Previous scene:
After an epic chase through Konoha, Sako tried to shake Naruto off by crossing a river with a shuriken technique...
But Naruto, boosted by the Kyūbi, jumped 10 meters to follow her.
CRACK!
The branch snapped under his weight.
BOOM!
A cloud of dust.
---
"Hey! Uzumaki Naruto, are you okay?!"
Sako cautiously approached the crater.
Poof!
Naruto stood up as if nothing had happened.
"I'm fine."
Then blood started to drip from his forehead.
"You're completely insane..."
Sako was overwhelmed with guilt.
The 'curse' imposed by Itachi...
Started to crack.
Naruto, pretending not to care, looked around.
Sako, exhausted, sat on a tree trunk.
The river marked the border between Konoha and the forest.
A secluded place.
"It's getting late..."
The sun was setting.
"Aren't you going home?"
"I... I'm foraging for wild mushrooms."
An obvious lie.
In Sako's mind:
Naruto = rejected by the village.
But not because of his personality.
A mystery only the adults knew...
An outcast. No family. No friends.
"Naruto..."
Her voice softened without her realizing.
"Is it hard... living alone?"
Naruto shrugged:
"No rules. I do what I want."
Lying came as easily as breathing.
"And... any friends?"
"Just a tenant who sometimes pays rent."
Kyūbi: '...'
"A girlfriend, then?"
In this world, teenage romances were normal.
"None."
Sako swung her legs, watching the sunset.
Strangely... peace.
"Well... you've passed the final test to be my friend."
She smiled, forgetting Itachi's warning.
For the first time... she disobeyed him.
Because her heart told her it was right.
Naruto wasn't a monster.
---
Ten minutes later...
With Sako gone, Naruto stayed under the stars.
Two plans:
1. Get close to Itachi through Sako (despite the obstacles).
2. Master Yang Release to force change.
"Your wound has healed..."
Yang + Kyūbi chakra = accelerated regeneration.
Next step:
Unlock the third tail.
But first...
Avoid Hayate and Yūgao.
Kyūbi, skeptical:
"You really want to help the Uchiha?"
Naruto, smiling:
"We're all one family under the Hokage's wing."
Behind that seemingly noble declaration...
Lurked a much darker ambition.
Kyūbi understood:
Sako was just a lever.
Like Hinata was for the Hyūga.
The true target?
Mikoto Uchiha.
And if Itachi resisted...
Then Izumi, the sweet one with almond eyes, would be added to the list.
The image of the kunoichi drifted through Naruto's mind...
Before vanishing into the deepening dark.
---
Uchiha District, the night before...
"WHY are you coming home so late?!"
Fugaku's thunderous voice startled Itachi.
He had never seen his father so angry.
Sako...?
Itachi rushed into the living room.
His sister, on her knees, lowered her head under Mikoto's disappointed gaze.
Coming home after sunset = breaking family rules.
And yet...
A blissful smile played on Sako's lips.
"Sorry, father..."
Her genuine tone slightly calmed Fugaku.
"I'm back."
Itachi redirected attention to himself.
Sako gave him a grateful look.
During dinner...
Itachi watched his sister devour her rice with unusual joy.
A day with Izumi, probably.
He could never have imagined the truth...
His sister had disobeyed for the first time.
His "well-raised cabbage" was being corrupted by the blond neighbor.
---
Two days later...
Small park in Konoha.
Sako, hands in her pockets, scanned the area.
"Uzumaki Naruto, you're too slow~!"
She had been waiting a good while.
"Sorry..."
Naruto scratched his head.
"I helped an old lady cross... then I got lost."
Yūgao, hidden: '...'
Pure Kakashi energy.
Shunshin no Shisui and Fugaku had returned to the front.
No major threats left...
"Yūgao, someone's coming."
Hayate pointed to Itachi, spying on his sister.
"The Uchiha prodigy... finalist today."
Why is he here?
Probably to watch over Sako.
Meanwhile...
Naruto smiled as he received the ticket from Sako.
They headed toward the arena, unaware of Itachi in the shadows.
He...
Clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white.
His sister...
Had ignored his warning.
That smile...
Like a knife to the heart.
"Uzumaki... Naruto!"
Overwhelmed by emotions...
His pupils turned scarlet.
The Sharingan evolved:
One more tomoe in each eye.
Two tomoe!
Yūgao and Hayate, shocked, felt a terrifying pressure.
Itachi's rage-distorted face froze them.
Then he vanished.
"Just... two tomoe... and I felt helpless..."
Hayate wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Yūgao nodded:
"Itachi hates Naruto."
But not because of the Kyūbi...
More like the archetype of the hated brother-in-law.
"Let's follow them."
At the arena, under the Hokage's watchful eyes...
Itachi wouldn't dare try anything.
At Naruto's home, same moment...
"Naruto-kun~..."
Hinata, a ticket in hand, stared at the empty house.
No one.
Only silence.
Aoba, relieved, urged her mistress:
"It's time to go... the trial's about to start..."
No Naruto = no problems.
Hinata, shoulders drooping, nodded.
Even her father was coming today.
An unspoken comparison between the Byakugan and the Sharingan.
An opportunity not to be missed...
But...
"Where could Naruto-kun be...?"
Her question remained unanswered, carried away by the wind.