So for a moment, both of them were at a loss.
"It's still early to go home, I want to eat ramen, you…", Naruto got off the swing, he didn't want to return to his cold little nest so quickly, but suddenly seeing other classmates being picked up by their families, his heart felt somewhat empty.
He rummaged through his pockets, originally intending to treat this Uchiha who spoke to him to a bowl of ramen, and by the way, ask if last night's dream was real, but then he stopped.
No other reason, the money in his pocket wasn't even enough for a bowl of ramen, let alone enough to treat someone.
"You want to treat me to ramen?", Uchiha Kage saw through Naruto's thoughts at a glance, including his predicament.
"Yes, but… but I, I don't have money now," Naruto somewhat embarrassedly spread his hands.
"Why do you want to treat me?"
"Because… you feel like Shikamaru and Choji, maybe you can be my friend… get along with me."
'Not just today, last night in that strange dream, only he called out to me, told me to find a place to hide.'
'If that wasn't a dream, maybe I can have one more friend,' Naruto silently thought in his heart.
"Is that so?"
In order not to attract attention, Uchiha Kage usually rarely interacted with Naruto.
But he didn't expect Naruto to take the initiative to contact him.
And…
For some reason, perhaps because he had read the manga in his previous life, he always felt that Naruto was somehow very familiar.
"Then let's not eat ramen, even Ichiraku ramen is not as healthy as home-cooked food."
"Home? I…"
Both of them are an orphan without parents, where is the home?
Naruto didn't know what Uchiha Kage meant by saying this.
"Do you want to try Sasuke's cooking?"
"That guy Sasuke can cook?", Naruto first looked incredulous with surprise, then raised his head to stare at the black-haired boy in front of him, his eyes shining with a light that rarely appeared.
'Is Uchiha Kage inviting me to eat together?'
"Are you coming?"
"Of course!", Seeing that Uchiha Kage really invited him, Naruto couldn't help but jump up and down with joy.
Even the old swing at the school gate was almost pulled apart by him.
"I don't believe that guy's cooking is edible!"
'I didn't expect Kage to be such a good guy.'
And thinking that he might get to eat the food made by that arrogant Sasuke later, Naruto's heart was filled with excitement.
———
Caw— Caw—
The rough cawing of crows passed by a large tree.
A black-clothed ninja standing on a branch watched the two boys walking together in the distance, while stuffing a note into the leg of a carrier pigeon on his arm—
'The Uchiha orphan Kage is contacting the Nine-Tails'
Soon, the carrier pigeon that flew out flapped back to the shoulder of the black-clothed ninja.
The wooden tube on the carrier pigeon's leg also contained a reply letter—
'Find a way to deal with the Uchiha Kage trash, be careful not to let the Jinchuriki notice'
The black-clothed ninja respectfully read the content of the note, then crumpled the note into pieces with his hand.
Then, with a few leaps, he followed the two boys heading towards the Uchiha clan's territory.
———
'Tsk, I thought the surveillance ninja was off today, but I didn't expect them to still follow,' Secretly activating the Byakugan, Uchiha Kage quickly discovered that the masked ninja who was far away from them before was now rushing towards their direction at high speed.
"It's a bit troublesome…"
He thought that since Naruto took the initiative to contact him, it shouldn't cause a reaction from the Anbu or Danzo's people.
But Uchiha Kage still underestimated the status of the words Nine-Tails and Uchiha in the hearts of the old crones of Konoha.
The newcomer is probably not friendly, but now it's impossible to regret and let Naruto go back.
And…
Uchiha Kage glanced at a corner not far away.
'Let's see how things develop later, can't be silenced just for inviting Naruto to a meal, right?'
"Kage, what trouble did you just say?"
Naruto was still bragging to Uchiha Kage about his experiences in Konoha, completely unaware of the surroundings.
"No, nothing."
Silently hiding a kunai in his sleeve, Uchiha Kage walked forward as if nothing was wrong, while staying alert to the surroundings.
"Ah, no! There's a kitten about to fall from the tree, I have to save it!", Suddenly, the cry of a kitten attracted Naruto's attention, worried about the kitten, he quickly rushed towards a large tree ahead.
And Uchiha Kage, left behind, immediately tensed up.
'That cat seems to be bait!'
'Could it be that the guy surveilling Naruto really intends to take action against me?
'
Ding!
Just as Uchiha Kage was about to react, he saw two black shadows appear in the air in front of him, and in an instant, blades collided with blades.
After several more clashing sounds, a purple-haired female ninja wearing an Anbu mask appeared in front of Uchiha Kage.
And in front of the two, another masked black-clothed ninja was somewhat angrily holding a long sword.
"Attacking a villager for no reason, who are you?"
The purple-haired female ninja coldly blocked Uchiha Kage with her sword.
She was an Anbu sent by the Third Hokage to protect Naruto, but she didn't expect someone to attack a fellow villager, and a ninja student at that, in broad daylight.
"Nosy!", The black-clothed ninja with a low voice looked very dissatisfied at the purple-haired female Anbu in front of him, but seeing that Naruto, who had rescued the kitten, was about to return, he had no choice but to reluctantly sheathe his sword, and then disappeared between the corners of the houses in a few breaths.
"Root people?", Even if the other party didn't reveal their identity, the purple-haired female ninja could roughly guess.
Except for the Root, no one else could act so arrogantly in Konoha Village.
"Thank you," Uchiha Kage pretended to be attacked but didn't know what exactly happened, and thanked the masked female ninja in front of him.
"No need, protecting the villagers of Konoha is our Anbu's responsibility," The purple-haired female ninja glanced at the timid boy behind her, then at the Hokage statue on the Hokage Rock not far away.
Then she also disappeared on the spot.
'There are only two Uchiha left, Danzo… the Root people still don't intend to let go.'
'Today's incident must be reported to the Hokage.'
She thought somewhat angrily in her heart.
———
"Hokage-sama, this is the list of graduates for this year."
[Hokage's office]
The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, was leisurely reviewing the list information submitted by Iruka.
"Among them, Uchiha Sasuke performed the best…"
"What about Naruto?", Interrupting Iruka's report, Sarutobi Hiruzen flipped to the last page of the list.
It showed that Naruto was last in the written exam, average in physical and shuriken throwing tests, and in ninjutsu, except for the transformation technique which was passable, the other two, substitution and clone techniques, were all failed.
"Naruto is most likely unable to graduate this year."
The graduation exam for this year's ninja school had already been set as the clone technique, and Naruto…
Recalling the various dead people Naruto created with the clone technique, Iruka kept shaking his head.
"Is that so,"
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded, then flipped to the Uchiha's page.
"Besides Uchiha Sasuke, how is Uchiha Kage's performance?"
"Also very good, he should be able to become a competent ninja in the future."
If Naruto is the most mischievous person in the class, then Uchiha Kage is undoubtedly the most obedient good student in the class.
Iruka has a very good impression of Uchiha Kage.
"To get such an evaluation, it seems you like him very much?"
"That child, anyone who sees him would…"
Knock! Knock!
"Hokage-sama, Danzo-sama requests an audience," Just as Iruka and Sarutobi Hiruzen were talking, there was a sudden knock on the door of the Hokage's office.
"Danzo?"
After a moment of contemplation, Sarutobi Hiruzen knew Danzo's purpose.
Because he had already seen what happened outside in the crystal ball, and just now an Anbu had also come to report.
But he didn't expect that before he could go to him, this guy would take the initiative to come to him first.
Of course, even knowing the ins and outs of the matter, Sarutobi Hiruzen's face remained unchanged.
"Let him in,"
Sarutobi Hiruzen said while waving his hand to Iruka beside him.
"Yes!"
Iruka gathered the ninja student's information together, then respectfully exited the office.
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