hair covering his face. No girls had noticed that he was actually quite handsome, and sitting in a corner meant no one would proactively greet him, so his disguise wouldn't be seen through.
"Good morning, Kakashi-kun!"
"You're still so handsome today!"
"Good morning, Hatake-kun!"
The crisp greetings from the girls rose and fell. Naraku subtly raised his eyes to look. Kakashi Hatake maintained a cool expression, seemingly unfazed, as if this enthusiasm was bothering him.
The moment Kakashi's gaze was about to sweep over, Naraku immediately lowered his head to avoid being caught looking and exposing himself prematurely.
There was combat training again today, and they would surely be paired up. After all, he was the only one in the class who could spar with Kakashi; the other students couldn't last as long as him.
In this match, he absolutely had to catch Kakashi's attention.
Naraku silently tightened his sleeves… "Next up, Kakashi Hatake and Uchiha Naraku."
The two boys whose names were called stepped forward together. Only then did Kakashi notice that his opponent, who was often paired with him, had obvious marks on his face today.
Had he been doing extra training at home?
The two stood on opposite sides of the field, forming the Seal of Confrontation.
After hearing the instructor say "Begin," Kakashi immediately rushed forward, his Kunai aimed at his opponent's ribs. The opponent's reaction was a bit slower than usual; he could only barely defend, quickly retreating to try and adjust, but Kakashi clung to him, steadily gaining the upper hand.
Naraku struggled to create distance, various parts of his body aching. Before he could catch his breath, Kakashi was on him again, forcing him to quickly defend.
Kakashi, pressing his advantage, showed no mercy. His Kunai sliced overhead, cutting a lock of hair from Naraku's forehead. As Naraku dodged, his clothes flared slightly, revealing more widespread bruises on his body.
Strange, extra training shouldn't cause such injuries.
A flicker of doubt crossed Kakashi's mind. After a few more exchanges, he knocked his opponent to the ground and firmly restrained him.
Naraku's facial injuries were now visible. Most people assumed they were sustained during the recent spar and paid no mind.
Kakashi looked at Naraku, who, unlike before, didn't struggle to resist but silently conceded defeat. He felt something was off.
"Winner, Kakashi. Both parties, form the Seal of Reconciliation."
…The setting sun, its dim yellow light, dyed the world in warm hues, casting long shadows at everyone's feet.
Kakashi lingered outside for a while before planning to go home. Since Sakumo Hatake wasn't around lately, there was no one to talk to if he went back, so he might as well walk around outside.
As he passed by the small river, he saw a familiar figure sitting on the grassy slope. It seemed to be Uchiha Naraku.
His cut bangs just reached his brows, revealing handsome eyes. When he raised his arm, his sleeve slipped down, showing a swollen wrist that, if not treated, would likely have lasting effects.
But the other boy merely touched it, seemed to feel a sharp pain, frowned, and tugged his sleeve back down to cover it.
Kakashi hesitated whether to go over and check, but he was interrupted by an abrupt voice from his front right.
"Hey! Uchiha Naraku!"
Three boys with the Uchiha Clan crest on their clothes quickly approached. The leader stood with one hand on his hip and the other pointing at Naraku, his posture arrogant and imperious.
"I heard you, you good-for-nothing, lost to that outsider called Kakashi Hatake again? You're truly disgracing the Uchiha name!"
The two subordinates behind him echoed.
"Do you even deserve the Uchiha name?!"
"How can a guy like this be worthy of being in the same clan as Young Master Genya?!"
"Let's teach him another lesson, Young Master Genya!"
Looking at this trio, who exuded strong mob character vibes, Naraku, who had been immersed in his act until now, almost broke character and burst out laughing.
He was just wondering how to naturally get closer to Kakashi, and now this opportunity had presented itself.
Uchiha Genya, emboldened by his subordinates' support, became even more arrogant. He kicked Naraku to the ground, then grabbed his hair, forcing him to meet his gaze: "Indeed, a good-for-nothing's child is also a good-for-nothing."
Naraku, who had been silently enduring the beating, immediately changed his expression. A hint of slight anger surfaced on his face: "You are not to insult my father!"
"Did I say something wrong?"
Uchiha Genya snorted, completely disregarding Naraku's anger. He had bullied Naraku so many times and had never seen this cowardly guy dare to resist.
If this guy dared to fight back, he might even look at him with a bit more respect, remarking, 'He's finally shed that pathetic demeanor and shown some Uchiha spirit.'
"Uchiha Shinji, that drunkard, how much face has he lost for our Uchiha Clan? He's old enough but still can't awaken his Sharingan, always drunk and failing missions. What else is he but a good-for-nothing?!"
"You!"
Naraku lunged forward, rolling into a tangle with Genya, raising his fist to strike, but stopped at the last moment.
Uchiha Genya was the son of an elder, who had only managed to have a child late in life and doted on him like a precious treasure. If Genya were to be beaten, Naraku would surely face retaliation in the shadows, so a mere show of resistance would suffice.
Besides, if he won the fight, how would Kakashi come to his rescue?
It was this very pause that allowed Uchiha Genya, who hadn't expected Naraku to actually dare to fight, to react. He immediately kicked Naraku away, quickly seized his swollen wrist, twisted it forcefully, and pinned him to the ground.
Naraku gritted his teeth, endured the pain, and closed his eyes, preparing to suffer Genya's retaliation.