Chapter 66 Naruto in the Uchiha Clan
Naruto ran headlong into the Uchiha clan compound. He occasionally encountered a few members of the security detail, initially intending to scold them for running around in the streets, but after recognizing them, he wisely ignored them. However, when Naruto finally stopped, exhausted, he suddenly realized he was lost.
Naruto wandered aimlessly through the Uchiha clan grounds, quickly discovering that this place was different from the rest of the village.
Although the people here were busy, almost everyone who saw him treated him like an ordinary child, unlike the people in other parts of the village who would verbally abuse him. Several old women even stopped to ask if he was lost when they saw he was alone.
This was a completely new experience for Naruto, which was understandable. Since the Nine-Tails' attack forced the entire Uchiha clan to relocate to the outskirts of the village, ordinary Uchiha members had little interaction with the villagers. The Uchiha clan had a market within their territory to meet their daily needs, and given the Uchiha's notoriety, few villagers visited their territory.
Therefore, aside from the ninja, ordinary clan members had little contact with the village. Their knowledge of Naruto's alleged demon fox was limited to knowing of his existence but not knowing who he was. Under these circumstances, ordinary Uchiha members naturally wouldn't associate Naruto, a seven-year-old child, with the demon fox.
Just as Naruto was enjoying this rare peace, a somewhat cold voice rang out: "Loser, what are you doing here?"
Hearing the familiar voice, Naruto turned around abruptly and saw a familiar figure looking at him from around the corner.
"Sasuke? What are you doing here?" Although the two didn't get along well at school, Naruto was pleasantly surprised to run into an acquaintance in this unfamiliar environment.
"My home is over here, why can't I be here?" Sasuke tried his best to maintain his arrogant genius persona, but the slight joy in his eyes betrayed his happiness at seeing Naruto.
"Oh, so your home is over here." Naruto casually approached, but upon reaching Sasuke, he suddenly remembered how Sasuke had addressed him and immediately complained, "I'm not a loser anymore!"
Although Naruto had only been living at Kakashi's house for a short time, and Kakashi hadn't had time to teach him any powerful ninjutsu, some simple taijutsu techniques were enough for Naruto to handle ordinary civilian children in combat classes.
Although his theoretical grades hadn't improved much due to his frequent truancy, he was no longer considered a loser.
"You can't beat me anyway, so what if I call you a loser?" Sasuke pouted, then asked, "What are you doing here?"
"Huh? I think Kakashi-nii said he'd take me to a big meal, and then I got lost," Naruto said, scratching his head.
"A big meal? Are you here for the clan's banquet? Then come with me," Sasuke said.
So Naruto followed Sasuke, and the two headed towards the banquet venue.
This banquet was hosted by Uchiha Touhuan, and as the host, the elder of the Uchiha clan, Uchiha Fugaku naturally had to attend. In addition, Uchiha Touhuan had reminded Fugaku to bring Sasuke along before leaving work yesterday, so today, apart from Uchiha Itachi, who Fugaku had sent out to inspect the clan's businesses in the Land of Fire to avoid seeing them, the entire Fugaku family was there.
Uchiha Mikoto also arrived at the banquet venue early to help the clan greet the guests.
Mikoto was taken aback when she saw her youngest son approaching with a blond-haired boy.
"Sasuke," she called, urging her son to come quickly.
Hearing his name called, Sasuke ran over with Naruto.
"And who is this?" Mikoto asked, but seeing Naruto's blond hair, she already had a guess.
"Mom, this is Naruto, my classmate," Sasuke said.
"Hello, Auntie, my name is Uzumaki Naruto," Naruto said politely, despite his mischievous nature.
"Uzumaki?" Mikoto's expression faltered for a moment upon hearing this; this was her best friend's son.
"Auntie, do you know me?" Naruto asked, intrigued by Mikoto's reaction.
"I've heard Sasuke mention you." Mikoto snapped out of her daze and forced a smile.
"Mom, when did I ever tell you about him!" Sasuke immediately retorted.
Mikoto quickly pressed Sasuke's raised hand down and then smiled at Naruto, saying, "Naruto, right? I'll be entrusting Sasuke to your care from now on, and you can always…"
Mikoto's words trailed off as she realized Naruto's identity.
Just then, a voice rang out beside her.
"You can come over anytime you want to play."
Mikoto turned around and saw Fugaku had walked over at some point, with Uchiha Touhuan and Kakashi smiling and looking in their direction.
"Dad! Teacher!"
"Kakashi-nii!"
The two children greeted each other upon seeing the familiar faces.
"Naruto, if I'm away on a mission, you can come and visit Uncle Fugaku, Aunt Mikoto, and your brother Touhuan," Kakashi instructed Naruto.
At that moment, Touhuan approached Sasuke, patted his head, and said, "Sasuke, since we have friends here, you must treat them well. Don't forget what your teacher taught you."
"I know!" Sasuke nodded. "It's a pleasure to have friends coming from afar."
After the two children went off to play, Mikoto glanced at everyone with some concern.
"Don't worry, Mikoto-nee," Uchiha Touhuan said with a smile. "We didn't interact with this child before because we were afraid some people would make a big deal out of it, but it's different now."
Hearing this, Uchiha Mikoto breathed a sigh of relief, nodded, and said, "So, does that mean I can take care of this child from now on?"
"That's true. Mikoto-sama, you and your master's wife are good friends. As a single man, there are many things I can't handle when taking care of a child. Sometimes, you'll have to help look after Naruto," Kakashi added.
"Mikoto, I know you've been worried about this child all these years," Fugaku said. "From now on, take care of him openly and honestly. Let some people see that the Uchiha clan wouldn't make a fuss over a seven-year-old child."
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(End of Chapter)