Chapter 13: A Chance Encounter with Uchiha Shisui
On the streets, those who saw Naruto hurled the same curses and insults as always.
"This damn Demon Fox brat! Why is he still in the Village?!"
"This damn Demon Fox brat, why hasn't he died yet?!"
"How unlucky, I ran into this Demon Fox again."
"My wife went off with another man last night; it must be that damn Demon Fox brat's fault."
"I woke up with diarrhea this morning; it must have been brought on by this Demon Fox brat."
...
Naruto seemed used to all sorts of curses and insults, though he still felt a bit uncomfortable in his heart.
Just as unpopular as Naruto was the Uchiha Guard Squad, who frequently got into arguments with small-time vendors.
Seeing this, Naruto shook his head helplessly; the work of the Konoha Guard Department was no different from urban management officers in the modern world.
It was a thankless job, so it was only natural to be disliked.
However, the Third Hokage failed to provide proper guidance, and over time, Konoha's prejudice against the Uchiha only deepened.
Just as the vendor and the Uchiha Guard Squadwere about to come to blows, they were stopped by another Uchiha member wearing the guard uniform.
The Uchiha Guard Squad member who was almost hit looked at the vendor and said, "You've openly attacked a member of the Guard Squad. Come with us!"
"On what grounds are you arresting me...!"
Before the vendor could finish, he was seized by the Uchiha Guard Squad members.
The Uchiha member who had stopped the fight earlier said, "Forget it, Enka! He didn't actually hit you, and besides...!"
Before he could finish, he was interrupted by Uchiha Enka.
"Shisui! Are you even an Uchiha? Our Guard Squad is here to enforce the law. He didn't just attack the Guard Squad; he attacked the Uchiha. How can we let him trample on the Uchiha's glory?"
Hearing their conversation, Naruto looked toward Uchiha Shisui.
"So that's Uchiha Shisui. He really is quite the 'Holy Mother' type! For such a small matter, he'd be locked up for a few hours at most. It's no big deal, so why embarrass the Uchiha in the middle of the street?"
Sure enough, the vendor and Uchiha Enka had started arguing, and the vendor even began to resist violently.
Seeing this, Naruto knew what the outcome would be: the vendor would get a beating, Uchiha Shisuiwould step in to stop it, and finally, the vendor would leave grumbling curses.
Naruto walked for a while and saw Ichiraku Ramen. He had been in this world for over half a year, but this was his first time here.
"Should I go in and try some?"
Just as Naruto was muttering to himself...
Someone suddenly said to Naruto, "Let's go, it's my treat!"
Naruto turned back and saw it was Uchiha Shisui. He smiled, nodded, and said, "Sure!"
Uchiha Shisui smiled and led Naruto into Ichiraku Ramen.
"One bowl of tonkotsu ramen." (Which is actually pork bone broth ramen.)
After ordering, Uchiha Shisui looked at Naruto.
"What flavor would you like?"
Naruto smiled and said, "This is my first time eating out, so why don't you choose for me?"
Uchiha Shisui was a bit surprised by Naruto's words, but after a moment's thought, he understood. He nodded and looked at Teuchi, saying, "Two bowls of tonkotsu ramen!"
Although Hiruzen Sarutobi hadn't explicitly forbidden the Great Clans from approaching Naruto, how could the Great Clans not understand the implications of Hiruzen Sarutobi's and Danzo Shimura's actions?
The Great Clans didn't want to provoke a warning from Hiruzen Sarutobi for Naruto's sake, and they certainly didn't want Danzo Shimura's Rootshowing up at their doors.
Teuchi quickly finished the ramen. With his eyes narrowed, he looked at Naruto and Uchiha Shisuiand said, "Two bowls of tonkotsu ramen! Please enjoy!"
Uchiha Shisui looked at Teuchi and said, "Thank you, Boss Ichiraku."
Naruto also said thank you to Teuchi.
Just as Naruto was about to pick up his chopsticks to eat, he saw Uchiha Shisui press his hands together, hold the chopsticks between his thumbs, and say to the ramen, "Itadakimasu!"
Seeing this, Naruto felt a bit awkward. He knew about this custom in Japan—saying "Itadakimasu" before every meal to show respect for the food and gratitude to nature.
But Naruto just couldn't get used to it. Now, holding his chopsticks, he felt awkward whether he ate or not.
Uchiha Shisui thought Naruto didn't understand why he was doing it, so he quickly began to explain.
In fact, Uchiha Shisui assumed that Naruto simply hadn't been taught these things since he had no one to guide him.
Naruto nodded with an awkward smile and said, "Oh, I see. I understand!"
Having said that, Naruto had no choice but to follow Uchiha Shisui's lead and say, "Itadakimasu."
Then, Naruto didn't care anymore and started devouring the noodles with his chopsticks. He didn't want any more trouble; even having a meal was such a hassle.
Seeing that Naruto had learned, Uchiha Shisuismiled with relief and picked up his chopsticks to eat as well.
After finishing their noodles, Uchiha Shisui and Naruto strolled down the street together, unknowingly arriving at the edge of a forest.
Uchiha Shisui suddenly asked Naruto, "What do you think of the Village?"
"It's quite good!"
Uchiha Shisui waited for a moment, and seeing that Naruto had no intention of continuing, he asked with some surprise, "Is that all?"
"That's all!"
"The Village is just 'quite good'? Nothing else?"
Naruto smiled and asked Uchiha Shisui, "Then what else do you want me to say? Every day I walk down the street, I'm met with either curses or insults, and occasionally a beating. How else do you want me to describe the Village?"
"But the Village..."
"I know! You want to say the Village is where we survive, and it's inevitable that there are some unsightly parts. Their curses and insults are just because they don't understand me, and once they truly understand me, this won't happen anymore, right?"
Uchiha Shisui nodded.
"Since you understand all this, why did you only give it a 'quite good' evaluation?"
"I gave it a 'quite good' rating in comparison to the world outside the Village. Outside, bandits run rampant, killing and looting, and people lose their lives at the drop of a hat. It's everywhere. Am I wrong in my description?"
Uchiha Shisui naturally knew what it was like outside the Village, but Naruto's answer wasn't what he was looking for.
"What about inside the Village?"
"Inside the Village?"
"Yes, inside the Village?!"
Naruto sneered and said, "The tigers rule the wolves, and the wolves rule the sheep. The sheep strive to become wolves, but what the sheep don't know is that tigers eat sheep too."
Hearing this, Uchiha Shisui frowned as he looked at Naruto. Naruto's words were pointed, clearly telling Uchiha Shisui who the tigers, the wolves, and the sheep were.