At the gates of Konoha, Itachi swiftly and skillfully knocked out the guards. Coincidentally, the ones on duty today were the same two men Kaito had encountered before.
From the shadows, Kisame stepped out with Samehada slung over his shoulder. He glanced at the two men lying on the ground and raised his blade, ready to strike them down.
Itachi suddenly turned his head, sharply commanding,
"Stop!"
Samehada froze midair. Kisame tilted his head and asked,
"Itachi-san, if these two wake up, won't you be in danger?"
In the night, Itachi's Sharingan—three tomoe spinning in each eye—glowed a blood-red hue. His voice was calm and firm.
"They're already caught in my genjutsu. They won't wake up tonight. We're here only to gather information, nothing more. Don't create unnecessary trouble."
Kisame respected Itachi greatly. He retracted Samehada and nodded slowly.
"Alright then. But Itachi-san, be careful. If anything happens, I'll rush in right away."
A rare warmth stirred in Itachi's chest. He spoke softly,
"Mm. Thank you, Kisame."
Kisame grinned, revealing a row of jagged, shark-like teeth, a sight both menacing and eerie.
Itachi gave him a nod before his body scattered into a flock of crows, flying straight into Konoha.
...
Inside Minato's home,
Kaito and the others were sitting together around the table, eating dinner. Naruto was shoveling rice into his mouth without pause, while Minato wore a warm smile as he gently said,
"Naruto, slow down. Once you're done, I'll give you another helping."
Kaito cast Minato a sideways glance, thinking to himself,
This guy's getting more and more motherly. He can't even hide that bottom energy anymore!
With his cheeks bulging full of food, Naruto mumbled through a mouthful,
"Mmff... Dad, your cooking's amazing! Almost as good as Ichiraku Ramen!"
Minato froze for a moment. He knew Ichiraku's ramen well—it was indeed delicious. But to Naruto, could it really taste better than his cooking?
He had always been confident in his own skills in the kitchen. Back then, he was too busy as Hokage, so Kushina had done most of the cooking.
Kakashi spoke quietly from the side,
"Sensei, when Naruto was a kid, he rarely ate anything good. The shopkeepers wouldn't sell him fresh food. Only Ichiraku's owner never cared about his identity—he even looked after him often."
"...So that's how it was."
Memories of Naruto's lonely childhood came back to Minato.
And yes—Ichiraku's owner really had appeared many times in those moments. Always with a kind face, in stark contrast to everyone else.
At that thought, Minato's small twinge of jealousy faded away, replaced only with deep gratitude toward Teuchi, the man behind Ichiraku.
He reached out, ruffling Naruto's hair.
"Naruto, how about tomorrow I take you to Ichiraku Ramen myself?"
"For real?! That's awesome! I've got tons of ramen coupons saved up! Kaito-senpai, Kakashi-sensei, you guys wanna come too?"
Kakashi waved his hand, feeling it was better not to intrude on father and son.
Kaito set down his chopsticks and said,
"I'll pass. And the two of you going alone... doesn't feel quite right. Better wait a bit."
Minato and Naruto exchanged a glance, neither of them quite understanding what Kaito meant.
Kaito chuckled softly, his gaze drifting to the photo on the wall—Minato and Kushina together, smiling radiantly with their arms around each other.
Minato still seemed unconvinced, about to ask further when suddenly, a knock sounded at the door.
Naruto instantly raised his hand.
"I'll get it!"
When he used to live alone, hardly anyone ever visited—let alone at dinnertime, when families were usually together.
That made him extra excited. He dashed over, flung the door open, and froze for a second before breaking into a wide grin.
"Sasuke!? What are you doing here? Come in!"
But Sasuke didn't step inside. He simply asked,
"Kaito... is Kaito-senpai here?"
Naruto's expression stiffened. He thought Sasuke was here for him. Still, he nodded.
"Kaito-senpai's inside. Why are you looking for him?"
Sasuke nodded to himself, muttering under his breath,
"Good... he's here."
Determination flickered in his eyes. He brushed past Naruto, heading straight inside.
Naruto hurried to follow, whispering beside him,
"You dare come looking for Kaito-senpai? Aren't you scared he'll beat you up again?"
Sasuke's steps faltered for a moment. He shot Naruto a fierce glare and snapped,
"Idiot!"
"What!? I was just being nice and warning you, and you call me an idiot?!"
Sasuke fought back the urge to smack Naruto, following the smell of food until he reached the dining room.
Kakashi blinked in surprise at his arrival, wondering,
Why is Sasuke here? He's got no connection to Minato-sensei at all.
Minato, however, stood up with a smile.
"You must be Sasuke, right? Naruto mentioned you before—said you're his best friend."
Naruto panicked.
"Dad, what are you saying!? I never said that!"
Sasuke cast him a glance, the corner of his mouth twitching into the faintest smirk. Kaito, the only one who caught it, muttered inwardly,
"Why don't the two of you just get married already?"
Minato turned to Naruto, feigning shock.
"But you did say it! You also said you'd definitely bring Sasuke back to Konoha. And now that he's back, why won't you admit it? Are you embarrassed?"
Naruto's face flushed red, steam almost visibly rising from his head.
Sasuke's heart tightened at the words. He pinched his thigh hard to keep himself grounded.
Then, locking eyes with Kaito, he suddenly dropped to his knees in front of everyone with a loud thud.
"Kaito-senpai! Please take me as your student!"
Kakashi raised an eyebrow. Technically, he was Sasuke's teacher...
Naruto was dumbfounded. Minato looked on with quiet amusement, turning his gaze toward Kaito.
Kaito rose slowly from his chair, stepping in front of Sasuke. His voice was calm.
"Give me one reason."
Sasuke's Sharingan spun to life. He spoke each word with burning resolve.
"For power!"
"What will you do with this power? Do you still want to take revenge on Itachi?"
"No! I just want to grow stronger. I want to show Itachi I don't need his protection anymore. I'll be the one to bring him back!"
Naruto blinked. This... sounds way too familiar.
Kaito studied Sasuke's eyes, then shook his head.
Sasuke's gaze dimmed instantly, assuming Kaito had rejected him. Rising slowly to his feet, he spoke in a low voice,
"Sorry for disturbing you."
He turned to leave—
But Kaito suddenly said,
"He's already back."