After dinner, night completely enveloped Konoha Village.
In the dining room, Uzumaki Naruto rubbed his round belly and let out a satisfied burp.
He looked at the empty plates on the table, his little face flushing red.
This was the first time since he could remember that he had eaten until he was stuffed.
“Auntie, Runa, I… I’m full. Thank you for the hospitality, I should head back now.”
Naruto jumped down from his chair and gave a deep bow.
“It’s so dark out, it’s not safe for a child like you to go back alone.”
Mrs.
Uchiha glanced at the night sky outside the window and turned to look at Lu Ming, who was sitting at the head of the table.
“Lu Ming, why don’t you walk Naruto home for me?”
Lu Ming set down his teacup and stood up.
“Let’s go, I’ll walk you back.”
Lu Ming walked over to Naruto’s side, his tone gentle.
Naruto waved his hands frantically.
“No… no need to trouble yourself! I can go by myself!”
He knew all too well the status of the Uchiha Clan in the Village; they were a high and mighty noble family.
Even the upperclassmen didn’t dare to call Lu Ming by his name directly.
To have such a prominent figure walk him home was something Naruto hadn’t even dared to imagine.
“Stop talking nonsense and follow me.”
Lu Ming didn’t give him a chance to refuse, stepping out of the residence with his long legs.
Naruto blanked for a moment, then quickly scurried after him on his short legs.
Runa stood at the door, waving vigorously at Naruto.
“Naruto, see you at school tomorrow!”
They walked through the quiet streets of Konoha Village as the evening breeze blew.
One tall and one short, their two shadows were stretched long under the streetlights.
Naruto kept his head down, following closely by Lu Ming’s side, clutching the hem of his shirt, not even daring to breathe loudly.
After walking for two streets, Naruto finally plucked up the courage to break the silence.
“Um… Big Brother Lu Ming.”
Naruto spoke in a low voice.
“What is it?”
Lu Ming slowed his pace.
“Thank you.”
Naruto looked up, his azure eyes shimmering with moisture.
“Today was the first time I’ve ever been invited to someone’s home, and the first time I’ve ever eaten such delicious food. Really… thank you so much!”
Lu Ming stopped and turned to look at this Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, who was ostracized by the entire Village and for whom even a full meal was a luxury.
Looking at Naruto, Lu Ming reached out and ruffled Naruto’s golden, spiky hair.
“I’m the one who should be saying thank you.”
Lu Ming’s voice was low and gentle in the night wind.
Naruto was stunned; he didn’t understand why Lu Ming was thanking him.
“Runa has been spoiled by me and my mother, she’s quite willful and doesn’t have a single true friend at school.”
Lu Ming withdrew his hand and looked at the distant night sky.
“I’m grateful that you’re willing to be her friend, and for putting up with her temper at school.”
Hearing these words, Naruto froze on the spot.
Since he was little, the words he heard most were ‘Demon Fox’, ‘Monster’, and ‘Get lost’.
Not only did Lu Ming not look at him with prejudice like the others, but he even thanked him for being Runa’s friend!
Tears could no longer be contained, rolling down Naruto’s cheeks in large droplets.
He bit his lip to keep from crying out loud.
In his heart, he secretly swore to work hard to become strong and protect this hard-won bond.
The two continued forward.
Lu Ming didn’t speak again, simply accompanying the lonely boy in silence.
Half an hour later, they arrived at a dilapidated apartment building on the edge of the Village.
“I’m here, Big Brother Lu Ming, you should head back now.”
Naruto stood at the entrance to the stairs, wiped his tears away forcefully, and gave Lu Ming a bright, wide smile.
“Mm, get some rest.”
Lu Ming nodded slightly and turned to leave.
As he watched Naruto’s figure disappear into the hallway, Lu Ming turned around, his face expressionless.
He didn’t head back to the Uchiha Clan Compound the way he came.
Instead, he veered off the main road and turned into a dark dead-end alley.
There were no streetlights in the alley, only the pale moonlight barely illuminating the bluestone slabs beneath his feet.
Lu Ming walked to the end of the alley and stopped.
He put his hands in his pockets and didn’t look back.
“Aren’t you tired after following me all this way? Scram out here, you vermin in the shadows.”
The air was silent for two seconds.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
With three sounds of breaking air, three Ninjas wearing animal masks and black skin-tight suits leaped down from the walls, surrounding Lu Ming in the dead-end alley in a triangular formation.
These three didn’t have Konoha Anbu markings and held short blades in their hands.
Root Ninjas!
“Uchiha Lu Ming.”
The leading Root Ninja took a step forward, his voice completely devoid of emotion.
“Lord Danzo has ordered you to come with us.”
His tone was forceful.
In the eyes of the Root, with Danzo Shimura backing them, a mere Uchiha youth was not worth mentioning.
“Danzo’s dogs… do you think you’re worthy of barking in front of me?”
Lu Ming tilted his head and looked at the three of them.
“Go back and tell your master that if he wants to see me, he can crawl over here himself.”
“Impudent!”
The leading Root Ninja barked coldly.
“Lord Danzo’s orders are not for you to refuse! Since you don’t know what’s good for you, don’t blame us for getting physical!”
Before he had even finished speaking, the three Root Ninjas lunged simultaneously!
These three were all killing machines within the Root, possessing perfect coordination and extreme speed.
Swish!
In the blink of an eye, the three dark shadows crossed the distance of over ten meters and closed in on Lu Ming!
Three short blades were pressed against Lu Ming’s throat, heart, and lower back respectively.
If Lu Ming dared to make even the slightest move, the sharp blades would pierce through his body.
“Hmph.”
The Root Ninja holding the blade to Lu Ming’s throat let out a cold sneer.
The Root Ninja spoke again.
“In the face of Root Assassination Techniques, you don’t even have the chance to form hand signs. A genius? You’re a joke.”
Facing three blades pressed against his vital points, Lu Ming didn’t even blink.
He spoke with downcast eyes.
“Root dogs talk too much.”
“You’re asking for death!”
The Root Ninja was moved to kill, and the short blade in his hand suddenly exerted force, slashing viciously toward Lu Ming’s throat!
However, as the blade passed through, there was no spray of blood, nor even the sensation of cutting through flesh.
Under the gaze of the three Root Ninjas, a layer of water ripples appeared on the surface of Lu Ming’s body.
Immediately after, the ‘Lu Ming’ they were restraining turned into countless points of light and dissipated into the air!
“An afterimage?! No, it’s a genjutsu!”
The leading Root Ninja took half a step back.
They were elite members of the Root who had undergone the strictest anti-genjutsu training; how could they have spent all that time attacking thin air without noticing a thing?!
“Too slow.”
Lu Ming’s voice came without warning from above the two Root Ninjas standing at the back.
The two tried to look up.
Bang!
Bang!
Two large hands reached out from mid-air and firmly grasped the back of the two Root Ninjas’ heads.
Using the momentum of his descent, Lu Ming slammed their heads violently against the bluestone ground beneath them!
A loud boom echoed through the dead-end alley.
Two deep pits were smashed into the bluestone ground, with cracks spreading out in all directions.
The two Root Ninjas didn’t even have time to scream before their heads were buried in the ground.
Blood mixed with crushed stone splattered everywhere; they were killed instantly!
An instant kill!
The sole remaining leader of the Root Ninjas stood there, staring at the two corpses on the ground.
He took a step back.
“You… you actually dared to kill people from the Root!”
He let out a hiss and formed hand signs, trying to circulate the Chakra in his body to launch a counterattack against Lu Ming.
“Kneel.”
Lu Ming straightened his body.
A mental pressure—Conqueror’s Haki—was released from Lu Ming’s body!
Black and red lightning crackled through the alley.
The Root Ninja, who had only finished half of his hand signs, felt the crushing pressure.
“Ugh…”
He let out a cry of pain, his legs shaking uncontrollably.
Cold sweat poured from his forehead, soaking through his skin-tight suit.
Before this overwhelming pressure, he found it hard to breathe, and the Chakra in his body stagnated.
He didn’t dare to even think of resisting.
Thud!
The Root Ninja’s knees buckled, and he knelt before Lu Ming.
Lu Ming looked down at him.
“Lead the way. I wanted to meet Danzo Shimura anyway.”
The Root Ninja swallowed hard, scrambled to his feet, and walked ahead to lead the way.