"Naruto Uzumaki, no sleeping in class!"
Iruka Umino stood beside Naruto and shouted sharply, immediately waking him from his pleasant daydream.
After they returned, Naruto had tried to focus seriously for a bit, but soon the drowsiness overwhelmed him, and he lay down.
Sasuke, however, completely ignored Naruto's behavior. He paid attention diligently since he needed the knowledge for upcoming exams.
But Naruto—no matter how hard he tried—only grew sleepier. Whether it was because of the Nine-Tails or some other reason, he just couldn't stay awake.
"Teacher Iruka, please don't be angry. I promise I won't do it again."
Naruto looked up with a face full of grievance. He really was getting sleepier and sleepier, it wasn't because he didn't want to learn.
But this sleepiness was something he couldn't control.
"No next time. Class is over now. Go home."
Iruka glared at Naruto, but if he wanted to punish him, it would have to wait for another time.
There were some issues today—like Naruto moving in with the Uchiha—so Iruka made a mental note to deal with it later.
"Class is over? Then, we'll be going now. Thank you, Teacher Iruka!"
Seeing the looks from other classmates, Naruto suddenly smiled brightly, grabbed Sasuke's hand, thanked Iruka, and dashed out.
He had to pack his things; soon, he'd be moving into Sasuke's house.
As for everything else, it could wait!
"Sasuke... maybe you go home first. I'll pack up and come over by myself. I..."
They reached the doorway when Naruto suddenly stopped, looking conflicted and unwilling to let Sasuke come inside.
His own home was a mess. If Sasuke saw it, he'd probably dislike it, especially since Sasuke's place was so neat.
"I'll wait for you outside. Hurry up and pack."
Sasuke seemed to guess the reason and stood at the door, not planning to go in.
He needed to think more about what the Third Hokage's true intentions were.
Maybe the task he gave Kakashi was really to teach him and Naruto the Sharingan, but a task doesn't always reflect a person's true thoughts.
Was it meant to subtly brainwash them through Kakashi?
Or to test Sasuke's talent — how strong or weak he really was?
Or perhaps to guard against Danzo or someone else plotting something sinister.
Anything was possible. But one thing Sasuke was sure of: the Third Hokage wasn't exactly benevolent.
That old man looked kind, but his heart was likely darker than Danzo's.
If not for Orochimaru's Konoha Collapse Plan, the Third Hokage would have crushed Danzo completely without any resistance.
For now, Sasuke would just wait and see. At this moment, he couldn't even fully control half of the Nine-Tails' chakra, and he barely had any usable ninjutsu.
His strength was still far from enough!
"Sasuke, I-I'm done packing!"
After a while, Naruto came out carrying a big backpack on his back and two more bags in his hands.
They contained his change of clothes, toiletries, and whatever food he could still eat at home.
"Give me those."
Sasuke took the two bags from Naruto's hands and turned toward his home.
That guy even brought food — hopefully none of it was expired milk, or else it'd just be for watering plants.
"Sasuke, thank you."
Naruto stood at the door, and after seeing Sasuke start to walk away, he quietly whispered a thank you.
His voice was almost inaudible, and he said it sincerely.
But when Sasuke turned back to look at him, Naruto's face immediately broke into a mischievous grin as he quickly caught up.