Nagi carried Naruto across the rooftops, leaping from house to house. Unbeknownst to them, four ANBU operatives followed silently from the shadows.
When they reached a secluded clearing, Nagi set Naruto down.
Naruto blinked. For once, the boy in front of him didn't look at him with hatred.
Scratching his cheek awkwardly, Naruto said,
"Um… thanks for earlier. My name's Naruto Uzumaki. What's yours?"
"Shiranui Nagi."
"Th-then… Nagi… why did you help me?"
"I just didn't like what I saw."
Naruto hesitated for a moment, then gathered his courage.
"Um… Nagi… do you want to go fishing with me? I'm really good at grilling fish!"
Seeing Naruto's hopeful expression, Nagi felt a trace of sadness for him.
Inside the mindscape, Tobirama closed his eyes and frowned deeply.
Konoha's ignorance regarding jinchūriki has gone too far.
Yet for some reason, Nagi sensed a gentle warmth from Naruto.
"…Sure."
Naruto jumped in excitement.
"Yay! Let's go!"
And just like that, he dragged Nagi toward his so-called "secret base."
Meanwhile, the Third Hokage observed everything through his crystal ball. On his desk lay the intelligence just gathered by the ANBU.
"A child of the Shiranui clan, hm? 'Didn't like what he saw,' you say? Likely simple childhood sympathy. At least his heart isn't bad."
Just then, the office door burst open. Danzō Shimura strode in aggressively.
"Hiruzen, what are you thinking? Letting the jinchūriki make friends in broad daylight?"
"Naruto has reached the age where forming bonds is natural."
"A jinchūriki does not need emotions. Hand him over to me—I will forge him into Konoha's weapon."
"I've said before—Naruto is not your concern. And remember, Danzō—I am the Hokage."
"You'll regret this, Hiruzen!"
Bang!
Danzō slammed the door as he stormed out.
[Kushina Uzumaki: Third Hokage, what is this? Isn't Naruto still being treated the same? And Danzō—what do you mean 'weapon'? Explain yourself!]
[Hiruzen Sarutobi: Ahem… Kushina, I was foolish back then. Rest assured, I later issued a strict order of silence. Naruto's situation has improved greatly.]
[Naruto Uzumaki: Yeah, Mom! I don't have to worry about food anymore, and I've made friends like Nagi and Shikamaru. I'm doing fine now!]
Naruto, ever considerate, did his best to ease his parents' worries.
[Gaara: Naruto Uzumaki…]
Like Naruto, Gaara had been ostracized—though in his case, it had escalated to assassination attempts. Watching Naruto, Gaara couldn't help but see a reflection of himself.
Temari stood nearby, her expression complicated.
Naruto led Nagi to his "secret base." There was a pot and some crude fishing gear. Judging by the setup, he had been surviving like this for quite some time.
Naruto rolled up his sleeves, tied a thin fishing line to a tree branch, baited the hook, and cast it into the water.
Nagi did the same.
Throughout the afternoon, Naruto eagerly made conversation.
"School starts tomorrow. It'd be awesome if we were in the same class!"
"Yeah. I'd like that too."
Nagi praised Naruto for being kind and broad-minded—perhaps overly so.
"Hehehe, I'm not that great…"
Unused to being complimented, Naruto scratched the back of his head shyly, practically glowing with happiness.
Inside, Tobirama relaxed slightly at the sight of the two getting along.
Then his expression hardened.
"Hiruzen… what exactly are you doing?"
In Tobirama's view, there were only two proper ways to handle a jinchūriki:
Either embrace them with love—
Or strip them of emotion entirely and treat them as a weapon.
This half-measure was the worst choice.
What if one day Naruto snapped?
Wouldn't the Nine-Tails reappear in Konoha once more?
After eating grilled fish, the two parted ways.
Back home, Nagi entered meditation and returned to his mindscape, where Tobirama resumed guiding his training.
The next day marked the start of the Academy term.
Parents brought their children to school.
Genma Shiranui accompanied Nagi.
On campus, families chatted in small groups:
The Nara, Akimichi, and Yamanaka clans stood together as always.
Tsume Inuzuka tugged firmly on Kiba's ears, warning him not to cause trouble.
Hiashi Hyūga stood sternly, holding Hinata's hand. Hinata shyly glanced around, as if searching for someone.
Watching the lively children, Tobirama felt a flicker of satisfaction.
Founding the Academy had been worthwhile.
Suddenly, he sensed something. Nagi also turned his gaze into the distance.
A stern-looking man approached, holding the hand of a pale, handsome boy. Whispers followed them.
"Second Hokage-sama? What is it?"
"Hmph. That inherently wicked Uchiha brat."
Even without the Sharingan activated, Tobirama could recognize an Uchiha at a glance.
His sharp gaze settled on Fugaku Uchiha—and especially on Sasuke.
That face… undeniably Uchiha.
And there was something else about the boy—something Tobirama found even more disagreeable.
[Sasuke Uchiha: Tobirama Senju—you're the wicked one.]
[Tobirama Senju: Hmph. Uchiha brat, I truly do dislike you.]
[Izuna Uchiha: Tobirama! What do you mean 'wicked face'?!]
[Hashirama Senju: Tobirama, how many times must I say it? The Uchiha are a clan of deep love.]
[Tobirama Senju: Hmph. I know very well how deep—and how mad—their love runs.]
(Tobirama: No one understands the Uchiha better than I do.)
Once everyone had gathered, the Third Hokage stepped forward and began speaking about the Will of Fire.
"Wherever the leaves of Konoha dance, the fire shall continue to burn…"
The children gazed at him with shining eyes, eager as though ready to charge onto a battlefield immediately.
Watching from within, Tobirama sighed.
"…Hiruzen. You've grown old."
Soon it was time to assign classes.
As expected, Nagi was placed in the same class as the future Rookie Nine.
The girls immediately crowded around Sasuke, chirping nonstop. Sasuke wore a thoroughly annoyed expression.
Nagi was grateful that his glasses spared him from similar harassment.
At that moment, a kind-hearted man with a scar across his nose walked in.
"Everyone, please return to your seats and quiet down."
There was something about a teacher's authority that naturally suppressed students—though, in the shinobi world, killing one's master was almost a tradition.
Soon, the children settled down.
Just as Iruka began speaking—
The classroom door slammed open.
Naruto made a dramatic entrance—
And was promptly punished to stand outside in the hallway.
It was time for self-introductions.
One by one, the students introduced themselves.
When it was Nagi's turn, he stepped forward and spoke plainly:
"My name is Shiranui Nagi. I like tofu and fish. My dream is to live a peaceful life."
A simple introduction.
From his seat, Shikamaru Nara watched him thoughtfully.