Sasuke's thoughts were simple and pure. Naruto was his first friend, so naturally, he wanted to introduce him to his parents.
He also wanted Naruto to experience the warmth of a family. Though his older brother and father often argued, they both loved him—something Naruto had never experienced before.
What the speaker didn't say directly, the listeners understood clearly. Mikoto and Fugaku both glanced at Sasuke.
If Sasuke weren't their own son, they might have suspected him of ulterior motives, deliberately trying to stir trouble.
Mikoto, who was Kushina's close friend, had long heard of Naruto's tragic life and had even once considered adopting him. But that was a question of wanting to do so—whether it was possible was another matter entirely.
Naruto was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki of the village; the higher-ups would never allow the Uchiha clan to adopt him.
In the entire Hidden Leaf Village, the only person with both the ability and authority to adopt Naruto was the Third Hokage himself. Others, even if they knew Naruto's true identity, could only discuss it privately; it was never to be made public.
Itao looked at Sasuke, his brotherly instincts making him suspicious that Sasuke might be being used by someone. He planned to find a private chance to ask him about it.
At that moment, Fugaku, who had been silent and stern for some time, spoke slowly: "Since he is your friend, if you want to bring him over, then bring him. It'll be good to see if he's worthy of being a friend of the Uchiha."
Upon hearing this, a faint smile appeared on Sasuke's face.
Itachi frowned, staring hard at Fugaku. Mikoto was about to say something, but Fugaku interrupted her firmly, his tone leaving no room for argument:
"It's a good thing that Sasuke is making new friends. Do you want him to embarrass himself in front of his friends?"
When it came to Sasuke, Itachi couldn't argue, but his cold expression made his true thoughts clear—he didn't want Naruto coming to their house as it would deepen the conflict between the clan and the village.
After dinner, Itachi changed into his ninja attire and left the house, glancing once toward Fugaku's study before going.
He used the excuse of a mission to leave, but instead of going to the Anbu base, he headed to a corner of the clan's territory and knocked on the door of the Shisui family.
Shisui warmly welcomed Itachi in and asked the reason for his visit.
Itachi quickly explained Sasuke's invitation for Naruto to visit their home and shared his concern that Fugaku might be planning a coup.
Shisui thought carefully for a moment and said, "Having the Jinchuriki visit your house is a bit inappropriate, but the clan leader wouldn't dare openly attack the Jinchuriki in front of everyone. If the clan wants to act against the Jinchuriki, there are plenty of opportunities—it's not necessary to do it openly."
"Itachi, you're being too sensitive," Shisui added.
Itachi found some truth in that and sighed softly: "Hopefully so. The clan's resentment toward the village council has been growing lately. I'm worried they might really try to stage a coup."
Suddenly, Itachi seemed to recall something and asked, "Shisui, if an irreconcilable conflict arises between the clan and the village, which side would you choose? The clan or the village?"
Shisui thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "I'll do my best to prevent that from happening. But if the clan and the village want to strike at each other, they'll have to go over my dead body."
Itachi fell silent. His thoughts diverged from Shisui's. If that day ever came, he would definitely have to choose a side—and try to save at least one.
The next day at noon.
Naruto took out the lunchbox he had prepared in advance and sat on the rooftop, enjoying a quiet midday break.
After finishing the meal, he looked toward the crowd below, feeling the breeze, and began searching for classmates worthy of becoming 'friends'—all to gain more living expenses and ninja scrolls from the Third Hokage.
Though the old Hokage had never really liked him, he still diligently provided Naruto with resources for growth.
Soon, Naruto had a few good candidates in mind:
Haruno Sakura, born a commoner; Ino Yamanaka from the Yamanaka clan; Kiba Inuzuka from the Inuzuka clan; and the quiet, inconspicuous Shino Aburame.
Sakura and Kiba were quickly ruled out.
Sakura was devoted to Sasuke, and Kiba, well, Naruto simply liked dogs—he bore no ill will toward Kiba himself.
Ino was a bit troublesome for Naruto; he didn't much like dealing with girls. That left Shino, the quiet one—maybe after getting to know her, he could lower his own profile.
The remaining three members of the "Twelve Genin" were all upperclassmen, so Naruto didn't really socialize with them.
While Naruto was pondering how to meet his quota, the lazy Nine-Tails suddenly said, "That Uchiha brat came looking for you again. Not sure what's gotten into him lately—he's showing up more often than little Hinata."
Naruto ignored the increasingly orange Nine-Tails and turned to Sasuke behind him: "Coming to challenge me again? If you haven't improved, you're going to get hurt."
Sasuke said with a cold expression, "Defeating you is only a matter of time. But today, I came for something else."
Naruto was curious. "What is it? Something about training?"
Usually cold and aloof, Sasuke hesitated, stammering for a while before saying, "Yesterday, I told my parents about training with you. They asked me to invite you over to our house—to get to know you properly…"
Toward the end, Sasuke spoke faster, as if embarrassed.
Naruto was momentarily stunned, then smiled: "You wanted to invite me, didn't you? You're just passing it off as your parents' idea. That's not like you at all."
Sasuke regained his cold demeanor: "Yes, I'm the one inviting you. But it seems my mom knows you—she even once thought about adopting you. Aren't you going to ask her about that?"
Mikoto wanted to adopt me?
Naruto frowned thoughtfully. In his memory, Kushina and Mikoto were close friends. But for the Uchiha to adopt the Jinchuriki? That was wishful thinking—unless an Uchiha became Hokage.
Sasuke thought Naruto's silence was a refusal and said disappointedly, "If you don't want to come, forget it. I won't invite you again. I hope you don't regret it."
Naruto snapped out of his thoughts, hearing Sasuke's words. He smiled: "If it's your invitation, I'd be happy to accept. But this is my first time visiting someone's home—should I bring a gift?"
Sasuke shook his head: "A gesture is enough. Gifts don't matter. I want to know what kind of connection you have with my family—whenever I mention you, my parents always seem hesitant."
Naruto smiled silently, thinking to himself: That's not hesitation—they understand my identity and know what it means for a Jinchuriki to appear in the Uchiha territory. But since it's an invitation, he won't refuse.
(End of chapter)
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