In the end, almost the entire half-box of tomato scrambled eggs ended up in the little girl's stomach. Naruto watched with a gentle smile as Satsuki nibbled at her rice in small bites. She ate with great focus, and whenever she tasted something especially delicious, her eyes would narrow slightly, like a contented little cat.
Naruto had absolutely no resistance to this kind of unconscious cuteness.
When the last bite of food was gone, Satsuki stared at the now-empty lunchbox, only then realizing what she had done.
Oh no… I said I'd just have a taste…
After carefully putting the empty box into his bag, Naruto heard a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz behind him.
"Um…"
Satsuki lowered her head, her voice soft and sticky-sweet. "Sorry… I think I ate too much. If you're not full… would you like to come to my house for dinner?"
Naruto paused for a moment, then his expression softened. So she wasn't the kind of tsundere who stayed stubborn to the bitter end.
There was a saying: "Tsundere can ruin a lifetime." But the truly bad cases were usually because the "tsun" lasted too long—so long that there was never a chance for the "dere" to appear.
But the little girl in front of him, though she carried the natural pride of the Uchiha clan, could still express her apology honestly and even invite someone to her home for a meal as compensation.
Looks like she received a very good upbringing.
A sudden, indescribable sense of regret rose in Naruto's heart. In the original Naruto… there had never been an Uchiha girl named "Satsuki."
The answer was already obvious.
In about three years, after Naruto entered the Ninja Academy, a tragedy that would shock the entire shinobi world would occur—the Uchiha clan massacre.
If one were to trace the roots of that tragedy, the forces involved behind the scenes were tangled and complex. But the three main culprits were:
Danzō Shimura, Itachi Uchiha, and Obito Uchiha.
However, the destruction of the Uchiha was not something that happened overnight. It was like a long line of carefully arranged dominoes, and the first tile fell…
On the night Naruto was born.
The Nine-Tails' attack.
Obito Uchiha assaulted Konoha and released the Nine-Tails, leading to the death of Naruto's mother, Kushina Uzumaki. His father, Minato Namikaze, fulfilled his duty as Hokage by sealing half of the Nine-Tails into the newborn Naruto to prevent Konoha's "nuclear weapon" from falling into enemy hands… but the real turning point for the Uchiha didn't lie there.
What truly pushed the Uchiha clan toward destruction was the enormous Sharingan reflected in the Nine-Tails' eyes.
Every Konoha ninja who fought that night saw it clearly. The higher-ups' suspicion that the Uchiha were behind the attack wasn't entirely unreasonable.
But… they hadn't exactly wronged the Uchiha either.
No one had imagined that the one controlling the Nine-Tails would be Obito Uchiha, who had supposedly died years earlier.
To guard against the Uchiha, Konoha's leadership relocated the entire clan to the outskirts of the village and placed them under strict surveillance. The proud Uchiha could not endure such humiliating treatment.
Driven by the desire for power, the clan gradually split internally. During clan meetings, the hawkish voices grew louder, advocating for a coup to seize Konoha's leadership and change the clan's situation.
And at that moment, a traitor appeared.
Itachi Uchiha, the eldest son of clan head Fugaku, and also Konoha's spy within the Uchiha. He leaked the clan's coup plans to the village leadership.
After learning of this, the Third Hokage and Danzō clashed in their opinions. The Third advocated negotiation, hoping to resolve the conflict through dialogue, while Danzō insisted on eliminating the threat entirely and wiping out the Uchiha.
Then Danzō began to act.
He feared Shisui Uchiha's Mangekyō Sharingan—the will-altering technique, Kotoamatsukami. In a secret ambush, Danzō stole one of Shisui's eyes.
After losing one Mangekyō, Shisui realized he could no longer use Kotoamatsukami to stop the coup. In despair, he entrusted his remaining eye to Itachi and then chose to leap off a cliff, all in an attempt to weaken the Uchiha's power.
After losing his best friend, Itachi—who had always been caught between the village and his clan—actually accepted Danzō's proposal.
The man indirectly responsible for Shisui's death had now become his collaborator.
The massacre began.
Men, women, the elderly, even infants in their cradles—none were spared. Blood dyed the Uchiha district red, and the only survivor was the young Sasuke.
Why… did Itachi completely ignore the Third Hokage's proposal for negotiation?
The logic of the entire incident didn't hold up to close scrutiny. Itachi claimed he was "protecting Konoha," yet personally slaughtered his entire clan. He said he "loved his brother," yet used Tsukuyomi to make Sasuke endure endless torment.
This contradictory behavior was probably why Itachi's reputation later reversed among fans online.
Kishimoto tried to portray Itachi as a "guardian bearing the darkness," using the idea of a "necessary evil" to beautify the massacre. But Naruto only felt a chill.
Could noble goals really justify methods with no bottom line?
Even stepping back—if the Uchiha really had launched a coup, could their fate have been worse than total extermination? The entire clan wiped out? Not even sparing infants?
Naruto shook his head, unwilling to think further. He couldn't understand Itachi's way of thinking, nor the so-called "Hokage mindset." Now, he no longer dreamed of becoming Hokage.
Naruto looked at the black-haired little girl in front of him.
Would this child… also die that night?
The thought of Satsuki being slaughtered in the name of "justice" made his heart restless.
No… he had to find a way to do something.
The system still showed no signs of activating. For now, the only one he could rely on was himself. Maybe… he could go whisper something in the Third Hokage's ear?
For example, claim that he had formed an "irreplaceable bond," and if anything happened to her, he might fall into despair—or even give up being a ninja…
Though it sounded like he was threatening the Hokage.
Naruto knew this concern might be excessive, but he couldn't help it. That was just the kind of person he was. He couldn't sit by and watch a tragedy unfold before his eyes.
Of course, being kind didn't mean being naïve. As for that bastard Obito… he wouldn't let him off.
"Thanks, Satsuki. But it's fine—I'm already full. Actually, compared to the food itself, having someone willing to eat with me makes me even happier."
Naruto responded to her invitation. "And seeing you enjoy it so much is the best compliment I could get. You're the first person to praise my cooking."
Hmm… why is she blushing again? Oh well, she looks cute when she's shy. But it's getting late—it's time to head back.
"Thanks for keeping me company today." He stood up and brushed the grass off his pants. "I'll come find you again, Uchiha Satsuki."
Hearing that, Satsuki immediately raised her head and corrected him in a slightly proud tone.
"If you insist on coming to play with me, I-I guess I can reluctantly keep you company!" She paused, then added, "And my name isn't Uchiha Satsuki. It's Uchiha Sasutsuki."
…Sasutsuki?
The smile on Naruto's face suddenly froze.
That name… why did it sound so familiar? It sounded a lot like the name of his future best friend—and rival—Uchiha Sasuke.
Sasutsuki noticed Naruto's strange expression. After hesitating for a moment, she explained.
"Um… the combination does sound a bit strange, right? Actually, my dad originally planned to name me Uchiha Sasuke… but he didn't expect a girl to be born, so he just changed the 'suke' to 'tsuki'…"