Chapter 37: Sasuke and Naruto (Part II)

Uncle Teuchi understood Kakashi’s silent cue and wisely kept his mouth shut, though his heart remained deeply unsettled for a long time. He had witnessed Naruto’s situation in the village since the boy was small; if this child truly were the son of the Fourth Hokage, then his life had been nothing short of a living hell.

"Um, Brother Kakashi, Uncle Teuchi, you knew my father, right? Where is he now?" Naruto looked up, his eyes welling with tears that seemed ready to spill at any moment.

Uncle Teuchi took a deep breath. He felt he had walked into a massive problem. Regardless of the truth behind Naruto’s parentage, this was not a matter that a humble ramen shop owner in Konoha could afford to be involved in.

"Naruto, I cannot tell you your father’s identity just yet," Kakashi said. "But what I can tell you is that your father was a great ninja."

"I..." Naruto stared blankly at the two of them.

Kakashi reached out and ruffled Naruto’s hair. "I am keeping the truth from you to protect you. Your father had many enemies, more powerful than you could possibly imagine. You haven’t even finished ninja academy yet; we cannot let you get caught up in the conflicts of the previous generation."

"So, if I become stronger, you’ll tell me who he is, right?" Naruto quickly steeled himself, wiped away his tears, and asked.

"Yes," Kakashi nodded.

"You can't lie to me!" Naruto looked up at Kakashi.

Looking at the face before him—so young, yet so strikingly similar to his teacher and his teacher’s wife—Kakashi felt a moment of profound disorientation.

"Hey! Brother Kakashi!" Naruto muttered, feeling dissatisfied.

"Fine, I promise you. Finish your meal quickly, then go home and pack your things. From now on, you will live with me," Kakashi said.

"Yes!" Naruto shouted enthusiastically, then devoured the rest of his ramen with lightning speed. "I'm done! Thank you for the meal!"

Inside the Hokage’s office, Sarutobi Hiruzen watched the scene through his crystal ball and let out a soft sigh of relief. Thankfully, Kakashi still had a sense of proportion and knew that now was not the right time to reveal Naruto’s identity.

***

Elsewhere, in Uchiha Touhuan’s study, Fugaku took his leave after dropping off Sasuke, leaving only the two of them in the room.

Once Fugaku had departed, Uchiha Touhuan bent over his desk, writing busily, while Sasuke sat in the study, feeling somewhat restless.

"Find a place to sit and wait until I’m finished," Uchiha Touhuan said without looking up.

It was clear that Fugaku had placed great importance on Sasuke’s etiquette training. Despite the casual invitation, Sasuke simply found a cushion and sat in a proper, formal kneeling posture.

After some time, Uchiha Touhuan set down his brush and looked up. "How many characters do you know?"

"My brother and mother taught me; I know most of them," Sasuke replied.

"That’s good. It saves me from having to start with basic literacy," Touhuan said, handing a small, newly written booklet to Sasuke. "Your task for today is to memorize the first three pages. I will explain the specific meanings once you have memorized them."

Sasuke looked down at the material given to him by his new mentor.

"At birth, man is inherently good?" Sasuke opened the first page and read the first sentence aloud, word by word.

Indeed, to better educate Sasuke, Uchiha Touhuan had transcribed several Confucian classics from his past life, omitting parts that didn't quite fit the ninja world. For a boy of Sasuke’s age, teaching him powerful ninjutsu was impractical due to his limited chakra reserves. Instead, it was better to use this time to correct his worldview—or at least protect him from the toxic, "murder-machine" style of education provided by the ninja academy—and teach him how to think and perceive the world rationally, so he wouldn't end up like his brother.

Regardless of other aspects, this Confucian approach was at least sound when it came to moral character building. Although Sasuke didn't understand why his teacher was making him memorize texts instead of teaching him ninjutsu, he followed instructions diligently.

***

After finishing the ramen, Kakashi followed Naruto back to his apartment, which was less than thirty square meters in size.

The moment they entered, Naruto carelessly showed off his "treasures," which included, but were not limited to, a cupboard full of instant noodles and expired milk in the refrigerator.

Kakashi picked up a carton of milk from the fridge; one glance at the expiration date made his brow furrow. It was three months past its prime.

"Naruto, didn't you notice anything wrong with the taste when you drank this?" Kakashi asked.

"Huh? No. The milk has always tasted the same to me," Naruto replied, looking momentarily stunned.

Hearing this, Kakashi understood the situation all too well. He walked over to the closet near the fridge and pulled the door open. Seeing nothing but ragged, worn-out clothing inside, he felt a sudden, sharp urge to slap himself.

*I have been such a bastard all these years.*

"Forget it. Don't pack these. I’ll take you to buy new things tomorrow," Kakashi said with a sigh, watching Naruto frantically stuffing instant noodle cups into a bag.

"At least let me take these! These are my treasures!" Naruto insisted, anxious. He had saved for a long time to collect them.

Just then, Kakashi spotted a red scarf in the corner of the closet. He remembered his teacher’s wife knitting something similar when she was pregnant. He pulled it out, closed the closet door, and grabbed Naruto by the collar to head out. "Children shouldn't eat so much ramen. You won't grow tall."

Naruto kicked his little legs, but in the face of Kakashi’s firm grip, he could only watch helplessly as his "treasures" slowly drifted further away from him.

***

Sasuke’s mind was sharp; in less than an hour, he had memorized the content Uchiha Touhuan had assigned.

Touhuan quizzed him, and upon confirming that the boy had indeed memorized it, he began explaining the meaning of the sages' words, sentence by sentence. Sasuke listened intently as time slipped by.

"Alright, that’s enough for today," Touhuan said, setting the book aside once he finished the passage. "It’s getting late. Go home and get some sleep."

"Um, teacher... aren't you going to teach me ninjutsu?" Sasuke asked softly.

"Ninjutsu, is it?" Uchiha Touhuan nodded. "Then follow me."