I owe Kushina-san a favor...
Helping her son buy some dango is the least I can do.
When he was younger, Uchiha Itachi had met Kushina Uzumaki several times.
He had even accompanied his mother, Mikoto Uchiha, on visits to Minato Namikaze and Kushina’s home.
In fact...
He had already noticed Naruto hiding around the corner, staring longingly at the dango shop.
He recognized him immediately.
He also knew what Naruto’s life in the village was like.
That was why...
When Naruto grabbed his arm and used him as a human shield...
Itachi didn’t resist.
"Wait."
"Who’s there?"
"Come out."
The shopkeeper seemed to realize something.
He leaned to one side, trying to see who was behind Itachi.
The moment he spotted Naruto...
His expression instantly darkened.
"Get out of here!"
"I’m not selling anything to you!"
At least...
He didn’t hurl any insults.
By Konoha’s standards...
That was practically polite.
"Tch!"
"It’s not like I’m refusing to pay!"
"If you don’t want to sell to me, then forget it!"
"Who cares?"
Naruto stuck out his tongue like a mischievous child.
"Bleh!"
Then he turned and ran off.
The shopkeeper shook his head before looking back at Itachi and Izumi.
"You two should stay away from that demon fox."
"He touched you just now, didn’t he?"
"When you get home, have your parents cleanse away the bad luck."
"And those clothes..."
"You’d better throw them away."
"There."
"Your four servings are ready."
He handed the wrapped dango to Izumi.
Walking down the street, Izumi looked curious.
"So..."
"Was that really the demon fox everyone keeps talking about?"
She had heard countless rumors.
But this was her first time seeing Naruto.
She had imagined something terrifying.
Some horrifying monster that could fill people with fear and despair at a single glance.
Instead...
He was just...
A mischievous little kid.
The contrast was unbelievable.
"No."
Itachi shook his head.
"Huh?"
"Then why does everyone in the village call him a demon fox?"
"The villagers are simply ignorant."
A trace of mockery flashed across Itachi’s face.
The Fourth Hokage...
And his wife...
Had sacrificed their lives to protect Konoha.
They had even entrusted their own son with sealing away the Nine-Tails.
Yet...
That very child had ended up living such a miserable life.
If either Minato...
Or Kushina...
Had survived...
Their son would never have suffered like this.
Once people were gone...
Their kindness disappeared with them.
Human conscience...
Could never be relied upon.
Even at his young age...
Itachi had already seen through the methods used by Konoha’s leadership.
The clan...
And the village...
Thinking about the Uchiha Clan’s increasingly strained relationship with Konoha only made his heart feel heavier.
He still remembered...
When Minato had been Hokage...
Relations between the village and the Uchiha Clan had remained peaceful.
His father had fought alongside Minato during the Third Shinobi World War.
His mother and Kushina had been close friends.
Yet now...
For the sake of self-preservation...
Even they no longer dared approach Naruto.
The Nine-Tails’ Jinchūriki...
Was simply too sensitive a subject.
Itachi doubted those rumors had spread by accident.
Perhaps...
Allowing Naruto to become an outcast made it easier to identify anyone trying to approach him with ulterior motives.
From Itachi’s perspective...
There was another way to interpret the situation.
If Naruto had grown up publicly acknowledged as the Fourth Hokage’s son...
Countless grateful villagers would naturally have gathered around him.
People with malicious intentions could easily disappear into that crowd.
Human hearts were impossible to predict.
The village could never identify every potential threat.
But now...
Things were much simpler.
Most people naturally followed the crowd.
If everyone hated someone...
Even those without any personal grudge would gradually begin to hate them as well.
And the few who thought for themselves...
Would avoid contact simply to keep suspicion away from themselves.
Very few people would dare openly associate with someone the entire village despised.
Only those with hidden motives...
Would willingly take that risk.
Of course...
There were exceptions.
Truly kind-hearted people.
The genuinely innocent.
But...
They were exceedingly rare.
"Itachi!"
"Itachi!"
"...Hm?"
Izumi’s voice finally pulled him from his thoughts.
"What are you thinking about?"
"You’ve been so distracted lately."
Worry filled her face.
Recently...
Itachi had become quieter than ever.
And far more prone to losing himself in thought.
"It’s nothing."
"I was just thinking."
He looked up at the sky.
Sasuke should be awake by now.
Turning toward Izumi, he gave her an apologetic smile.
"I’ve already been out for quite a while."
"Sasuke’s probably awake by now."
"If he wakes up and can’t find me..."
"He’ll definitely throw a tantrum."
"I should head home."
Izumi sighed.
"Alright."
"Then let’s head back together."
Itachi immediately shook his head.
"No."
"If Sasuke finds out I came out with you..."
"He’ll get upset."
"We’d better split up."
"I’m leaving first."
Before Izumi could respond...
Itachi was already sprinting toward the Uchiha compound.
"Itachi!"
"You forgot the dango!"
Watching him disappear into the distance...
Izumi could only shake her head helplessly.
What kind of older brother had to wait until his little brother fell asleep before leaving the house...
Then rush home before he woke up?
And what kind of younger brother got jealous just because his older brother went out with someone else?
What a strange pair of brothers...
If terms like bro-con and sis-con existed in this world...
Izumi would have confidently slapped one of them onto the Uchiha brothers without hesitation.
Meanwhile...
After leaving the dango shop, Naruto headed toward the Naka River.
He had tried walking that way several times before.
Every previous attempt had ended with the ANBU stopping him.
This time...
He wanted to see if anything had changed.
As for secretly placing a Flying Thunder God marker on Itachi...
That had simply been a move prepared in advance.
A spare piece on the board.
Sooner or later...
It would come in handy.
Wouldn’t it?
Behind him...
The ANBU shadowing Naruto frowned.
"The Jinchūriki has gone too far."
He instantly appeared beside Kakashi.
"Senior Kakashi."
"Should we stop him?"
Kakashi lazily looked up.
"As long as he doesn’t leave the village..."
"It’s fine."
Sometimes...
Getting away from the crowds and breathing fresh air was far better than wandering through the village.
At least...
People wouldn’t glare at him every second.
Kakashi understood that feeling better than most.
"Understood."
The ANBU vanished once more, moving to another position to continue protecting Naruto.
The Third Hokage had never officially restricted Naruto’s movements within Konoha.
Normally...
The ANBU simply kept him away from isolated areas for safety reasons.
They generally made sure he stayed within the residential district.
Places like the back mountain...
Were usually off-limits.
But now...
With Kakashi taking responsibility...
No one objected.
About ten minutes later...
Naruto finally arrived at the banks of the Naka River.
He looked around in confusion.
...No one’s stopping me?
I’ve already come this far.
Did they loosen the restrictions?
Sitting beside the river...
Naruto couldn’t help feeling puzzled.
Forget it.
Whatever the reason...
It’s a good thing.
Looking into the clear water...
He could vaguely make out fish swimming beneath the surface.
Looks like...
Today’s dinner might finally be an improvement.
With a few quick movements, Naruto took off his outer clothes.
Splash!
He dove straight into the river.