As the hour grew late, the sky dimmed into darkness.
Walking home, Sasuke Uchiha looked like a victorious general, his chin lifted so high it was practically pointing at the sky.
After today's battles, he had become the undisputed top student of his grade.
Everyone who challenged him was defeated in just a few moves.
Naruto Uchiha was in just as good a mood.
With Sasuke's support, he had quietly become the core figure of their small group.
As for Gaara, he walked silently behind the two of them, his expression calm and serene as always.
When they were almost back at the clan compound, the three suddenly saw a man in a green skintight outfit sprinting toward them—while doing a handstand.
Naruto immediately shouted in greeting, "Uncle Guy!"
Might Guy bent his arms slightly, spun through a flawless 360-degree midair rotation, and landed firmly in front of them.
"Naruto, Sasuke, Gaara… were you three staying late at the Ninja Academy for extra training?"
"I'm so moved! This is youth!"
Seeing Guy with tears and snot streaming down his face, Naruto, Gaara, and Sasuke all silently took a step back.
Naruto hurriedly spoke up. "Teacher Guy, I met a kid at the Ninja Academy who's a lot like you."
"I heard from Teacher Iruka that he doesn't know any ninjutsu at all. He was specially admitted to the Academy."
"He keeps saying things like how 'ordinary people can surpass geniuses through hard work'… I feel like that guy would really get along with you."
Hearing this, Guy stroked his chin in surprise. "Oh? Is that so?"
"Yeah. His name is Rock Lee."
Guy nodded. "I understand. As thanks…"
As if performing magic, he produced three green skintight outfits. "Naruto, Sasuke, Gaara, you can take these."
Naruto, Sasuke, and Gaara immediately shook their heads. "Uncle Guy, there's no need to be so polite."
"Our parents are still waiting for us at home. We'll be going now!"
The three of them bolted toward home, their faces filled with lingering fear.
If they put on those green skintight outfits, it would definitely become an indelible shadow for the rest of their lives!
"Sasuke, Naruto, Gaara… did something happen to you three?"
Seeing them rush in so frantically, Kushina Uzumaki couldn't help but ask.
Sasuke snorted lightly. "It's all trouble Naruto caused."
He explained the whole story from beginning to end, and Kushina covered her mouth as she laughed. "When you put it that way, I kind of want to see what you'd look like wearing green skintight outfits too."
Sasuke, Naruto, and Gaara immediately retreated several steps in fear.
Unlike other moms, Kushina was definitely the type who meant what she said.
"Look how scared you are. Go clean up—dinner's ready."
Only after Kushina left did the three finally let out a sigh of relief.
"Sasuke, Naruto, Gaara!"
Itachi Uchiha's voice came from behind, and the three immediately ran over.
"Big Brother!"
Hearing them, a blissful expression appeared on Itachi's face.
He bent down and hugged each of them in turn before smiling. "I saw you three on the training field. You did great."
Sasuke said excitedly, "Big Brother, did other people challenge you too?"
Itachi nodded. "Not just me. A lot of clan members were challenged."
"But none of them were as cool as you, Sasuke."
Sasuke laughed loudly. "Big Brother, let's spar together another day. I feel like I can almost beat you now!"
Itachi affectionately ruffled Sasuke's hair. "Let's wait until the weekend. Naruto, Gaara, you should join us too."
"Yeah!"
Laughing and chatting, the four of them sat down together at the dining table. (T/N: oh :o no finger tapping on his forehead??)
The table was covered with a dazzling array of dishes.
These were all meals Yuzuru Uchiha had improved based on memories from his mind, with Kushina, Mikoto, and the others helping—pan-fried, stir-fried, deep-fried, braised, stewed…
They were completely different from the traditional food of the ninja world.
"Everyone's here. Let's eat."
As Yuzuru spoke, everyone began to dig in.
After a few big bites, Sasuke couldn't help but start talking about what had happened at the Ninja Academy.
"Father, wasn't I amazing?"
Yuzuru gave a thumbs-up. "Sasuke, you did very well. But I think there are still a few areas you can improve."
"Improve?"
"From my experience, showing off is better done afterward. Showing off beforehand… if you fail, you just become a clown."
The odds were low, but he didn't want his son to turn into the kind of person who bragged first and then got beaten up like in the original story.
Sasuke froze for a moment, then nodded thoughtfully.
Seeing Sasuke fall silent, Yuzuru turned his gaze to Naruto. "Naruto, don't always focus on making friends. You need to put more effort into your academic subjects too, understand?"
Naruto protested. "Dad, I'm not bad at academics."
"Oh?" Yuzuru said calmly. "Then tell me… what does 'rabble' mean?"
"Huh? Ra-ra… what?!"
Seeing him like this, Yuzuru sighed helplessly. "A 'rabble' refers to a crowd where, no matter how many people there are, if their heads are empty, it's all for nothing."
Before he even finished speaking, Naruto suddenly burst out laughing. "No, Dad, you're seriously explaining it?"
Bang!
After a punch to the head, Naruto finally quieted down. Yuzuru then looked at Gaara. "Gaara, you need to learn to be more cheerful. Don't always spend so much time thinking by yourself."
Gaara obediently nodded as usual, though it was hard to tell whether he really took it to heart.
"You're the only one who gives me any peace of mind, Itachi…"
Just as Yuzuru finished speaking, Itachi asked, "By the way, Father, you acknowledged another little sister outside the clan named 'Izumi,' didn't you?"
The moment those words came out, Mikoto Uchiha, Kushina Uzumaki, Tsunade, and the others—who had been smiling while watching the father and sons banter—immediately perked up their ears.
Sara asked curiously, "Itachi, who is this 'Izumi'?"
Ignoring Yuzuru's warning glance, Itachi smiled. "Izumi is my classmate."
"Huh?"
"Wouldn't that make her only fourteen?!"
Tsunade said with a smile that wasn't quite a smile, "Yuzuru, you've got a lot of energy."
Sensing the danger in the air, Itachi immediately dragged Sasuke, Naruto, and Gaara outside.
Kushina snorted coldly. "I know you're trying to set an example for the clan, but you can't even set your sights on kids that young, you pervert!"
Yuzuru said righteously, "Don't talk nonsense. I'm not as dirty-minded as you think. I just wanted to repay Granny Riko for taking care of me back then."
Seeing Tsunade, Kushina Uzumaki, Mikoto Uchiha, Pakura, Konan, Sara, and Karura all wearing expressions that clearly said 'as if we believe you,' Yuzuru flew into a rage and slammed the table as he stood up.
Tsunade and the others jumped in shock. "Eh? Yuzuru, what—what are you trying to do?"
Yuzuru said coldly, "Damn it, today I'm restoring my authority as the man of the house!"
"The main accounts are already ruined; it's high time I started training a few new 'alt accounts'!"