When Sasuke and Itachi returned home, Uchiha Fugaku was already standing at the door, waiting.
With his hands behind his back, he stared at the two brothers with a stern expression. It was clear he had been waiting for quite some time.
Sasuke slowly woke up from Itachi's back, glanced at his father's serious face, and immediately pulled his head back in.
It wasn't because he was worried about being scolded for fighting, but because he had lost to some nobody... He feared the inevitable lecture from his father.
The pain on his face was a constant reminder of the beating he took earlier.
If his father found out...
He'd definitely be disappointed.
"Hmph! At least you know to come back!"
Fugaku glared at the pretending-to-be-asleep Sasuke and said with a displeased tone.
The Third Hokage had already informed him about the incident.
Sasuke losing to the village's Nine-Tails Jinchuriki wasn't surprising to him. He wouldn't get angry over that.
But the real issue was...
With tensions between the Uchiha clan and the village running so high, Sasuke interacting with the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki at this time—whether it was intentional or not—was bound to raise suspicions with the Third Hokage.
When Fugaku received the report earlier, he could already sense the underlying warning.
Itachi glanced at his father, then looked at Sasuke on his back and smiled. He turned to Fugaku and said, "Father, Sasuke has awakened his Sharingan."
"Hmph!"
Fugaku still grunted coldly, but his expression softened a little. However, this only made him more concerned about his elder son.
This child doesn't understand the implications of his actions at all.
"F-Father…"
"I didn't lose! That guy used some weird technique and suddenly appeared behind me…"
"Otherwise, I would've…"
"It's a space-time ninjutsu," Itachi interjected, as if to clarify that Sasuke's defeat couldn't entirely be blamed on him.
When he arrived earlier, he had already seen the signs of the fight between the two.
The moment he saw the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki conjure a portal out of thin air, he suspected that the boy had some kind of space-time bloodline limit, possibly linked to summoning techniques.
It wasn't until the boy used that purple cocoon to vanish from sight that Itachi became certain—this child had indeed awakened a space-time bloodline limit.
Hearing the words "space-time ninjutsu," Fugaku immediately fell into deep thought.
'The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki knows space-time ninjutsu!?'
'He's still so young!'
'He's probably only just begun refining chakra, right?'
'Are these two kids pulling my leg?!'
Though shocked, Fugaku quickly recalled the Fourth Hokage's mastery of space-time techniques, which made the idea less far-fetched.
Perhaps the child had indeed inherited some space-time bloodline limit from his father.
Sasuke, however, was left completely confused by his brother's explanation.
'Space-time ninjutsu??'
He had never heard of it before…
'Damn it! Why is that guy so strong!?'
Sasuke touched his face, feeling a mix of frustration and pride as he thought of his newly awakened Sharingan.
'Just wait! I'll use these eyes to defeat him next time!'
"Itachi, come with me."
"Sasuke, go kneel in the living room for an hour. You're not allowed to eat until the time is up!"
After giving orders to his sons, Fugaku led Itachi away.
Sasuke glanced at his brother before walking dejectedly to the living room. His mind kept replaying the earlier battle.
Thinking back now, he realized he had just let his guard down...
That guy's taijutsu was garbage, full of openings. If he had another chance, he was sure he could pin that guy to the ground!
---
By the river, the crackling of burning wood filled the air.
An old man and a young boy sat around a campfire.
"Grandpa, it's ready to eat," Naruto said, sitting on a rock as he handed over a charred, blackened fish to the Third Hokage.
He was truly exasperated.
This old man insisted on staying to eat grilled fish, claiming he hadn't seen Naruto in a long time.
But they had just seen each other last week!
So, Naruto had deliberately overcooked the fish, charring it to a crisp.
'Fine! Let's suffer together!'
The Third Hokage tugged at the corners of his mouth, glancing at the blackened fish, swallowing hard. He looked from the burnt offering in Naruto's hand to the boy, who was happily munching away on his own overcooked meal.
For a moment, the Hokage didn't say a word.
"Aren't you going to eat, Grandpa?" Naruto asked, his eyes bright with anticipation. "Didn't you say you wanted to try my cooking? It's delicious grilled fish! Why aren't you eating, Grandpa?"
Naruto's hopeful gaze made it seem as if refusing would break the heart of a six-year-old child.
Cough, cough…
"Ah, Naruto, I just remembered I have something urgent to attend to."
In an instant, the Third Hokage stood up, hands behind his back, walking away at a pace far too brisk for a man nearing seventy.
He was practically sprinting.
No way could he risk an upset stomach from that fish.
This kid really pushes his limits because of his constitution!
Watching the Hokage leave, Naruto tossed the fish aside.
Ptooey, ptooey!
"Finally, he's gone!"
If the Hokage had stayed any longer, Naruto would've had no choice but to eat that burnt fish himself. He still had a hungry fox in his belly to feed.
Naruto pulled out some magical dragon meat and placed it on the rack, carefully brushing it with oil and sprinkling spices.
The clumsy act of grilling from earlier was nowhere to be seen now.
About twenty minutes later, Naruto was finally enjoying the delicious grilled meat he had been craving.
Even though the battle earlier didn't take much out of him, he figured rewarding himself with a good meal wasn't unreasonable.
Afterward, Naruto summoned a space-time portal and jumped through it, returning home. Once there, his consciousness entered the seal, where he began feeding the fox.
"Hey, brat."
"You've got some gripes with the Third Hokage, don't you?" Kurama grinned mischievously, his eyes gleaming.
After years of watching, Kurama could tell that Naruto harbored a deep dislike for Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Though Naruto hid it well, Kurama could sense the boy's true feelings.
"How about... I help you out…"
Gulp
Naruto shoved a large chunk of meat into Kurama's mouth, silencing him.
The taste of food instantly derailed the fox's train of thought.
Yeah, right! As soon as Kurama opened his mouth, Naruto knew exactly what he was going to say.
It would've been the same old thing: they should team up and destroy the Leaf Village.
But Naruto was content with the way things were and wasn't foolish enough to betray the village.
Even as the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, he wasn't about to do something as drastic as defecting.
Did people really think Might Guy couldn't kick him to death?
Besides, he needed time to grow stronger. There was no need to stir up trouble unnecessarily.
Not to mention, there was a certain girl in the village waiting for him to claim her.
After a while of hand-feeding Kurama, Naruto's arm began to ache again.
He decided to pull out an automated system kit and started assembling an automatic grill next to Kurama's cage.
One wasn't enough—Naruto even built a massive barbecue rig to let the fox cook his own food when he felt like it.
He dug a large pit, like a swimming pool, and filled it with supplies. Then he turned to Kurama and said:
"Big fox, everything's set up. When you're hungry, you can grill your own food."
"If you need more, just press the button at the door, and the conveyor belt will bring meat to you."
Naruto patted the automated system with a serious look on his face.
Kurama, with just a single chakra claw, could easily manage the grill and press the button to operate the conveyor belt.
"I see," Kurama replied haughtily, lifting his head with pride, though his eyes couldn't help but drift toward the food.
He had been watching Naruto grill meat for so long, itching to try it himself. Unfortunately, he never had the chance.
But now, Naruto had set up everything, even including a giant-sized barbecue pit. Kurama was more than satisfied.
Gulp
After swallowing hundreds of pieces of grilled meat, Kurama, feeling a bit guilty, decided to remind Naruto.
"Brat, get some sleep early."
"Tomorrow, I'll be overseeing your training."
Naruto's lips curled into a smile.
Heh, that tsundere fox.
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