A month later.
Naruto had completely adapted to his new daily routine—
Shadow clone goes to class.
Original body skips.
Real Naruto trains like a madman.
Efficient. Shameless. Perfect.
Occasionally, he would even send a shadow clone to visit Shisui, who was secretly imprisoned in the Root base.
Aside from that, Naruto noticed something else.
The ANBU monitoring him had changed.
The ones watching him before were Moonlight Hayate and Uzuki Yūgao.
Now they had been replaced by an elite jōnin—
Hatake Kakashi.
And Kakashi's surveillance method was… special.
He didn't hide in the dark.
Didn't use disguises.
Didn't even pretend.
He just walked around like a "random passerby."
With that ridiculously conspicuous silver hair.
Like he was afraid Naruto might not notice him.
Naruto was speechless.
Was this surveillance… or a parade?
Left with no choice, Naruto could only pretend not to see him and continue his daily training routine. He just became more careful when sending shadow clones to the Forest of Death to switch shifts.
Inside the sealed space, the Nine-Tails couldn't take this insult to its intelligence anymore.
"Kid, just kill him already!"
Kurama roared.
"An ANBU tailing you this badly? It's humiliating!"
Of course, a jinchūriki attacking an ANBU in the street was possible.
The price?
Life imprisonment in a small dark room.
Forever.
Naruto knew Kurama wasn't actually stupid.
The fox just wanted benefits… and entertainment.
So, to shut him up, Naruto randomly bought some snacks, infused them with chakra, and tossed them into the seal.
Kurama immediately shut up.
The giant fox chewed happily.
The corner of his mouth even curled into a smug grin.
Typical.
Bribe accepted.
The shop owner was the same as always.
Naruto left the money on the counter and walked out without looking back.
The owner glanced at Naruto, then at the money, sighed, and quietly put it away, preparing for the Uchiha Guard's "random inspection" later.
More than six years had passed since the Nine-Tails incident.
Most people had already forgotten the fear.
Naruto wasn't really hated anymore—
He was just the village's emotional punching bag.
But lately, the most annoying people weren't civilians.
It was the Uchiha Guard.
They enforced the law like lunatics.
Who didn't make small mistakes in daily life?
But those guys treated every tiny thing like a capital crime.
And strangely, they were always lenient toward their own clan.
Anyone would get pissed.
A wave of strong negative emotions suddenly brushed past Naruto.
He glanced sideways.
Surprisingly, those emotions weren't aimed at him—
They were aimed at the patrolling Uchiha guards.
After Shisui's "suicide," the coup had been delayed.
But the conflict only grew worse.
The guards were secretly hoarding money and supplies, preparing for another rebellion.
And their methods?
Rough. Obvious. Borderline robbery.
The Third Hokage probably already knew everything Naruto could see.
But for Naruto, this wasn't bad.
The more attention the higher-ups focused on the Uchiha, the easier it would be for him to leave Konoha later.
Still…
If the Uchiha self-destructed too fast, that would be troublesome too.
Balance was important.
Walking down the street, Naruto casually recorded information on nearby pedestrians.
When noon came, he entered Ichiraku Ramen and ordered a large bowl.
The aroma instantly lifted his mood.
While eating, he glanced at the seat where "Tenzo" used to sit.
[Name uncertain in original — left as is.]
That seemingly ordinary chūnin had been the one who made him see how dark Konoha truly was.
The moment Naruto decided:
This village wasn't home.
It was a cage.
Suddenly—
The curtain lifted.
Kakashi walked in like he owned the place.
Ordered ramen.
Then casually sat beside Naruto.
Naruto immediately frowned.
The lazy-old-man smell hit him.
He silently scooted away.
He didn't want too much contact with Kakashi.
What if he caught the "eternal single dog" curse?
That would be fatal.
Kakashi froze.
He had finally gathered the courage to approach the kid—
And got treated like some weird uncle on the bus.
Painful.
The two finished eating without talking.
When paying, Kakashi said,
"Teuchi, put Naruto's on my tab too. I'll pay next time."
Naruto looked at him strangely.
Then silently placed his own money down and left.
Kakashi and Teuchi exchanged awkward looks.
Yeah.
That didn't go well.
After hesitating, Kakashi followed Naruto and found him practicing shuriken in a grove.
Naruto stopped and said flatly,
"If you're treating someone, at least bring money. I've never seen a freeloader call it generosity before. You're the first."
"And you've been following me for two weeks already."
Kakashi scratched his head awkwardly.
"So you noticed… I guess I'm not very good at tracking."
Naruto shrugged.
"When you've been assassinated at home before, you naturally get cautious."
Kakashi fell silent.
He knew exactly what Naruto meant.
That mission incident…
That was when he first suspected Naruto's identity.
Naruto looked straight into Kakashi's eyes.
"So who are you? And why are you approaching me? You visited me in the hospital before too."
Kakashi asked back,
"What will you do if you know?"
"If you want to be my friend, I'll consider it."
"If you're an enemy, I'll report you to the Third Hokage and have you kicked out."
Straightforward. Brutal. Very Naruto.
Kakashi gave a helpless smile.
"I'm not your enemy. I… have some connection with you."
"Connection?"
Naruto frowned.
"You know my parents, don't you? Then who are they?"
Kakashi almost spoke—
Then remembered the Third Hokage's orders.
He shook his head.
"I can't say. If you want answers, ask the Third."
"So…" Naruto sneered, "I'm some big shot's kid with a secret identity, huh?"
"Since you won't say anything, why bother coming? Pity me?"
"Sorry. I don't need it."
Kakashi sighed.
"I don't pity you. I just… wanted to check on you. See if you needed help."
(Of course, he was also worried about Naruto skipping school with shadow clones all day.)
Naruto suddenly said,
"Well, it's not like I don't need help."
"I'm missing a sparring partner."
"Want to fight me?"
Kakashi froze.
A kid who wasn't even a genin…
Challenging an elite jōnin?
After thinking, Kakashi still nodded.
"Alright. I'll limit myself to genin level. Be prepared."
Naruto smiled.
Playful. Confident.
Sasuke was too weak.
Beating Shisui had too much luck involved.
He needed real proof of his strength.
The two stood in the clearing and formed the hand seal of confrontation.
The match began instantly.
Naruto vanished.
Leaping into the air, he shouted:
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
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