Chapter 283 : distance
After a day and a night of investigation by Fugaku, Kana's "boyfriend's" identity was revealed.
Arashi, male, 18 years old, is currently a Special Jonin, skilled in Water Release and Wind Release Ninjutsu.
He was Kana's only surviving teammate from the battle where they broke through Sunagakure's encirclement.
After escaping, Kana thought all her teammates had died.
It wasn't until the Mount Kikyo Battle ended, and the Konoha forces were driving the Sand Ninja out of the Land of Fire, that he was rescued from a hidden corner, barely alive and struggling stubbornly.
Once his body fully recovered, Arashi once again became Kana's companion, doing missions with her.
Approximately the day before Karin and Tsuru's wedding, he had just confessed his feelings to Kana and was given the chance to pursue her.
One more thing worth mentioning: Arashi's bloodline is very special; he is a descendant of a branch family of the Senju Clan.
The reason it took the Uchiha intelligence system so long to fully uncover this was because, starting from Arashi's grandfather's generation, their family had abandoned the Senju surname and integrated into Konoha, which increased the difficulty of the investigation.
It is said that Arashi has a good character; his neighbors all praise him for being cheerful, emotionally stable, and an honest, good young man.
Regarding this, Naraku stated that it still needed further observation.
The more accepted one appears externally, the more dark and twisted they might be internally.
Years ago, didn't Uchiha Shinji use love and his appearance to deceive Naraku's mother, even making Kako willingly risk her life to bear his child?
Regardless of gender, one must keep their eyes wide open when dating someone of the opposite sex.
Kana also knew she had been exposed long ago, so the day after Naraku received the information, she decided to get it over with, calling her most important family and friends to formally meet Arashi.
Everyone had a good impression of Arashi, and even Naraku didn't find anything suspicious for the time being, so he had to reluctantly accept it.
But if he dared to pull any stunts later, Naraku would definitely advise them to break up without discussion... At the Naka Shrine, the Uchiha Clan Meeting.
This was the first full Clan Member meeting held by the Uchiha Clan since the Third Great Ninja War.
The attendees included not only the elites who had awakened the Sharingan but also most of the ordinary Uchiha.
A thousand people sat neatly arranged in the venue, a truly spectacular sight.
Fugaku first fully affirmed the Uchiha Clan's outstanding contributions in the Third Great Ninja War and mourned the sacrificed Clan Member.
Whether on the Kumogakure front or the Hidden Mist front, the Uchiha Clan as a whole performed impeccably, brave and resilient.
Later, he highlighted several promising members of the new generation, announcing that the clan would provide focused support to these individuals to help them grow as quickly as possible.
It wasn't until the grand clan meeting was almost over that Fugaku dropped the most significant news of the evening.
Uchiha Naraku would become his adopted son and gain the status of Young Clan Head of the Uchiha Clan.
When he stepped down, the next Clan Head would be Uchiha Naraku, unequivocally.
Naraku: No, is it that sudden? (Confused)
"Who agrees, who objects?"
Fugaku scanned the surroundings, his authoritative and deep voice echoing throughout the shrine.
Uchiha: ...Do I even have the right to object?
The two or three elders who usually opposed Fugaku quickly lowered their heads, contemplating their noses and hearts, not uttering a single sound.
Everyone knew this was an announcement, not a discussion.
Fugaku, possessing the Mangekyo, was already strong enough to make them unable to resist, and having won battle after battle in the past two years, his prestige was at its peak.
Naraku was even the strongest Uchiha today, his Eternal Mangekyo even more invincible than Fugaku's.
Were they so full of themselves that they had to choose this moment to challenge them?
They would truly die without knowing how they died.
Fugaku was very satisfied with the elders' discretion and made the final decision: "Since no one has any objections, then this matter is settled."
And so, Naraku transformed, directly becoming the Uchiha Clan's Clan Head successor, and the scrutiny he received when out and about intensified...
The weather grew hotter, the sun poured down on the earth, and the intense chirping of cicadas added to the oppressive heat.
Naraku had just finished buying groceries and was about to head home to cook for Kakashi, but before he even entered the Uchiha Clan Compound, he encountered a red-faced girl his age in an alley.
"Good afternoon! Naraku-senpai! Please accept this!"
Naraku looked at the girl presenting a pink envelope with both hands and thought, "Sure enough, it's like this again."
He was never surprised to receive love letters.
The Third Great Ninja War had made Uchiha Naraku famous, and coupled with a face somewhat resembling Izuna and Sasuke, it was impossible not to attract admirers.
Where there was one, there would be a second, a third... This was already the 126th love letter he had received recently.
—Well, I can't help it, I'm just that popular~
Naraku felt a small, slightly conceited sense of pride in his heart.
However, he didn't show this emotion, but instead feigned a troubled frown, as if he felt it was neither good to accept nor to refuse.
The girl opposite him was bent over, head down, knowing that her chances were slim, like the others before her, so she said very frankly.
"It's okay if you don't accept it after reading, Naraku-senpai!"
"I just want senpai to know my feelings!"
"I want you to know that you are truly very popular! Many people in Konoha like and admire you!"
With things said to this extent, refusing would be impolite.
Naraku gently took the envelope, his tone soft: "...Okay, I'll read it."
The girl looked up in surprise, her eyes sparkling: "Really!? Thank you, Naraku-senpai!!"
In a blink, the other party was gone, and Naraku skillfully placed the envelope in his grocery basket, continuing his walk home.
After preparing the ingredients and putting them in a pot to stew, Naraku organized the several love letters he received today and took them out to read one by one.
After all, they wrote them so sincerely; accepting them and not reading them would be a bit of a waste of their effort.
Among the more than a hundred letters he had read, there was genuine admiration and false flattery, but without exception, almost no one knew what kind of existence "Uchiha Naraku" truly was.
Most of the confessing girls had rarely met Naraku, let alone spent a long time with him.
They merely pieced together an image they adored in their hearts through legendary stories, his status as the Young Clan Head of the Uchiha, a powerful bloodline holder, and other such information.
Their affection for him was more about yearning and pursuit.
Although this feeling was beautiful and pure, the truth was as Aizen said, admiration is the emotion furthest from understanding.
There were very few people in this world who understood "Uchiha Naraku."
Moreover, "Uchiha Naraku" was essentially just one part of Naraku's true self that he presented.
Kakashi's weak, heat-stricken greeting came from the doorway: "I'm home."
"Welcome back."
Naraku snapped out of it, quickly took ice pops from the freezer, holding two sticks, and shared one with Kakashi.
Glancing at the opened letter on the table, Kakashi gnawed on his ice pop and complained helplessly, "You really read every single one."
"After all, it's their sincerity…" Naraku asked curiously, "By the way, why doesn't Kakashi get any?"
—Judging by Kakashi's popularity since his ninja academy days, it's impossible for no girls to like him, right?
—The famous "sōgari," handsome and strong, yet he doesn't even receive a single love letter?
—Is that reasonable? That's not reasonable.
Hearing Naraku's question, Kakashi turned his head and explained with an unnatural expression, "Too much trouble, I refused all of them."
Naraku was speechless.
—Serves you right for being single for forty years in the original timeline, Kakashi!
"At least give them a chance to express themselves…"
Naraku muttered as he put away the letters, casually saying, "If this continues, Kakashi won't find a girlfriend…"
Kakashi's unperturbed voice quietly echoed in his ear.
"What, does Naraku wish for me to have a girlfriend?"
Perhaps it was because he was eating an ice pop, but Naraku suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, and he involuntarily shivered.
"N-no…"
...(Friends, I'm discharged from the hospital today! I'm very busy, so I couldn't write much. I need to carefully consider the remaining thousand words, so I'll make it up tomorrow at noon. I'm really sorry…)
(I've finished making it up! Hehe!)
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