The crackling sound of firewood woke Naruto from his sleep.
He rubbed his eyes, lifted the blanket covering him, and thanked Uchiha Shisui, returning the blanket. The blanket bore the familiar symbol of the Uchiha clan, the fan emblem, known far and wide. Naruto recalled seeing this pattern all over the Fujiwara household as well.
Shisui smiled weakly and took the blanket, but he didn't have the energy to say much. He just sat on a log, lost in thought. The others had gotten used to this. The Uchiha genius seemed distant and aloof, always silent on the road and often spacing out during rest. No one knew what he was thinking, but after spending two days with him, it was clear that Shisui was a rare, kind soul.
He wasn't just an anomaly within the Uchiha clan; in all of Konoha, there weren't many people as genuinely kind-hearted as him.
He was cheerful, open, polite, and always had a smile for everyone. His manner was refreshing, but what was most admirable was that this wasn't a display of emotional intelligence—it was a reflection of his innocent nature.
Naruto had fallen asleep against his backpack, and Shisui hadn't forgotten to cover him with the blanket.
"Naruto, get up and wash your face. It's time to eat," Akimichi Chōza called, stirring a large pot of soup.
As the leader of the Akimichi clan, not many knew that Chōza had decent cooking skills. Cooking wasn't a family tradition—Akimichi clan members loved to eat, but they didn't particularly enjoy cooking. Chōza's skills came from his experience on the battlefield, and only those who had fought alongside him knew about it.
Tonight's dinner was pork soup with grilled rice balls.
The enticing aroma filled the air, and Naruto's stomach growled. After a day of travel, he was exhausted, and being a growing teenager, he was always hungry. He hurried to wash his face at a nearby stream, with Kakashi silently trailing behind him like a ghost.
It had been two days since they left Konoha, and Kakashi was still pondering how to talk to Naruto. The connection between them was the Fourth Hokage, but Naruto didn't know he was the Fourth's son, and Kakashi didn't know if he should reveal this secret.
Without this link, Kakashi felt he had no reason to look after Naruto.
He had sought advice from Aburame Shibi and Akimichi Chōza, but neither had given him a clear answer. Should Naruto's identity be revealed? The village's leaders were conflicted. They feared that if they kept it hidden, Naruto might one day resent the village, but revealing it now might cause him to lose control…
As the higher-ups sighed, they quietly cursed the Third Hokage for his poor handling of the situation. A valuable jinchūriki, the Nine-Tails host, had been neglected, causing endless trouble for his successors.
"Uncle Chōza, how much longer do we have to go?" Naruto asked as he grabbed a grilled rice ball. It had become a routine question, even though he knew the answer.
"If all goes well, tomorrow we should reach a place where we won't have to eat in the wild anymore," Chōza replied, holding a bowl much larger than anyone else's, practically half the size of the pot.
If Naruto were older, they would've reached their destination by now. Ninja could travel at astonishing speeds, and those who could manipulate chakra could move quickly without being taught.
"Tomorrow?" Naruto's eyes lit up.
He would finally see Fujiwara tomorrow. He had so much he wanted to talk about, and the thought of the battlefield didn't concern him—he didn't fully understand it yet.
Meanwhile, Kakashi finished his dinner and disappeared into the nearby forest. He drew his small sword, the blade glowing coldly under the moonlight. Like a phantom, he appeared behind a rogue ninja, swiftly ending the man's life. Blood sprayed onto the tree trunks as the lifeless body slumped.
And this was only the beginning.
Kakashi had become a reaper, cutting down the greedy and foolish rogues who had planned to attack and kidnap Naruto under cover of darkness. The assailants didn't know who had hired them, but after interrogating them to no avail, Kakashi had no choice but to kill them all.
He wasn't the only one. Uchiha Shisui, silent and deadly, killed even more enemies. Soon, Chōza and Might Guy's shadow clones joined the massacre.
"Shisui, Kakashi, any clues?" Chōza asked, kicking over a body.
"As before, no idea who hired them," Shisui replied quietly.
This was the seventh attack in two days. Since leaving the village, Naruto's group had been constantly ambushed. The dark side of the ANBU, Konoha's elite force, had suffered heavy casualties, and they still hadn't uncovered the mastermind.
"It's either the Cloud or Stone Village," Shibi Aburame stated, his real body present since his clan's insect-based techniques didn't work with shadow clones.
"Most likely the Cloud. They're the most aggressive."
Everyone nodded in agreement. There wasn't much need for proof; only a few villages had the nerve to target Konoha's Nine-Tails jinchūriki. The Sand Village was still recovering, and Mist's spies had already been wiped out.
That left Cloud and Stone, both capable of gathering intel on Naruto's route and hiring skilled rogues to attack. Konoha's ANBU hadn't fallen so far as to be overwhelmed by mere wanderers.
"One more night. Before we left, the Hokage sent word to the Uchiha clan leader. Reinforcements will arrive tomorrow morning," Chōza reassured the group.
While this wasn't entirely necessary—everyone here was a seasoned veteran of the Third Great Ninja War—it was still encouraging to hear.
"Don't worry, Chōza-senpai! Kakashi and I will protect Naruto with our lives!" Guy said enthusiastically, glancing at Kakashi. "Right, Kakashi?"
"...I'll protect Naruto with my life," Kakashi replied, though he didn't bother to engage with Guy's usual energetic antics. Today, however, Guy was right. Having lost so much already, Kakashi was determined not to lose anything more.
"Wasn't it expected? Without the Byakugan or Yamanaka's mind techniques, we're up against Aburame, who's skilled with insects. If it were that easy, we'd have to suspect a trap."
"But we're running out of time. If Konoha's reinforcements arrive, we'll miss our chance."
On a distant hill, a group of Cloud ninjas gathered.
Shibi Aburame's deduction had been correct. It was indeed the Cloud ninjas behind the attacks, rogue agents operating without waiting for orders from the Raikage.
"We can't act recklessly."
The speaker was a large, weathered man with gray hair. He clenched his fists. "If we attack now, we'll suffer unnecessary losses. No one makes a move until Konoha's reinforcements arrive."
"And if they arrive too late?" a younger ninja asked.
"Then capturing the Nine-Tails isn't meant to be this time. You can't rush things or you'll die. If you waste the village's resources, that's what's unforgivable," the older man scolded.
Chastised, the younger ninja fell silent.
Once alone, the older man's face showed signs of fatigue. He didn't know if his decision was right, having committed so many resources to this mission. If they failed… he shook his head, trying not to think about it.
If Konoha's reinforcements arrived in time, they would have to retreat without a fight. But if the Cloud's support came through, they would have the confidence to act.