A few days later, during lunch break.
Shikamaru walked up to Naruto carrying a shogi board and invited him to play.
Naruto glanced at the unfamiliar board and said jokingly, "Why are you asking me to play shogi, Shikamaru? I don't even know the rules. Why don't you go find Choji?"
"Choji doesn't like using his brain," Shikamaru replied lazily. "He's lost to me way too many times. Compared to him, you're at least willing to think."
Shikamaru narrowed his eyes slightly and smiled. "Besides, if you don't know the rules, you can just learn slowly. People always grow little by little."
Naruto wasn't sure who had sent Shikamaru over, but he was still interested in shogi.
Half an hour later—
All of Naruto's pieces had been eaten clean off the board.
Shikamaru wore a rare, satisfied smile. "Naruto, you lost again. That makes five times in a row."
Naruto scratched his head, staring at the board with a troubled look. "I really suck at shogi."
"For a beginner, you're actually pretty decent," Shikamaru said calmly. "I only barely understood the rules after losing countless times myself. But you still haven't learned how to calculate ahead. That's the most interesting part of shogi."
"Ninjas are like chess players. Only when you understand both yourself and your enemy can you win."
Looking at Shikamaru's confident expression, Naruto held back a smile and thought to himself:
That logic works for ninja battles—but Gundam battles are a different story entirely.
Compared to becoming a chess player, he'd rather be the guy who flips the board.
Besides, he really wasn't suited for shogi. If this were normal chess, the outcome would be completely different.
After winning several rounds, Shikamaru grew sleepy and returned to the classroom with the board.
Naruto sat in the shade, holding a medical ninjutsu textbook, and glanced at Shikamaru's back from the corner of his eye.
Dealing with smart people like Shikamaru was troublesome. He never said things directly—always beating around the bush to remind Naruto to "follow the rules."
At that moment, a group of third- and fourth-year students gathered under a distant tree, chatting loudly. Their voices drifted over.
"I heard the police force clashed with people again."
"Isn't that normal? They've always enforced the law violently. Half the time it's a trivial issue, but they still drag people away, detain them, and fine them. Who can stand that attitude?"
"Exactly. They're strict with villagers but lenient with their own people. The double standards are disgusting."
"No, this time it was between the police force and other ninjas. I heard even more ninjas got involved. In the end, Lord Hokage had to step in to stop it from escalating."
"I've heard about several similar incidents recently."
"Konoha has three evils—the Demon Fox, the Caged Bird, and the Police Force. Can't the police force be dealt with like the other two?"
Naruto didn't take their chatter seriously and ignored them.
After all, even the "Three Evils of Konoha" had been dealt with. Wasn't Konoha now just famous for pornography, gambling, and booze?
Still, if even kids knew about the conflict between the police force and the village, the Uchiha's reputation was completely rotten.
Unlike Naruto's indifference, Sasuke, who was passing by, couldn't tolerate the insults. His eyes turned sharp and dangerous.
Swept by his gaze, the older students instantly shut up. None of them could beat Sasuke alone—and they feared the Uchiha clan even more—so they quickly ran off with their tails between their legs.
Sasuke didn't chase them. He sat beside Naruto and said unhappily,
"They called you a demon fox behind your back. Why didn't you go over and beat the shit out of them?"
"They're not wrong," Naruto replied calmly. "I am the Demon Fox's container. Grandpa Hokage personally confirmed it. Maybe their parents died because of the Nine-Tails, so they talk shit behind my back."
Sasuke froze for a moment. "You're really… a demon fox? Those rumors are true? You really killed people?"
Naruto flipped a page of his book and smiled.
"You're really easy to fool. I do have a connection to the Demon Fox—he lives inside me. But as for why I don't bother with those idiots, it's because wasting time on stupid people is… well, stupid."
After a pause, Naruto looked at Sasuke. "So, did you come here to get beaten by me again?"
Sasuke's face stiffened. "No. I just thought you looked lonely reading alone, so I decided to show mercy and accompany you. So you wouldn't be isolated."
Naruto's eyes turned playful. "But I'm not isolated. The ones isolated are the people wearing colored glasses. I have friends—Hinata, Shikamaru, and Choji."
Sasuke was stunned and stood there awkwardly.
He wouldn't admit it, but the real reason he came was because he had no friends either.
Aside from those fangirls, Naruto was his only real friend—making him even lonelier than Naruto.
Seeing Sasuke silent, another tsundere fox popped up to spectate:
"Kid, this brat is clearly interested in you. If he were a girl, this would be a legendary romance. Too bad he's just another brat—no chance between brats."
Naruto mouthed "fuck" at Kurama. "I'm not gay, you old pervert."
Kurama chuckled. "You humans call this old man a demon fox all day, but when I joke a little, you lose your shit. Still just a kid."
Naruto cut off Kurama's voice with a dark expression. For some reason, the Nine-Tails' personality was getting stranger by the day.
After a long silence, Sasuke finally spoke again.
"Naruto, there's something else. My parents acknowledge you as a friend and want you to visit our house more often. I don't know if you have time."
Naruto looked at him deeply.
After a moment of thought, he shook his head. "Sorry. Grandpa Hokage won't let me go to the Uchiha clan for now. If I get the chance, I'll go."
Given the Uchiha's current situation, Naruto could easily guess Fugaku's intentions.
He wanted to use Naruto's visits to subtly influence him, then use Naruto as leverage against the higher-ups.
Unfortunately, neither Naruto nor the Third Hokage would give Fugaku a second chance.
Though Fugaku was strong and upright, he had a fatal flaw—hesitation.
He neither accepted the Uchiha's discrimination nor dared to gamble everything to change it.
In the end, he hesitated, lost everything, and became an incompetent leader.
Hearing Naruto's refusal, Sasuke felt disappointed but hid it well. He said coldly,
"Let's train together after school. I learned some new ninjutsu."
Kurama's voice sounded again. "Kid, the malice on you just increased."
Naruto glanced at him. Having a tailed beast that could detect emotions was annoying.
"You've got plenty of malice too."
Kurama snorted. "This old man is a tailed beast. My malice doesn't come from you humans—it's been polluted by you for thousands of years."
"Then doesn't that mean you're dirty?" Naruto leaned away in disgust.
Kurama snorted coldly. "Brat. You're not any cleaner. But I'm starting to look forward to the day you leave Konoha. Maybe then we can find a place with simple-minded idiots to live."
...
Inside the Hokage's office.
The Third Hokage was unusually relaxed—no paperwork, no spying on Naruto. He smoked his pipe while gazing at the portraits of past Hokage, letting nicotine numb his nerves.
Since Naruto left the Uchiha district that day, the police force had grown increasingly bold.
They were secretly purchasing weapons and explosive tags, and their enforcement against villagers—and even fellow ninjas—had become noticeably more violent.
Normally, the Uchiha offending the public would benefit the Hokage faction. With the Uchiha as villains, the higher-ups looked clean.
But if someone lit the Uchiha powder keg, the entire village would be dragged into the explosion.
A knock sounded at the door.
Shisui Uchiha entered, his face filled with exhaustion.
Shisui… why is he here?
The Third Hokage exhaled pale smoke and looked at the young man who had inherited the Will of Fire.
"Shisui," he said slowly. "You're here because of the conflict between the police force and the villagers."
Shisui nodded. After a pause, he said firmly,
"Not exactly. I'm here to plead guilty on behalf of the police force. I suspect the clan is preparing a coup against the Hokage Building."
"A coup?"
The Third Hokage's expression changed, but he quickly regained composure.
"Since you're telling me this, you clearly don't want the coup to happen. You want me to help stop it."
"You don't need to do anything," Shisui replied calmly. "I can handle it myself. I only hope you won't punish the clan."
The Third Hokage frowned. "Stop the coup alone? Even with ANBU, I'm not confident we can suppress the police force."
Shisui lowered his head, his voice steady.
"My lord, I don't intend to deal with everyone. I only need to control Fugaku Uchiha."
"Fugaku is the core of the coup. If his will is altered, the coup will stop."
"I have mastered a dōjutsu that can rewrite another person's will—Kotoamatsukami."
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