Naruto ran headfirst into the Uchiha Clan's territory. Along the way, he encountered a few members of the Konoha Military Police Force, who initially wanted to scold him for running around the streets. However, upon recognizing who he was, they wisely chose to ignore him.
It wasn't until he got tired and stopped running that Naruto realized he was lost.
After wandering aimlessly through the Uchiha district, Naruto soon noticed something different about this place compared to the rest of the village.
Although the people here were busy, they treated him like any ordinary child rather than looking at him with hostility or cursing at him as they did elsewhere in the village. Some elderly women even stopped to ask if he was lost when they saw that he was alone.
This was a completely new experience for Naruto. Ever since the nine-tails rebellion, the Uchiha Clan had been forced to relocate to the outskirts of the village. As a result, the common folk of the Uchiha had little interaction with the rest of the villagers.
Their district had its own market, fulfilling their daily needs, and because of the Uchiha's formidable reputation, few outsiders dared to venture into their territory. While the Uchiha ninja were well aware of Naruto's identity, the ordinary clan members only knew that such a person existed without knowing exactly who he was.
Because of this, they naturally didn't associate the seven-year-old boy in front of them with the demon fox of the village rumors.
As Naruto basked in this rare sense of peace, a cold voice suddenly called out to him.
"Dead last, what are you doing here?"
Naruto immediately recognized the voice and turned around excitedly, only to see a familiar figure standing in the corner.
"Sasuke? What are you doing here?"
Although the two didn't get along in school, in this unfamiliar environment, seeing someone he knew made Naruto genuinely happy.
"My house is here. Why wouldn't I be here?"
Sasuke tried to maintain his image as an aloof genius, but the slight joy in his eyes betrayed his true feelings; he was actually happy to run into Naruto here.
"Oh, so your house is in this area!"
Naruto grinned as he walked up to Sasuke. But just as he reached him, he suddenly remembered how Sasuke had addressed him earlier.
"I'm not the last anymore!"
He huffed in protest.
Although Naruto hadn't been living with Kakashi for long and hadn't learned any powerful ninjutsu yet, even the basic Taijutsu techniques Kakashi had taught him were enough for him to handle the ordinary civilian-born students in class. His theory grades were still terrible due to his habit of skipping class, but he was no longer at the bottom.
"You still can't beat me, so what does it matter?"
Sasuke smirked before asking: "What are you doing here anyway?"
"Ah... Kakashi-Nissan said he was bringing me here for a feast, but then I got lost." Naruto scratched his head.
"A feast? Do you mean the clan banquet? Then follow me."
Sasuke turned and led the way.
So Naruto follows Sasuke as they head toward the banquet.
Since Kuragami Uchiha was the one hosting the event, Fugaku Uchiha, as one of the clan elders, naturally had to attend.
The previous night, before leaving work, Kuragami had reminded Fugaku to bring Sasuke along as well. Thus, aside from Itachi Uchiha, whom Fugaku had conveniently sent out on an inspection mission to keep him out of sight, Fugaku's entire household was present at the banquet.
Mikoto Uchiha had arrived early to help receive guests. When she saw her youngest son walking toward her with a blonde-haired boy, she was momentarily stunned.
"Sasuke." Mikoto called her son over.
Sasuke, hearing his mother's voice, quickly led Naruto over.
"And who is this?"
Mikoto asked, though upon seeing Naruto's bright yellow hair, she had already formed a guess in her mind.
"Mom, this is Naruto, my classmate." Sasuke introduced.
"Hello, Auntie! My name is Naruto Uzumaki!" Naruto greeted politely despite his usual unruly nature.
"Uzumaki...?"
Upon hearing the surname, Mikoto's expression became distant; this was the son of her dear friend.
"Auntie, do you know me?"
Naruto asked curiously upon noticing Mikoto's reaction.
"I've heard Sasuke mention you before."
Mikoto quickly recovered and forced a smile.
"Mom, I never mentioned him to you!" Sasuke immediately refuted.
Mikoto swiftly pressed down Sasuke's raised hand, then smiled at Naruto. "Naruto, right? Please take care of Sasuke in the future. And you're always welcome…"
Before Mikoto finished speaking, she realized Naruto's identity, and her voice gradually became smaller.
"If you ever want to visit, you're always welcome here."
Mikoto turned and saw that Fugaku had walked over at some point.
Beside him stood Kuragami Uchiha and Kakashi, both smiling as they watched the interaction unfold.
"Dad! Sensei!"
"Kakashi-nii!"
The two kids greeted the familiar figures enthusiastically.
"Naruto, if I'm ever away on missions, you can come to find Uncle Fugaku, Aunt Mikoto, or your big brother Kuragami."
Kakashi instructed Naruto.
Meanwhile, Kuragami walked up to Sasuke, ruffling his hair before saying: "Sasuke, since your friend is here, you should be a good host. Don't forget what I taught you."
"I know!"
Sasuke nodded. "When a friend comes from afar, is it not a joy?"
With that, the two boys ran off together to play.
Mikoto watched them go with a hint of concern and glanced at the two of them.
"Don't worry, Mikoto-nee."
Kuragami reassured her with a smile. "Before, people hesitated to interact with him because they feared others would make a fuss. But things are different now."
Hearing this, Mikoto let out a relieved sigh and nodded. "So... Does this mean I can finally take care of him?"
"You make it sound so serious, Mikoto-sama."
Kakashi chimed in. "You and Kushina were best friends. I'm just a single guy; there are a lot of things I can't handle properly. Naruto could really use your help now and then."
"Mikoto, I know you've been worried about him all these years."
Fugaku added. "From now on, if you want to look after him, just do it openly. Let the others see that the Uchiha Clan isn't the kind of people who would exploit a seven-year-old child for politics."