Ever since Kakashi returned from the Land of Rain, Naraku hadn't been able to interact with him.
He seemed determined to keep their distance, intentionally or unintentionally avoiding Naraku, even choosing specific times to visit Sakumo in the Hospital.
Naraku chose to let nature take its course.
The time wasn't right; acting rashly might draw Black Zetsu's attention back to Kakashi.
So, he lived peacefully in the Clan territory, reading and training after returning from the Hospital every day, and often going for walks, politely greeting Clan Member he met on the road.
Occasionally, he met with Kana, telling her not to worry too much and that everything was fine with him lately.
Fugaku sometimes came home to stay overnight, and whenever the three of them sat at the table for dinner, Naraku always felt like he was already living the life of a family of three.
Early this morning, after seeing the Clan Leader off to work early once again, knowing he wouldn't be back for many days, Naraku felt a bit regretful.
Fugaku had truly been exceptionally kind to him these past few days.
After Naraku suggested that the Clan Leader move back, Mikoto subtly probed several times, confirming that he wasn't forcing himself, before finally agreeing to let her husband come home.
Fugaku, carrying his luggage as he moved back, was almost moved to tears, patting Naraku's shoulder firmly with relief.
Fortunately, his dignity as Clan Leader allowed him to maintain his composure, preventing his image from completely collapsing... Time flew by like a white colt, and nearly two months passed in a flash.
Perhaps from the animator's perspective, Naraku's days were uneventful, so in the most recent updated episodes, he mostly focused on Minato or Kakashi, showcasing his favorite two generations of male protagonists.
The two of them lived busy and fulfilling lives.
Especially Minato, the process of him developing and improving a new Ninjutsu occupied an entire episode, and by the last two minutes of the broadcast, the new Ninjutsu had already taken preliminary shape.
According to his plan, he only needed to continue improving its stability to completely finish this Jutsu.
It was clearly not far from the official debut of the "Rasengan" that Naraku was familiar with.
The animator also used many close-ups to meticulously show Minato's soon-to-be-successful Jutsu.
Chakra, emitting a faint blue light, was forcibly compressed and gathered into a sphere, rotating at super high speed within the extremely small sphere, and if one listened carefully, they could even hear the hum of Chakra rubbing against each other.
All signs indicated that this Jutsu would possess terrifying offensive power.
Kakashi stood by, watching the ball of Chakra in Minato's palm intently, and his own memories related to creating new Jutsu also became clear bit by bit.
Ever since he became a Chunin, a vague idea had appeared in his mind, but he hadn't had time to mention it to others, and coupled with a series of changes, this thought had been delayed until now.
Now that Minato had succeeded, it rekindled his strong desire to develop a new Lightning Release.
He wanted to possess power strong enough to protect important people in the future.
The latter half of the latest episode of the anime showed Kakashi, after his routine visit to Sakumo, beginning to try and create his own Lightning Release Ninjutsu.
Thinking about new Ninjutsu almost occupied all of Kakashi's time outside of missions, temporarily filling his empty heart... Only a few days after the last anime update, a sorrowful piece of news quickly spread throughout Konoha.
The First Hokage's wife—Uzumaki Mito—unfortunately passed away at home due to old age.
Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen held a grand funeral, and more than half of Konoha came to mourn Uzumaki Mito, acknowledging her contributions to the Village.
It was at this funeral that Naraku was able to meet Kakashi again.
However, it was only a meeting; their eyes met, but they couldn't speak because they were far apart.
Fortunately, Kana and Kushina were in the very front, so they couldn't see them like this, otherwise, in addition to feeling grief for the elder's passing, they would have another layer of sadness.
"Wherever tree leaves dance, flames will burn..."
"The shadow of the flames will illuminate the Village, and in turn, new leaves will sprout..."
Tsunade, as the only direct descendant of the Senju and Uzumaki Mito's granddaughter, was naturally present.
But there wasn't much sadness on her face, only the calm of having known early on that a loved one would leave, quietly listening as her teacher recited the eulogy for her grandmother.
Perhaps she, too, had cried like a child for her grandmother's passing at some unknown moment, but in public, she would always be the strong Konoha Princess.
As the ceremony was about to end, Tsunade called Naraku aside, and the two walked leisurely down a quiet path.
Autumn was about to pass, and it had rained last night, making the weather even colder and harsher.
Most of the surrounding trees were bare branches, countless fallen leaves spread underfoot, clinging to the ground with the dampness of dew.
"I'm leaving in an hour."
Tsunade informed Naraku of this news in an undeniable tone.
Even if she was leaving Konoha, she wouldn't abandon him like that, immediately following up with detailed instructions for the future arrangements.
"You can live normally, do missions, and even use your Sharingan in battle, but be careful not to do it too frequently."
"But you are absolutely not allowed to activate your Mangekyo; you can only use your Three-Tomoe Sharingan."
"Every week, you must communicate with me, reporting on your physical condition and study progress."
"Also, every three months, you will come find me outside the Village; I will tell you the specific time and place of our meeting in advance."
Hidden within Tsunade's slightly stern tone was an imperceptible affection.
The two were first doctor and patient, then master and apprentice, and having spent so much time together, her care for Naraku was entirely sincere.
Although their appearances and personalities were completely different, she could always see Nawaki's shadow in him.
Perhaps it was because, deep down in both children's hearts, there was the same gentle love for the world.
"Yes, Tsunade Sensei."
The young man's answer was as always, obedient and sincere: "Thank you for your careful guidance all this time."
"Mm."
In the bleak autumn wind, Tsunade casually brushed off a stray leaf that had somehow gotten stuck in her disciple's hair, still vaguely worried.
She wasn't unaware that the harmonious scene of the young saplings she had seen that morning hadn't reappeared since that night—Naraku always came to her for treatment alone, and then left alone.
Limited by her lack of understanding of the situation, she had held back repeatedly, but today she finally spoke up.
"Although I don't know what happened between you and that kid from Sakumo's family, you know that the Uchiha's bloodline limit sickness is most afraid of bad emotions."
"It's okay, I'm not that sad."
Naraku smiled at Tsunade, his expression flawless: "We are just walking on different paths."
Thwack!
A crisp flick landed on Naraku's forehead; he wasn't wearing his forehead protector today, so he fully felt the force Tsunade applied.
"Ow...!"
Naraku covered his head, his eyes teary, weakly accusing Tsunade of bullying him with his expression.
"You brat, you'd better not be lying to me."
Tsunade stood with her hands on her hips, looking fierce, then raised her hand and poked his head hard again.
"Take good care of yourself, got it?"
"Yes~"
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