The animation shows that several days have passed since that battle. Naraku and Kakashi's injuries have improved, so they returned to Konoha with Minato.
After the team disbanded, he went home with Kakashi, only to be summoned by Fugaku's men for a meeting.
On the way to Fugaku's house, Naraku seemed to have grown accustomed to returning to the clan grounds. He wasn't as nervous as before, and the surrounding chatter didn't faze him.
He watched the clean, bright street with focused eyes, observing the clan members around him whose expressions were slightly curious and surprised but not malicious, and Kakashi, who was close by his side.
Everything seemed so peaceful.
He lowered his gaze, seemingly lost in thought.
[He hasn't even had a drink yet.]
[Fugaku, you don't have to be so impatient, do you?]
[You'd better provide food, Fugaku!]
[Everyone seems suddenly interested in Naraku. Before, their attitude towards Naraku was pretty indifferent, like 'whoever'.]
[A Two-Tomoe Sharingan at nine years old? Which Uchiha wouldn't want to take a look?]
[Villager: Good morning, have you eaten?]
[Uchiha: Oh, how did you know we have a clan member who awakened Two-Tomoe Sharingan at nine?]
[You two, what are you trying to do? No challenging on the spot!]
[Actually, most Uchiha are pretty good.]
[That's right, most of them are ordinary and normal people.]
[They just don't know what Naraku suffered before.]
[Given the Uchiha's temper, if Fugaku hadn't kept it a secret, Shinji wouldn't have seen the light of day.]
[That's true.]
[What is Naraku thinking about?]
[Perhaps he's contemplating the future of the Uchiha?]
[The forum says Naraku actually understood. Now that he's back in the clan grounds, his feelings must be very complex.]
[After all, they're of the same clan. How could he not care?]
——
Naraku: ??? Who's backstabbing me?
There are so many analysts on the forum... He looked up at the sky, speechless.
——
Upon entering the Uchiha Clan Head's residence, Fugaku confirmed the intelligence was true and was overjoyed.
Even though he tried hard to hide it, the audience could see that he was absolutely beaming, wishing he could set off firecrackers at his doorstep to celebrate.
[Fugaku, restrain yourself a little.]
[His mouth is almost stretched to his ears.]
[Fugaku: It's New Year! It's New Year!]
[Since Kagami died, the Uchiha haven't had such a genius appear in a long time. How could he not be happy?]
Just as the audience was teasing Uchiha Fugaku, the scene switched to the Hokage Building.
Sunlight streamed in from the window behind Hiruzen Sarutobi, illuminating his back but obscuring his expression.
The camera zoomed in, making his expression clear, but it was filled with worry.
Hiruzen Sarutobi sucked on his pipe, exhaling a thin wisp of smoke, his eyes fixed on the detailed mission report submitted by Minato after his return.
The camera focused on the text on the scroll, informing the audience that this mere B-rank mission contained quite a few noteworthy incidents.
First, Matsukata underestimated the mission's difficulty, leading to an enemy far exceeding the Jonin level and causing casualties; then, the Matsukata mansion suffered extensive damage, a fact that could not be concealed and was likely known throughout the Land of Fire by now; and there was Uchiha Naraku awakening his Two-Tomoe Sharingan...
[Hiruzen: Family, who understands? Why can a B-rank mission cause so much trouble?]
[I bet Hiruzen Sarutobi is baffled right now. Why are there such strong tentacle monsters in the ninja world, and Konoha has no intelligence whatsoever? What is the intelligence department even doing?]
[Who can understand the frustration of starting work only to have a pile of messy problems waiting for you to clean up?]
[As a corporate slave, I understand all too well, boo hoo hoo hoo.]
Especially with Uchiha Naraku awakening the Sharingan at the age of nine, Hiruzen Sarutobi stared at it for a long time, letting out a deep sigh.
Those troublesome guys are going to get restless again.
And... Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes moved, realizing someone was rapidly approaching his office, so he put away the scroll, preparing to deal with his old friend.
"Hiruzen!"
Danzo Shimura pushed open the door and walked in, his cane clanking loudly on the floor.
"You must make a decision immediately!"
"I won't do anything, Danzo, and neither will you."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression was calm, completely unfazed by his old friend's agitated look, even warning the latter not to make any moves.
"I know what you're thinking, Danzo, but as Hokage, I tell you, you are not allowed to take any further actions against the Uchiha, especially Uchiha Naraku, to escalate internal village conflicts and worsen their clan's emotions."
[Who's getting restless?]
[This posture, is Danzo Shimura here to demand an explanation?]
[What decision is he talking about?]
[Targeting Naraku? Why target Naraku?]
[Further? You said 'further'? Has it happened before?]
[No wonder Matsukata Seigou said 'Uchiha' and 'protecting the family', and Naraku understood!]
[So Naraku really felt that his clan was being targeted!]
Just as most of the audience was still confused, Danzo Shimura's rebuttal finally answered their questions.
Like a clap of thunder, it pierced through the chaotic thick fog.
"Do you want to wait until that brat grows up and becomes a threat to all of Konoha?!"
"Sensei already said that the Uchiha are too unstable!"
"Who knows if he'll be the next Uchiha Madara?! By the time something happens, it will be too late!"
"Only by having him enter my Root can he be controlled to the greatest extent!"
[Huh???]
[Danzo Shimura, what kind of nonsense are you spouting?!]
[So it was you!!!]
[It all makes sense now, it all makes sense.]
[The prophet was right again, holy crap!!!]
[Reasonable suspicion that the prophet is actually an internal member of The Old Thief's team.]
[Good heavens, so Danzo Shimura really thought that way.]
[The dagger is revealed.]
[Old man! Stay away from our Naraku!]
[Dare to touch Naraku, and I'll scatter your ashes within three days!]
Hiruzen Sarutobi also grew a bit angry.
"The Uchiha haven't committed any excessive acts right now; it's your petty actions that will truly lead to such an outcome! I will not allow anyone to disrupt Konoha's stability, not even you!"
"Uchiha Naraku is not just a genius of the Uchiha; he is also the future of Konoha!"
"Moreover, doing this for no reason, how could it only enrage the Uchiha? Wouldn't Sakumo also protect his disciple?!"
[That's right, Hiruzen Sarutobi is right!]
[If their own genius is taken to the unseen Root, the Uchiha will definitely go crazy!]
[Everyone was getting along peacefully, but then you pull such a disgusting stunt, who wouldn't go crazy?!]
[Sakumo wouldn't agree either; he's very protective of his own.]
[Hit him, Hiruzen! You hit him!]
"Precisely because he is also Sakumo Hatake's disciple, you should be even more vigilant!"
"The Uchiha have never been honest. Now that they've used this brat to win over Sakumo Hatake, they'll become even more lawless in the future!"
"Give him to me, Hiruzen, and I will turn him into a qualified Root!"
Danzo Shimura argued vehemently, but Hiruzen Sarutobi remained unmoved.
"Danzo, I will not agree. As for the Uchiha and Sakumo, we will think of other solutions later."
Seeing that he couldn't get permission, Danzo Shimura's eyes widened, and he shouted, "You will regret this, Hiruzen!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi retorted angrily, "Danzo! I am the Hokage!"
Their echoes reverberated in the office, and they ultimately parted ways unhappily.
The door was slammed shut by a furious Danzo, making a loud Bang! sound.
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat back in his chair, letting out a deep sigh.
[So even such good friends can fall out over political disagreements.]
[Danzo's logic is simply insane. Did the Uchiha dig up his ancestors' graves or something?]
[Hiruzen Sarutobi tolerates him too much. This is not how you talk to a leader.]
[Danzo wouldn't go back and secretly pull some strings, would he?]
[I hate it! Such a handsome guy when he was young, now he's turned into a gloomy old man!]
[The wrinkles on his face make me feel incredibly disgusted.]
——
Sure enough, it's you again! Danzo Shimura!
Naraku gritted his teeth, looking at that old face, wishing he could jump into the screen and punch him.
Why does he chase after the Uchiha like a mad dog every day? What did the Uchiha ever do to him?!
The animation continued. Naraku calmed himself down and saw himself, completely unaware at the time, exchanging pleasantries with Fugaku.
——
By the time Naraku and Kakashi emerged from the Uchiha Clan Head's residence, it was already dark. There were no pedestrians on the street, only streetlights standing on both sides, casting a faint yellow light.
A dark figure suddenly rushed out of an alley, startling the audience. Some even thought Danzo had already made his move.
[Holy crap! Can't even wait a day?]
[Get out of the way, ah ah ah ah ah!]
[Naraku! Bastard, let him go!]
Kakashi restrained the opponent, but the man seemed unconcerned, laughing loudly and shouting that he was right, even praising Naraku as a good child.
Naraku called him "Father" in a choked voice.
Not only Kakashi, but even the audience was stunned.
The animator used a flashback to compare the man's face, and without his hair and beard, it was indeed Uchiha Shinji.
[Something's wrong... Who is this?]
[Are the assassins sent by Danzo that weak?]
[Huh? Scum Shinji?!]
[Holy crap, it's really him!]
[How did this guy end up like this?]
Uchiha Shinji babbled on, claiming he was not wrong, that everything he had done before was right, and it was because of his actions that Naraku awakened his Sharingan. He even called out his wife's name, saying she could finally rest in peace... He looked at Naraku as if he were looking at his own achievement.
To him, Naraku was a medal, a trophy, a sharp sword—not a living person.
[Shameless, utterly shameless.]
[If Kako were still alive, she would definitely awaken her Sharingan and kill you, you scum.]
[Naraku didn't awaken his Sharingan because of you; don't use your actions to insult him.]
[I I I I I I I holy crap!]
[I'm speechless; I don't even know how to curse him. This guy is truly despicable.]
Naraku understood everything. When Uchiha Shinji looked at him, it was not the look of a father at his child.
His expression was sorrowful and grief-stricken, like cracks in broken glass, a faint, unbearable sound of shattering escaping his throat.
[Wuwuwuwu Baby Naraku.]
[Don't cry, don't cry T﹏T.]
[He's about to break.]
[Scum Shinji, die for me!]
Kakashi pushed Uchiha Shinji away and quickly pulled Naraku away from that place.
Soothing background music played as they ran together, streetlights passing overhead one after another. The road grew wider and brighter.
It wasn't until they reached the Hatake Household's front gate that Kakashi stopped and called Naraku's name.
Naraku had always responded to him in everything, but this time his voice trembled slightly.
Kakashi turned and hugged Naraku, letting him lean on his shoulder, then looked up at the stars in the sky.
There were so many stars, so bright.
After a while, he complained that the Uchiha Clan Head had been too slow, making him hungry. Naraku went inside the house with him, muttering about having Ise Udon for dinner tonight.
All the windows of the entire house lit up, continuously releasing warmth into the dark night.
The camera zoomed higher and higher, the scene expanding from just the Hatake Household to an overhead view of all of Konoha.
The lights from every house on the ground gathered together, sparkling like a starry sky.
[Leave, leave the past behind, and go to a brighter place.]
[Go towards a better future, Naraku.]
[No need to look up; the person you love is heaven itself.]
[This is Naraku's true home.]
[Naraku is home, wuwuwuwu.]