[The dagger is revealed.]
[Old man! Stay away from our Naraku!]
[Dare to touch Naraku, and I'll scatter your ashes within three days!]
Hiruzen Sarutobi also grew a bit angry.
"The Uchiha haven't committed any excessive acts right now; it's your petty actions that will truly lead to such an outcome! I will not allow anyone to disrupt Konoha's stability, not even you!"
"Uchiha Naraku is not just a genius of the Uchiha; he is also the future of Konoha!"
"Moreover, doing this for no reason, how could it only enrage the Uchiha? Wouldn't Sakumo also protect his disciple?!"
[That's right, Hiruzen Sarutobi is right!]
[If their own genius is taken to the unseen Root, the Uchiha will definitely go crazy!]
[Everyone was getting along peacefully, but then you pull such a disgusting stunt, who wouldn't go crazy?!]
[Sakumo wouldn't agree either; he's very protective of his own.]
[Hit him, Hiruzen! You hit him!]
"Precisely because he is also Sakumo Hatake's disciple, you should be even more vigilant!"
"The Uchiha have never been honest. Now that they've used this brat to win over Sakumo Hatake, they'll become even more lawless in the future!"
"Give him to me, Hiruzen, and I will turn him into a qualified Root!"
Danzo Shimura argued vehemently, but Hiruzen Sarutobi remained unmoved.
"Danzo, I will not agree. As for the Uchiha and Sakumo, we will think of other solutions later."
Seeing that he couldn't get permission, Danzo Shimura's eyes widened, and he shouted, "You will regret this, Hiruzen!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi retorted angrily, "Danzo! I am the Hokage!"
Their echoes reverberated in the office, and they ultimately parted ways unhappily.
The door was slammed shut by a furious Danzo, making a loud "Bang!" sound.
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat back in his chair, letting out a deep sigh.
[So even such good friends can fall out over political disagreements.]
[Danzo's logic is simply insane. Did the Uchiha dig up his ancestors' graves or something?]
[Hiruzen Sarutobi tolerates him too much. This is not how you talk to a leader.]
[Danzo wouldn't go back and secretly pull some strings, would he?]
[I hate it! Such a handsome guy when he was young, now he's turned into a gloomy old man!]
[The wrinkles on his face make me feel incredibly disgusted.]
——
Sure enough, it's you again! Danzo Shimura!
Naraku gritted his teeth, looking at that old face, wishing he could jump into the screen and punch him.
Why does he chase after the Uchiha like a mad dog every day? What did the Uchiha ever do to him?!
The animation continued. Naraku calmed himself down and saw himself, completely unaware at the time, exchanging pleasantries with Fugaku.
——
By the time Naraku and Kakashi emerged from the Uchiha Clan Head's residence, it was already dark. There were no pedestrians on the street, only streetlights standing on both sides, casting a faint yellow light.
A dark figure suddenly rushed out of an alley, startling the audience. Some even thought Danzo had already made his move.
[Holy crap! Can't even wait a day?]
[Get out of the way, ah ah ah ah ah!]
[Naraku! Bastard, let him go!]
Kakashi restrained the opponent, but the man seemed unconcerned, laughing loudly and shouting that he was right, even praising Naraku as a good child.
Naraku called him 'father' in a choked voice.
Not only Kakashi, but even the audience was stunned.
The animator used a flashback to compare the man's face, and without his hair and beard, it was indeed Uchiha Shinji.
[Something's wrong... Who is this?]
[Are the assassins sent by Danzo that weak?]
[Huh? Scum Shinji?!]
[Holy crap, it's really him!]
[How did this guy end up like this?]
Uchiha Shinji babbled on, claiming he was not wrong, that everything he had done before was right, and it was because of his actions that Naraku awakened his Sharingan. He even called out his wife's name, saying she could finally rest in peace... He looked at Naraku as if he were looking at his own achievement.
To him, Naraku was a medal, a trophy, a sharp sword, not a living person.
[Shameless, utterly shameless.]
[If Kako were still alive, she would definitely awaken her Sharingan and kill you, you scum.]
[Naraku didn't awaken his Sharingan because of you; don't use your actions to insult him.]
[I I I I I I I holy crap!]
[I'm speechless; I don't even know how to curse him. This guy is truly despicable.]
Naraku understood everything. When Uchiha Shinji looked at him, it was not the look of a father at his child.
His expression was sorrowful and grief-stricken, like cracks in broken glass, a faint, unbearable sound of shattering escaping his throat.
[Wuwuwuwu Baby Naraku.]
[Don't cry, don't cry T﹏T.]
[He's about to break.]
[Scum Shinji, die for me!]
Kakashi pushed Uchiha Shinji away and quickly pulled Naraku away from that place.
Soothing background music played as they ran together, streetlights passing overhead one after another. The road grew wider and brighter.
It wasn't until they reached the Hatake Household's front gate that Kakashi stopped and called Naraku's name.
Naraku had always responded to him in everything, but this time his voice trembled slightly.
Kakashi turned and hugged Naraku, letting him lean on his shoulder, then looked up at the stars in the sky.
There were so many stars, so bright.
After a while, he complained that the Uchiha Clan Head had been too slow, making him hungry. Naraku went inside the house with him, muttering about having Ise Udon for dinner tonight.
All the windows of the entire house lit up, continuously releasing warmth into the dark night.
The camera zoomed higher and higher, the scene expanding from just the Hatake Household to an overhead view of all of Konoha.
The lights from every house on the ground gathered together, sparkling like a starry sky.
[Leave, leave the past behind, and go to a brighter place.]
[Go towards a better future, Naraku.]
[No need to look up; the person you love is heaven itself.]
[This is Naraku's true home.]
[Naraku is home, wuwuwuwu.]
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