The next day.
Naraku woke up from a jumbled dream, groggily went to the bathroom to wash up, and finally felt a bit more awake.
It was just dawn, and unable to sleep, he walked out to the veranda, picked a spot to sit, and squinted at the courtyard trees sparkling with light under the morning sun.
Since his injuries hadn't healed, he didn't have to go on missions these past few days; he just needed to recuperate at home.
However, as soon as he thought of Danzo, much of his good mood vanished, and he muttered "bad luck" under his breath.
After all, guarding against a thief for a thousand days is impossible; one is bound to slip up eventually, and he might inadvertently walk into the other party's trap at any time.
The feeling of only being able to react passively was very unpleasant, but he couldn't do anything about it. He couldn't just unlock his Mangekyo now, on credit, and stab Danzo to death, could he?
Not to mention that his popularity points weren't enough to unlock the Mangekyo; what about after he stabbed him? Would he just have to be on the run for the rest of his life? Would he abandon Kakashi and Sakumo?
"Hmph..." He let out a small sound of displeasure.
"What are you doing so early in the morning?"
A questioning voice suddenly sounded behind him. Naraku turned to look, and sure enough, it was Kakashi.
He walked over and sat next to Naraku.
"Hm... nothing," Naraku reverted to his usual cheerful self. "Today it's your turn to think about what we should have for breakfast."
"Tsk."
Kakashi rested his chin on his hand, annoyed, and began to ponder this difficult life question.
The two of them lingered on the veranda for a while, finally decided on breakfast, put on their coats, and headed out to the market to buy groceries.
"Ah! Kakashi! Naraku!"
A boisterous voice called out, and before Naraku and Kakashi could respond, the other person had already run over and slung an arm around both their shoulders.
"It's been so long since I've seen you two!"
Kakashi calmly replied, "It certainly has, dead last."
"Obito, long time no see."
Naraku had been a recluse since childhood. Less than a year after entering the Ninja Academy, he and Kakashi had graduated early together. He wasn't very familiar with Obito, who was also an Uchiha, so his response was a bit reserved.
"Kakashi, you! Don't always call me dead last!"
Obito immediately jumped away, pointing at Kakashi and shouting, "I'm telling you, I'll be graduating very soon too! Just you wait!"
With that, he finally noticed that both of them were more or less bandaged. Besides his body, Kakashi also had bandages wrapped around his white hair, and Naraku's face looked a bit pale.
"You guys are injured? Is it serious?"
Obito was not very well-informed and was a simple-minded person. He still didn't know that Naraku and Kakashi had gone on a mission far exceeding B-rank and almost didn't make it back alive.
"Yes," Naraku nodded. "But it's almost healed."
Obito patted his chest, "Don't worry! Once I graduate, the Great Obito will protect you guys!"
Kakashi always had a bit of a sharp tongue when facing Obito, riling him up effortlessly: "Bold words. You should first make sure you don't get held back a grade."
"I won't!"
Obito glared at Kakashi, pouting, then suddenly remembered that unlike these two, he still had to go to school.
Looking at the time again, he clutched his head in horror and shouted, "Oh no, I'm going to be late again! Teacher Hoshino will definitely be furious! I'm leaving now!"
"Always so boisterous," Kakashi commented, watching Obito dash off. "Fools really don't have many worries."
Naraku, however, quietly watched their interaction, thinking about that terrible future.
If he hadn't read the original story, who could have predicted that a hot-blooded idiot like Obito would later instigate the Fourth Great Ninja War and destroy the world?
Besides Danzo, he would also have to find a way to deal with Uchiha Madara and Black Zetsu in the future.
Living like this really taxed his brain cells.
"You seem to be spacing out a lot today."
"Huh?"
Naraku snapped back to reality, a hint of confusion on his face.
Kakashi stood in front of him, his brows slightly furrowed: "What exactly is wrong?"
Knowing he couldn't just brush it off this time, Naraku blinked and decided to blame it all on his Scum Father.
He gave an embarrassed smile: "Last night, I couldn't sleep."
Kakashi knew what he meant, sighed helplessly, then pinched Naraku's cheeks with both hands: "Forget about things like that quickly!"
"I know... So-sorry..."
Naraku replied with a bitter face, his words slurred.
When Kakashi let go and turned to walk towards the market, Naraku followed behind him, staring blankly at his back.
He finally realized why his mood had been so chaotic all morning.
It wasn't because Danzo was coming to cause him trouble. He had popularity points and a system; at worst, he could cheat his way out and defect, finding freedom in a vast world. What was there to be afraid of?
Subconsciously, he was worried about Kakashi and Sakumo, worried they would meet their original fates.
When he first arrived in this world, he viewed everything around him from an outsider's perspective; even his own reflection in the mirror seemed like he was looking at another person.
When did that change?
Day by day, he stopped being an observer and truly began to see himself as Uchiha Naraku, a member of this Ninja World.
He often wanted to change everything in the future, to protect Sakumo and Kakashi from enduring such dark destinies, to live out their lives peacefully.
At the same time, he knew that even if he tried his best, he might still not be able to change anything in the end.
It was most comfortable to be a carefree pleasure-seeker, not having to manage anything, not having to think about anything, just watching everything unfold in the world with a cold eye, laughing at the bizarre and the absurd.
But... Naraku looked ahead. Kakashi was bathed in sunlight, turning his head to tell him to hurry up.
He quickly caught up to Kakashi, walking beside him.
But he could no longer abandon all of this...