The next day.
Early morning.
Little Naruto stretched—really, really big.
He slowly opened his eyes.
As sunlight entered his view, he narrowed his eyes, a trace of loneliness on his face.
"Was it… a dream?"
Yesterday, he had a dream.
In the dream, he lay on a strong, warm back.
Soft… but incredibly reassuring.
A kind of warmth he'd never felt in four whole years.
For a moment, he didn't want to wake up.
He even wanted to pull the blanket over his head and fall back asleep.
Three minutes later…
After struggling for a long while, little Naruto finally decided to get up.
Tap.
But the instant his feet touched the floor, his bright blue eyes suddenly shrank.
He stared at the clean little moustache drawn on the mirror and mumbled:
"Oh… so I'm still dreaming. Then I'll keep sleeping…"
Another three minutes passed.
He suddenly threw off the blanket.
Jumped out of bed.
And stared at the room—neat and clean like it had been reborn.
His face trembled slightly.
"N-no… this isn't a dream…"
"And ramen…! Aaaah, milk! There's milk too!"
Gurgle—
His stomach cried out.
Hunger instantly took control.
The moment he saw the milk, he dashed over.
Opened it and tipped his head back for a huge gulp.
Glug glug.
"Huh… why is this better than mine…?"
Confused, four-year-old Naruto drank it all in one go.
He even licked the bottle opening clean.
"This is so good… I have to let Uncle Ichiraku taste it…"
With that thought, he clutched two packs of milk and ran downstairs.
Outside the window—
Kakashi held a newly published book in his hand.
His eyes casually glanced over.
His expression didn't change at all.
But his right hand gripping the book… tightened slightly.
He murmured under his breath,
"So… no one ever taught this kid that expired milk can't be drunk…"
Deep in his chest, an emotion he couldn't describe began spreading.
…
"WOOF WOOF WOOF!"
"AAAAH GET LOST! GET LOST! STOP CHASING ME!"
"AWOOOO—WOOF!"
"BASTARD! UCHIHA REN, WAIT UNTIL I GROW UP—AAAAH!! NO! NOT THERE! NOT THERE!!"
Konoha Village.
In the atmosphere that was gradually calming down thanks to the Cloud Village peace talks—
A scene suddenly seized everyone's attention.
At the front:
A small boy in Uchiha clothes sprinted like his life depended on it.
Behind him:
A pack of Shiba Inus sprinted like their lives depended on it.
And every time they caught up—
CHOMP.
The villagers on both sides of the street couldn't help laughing and commenting.
"Oh wow, that Uchiha kid's getting chased by dogs again."
"Heh… who would've thought the great Uchiha clan could be so… down-to-earth?"
"Right? Look at him—he's gone full red-hot."
"Seems like Uchiha aren't that different from us normal folks after all—hahaha!"
After all, kids who chase cats and get bullied by dogs—
Were always the favorite "snack" for the village's aunties and uncles.
In that moment, the villagers' hostility toward the Uchiha seemed to soften… little by little.
Some even started giving directions.
"Run faster! Watch the trash can ahead!"
"Careful! There's a wall in front!"
"Go go go! Second Doggo, pass him!"
During the chase, a boy in a green skintight suit saw it—
and his eyes instantly lit up.
"As expected of the Uchiha clan! To think they'd come up with such a training method!"
"This is YOUTH!"
"Let's burn our youth together!"
With that, his small body charged straight into the dog pack—
and took the lead.
He overtook Uchiha Sasuke.
Sasuke: "YOU PASSED ME???"
Ah, the fragile pride of youth.
The instant Sasuke saw someone pass him, his temper exploded.
"Today I'll show you what a real genius looks like!"
He stomped hard—
and did a beautiful long jump forward.
He even had time to turn his head back and give the green-suit boy an arrogant look—
as if saying: See? This is the pride of the Uchiha!
He clearly saw the green-suit boy's pupils widen in horror.
His face turned pale, mouth opening as if to warn him—
"Hmph! Look, all I had to do was use a little power and he's already scared!"
Sasuke's pride grew even stronger—
and then—
BAM!
SPLASH!
SMACK!
"Ow!" ×2
Two screams rang out almost at the same time.
Only then did the green-suit boy's voice finally get out:
"W-wait! Careful! Someone—"
A black-haired kid and a blond kid—both four-year-olds—
collided like fate itself had arranged it.
And then…
They started screaming at each other.
"You! You! You! How do you even run?!"
"Are you blind?! Didn't you see all these dogs?!"
"AAAAAH! My milk! You little brat! Pay me back my milk!"
"Hmph! I'm not paying! You should pay for my clothes!"
"Fan-clan clothes? Uchiha?! Oh, so you're one of those naturally evil Uchiha brats!"
"Hmph! You blond fox-spirit!"
The two stood in the middle of the road, pointing at each other's noses and cursing.
Nearby, the green-suit boy panicked, trying to mediate—
left hand, right hand, frantic gestures—
but it was useless.
In the end, it escalated into a three-way brawl…
On the outer edge, seven Shiba Inus looked at each other…
then silently took half a step back.
When the city gate catches fire, the fish in the moat suffer.
But before they could fully retreat—
they got dragged into the chaos too.
Three kids, seven dogs.
Total battlefield.
…
Uchiha clan grounds, meeting hall.
Fugaku was discussing the matter of Konoha handing over Hyuga Hizashi's body and the ceasefire with the Cloud Village.
He poured himself tea and waved his hand.
"Relax. As long as we Uchiha remain calm, this matter—"
Just then, a shout burst in from outside.
"Clan Head! Clan Head!"
A clansman rushed in anxiously.
"Clan Head, you need to come quick! Young Master Sasuke is outside and he's… fighting!"
Clang.
"Sasuke?! What did that brat do now?!"
"This is a sensitive period—any tiny Uchiha movement will be magnified tenfold!"
"He…!"
Fugaku's expression froze. His brow twitched.
Suppressing anger and worry, he clenched his teacup and asked:
"Who is he fighting? Did he win??"
"Uh… n-no… not… not exactly…" the clansman hesitated, then said with a strange expression,
"He's fighting… seven dogs… and a guy with a green-suit fetish… and a blond kid."
"Oh. As long as it's not another major clan, it's fine—he—"
"…Huh?"
"…What did you just say?"
Fugaku snapped his head up.
"Dogs? Seven of them?!"
"And some weirdo in freaky clothes and a blond kid?!"
Realizing what this meant, he slammed the teacup upside-down on the table.
"NNNGH—YA! YOU UNFILIAL BRAT!"
Tea spilled across the tabletop.
Drip.
Drip.
Some of it even soaked into his pants.
But Fugaku had no other thoughts now.
He only wanted to rush out and stuff Sasuke into the teacup.
On the wall outside—
"So… he caused trouble?"
Hearing all this, Ren casually tossed Pakkun away.
Then he carefully scooted closer to the wall.
Held his breath.
Pressed his whole body flat against the surface—
and desperately activated the Low Presence trait.
Inside his head, he whispered:
If you beat Sasuke, you can't beat me, okay?
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