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"Slander, slander!" Shi Jian immediately glared at the chubby boy who had spread the rumor.

You little brat, Dingci, how dare you spread rumors in front of him?

That's right, the kid eating ramen is my classmate, Choji Akimichi. However, although we're classmates, we just started school today, and we haven't played together much before, so we don't really know each other.

And Naruto... what kind of look is that?

Are all the kids in Konoha this mature?

Ishigami said irritably, "I did take Hinata home, but I went to take a bath with the Third Hokage!"

"Three generations of grandfathers?"

"Oh, is that the Third Hokage?" Upon hearing Ishigami's words, Akimichi Choji nodded and said while eating ramen, "Indeed, I only saw you and the Hyuga clan's young lady going home on the way, but I didn't see you go to the bathhouse."

"..."

No, with that calm and collected expression, I don't know if this kid really understands anything, or if he's just pretending.

Shi Jian was at a loss for words.

But Naruto, standing nearby, became even more curious upon hearing that Ishigami wasn't going to the bath with the Hyuga clan's young lady, but rather with the Third Hokage. With a look of doubt and displeasure, he asked, "Why did you go to the bath with the Third Hokage? And why didn't you invite me?"

"I just happened to run into him on the road. The Third Hokage was thinking of taking a bath, so he invited me to join him." Shi Jian waved his hand casually. "I originally wanted to ask you for help, but I didn't have time, so I had to go first. Don't worry, I'll invite you next time!"

Sure enough, Naruto became happy again when he heard that he would be invited next time.

Shi Jian understood that Naruto wasn't upset that he hadn't been invited to the bath, but rather that he was worried that his best friend would stop playing with him, leaving him all alone again.

"Hehehe, it's a deal then, but next time... let me treat you!" Naruto patted his chest, then turned to look at Choji, who had already downed three bowls of ramen at such a young age. His mouth formed an "O" shape, but he quickly recovered, as if remembering something. He pointed to his head with his right index finger, "By the way, who were you this morning... who came?"

"Akimichi Choji." Having finished another bowl, Akimichi Choji was finally somewhat satisfied. Then, he took out a bag of snacks from his pocket, ate them while looking at Naruto and Ishigami, and said, "We're classmates."

"Oh, right, right, classmate." Naruto, who finally remembered that Choji was his classmate, happily said, "Hello, my name is Uzumaki Naruto, and this is Ishigami."

Naruto seemed particularly happy because he was able to make new friends, and Ishigami didn't bother him.

Speaking of which, although the anime often depicts Naruto playing alone and feeling lonely, he actually made quite a few friends during his time at school.

For example, Choji is one of them. Even though Choji always cherishes his snacks, he will share them with Naruto.

Therefore, the plot is sometimes contradictory.

Perhaps Madara is right; there's no need to believe too much in the so-called plot.

At this moment, Choji seemed to sense that it was about time, and stood up abruptly from his chair. "I'm going home for dinner, so we're done chatting!"

"???"

"This is just a snack after school." Although Naruto didn't say a word, Choji guessed what Naruto wanted to say: "I haven't had dinner yet!"

After saying that, he waved very politely before leaving.

Naruto frowned as he looked at the four bowls on the table, his voice tinged with surprise, "This guy can really eat! These are just snacks? He must be the biggest eater in the class."

"No, you're wrong!"

"???"

guessed wrong?

All four bowls were just snacks. Is there anyone in the class who can eat more than him?

Who is it?

It seems like Choji is the only fat guy in the class!

Naruto was shocked, but before he could ask anything...

"Let's go, it's getting late, let's head back!"

Shi Jian stood up and paid the bill, also paying for Naruto's share.

Naruto didn't say anything about it. Sometimes he would invite Shijian, and sometimes Shijian would invite him. He was used to it. To him, Shijian was just as important a member of his family as the Third Hokage.

"Okay, you've already taken a bath, but I haven't even showered yet." Naruto muttered to himself, but quickly dismissed the thought. As if remembering something, he walked alongside Ishigami and asked, "Ishigami, do you know that arrogant brat?"

"Smug brat? Who?"

"It's that... arrogant brat who makes all the girls scream as soon as he walks in!"

"Oh, you mean Uchiha Sasuke? I don't know him. What's wrong?"

"That annoying guy came to me asking about you, and he had no manners at all." Naruto seemed to clench his fist in disgust when he mentioned Sasuke, then grinned, "Hehehe, of course I didn't tell that annoying guy about you!"

"..."

No, Naruto and Sasuke met on the first day of school?

Shi Jian looked at Naruto with a strange expression, but quickly disappeared, falling into deep thought again.

Why did Sasuke come to Naruto to ask him this question?

……

Meanwhile, as Ishigami and Naruto walked towards the apartment...

Meanwhile, inside the Hokage Building.

Not long after the Root organization received the intelligence, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who should have been at home resting, also received the same intelligence inside the Hokage Building.

However, compared to Danzo's excited expression, Hiruzen Sarutobi's wrinkled face looked somewhat troubled. "Wait, I just left, and this happened?"

How could a seal left by the teacher be found right next to the pool?

No, although there is a Flying Thunder God kunai from the teacher inside, it could be a seal left by Madara Uchiha, or it could be something left by the teacher.

But so many years have passed, what exactly did the teacher and Madara Uchiha want to do by leaving these seals in Konoha?

And he's been Hokage for so many years, why didn't he notice any of them?

"Specific hand seals, only specific people can discover them?" Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned, taking a puff from his pipe. "What exactly did the ancestors of the Stone Valley do back then? So many years have passed, and Madara Uchiha and his teacher still leave things for their descendants?"

The Flying Thunder God Kunai is nothing special; the teacher is already dead, so that thing... can only serve as a special keepsake. But what exactly does that letter say? Was it left by the teacher, or by Madara Uchiha?

Hiruzen Sarutobi lowered his head, looking at the slightly damp, charred strip of paper, less than a finger's width wide. He had found it in the pool, but this was all he could find. It must have landed on the pool when it drifted down, and thus hadn't been burned to ashes.

The words "[Past and]" were written on it.

"The past and what..." Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed, his tone troubled, "Could it really be related to that rumor from the past?"