On the street.
Kakashi walked down the road with Uzumaki Naruto, yet the boy could feel that the crushing malice once aimed at him in the old Village no longer pressed in from every side.
Now and then someone might still radiate hostility, yet even they dared not hurl insults as before; the moment they noticed Kakashi they would flinch, then hurry out of sight.
Naruto, puzzled.
Glancing at Kakashi, he couldn't help asking, "Uncle Kakashi, why are those people who hate me running away?"
"They're afraid—terrified," Kakashi answered simply. "Because of what I am: a Ninja."
"The Village we're in now isn't the one you knew. Here, Ninja stand high above ordinary folk."
"They can't afford to offend us, so of course they hide."
"Listen, Naruto."
"The hatred you once faced is over. From this day on, no one will dare show you open malice."
"Your job is to grow up happy. That's what your father and mother would have wanted to see."
"On that, you have my word."
Kakashi's face was resolute; in the past he truly had lacked the power.
Now, everything was different.
In this new Village he possessed both the strength and the status to protect his teacher's child.
As for Naruto's future, he wasn't worried.
First.
Most of New Konoha's citizens had arrived only within the last two years from other parts of the Land of Fire; they had never known Uzumaki Naruto, and having no contact with the Old Konoha carried none of its prejudices.
Second.
The status of Ninja had risen.
New Konoha and Old Konoha were worlds apart; here shinobi ranked far above civilians, who had neither right nor qualification to speak of Ninja affairs.
Ninja were the rulers, the predators.
Even migrants from Old Konoha had to accept that reality, grudgingly or not.
Indeed.
This was no longer the old Village—if you didn't like it, you could leave.
Over the past two-plus years Kakashi had slowly come to understand why Uchiha Jin had chosen to build New Konoha rather than fight for power within the old one.
Had Jin wrestled for control inside Old Konoha, even victory would have left him tangled in its entrenched interests; reform would have been nearly impossible.
Most people simply refused to accept change.
By stepping back to create New Konoha, he could draw on a blank scroll: as founder he met no restraints, and no one could defy Uchiha Jin's will.
As now—when migrants from Old Konoha wished to enter, their only option was to accept, however unwillingly, the laws Uchiha Jin set.
No one begged them to stay.
"Uncle Kakashi—thank you."
At last Naruto exhaled fully.
The wire taut inside him since childhood finally slackened; he could feel the goodwill of this new settlement, the old crushing malice gone without trace.
Precisely because of that,
for the first time he truly accepted Kakashi.
And that was exactly what Uchiha Jin wished to see; at times he even felt that the Ashura Chakra surfacing inside Naruto was a fine thing.
Just as the Naruto of the original tale would have given everything for Konoha,
now, however,
he would give everything for himself—and for this new Village, whose Hokage he would one day defend with his life.
A top-class workhorse.
Had they remained within Old Konoha's fences, Naruto might have become an enemy; Jin would have had to stoke the boy's resentment.
But now?
A simple shift of standpoint, and Naruto had become his most devoted draught animal.
…Three in the afternoon.
After buying quilts, toiletries, and bags of groceries, Kakashi led Naruto to his home:
a three-courtyard compound.
Even larger than Kakashi's former house in Old Konoha by several times.
Still,
the yard was only a symbol of status; Kakashi had no interest in hiring servants…Five o'clock.
It took a full two hours before Kakashi cleared a sun-facing room beside his own bedroom.
Open the window and golden light poured in; surveying the view outside, he felt a rare touch of languor.
"All right, Naruto."
"This is your room from now on. We'll make the bed, hang your new clothes in the wardrobe, then you're free to play."
"As for me, I have to start dinner."
"Tonight we're having guests."
Kakashi smiled.
Meanwhile,
gazing at the tidy room and the wardrobe stuffed with new clothes, especially at the garden visible through the window… Is this really my new home?
Naruto's face broke into a grin.
Clearly,
at this moment a spark of anticipation for his new life had ignited.
Energized, Naruto began folding his new clothes, stacking them neatly inside the cupboard.
A little later,
once everything was arranged, Kakashi led him to the living-room. "You may roam anywhere—read in the study, watch TV if you're bored."
"The little garden outside is perfect for games!"
"Play by yourself for now; I need to cook."
"After our guests leave tonight, I'll guide you in drawing out your Chakra."
No longer the listless man he once was, Kakashi had no interest in Jiraiya's novels either; he wasn't worried Naruto would stumble upon certain embarrassing books.
In the past such reading had merely been a way to keep his mind occupied,
for the moment he grew idle,
memories of old pain would flood back.
Meanwhile,
hearing this, Naruto's eyes lit up.
"Draw out Chakra?"
"Uncle Kakashi, are you going to teach me Ninjutsu?"
Kakashi ruffled the boy's hair and chuckled. "Yes, Ninjutsu."
"By next year you'll enter the Ninja Academy; it's time to lay the groundwork."
"Off you go and play."
"I've got work to do!"