At the entrance of Konoha, Itachi swiftly incapacitated the guards on duty. Coincidentally, they were the same two guards Uchiha Chiga had previously encountered.
Emerging from the shadows, Kisame swung Samehada over his shoulder. His eyes narrowed as he glanced at the unconscious men. He raised his sword, ready to finish the job.
"Stop," Itachi said firmly, his voice low but commanding.
Samehada froze in mid-air. Kisame tilted his head, puzzled.
"If they wake up, won't that put you at risk?"
The crimson glow of Itachi's Three-Tomoe Sharingan reflected in the night.
"They're under my Genjutsu. They won't be waking up tonight. We're only here to gather information, not start a war."
Kisame nodded in understanding, quietly lowering his blade. He respected Itachi too much to argue.
"Alright then, but be careful. If anything goes wrong, I'll be right behind you."
Itachi gave a rare nod of appreciation. "Thank you, Kisame."
With a burst of crows, Itachi's form dispersed, flying into the village under the veil of darkness.
Back at Minato's home, Uchiha Chiga and the others sat down to dinner.
Naruto devoured his food with enthusiasm. Minato watched warmly, his tone gentle.
"Eat slowly, Naruto. I'll make more if you're still hungry."
Chiga glanced sideways at Minato, noting silently that the former Hokage's gentle demeanor had softened even more. That subtle submissive aura—almost maternal—was impossible to ignore.
With his mouth full, Naruto mumbled, "Mmm… Dad, your cooking's amazing. Almost as good as Ichiraku Ramen!"
Minato blinked. He had always taken pride in his culinary skills, but was still surprised to hear Ichiraku outrank him.
Kakashi added quietly, "Minato-sensei… when Naruto was younger, merchants wouldn't sell him fresh ingredients. He basically lived off whatever Ichiraku's owner gave him. Teuchi didn't care about Naruto's identity—he always looked after him."
Minato's smile faded into something more contemplative. He remembered those moments—Teuchi standing tall and kind amidst the disdain of the villagers. Whatever envy Minato might have felt disappeared, replaced by heartfelt gratitude.
He ruffled Naruto's hair. "How about I take you to Ichiraku tomorrow?" Thıs content belongs to 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝※𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖※𝕟𝕖𝕥
Naruto lit up. "Really!? I've still got a bunch of ramen coupons! Chiga-san, Kakashi-sensei, wanna come too?"
Kakashi waved his hand politely. "You two should enjoy some time alone."
Chiga set down his chopsticks. "Not yet. We should wait."
Minato and Naruto exchanged glances, unsure what he meant. Chiga's eyes shifted to a framed photo on the wall—a smiling Kushina leaning against Minato.
Before either of them could ask, a knock sounded at the door.
"I'll get it!" Naruto shouted, already halfway there. Visits during dinner were rare, especially for someone who'd grown up so isolated.
He flung the door open. When he saw who stood there, his eyes widened.
"Sasuke!? What are you doing here? Come in!"
But Sasuke stood still, his gaze cold and focused.
Naruto blinked, disappointed. "Yeah, he's inside… Do you need something?"
Sasuke gave a small nod. "Good."
With that, he stepped past Naruto, heading straight inside.
Naruto followed, whispering, "You're really brave, showing your face after last time. You sure you won't get wrecked again?"
Sasuke shot him a glare. "Idiot."
"What!? I'm just being honest!"
Suppressing his annoyance, Sasuke followed the scent of dinner into the dining room.
Kakashi raised an eyebrow. Sasuke had no connection with Minato—what was he doing here?
Minato stood with a welcoming smile. "You must be Sasuke. Naruto's mentioned you, says you're his closest friend."
Naruto jumped in, flustered. "Dad! I never said that!"
Chiga noticed the small curl of a smile at the corner of Sasuke's lips. He resisted the urge to sigh.
Minato continued teasing. "You said you'd bring him back, remember? Now that he's here, you're embarrassed?"
Naruto's cheeks turned red. A puff of steam might as well have floated off his head.
Sasuke, trying to hold his composure, pinched his thigh under the table to distract himself from the warmth in his chest.
Then he locked eyes with Chiga and, without warning, dropped to his knees.
"Chiga-san! Please, take me as your student!"
Kakashi blinked. He was Sasuke's former teacher. This felt like being replaced in real-time.
Naruto stared, stunned, while Minato looked between them with quiet curiosity.
Chiga stood slowly, approached Sasuke, and asked evenly, "Why?"
Sasuke's Sharingan flared. "For power."
"What kind of power? Are you still chasing revenge on Itachi?"
"No. I want to be strong enough that he won't need to protect me anymore. I want to bring him home myself."
Naruto blinked, recognizing the passion in Sasuke's voice.
Chiga studied him, then slowly shook his head.
Sasuke's heart sank. He stood, bowing slightly. "Sorry to bother you."
Just as he turned to leave, Chiga said quietly, "He's already back."