Without realizing it, Altay had caused a butterfly effect. It is impossible to completely isolate a man like Sakumo Hatake; there were always men loyal to him. They just needed to be distanced and kept busy with the right excuse. The White Fang had another, different but lesser-known nickname; people called him the White Wolf, and wolves moved with their packs. Sakumo was very strong, but it was hard to continuously manage an entire front alone, especially when he himself was fighting against high-level enemy forces. Sakumo had a personal ANBU brigade he led; they were called the 'wolves'. It was a group that Danzo truly feared and even Hiruzen was cautious of. The best trait of people with characters like Sakumo's is their ability to attract reliable and talented individuals around them. As for Zaraki, he was the third-in-command of this team. After Sakumo's 'strange' suicide, the first thing Hiruzen did was to dismantle this unit and assign them to different teams. The 3rd Ninja War provided a perfect excuse; by constantly keeping them busy or sending them on missions, he didn't allow them to think about or investigate Sakumo, and by creating the right perception, he made them accept Sakumo's suicide. The ANBU is naturally a unit that undertakes intensive missions, but during wartime, their workload quadruples. Zaraki remembered a question he had long forgotten. His eyes sharpened, and he asked that question for the first time in years.
'What the hell happened to my Captain!'
Zaraki thought carefully.
'...When the Captain was targeted by the rumors, how many of us were in the village? Who was by the Captain's side? Or were we all outside the village? At first, only small rumors spread, I didn't care at first... after all, drunk shinobis sometimes let things slip, but it's never critical information... when the rumors surfaced, I wanted to talk to the Captain, but Hokage-sama and Danzo-sama sent me to the border outposts of the Land of Lightning; they said war could break out there at any moment...'
Zaraki thought carefully, trying to remember those times clearly.
'Ryuma was also sent to the borders against the arrival of the Land of Earth... Fox, Eagle, Crow, Raccoon... they were also assigned to border regions... I didn't have information about the others... we didn't even have time to properly get together; especially after the captain's suicide, it was as if an invisible wall was drawn between us... Panda, Bear, Wolf, and Squirrel died in the war... Canary, Sparrow, Crane, and Hawk disappeared in the war... but who was by our Captain's side? When he was targeted by the villagers, who was by his side! The Captain values his honor and beliefs more than his life! Every single one of us knew that if his beliefs were shaken, he would commit suicide! That's why, even though it seemed strange to me, I didn't question it much! Because I thought some of us tried to persuade him and failed!'
One of Zaraki's hands formed a fist, and as he clenched it tightly, his other hand gripping the tree he was hiding in began to tighten; the tree started to crack slightly...
'If the Captain was left alone during that time, this is systematic isolation!'
As one of Zaraki's angrily clenched hands was slightly pierced by his own fingers, the other hand crushed the part of the tree it was holding. The surrounding ANBU were bewildered; Zaraki quickly changed his position, and two passing couples looked at the tree in surprise.
"What was that sound?"
The woman looked at her husband and spoke.
"I think it was a squirrel; there are a lot around here, did you forget?"
The man nodded as if he understood, and the two smiled and continued on their way. Zaraki, however, flawlessly hid himself once again. Although one of the young ANBU sent him a voice message asking what had happened, Zaraki calmly reported that there was no problem, that he had stepped on a rotten part of the tree, and that he was a bit distracted out of boredom, telling them to continue the mission. The ANBU didn't care much; after all, they were in the heart of Konoha and there were hardly any people on the streets, so they were taking it a bit easy, but they still didn't compromise their professionalism. Zaraki seemed like an ordinary, calm ANBU from the outside, but a storm was raging inside him.
'This event is a strategic assassination!'
Zaraki's eyes hardened.
'When giving the report tonight, I will ask for vacation leave and talk to Ryuma! If the result is as I fear...'
Meanwhile, Naruto took his packages and headed home, while Altay spoke with him.
"Alright, kid. You did a very good job. Your new target is clear now: you will go after Kakashi Hatake. Tomorrow at 5 AM, I will teach you one of the martial arts of my world. Now go straight home."
Naruto smiled at the praise and proceeded toward home. Altay, completely unaware of the situation he had instigated outside, was looking at Kurama while sweating, as if facing the most terrifying enemy. Kurama was looking at Altay in a similar state. Between the two were 4-to-6-meter-tall stone soldiers; the duo was playing the chess game from the Harry Potter universe, and the match was currently deadlocked. Both sides were smiling but constantly thinking of moves. Altay thought to himself.
'Damn it, how did this fox get this good in just two games! This must be the wisdom of a thousand-year-old monster! In my world, someone who builds strategies like this is called a Fox, but the one across from me is a REAL fox, DAMN IT!'
Altay and Kurama calculated carefully. Altay looked at his bishop and thought.
'If I attack with this and take the rook, he'll counter with the knight, and I'll charge with my rook...'
Kurama was looking at the same move.
'If he plays his rook, I'll bait the rook with a pawn, take it with my knight, advance my queen four squares, and put him in check...'
Altay thought ahead.
'I'll have to sacrifice my queen to protect the king...'
Kurama smirked.
'And when his queen is gone, CHECKMATE in 4 moves! I win! Hahahah!'
Altay quickly looked at another move.
'If I start with the knight and bait him, I'll put him in check on the 7th move...'
Kurama continued in his mind.
'If he does that, I'll lure him into a trap with my knight that he will overlook and put him in check, but...'
Altay continued.
'But when you put me in check, you'll actually fall into my trap, furball!'
The duo wasn't speaking, but their minds were working frantically. For the first time in the last 3 months, Kurama was genuinely having fun thanks to Altay. But right now, one thing was certain. The two thought simultaneously.
'It's going to be a long night!' X2
Once the ANBU squad watching Naruto's apartment was sure he was asleep, the youngest ANBU member prepared to go give the report, but Zaraki stopped him and spoke with a lazy voice.
"I will go give the report this time... I've been on duty for a long time; my last break was 7 months ago. I'll ask Hokage-sama for leave."
Although the ANBU member was surprised for a moment, he didn't mind but asked curiously.
"Captain, don't you want to watch Kakashi-senpai's funny situations?"
Zaraki sighed.
"No, I just want to rest."
After the ANBU nodded, Zaraki suddenly vanished. In a few seconds, he entered the Hokage building, arrived at the Hokage's office, and knocked on the door.
"Come in."
When Zaraki entered, he saw Hiruzen Sarutobi reading reports. The old Hokage raised his head and looked at the newcomer.
"Ah! Zaraki, did you come to report in person? Did something important happen?"
Zaraki let out a deep sigh.
"Something like that, Hokage-sama. Let me tell you about what Naruto Uzumaki did all day..."
Zaraki recounted everything Naruto experienced until the night, from the Hyuga clan's eldest daughter being bullied and Naruto challenging the bullies. The 3rd Hokage listened carefully and smiled at Naruto stopping the bullies.
'His mother's son, but he can't fight as well as his mother...'
He then listened to Naruto going to Teuchi's and the argument between Teuchi and a customer, and nodded.
'Good job, Teuchi. Having sensible villagers like you puts my mind at ease.'
Then he listened to how the Uchiha garrison patrols intervened, took the man away, and the conversations with Teuchi.
'The Uchiha are still acting disciplined. Their restraint in not approaching Naruto is a commendable move. I received your message; I hope we can melt the ice between us somehow... The Uchiha are the power the village needs the most right now... If only Danzo realized this too, but he and the other two advisors have been influenced too much by sensei...'
Zaraki continued speaking and recounted the questions Naruto asked Teuchi. The Hokage was surprised for a moment but welcomed it with a smile.
'A curiosity that a 3-year-old child should have. Of course he wants to listen to stories of heroism; I should tell him some stories later... Maybe I can heal his loneliness, even if just a little...'
Zaraki continued speaking and recounted Teuchi mentioning the Uchiha clan. Hiruzen merely listened. Zaraki was bewildered.
"Hokage-sama... You don't seem bothered by this situation..."
Hiruzen shrugged.
"It is the advisors who are extremely prejudiced against the Uchiha. Teuchi didn't tell anything exaggerated; these records are present in Konoha's history books. The Uchiha truly is a clan that has served the village; why should this fact bother me? Moreover, the only Kage-level ninja currently in Konoha besides myself is Fugaku. Actually, his presence brings me great comfort... Especially after my disloyal students..."