When the stars and full moon fully claimed the night sky, Naruto and the others finally arrived at the main gate to the Uchiha Clan's territory.
"Huh? This is your home? It's pretty grand…"
Under the lights at the gate that lit the area like daylight, Naruto curiously studied the large wooden sign above the gate, where the name Uchiha was engraved in bold, clean strokes. He reached out and gently patted Little Fan's shoulder, trying to stifle a laugh as he teased in an exaggerated tone, "You know, Sasuke… I think I finally understand why you're always late."
"Hah? What nonsense are you spouting now, Naruto?"
Seeing Naruto act so self-important, Sasuke vaguely sensed a trace of pity on his face. Unsure whether he was imagining it, he instinctively shot back with a scowl. "You're just trying to come up with another excuse to make fun of me, aren't you?"
"No, no, of course not! I was just thinking… You have to walk such a long way to the training ground every day. That's gotta be rough."
Watching Sasuke reflexively snap back with his usual annoyance, Naruto shrugged innocently and blinked at him. "Well, now that I've experienced it myself, I promise not to tease you next time you're late, Sasuke."
"…Huh? That's it?"
Sasuke eyed Naruto up and down suspiciously. It was rare for him not to be joking around, and Sasuke, hands on his hips and lips pursed in a pout, huffed, "Well, as long as you get it. I leave home super early every day, okay? It's not like I'm being lazy and sleeping in… But still, I can't help it. We live so far because the Uchiha Clan handles the village's security as the Police Force. Heh."
"So that's it. The Police Force, huh… That does sound pretty cool!"
Naruto smiled and reached out to ruffle Little Fan's hair. As the kid closed his eyes and leaned into the touch like a contented cat, Naruto couldn't help but think to himself,
'This situation is even worse than I imagined… The Police Force? Hah. Stuck out in this remote corner of nowhere… Isn't that just a glorified gatekeeper for the Hidden Leaf Village? It's like they're forcing the Uchiha Clan into rebellion…'
Indeed, the Uchiha Clan — one of the two founding clans of the Hidden Leaf Village, alongside the now-declining Senju Clan — had the widest territory of any clan in the village. On the surface, the village didn't treat this founding family poorly… Yet their massive estate was suspiciously located on the far edge of the entire village.
How far?
Well, despite Naruto and his friends having undergone ninja training and being far faster than ordinary people, and even with their hosts Sasuke and Itachi guiding them along the shortest route, it still took them from sunset until now — under the high moon — to arrive.
Officially, this placement was to help the Uchiha carry out their duties in the Police Force, keeping order and guarding the village's perimeter… But one glance at a map of the Hidden Leaf made it clear — the Uchiha were far from the Hokage's office, far from the bustling commercial zones. Worse, their territory was completely surrounded by other loyal families under the village's control — an obvious arrangement to keep them boxed in!
With such a setup, the moment the Uchiha showed even a hint of unrest, the Hidden Leaf's leadership could respond instantly. They'd be surrounded on all sides, attacked by overwhelming force, with no way to escape. Their fate was entirely in the village's hands.
Even a fool could see they were being isolated and suppressed…
And once that happens, no matter how loyal a clan might be, even the smallest flicker of self-interest would keep them from accepting such a slow, silent decline. Let alone a founding family like the Uchiha, long excluded from power and seething with resentment.
Maybe letting the Uchiha run the Police Force was the previous Hokage's idea — a way to show trust while keeping an eye on them. And maybe under the Third Hokage, a peace-seeking moderate, things hadn't gone too far. But this full-on encirclement? That had to come from someone else…
Naruto furrowed his brow and muttered under his breath,
"If the Uchiha Clan really were pushed into rebellion… the one who stood to gain the most…"
The face that popped into his head made him scoff.
'Heh. Most likely the same as three years ago, when he tried to smear me as the reincarnation of the Nine-Tails… Danzo Shimura, that shameless bastard. He probably twisted the First Hokage's original orders for his own gain.'
'Just three years of enduring the villagers' hatred was enough to nearly drive me mad. Imagine living here, constantly on edge, completely surrounded, waiting for the day the village leadership gives the kill order… Even if Uchiha Fugaku, as clan head, had no intention of rebellion — no ambition for power — under conditions like this, what choice would he have? For the sake of his clan's survival, he'd be forced to rise up, throwing himself into a fight he didn't want, clashing head-on with the Hokage's faction… and leaving that scheming rat Danzo to reap all the benefits.'
"Hey, hey? Hey! Naruto!"
"Huh? Ah—what is it, Sasuke?"
Realizing that resolving the Uchiha's resentment might be harder than he thought, Naruto sighed and rubbed the space between his brows. He was about to refocus and think of a better solution when a gentle tug on his arm snapped him back to the present. He quickly shook off the unease and looked up with a cheerful grin.
"You really are acting weird… Look, the gate's already open. How long are you planning to stand out here in the snow?"
Sasuke frowned at Naruto's usual carefree smile. He looked exactly the same as always — and yet something felt… off. Trying to shake off the unease, Sasuke rolled his eyes, grabbed Naruto's wrist, and half-dragged him through the open gate.
"Stop dawdling and come home with me already! It's late — if we don't hurry, we're gonna get yelled at by Mom and Dad!"
"Oh—okay, I got it… Wait, what do you mean come home with you?! That totally sounds like something else, you dumbass Sasuke!"
"Hah?! What did I say wrong? You trying to start a fight, idiot Naruto?! It's your fault for spacing out and making us even later!"
"W-Well, yeah, that part's true, but the way you phrased it—it just sounds so weird, you moron!"
"Huh?! What's so weird about it?! What the hell are you even thinking about all day?!"
'Naruto… Nine-Tails Chakra… I see now. You're definitely not an ordinary child…'
Watching Naruto and Sasuke bicker all the way home, Itachi's smile gradually faded. At some point, his pitch-black eyes had turned blood-red, the two black tomoe of the Sharingan slowly spinning with eerie calm. After a long moment, the red faded and his eyes returned to their normal ink-black color. Quietly following behind the two boys, he whispered to himself with a slight smirk:
"If everything I saw earlier with the help of my Sharingan was real… Uzumaki Naruto, can you really change Sasuke's fate?"