PART 2.

"Well, what do you think of all this, old man?" His question echoed through the small stall, surpassing the usual sounds of the street and the people passing in front of the modest restaurant. 

Inside the premises, there were only three people, including the owner.

The third, who had witnessed the fanciful ramblings of the blond young man, remained serene and apparently oblivious to the conversation. Although everything he had heard would surely become fodder for new gossip in the village, he chose to ignore it and paid for his bowl of ramen before leaving without saying a word of thanks.

A heavy silence took over the place, only interrupted by the soft sound of the dishes that the owner's daughter washed in the kitchen while humming a barely perceptible melody.

The man in charge of the Ramen stand was the veteran Teuchi, the owner of "Ramen Ichiraku". He kept his hands resting on the counter, his eyes fixed on the young man who had acquired the title of "The Prince of Talk."

The young man, still holding the chopsticks with which he had finished his bowl of ramen, noticed Teuchi's persistent silence. A slight shiver ran down her spine as she realized that the man had no intention of stopping her gaze.

Teuchi, after a subtle shudder, massaged his wrists, trying to avoid direct eye contact with Naruto. Sweat began to gush out on his forehead, while Naruto watched him, not realizing the concern he was generating in the man.

"What do I think?" The man said. Naruto was still unaware of Teuchi's condition. "Well, um..."

The man's attitude was still not something that stood out to Naruto, who continued to show an expression of absolute innocence, ignorant of the obvious.

The fact that Teuchi remained calm and waiting for some answer did not calm his worries. He struggled to keep his composure in front of the teenager.

It was common to hear nonsense from Naruto, he even enjoyed listening to it together with his daughter. However, by that time the situation had transcended to something beyond his comprehension. And the worst thing was that the more Teuchi asked, the more evasive the Uzumaki became.

But that didn't stop him from enveloping Teuchi in a tangle of insistence and constant support.

After hearing so much nonsense about impossible things, Teuchi would begin to worry about Naruto, as he had since he was an infant. He knew that, like every ninja, Naruto was also at risk of being affected by the tragedies of war, perhaps without even realizing it.

"Surely that's it..." Teuchi said to himself, sharing a glance with the young Uzumaki, who insisted on getting a little understanding. "The search for Sasuke must have brought him to a point of madness... poor Naruto."

"Old man."

"What do I tell him so he doesn't feel bad? I don't want him to think I'm calling him crazy..."

"Oi, old man." Naruto interrupted, pulling him out of his thoughts. "What's wrong with you? Are you ok?"

"Oh, Naruto... I'm so sorry." The owner of Ichiraku lamented with a hopeful gleam on his face, which transformed into a peace that contrasted with his previous behavior. "Do it! If your heart tells you to go on and help everyone, obey it!"

"... seriously?" Naruto's eyes narrowed, and after a moment, they opened with the same anticlimactic glow. "Do you think the same too, old man?"

"O-O-Of course!" The man said hesitantly, clenching his fist in a gesture of encouragement. "F-F-From what you're telling me, it's certain that things are going wrong!" What else is there to do if not to help? Follow your instincts, Naruto!"

"Yes, yes! That's what I meant!"

The chopsticks were pushed aside as Naruto immersed himself in his own grandiosity, fueled by old Teuchi's words. A glimmer of lucidity lit up his blue eyes as he muttered to himself, lost in the cascade of ideas that welled up in his mind. Meanwhile, Teuchi's smile wavered, replaced by a numbing expression.

"I've had several ideas while eating, you know? The main reason we don't move forward is because Grandma Tsunade is afraid of danger, But, But! Shall I tell you something? I'm not afraid of any of that!"

Naruto raised his voice as he rambled, and Teuchi listened intently as if his life depended on it.

The deeper Naruto got into the point of incomprehension, the farther away the people who peeked out the curtains of the stall, recoiling cautiously before the young man's fervent passion. Perhaps it was simply because he was Naruto, but even Teuchi, who knew him well enough to have an idea of his power, knew that the villagers had their limits with him.

Annoying the Naruto of today was not the same as facing the Naruto of ten years ago.

In the midst of all this...

"Ara..."

Teuchi shuddered visibly at the sound of that voice. His firm growl stopped Naruto in his tracks, who looked at him with the same puzzlement as his daughter.

The brief moment might have been considered comical if it weren't for the fact that Teuchi was the only one who understood something that the other two hadn't grasped. Naruto watched him with his arms crossed from his seat, tilting his head slightly; while his daughter, right next to him, also bowed her head, but without being aware of the conversation between the two men.

She ignored her father's reaction and continued with the point she had left unfinished. However, as she turned her attention to the person in front of her, the topic in her mind changed course.

"Ara! Naruto-kun! How did it go? It's been days since you've been to Ichiraku!"

The young lady, with her usual expression of helpful cheer, was Ayame. As far as Naruto knew, she was the only family Teuchi had by his side.

"Ah! Ayame-Neechan!" Naruto waved when he noticed his presence. "You see... This... I've been busy with a few things... You know."

"Ah, I understand." Ayame nodded in understanding. "Asuma-san... Right? It is a real shame what happened to him."

Naruto turned his eyes towards Ayame, who spoke with obvious regret in her voice. Her father, by his side, was readjusting after the previous discomfort that Naruto had not noticed, and it did not take long for him to express the same opinion as his daughter.

"How terrible..."

"Yes, and I was still young." Teuchi nodded as he crossed his arms. "I still can't believe we won't see him around here anymore... He used to come to this area of the village constantly, inviting his team to eat without fail, at least every weekend."

Ayame put a hand to her chest, listening with a sorrowful expression to her father's calm lament. Asuma didn't usually frequent Ichiraku regularly, but he occasionally enjoyed a different culinary break than the one Chōji used to devour with enthusiasm.

And most of the time, Asuma didn't come alone.

"It's been a few days... And the village..."

Teuchi turned to his daughter.

"It's normal, daughter. It's not every day that we lose one of the best Ninjas in the village." The old man said, readjusting himself to his usual position in the kitchen on the other side of the counter. "However, they are already mental. We must not mourn them as victims of those who took them; Let's mourn the kind of hero who left too soon."

Ayame spoke her father's name with barely whispered pride. The silence that followed, with the sound of the ladle hitting the metal pot, indicated that his comment had been received with the same love with which it was expressed.

Meanwhile, the recipient of that golden message in the air of the hot aroma of ramen stared at his empty bowl in cloudy silence.

"Mentalized."

Naruto pondered in his seat, with barely a trace of bright broth at the bottom of the bowl. At that time, he was questioning himself, along with his worth as a Shinobi.

His training had been abruptly interrupted by the tragic news about Asuma-sensei. Then, he was engulfed in the portals, and now... he didn't even know when he would be able to resume his training.

Everyone was busy with what was happening. And although he had assured Ayame and old Teuchi otherwise, he himself did not know what his next move would be, and his agenda was empty.

Although, he deeply appreciated the beauty of the complete ignorance of a civilian. It was not toxic or harmful to the Ninjas.

As long as they continue to believe that those portals have to do with Asuma-sensei's death, the better.

Seeing them now, with only the two of them being the only thing the other had (and the little that Naruto had), he realized the importance of both. And he couldn't afford to risk the lives of both.

He was already mentally prepared to die. But a civilian did not even have that thought in mind.

Eating, Working, Talking to Friends, Going to School...

Why did that come to his mind now? If he were not absorbed in his thoughts, he would have notoriously shaken his head to himself.

Things as everyday as these were the daily bread of civilians like Ayame and Teuchi.

But why so much emphasis? His head did not stop spinning with that shot in the middle.

Family, Children, Brothers and Sisters...

"Someone who was alone all the time, would never understand what I am going through! Sasuke told him that once."

At that moment, a young Naruto accepted that fact with heaviness and bitterness. He grew up alone, with no one to call brother or hug after leaving the Academy. No one was waiting for him at home, and everything remained the same in his life since then.

Sasuke's gaze, which at the time was nothing more than that of a pre-teen, was filled with melancholy and despair. His desire to simply disappear from the face of the earth, and be forgotten, was notorious. It is possible that this was one of the many sensations that manifest when you are alone in a huge world.

The Ichiraku family's backs were seen by their blue eyes.

If one lost the other, it would be the same as if Naruto lost both.

He didn't want someone to suffer the same as Sasuke. He even took the audacity to minimize himself, and put the pain of his old companion in front of the justice trial. Sasuke was only the victim of a bad move by a world that could have been built differently.

Mentalization...

"Oh! Welcome!"

The usual helpful and cheerful tone of the old man from Ichiraku was like a chant that calmed everything around him.

The waters flooding his mind cleared when Teuchi asked about the customer's order, right after asking how he was doing. Although that lucky customer's voice was not yet received by Naruto's ears, Teuchi's extreme confidence and huge smile made him turn around.

"Oi, Naruto."

"Iruka-sensei!"

It was none other than his former academy teacher: Iruka Umino. His appearance wasn't much older than Naruto's, but he wasn't much older either.

It was not until he enjoyed her presence by sitting on her left side that he reaffirmed the full beauty of her companionship throughout his childhood life. Along with the Ichiraku family, Iruka-sensei was one of the people closest to Naruto.

Someone whom he could easily call brother, but who avoided doing so throughout his childhood due to the habit of honorific. Not to mention, it would be embarrassing for him and unexpected for Iruka.

He swallowed hard at the thought, while his sensei patted him on the back as a sign of closeness. They hadn't seen each other since Asuma-sensei's funeral.

"How's it going, Naruto? Are you doing well?" His former teacher asked, smiling at him just as Naruto did. 

He had taught him the most basic things that could be taught to an orphaned child, cradled by the streets that were themselves like hateful sects against him.

Naruto smiled back.

"Hm!" The Uzumaki nodded, allowing Ayame to refill the second bowl she always used to ask for. "Things with my training are postponed... But...! I'm sure I'll be back on land soon!"

"That's good to hear. And Sakura? How has it been?" Iruka pulled her arms away from the stool when Teuchi gave her her request. "Are things going well in your team?"

"Um? Ah! Eh? Not at all! Nothing of the sort!" Naruto made a gesture, as if he were scaring away a fly that was fluttering over his ramen. Iruka raised an eyebrow when he misinterpreted that action. "Sakura-chan and Sai get along quite well. Even more than I would have liked."

Iruka couldn't help but let out a short laugh.

"So that's the case?" As expected. Problems between ninjas are solved very quickly when missions are shared.

As Iruka-sensei spread his chopsticks apart to enjoy his first sip of the freshly made ramen, Naruto mentally went over the events referenced in his former teacher's words.

As it turns out, just a few weeks before the Akatsuki's reappearance, the Kakashi team had been sent on a search and rescue mission. In reality, it was nothing out of the ordinary; They were simply thugs feared by the villagers of the area, who had kidnapped the daughter of the leader of the village.

There were no major problems, and Naruto had sent them flying with his powerful (though no more than his) Rassengan.

The problem arose at that moment, when for a second he lost sight of Sakura. And it was aggravated when they received the thanks of the people and were honorably dismissed from the place. He knew this because Sakura-chan's face became more and more furrowed when his name was mentioned.

He later learned (thanks to Sai) that Sakura was not feeling well since they left the village. His behavior was alien to the conversations Naruto was trying to engage in along the way, and his expressions seemed to indicate a latent concern (according to Sai).

Naruto didn't trust ignorant people or ancient books, let alone if Sai quoted something taken from a forgotten tome on the last shelf of the oldest library in the village.

But, as if the gods were testing his worth as a friend, he was kindly pushed aside when he questioned Sakura's well-being.

That day, Naruto had returned home with a prominent bump on his head, which throbbed painfully every time he brushed against the pillow. In the following days, his presence was ignored whenever he approached Sakura.

One blow after another, or simply a look that made him retreat to his home. Nothing worked.

It wasn't until a regular lunch at Ichiraku that Ayame raised her finger, as if speaking to a child, and advised her not to dwell on the subject any further. Of course, Naruto didn't do it until it was too late.

He was worried, and Sakura hadn't been seen anywhere else. The last time he saw her was during shopping days at the market, where he was cruelly rejected.

When Sakura saw him standing at her door, his face was paler than paper. I wasn't sure if she was disturbed or upset, but now I knew that her presence at that time was unwelcome.

What would Sai have done to her on the mission to put her like this? Naruto was so outraged that he dismissed Sai's explanations and kept the young man oblivious to this problem among old friends. After all, Sai wasn't skilled with women, let alone someone as strong-willed as Sakura's.

Despite his efforts, Naruto was unable to find out for himself what had happened to Sakura. However, Shizune assured her that everything was fine and that it had only been a bad time in her health.

Damn Sai. He always exaggerated things when it came to Sakura. She was very strong, capable of facing anything, and, besides, being a medical ninja, she could take care of herself.

There was no need for so much worry.

Iruka, remembering Naruto's call for help, smiled nervously as she settled into her seat to enjoy the meal in the company of the young ninja.

"What a complication... The way things are going, it seems like your workout isn't just around the corner." The dark-haired man shared the concern of the issue with Naruto. 

The blond just snorted, dipping his lips into the bowl and drinking as much of the ramen broth as he could.

The Chunin sighed deeply as he looked up at the ceiling, as if seeking answers somewhere beyond the visible. Iruka was discerning in his scattered thoughts, trying to figure out the best way to approach the subject that had been bothering him since the sun rose that morning.

The only obstacle in his way were the two people who, as always, were dedicated to smiling and serving kindly to everyone who had the privilege of entering their restaurant.

The sound of plates colliding filled the space for a moment longer, until Iruka could make sure that he and Naruto would be the only customers for now.

"Tell me." The Chunin whispered in a soft tone, as he watched the backs of the Ichiraku family. Naruto shuddered beside him. "Only a few of us know the truth, and I have heard much of it from Tsunade-sama. But I don't want to fully believe it until I hear it from you."

The blond ninja stood static, with the bowl of ramen still in his hands. Quietly placing it on the stool, his eyes became absorbed in the empty and warm bowl. He swallowed, leaving behind the pleasant taste of ramen to meticulously express what he had been thinking since he questioned Teuchi a few minutes earlier.

"Iruka-sensei, I... Honestly, I don't know what to think anymore. I'm still pondering whether everything I saw down there was real."

"Down?"

"Yes." They both left a silence in between when Ayame came to take Naruto's second bowl. "It's not so surprising that an entire villa, incredibly large, is kept hidden. But what was underneath... It was even more incredible."

"I have heard something from Tsunade-sama." Iruka whispered back. "According to the King, he keeps many things under his residence, hidden from the world so that they will never be discovered."

"That's right." Naruto nodded, looking at him out of the corner of his eye. But he hesitated when he seemed to remember something and looked straight ahead again. Nerves in the face of the unknown were manifested on his face. "There were many things, but the most striking thing was that parchment. It was heavily protected, and didn't look dangerous until it revealed its original form..."

Kakashi-sensei brought them up to speed on King Saturo's account as they traveled from Trozani. Although Kakashi-sensei didn't go into detail, his statements, accompanied by his serene expression, were enough to make Naruto swallow deeply.

The king's story was brief to him, but his ears and mind caught the parchment's fanciful narrative. The story of its origin and how it was sworn to protect itself from impure eyes and hearts.

Naruto had a hard time understanding the concept of "purity of mind" and "wise soul." Sai had explained it in a complicated way, but less so than Kakashi-sensei.

Like a Hokage, the King of Trozani had an obligation to protect everyone, with his mind and soul devoted to the people. This meant always remaining neutral. Unlike a Kage, who watches over in many ways (politically and morally), a King in Trozani could not favor one population over another, nor harm the people he protected.

Whether it was true or not, Naruto chose to give the benefit of the doubt to the King, if the portals and time travel turned out to be real.

Iruka listened intently, being careful not to raise his eyebrows in front of the Ichiraku family. I didn't want to refuse their attention, as they were quite friendly, and Iruka didn't want to ask them for privacy in a public restaurant like that.

Between the two, a silence arose. Of course, no one would believe the story of a scroll that brought people from the future. But no one had a choice but to do so if his Hokage believed it.

Tsunade had the proof in her hands and the possibility of recontacting the only living witness to the creation of that scroll. The future was uncertain for them at the time.

"What do you plan to do now, Naruto?" Iruka asked with a small smile, while the blond watched him from the profile of his former teacher. 

"Huh?" Naruto was surprised by the question. 

Iruka kept her smile and continued:

"You won't sit idly by, will you? All this is very confusing... and even the academy has been postponed until further notice by order of Tsunade-sama."

Naruto's eyes widened at the prospect.

Everything that has happened in these few days is already affecting the lives of the people in the village.

Not just those who were injured by the portals, but everyone. People can feel constantly threatened, which can be cruel torture for those civilians who are unable to defend themselves or perform any Jutsu.

Ever since he left Hokage Tower behind, Naruto felt the same sensation as when he was a child: whispers, disapproving looks, and pleas for silence. But he realized that he was not the reason for those whispers.

The civilians had already noticed the lack of control in the village, it was evident. And that affected ninjas differently. Fearful civilians were a sharp weapon for ninjas.

"I..."

"I know you." Iruka said, making Naruto shrink in his seat. It felt like he was seeing his reflection as Iruka spoke. "You're a very curious young man. You make no exceptions when it comes to interacting with people. You are the same with everyone. If the world were collapsing and all this madness turned out to be true... I'm sure you'd be the first to act."

"Iruka-sensei..." Naruto muttered, barely getting out of his disturbance and opening his eyes wide. "What's going on here? Has something happened?" In his mind, a scenario was formed. "Has Grandma Tsunade told you anything else? Anything I don't know?"

The blond put both hands to his mouth when he realized the volume of his voice. He scanned the restaurant with his eyes, standing as still as an open cockroach. He had completely forgotten that they were not alone.

However, Iruka did not change her expression. He didn't show sadness, but his smile clearly reflected disappointment. He watched his hands with a loneliness in his eyes, despite being surrounded by people, even if they were outside the restaurant.

Melancholy took over his countenance and he blurted out the words without worrying about whether the Ichiraku family would hear them, since a man had entered with his son and they were busy attending to them.

"Fear has generated alarm in the village." Iruka began. "Our obligation is to eliminate the source of that fear, and to do that we must do more research on those portals and the scroll. Many families have been affected, and the price to pay for the delay could be deadly in the future."

Naruto agreed with those words, but did not intervene in Iruka-sensei's account. There was something about him that clearly indicated that the conversation would take a different turn, and that Iruka-sensei hadn't come to Ichiraku just to talk to Naruto.

"Those people... surely they had someone worried about them." Said the dark-haired man. "Most of them were unrecognizable, their sex not even known until the first hasty autopsies ordered by Tsunade-sama. But, this time... When we were ordered to pick up assistance for everyone who fell, I couldn't help but be nauseous. And strangely... I felt a lot of anger."

"Anger?" Naruto asked. 

The silence lasted until Iruka stopped smiling. It was then that a shiver ran through the young man's fingers.

Among the rubble at the foot of the watchtowers, there were several people summoned from the portals. Iruka revealed.

"But because of the number of people outside the tallest towers..." They left us speechless. It almost seemed as if they had been summoned while hiding in the towers. "Tsunade-sama told us... and they have a suspicion that, if that scroll takes you back in time, then those people..."

Naruto swallowed hard.

He had heard about it from Kakashi-sensei, and it was one of the topics of conversation when he met with his friends.

Time offered no answers, and it was truly uncertain. Of course, Uzumaki did not know this. He was more about living in the present and building for the future.

It would never cross Naruto's mind that his entire future had already been built. Indirectly, in some way or another, only this problem with the scroll left the Neji of three years ago as the winner.

And that the future existed in such a present way made him nervous. It was like the feeling of touching a space stone, something that was far beyond human accessibility.

But this was not an inanimate stone. They were people, victims of a destruction completely unknown now. And that, if it was from the future, there was still a doubt as to what the origin of that destruction was or would be.

It was an enigma that transcended space-time.

"Kakashi-san told me. Iruka said." Naruto pricked up his ears. "That these people were possibly from a Konoha of some part of the time."

The blond simply remained cold, while Chunin drank a little water to let out the words that had been drowning him these last few days.

"They were fleeing. They fled in fear of perishing, just as we do not want the people of the Village to do. It may sound silly to say this, but... Those people were surely very afraid. There were no uniformed ninjas among the corpses, so it's possible that hiding was their last hope before being sucked into the portals that would end their lives. Maybe I'm being very sympathetic to the situation, and maybe it's counterproductive to worry about them. But..."

"That woman, along with the three children, would have been waiting for someone who would be able to destroy that fear that had already triumphed.

They could have reached the tower first.

They would have climbed to see the whole village, and fought for a place when more people piled up.

But when the portals appeared, there was no turning back. Experts in the village documented their deaths as "immediate," thanks to the crowding and inability to escape.

But I don't believe that.

I firmly believe that they suffered.

The faces of those people, the state of their bodies and the places where they were invoked.

Everything tells me otherwise."

"Physical pain is rarely the most agonizing. Even in a quick death, nothing ensures that they didn't feel terror in their final moments. Women, children, the elderly and men... They all feared until it was too late."

Naruto stared at Iruka-sensei's face, without blinking. He was amazed, listening to the man's profound words. Iruka's attention to people was very complex, even if those people were outsiders. He was too gentle, always thinking of others before himself.

But this surpassed Naruto's esteem for him. Although he was proud, he was unable to articulate a word.

I was immersed in thoughts, visualizing the scenarios that Iruka had raised. And it was extremely shocking for Naruto.

Mother and children? Naruto had only heard about the presence of men among the corpses; I had never heard of other victims...

"Not a word of this to anyone who isn't above the allowed Chunin rank." He remembered Tsunade's words when he greeted them at dawn. "We don't need any more commotion among civilians."

The words were burned in his mind.

"Naruto."

Iruka-sensei's voice was like a cool breeze. Their eyes met, creating an inexplicable moment for Naruto. It was as if time stopped and his former teacher entrusted him with a task that only he could accomplish.

"We ninjas are mentally prepared to die. To die for those who cannot defend themselves." Iruka told him. "The world is vast and, as you can see, even underground there are many things we do not know. Some choose how to die, while others have no choice. What would you choose?"

Naruto was silent. How would you answer that question?

His usual self would have responded with something like, "Whatever! I won't die until I become Hokage!"

But now...

Was he really himself at this moment? How could he be sure that what was happening was not a consequence of what had happened?

Naruto started thinking too much, something he definitely should have avoided. He pondered Iruka's words as he contemplated his dream of becoming Hokage.

However, he didn't need to be Hokage right now to get things right. He just had to execute his actions correctly. Even so, what Iruka-sensei had said to him sowed a new doubt in Naruto.

Mentalization.

While his people were in danger, others no longer had a second chance. Each action triggered a reaction that, even if unintentional, could be harmful to others. Here, Naruto was faced with another dilemma.

What was the true path of good?

Should he aspire to become a Hokage and protect his own? Or to be a ninja who would protect everyone, even those who weren't even of his time?

Caught up in his indecision, Naruto was shocked to see Iruka's humble laugh.

"You're still very young, Naruto. You have a lot of time ahead of you! I'm sure your future is still uncertain, but bright. And that brightness will infect others."

"Do you really believe that, Iruka-sensei?"

"Of course. I know you." Iruka replied with a spark of alert in his eyes, as if he had received a message through them. "You wouldn't abandon anyone who needs help. No one. Right, Naruto?"

Several minutes passed before Naruto finally nodded.

Although he did not disagree with Iruka, Naruto was deep in thought. With that possibility, duty extended beyond what I could envision. Their friends, loved ones, people from the village, allies, ordinary people... The list seemed endless and overwhelming.

A shiver ran down his spine, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. The reality of what were once only fictional stories and poems by Old Hokage now imposed itself as a real concern.

Among the feeling of companionship that surrounded him, something as subtle as a spring breeze passed down his back. Her blonde hair moved slightly, caressed by this fleeting presence, and returned to reality as the sensation faded.

An empty calm enveloped him. She was not peaceful or fearful, but she awakened her senses, as if she were waiting for something uncertain that never came, defying her weakened defenses.

An impulse led him to turn around, and although he did so without disguise, he did not attract anyone's attention.

The people in the restaurant didn't seem to notice Naruto's discomfort, and Iruka seemed to be immersed in a conversation with Teuchi. The young man's breathing began to agitate on its own, and his lungs ached.

An inner voice was screaming at him, but it was still alien to his being.

"This..."

He opened his eyes to his surroundings, seeing the curtains of Ichiraku in front of him. When he realized the seconds he had let pass before answering the call, he turned to the stool. Sweat ran down his face.

Teuchi watched him with his arms crossed and his characteristic expression. Meanwhile, Iruka rested his arm on the stool, arching an eyebrow.

"I already knew that..."

"Huh?" That was the only thing Naruto could articulate in response to Teuchi. 

The man pointed the ladle at him, forcing the young man to lean back.

"All those metaphors about understanding and friendship were just excuses for me to give you the bowls! Isn't it?!" Teuchi exclaimed. Then, he rolled up his sleeves in a defensive gesture. "You won't escape so easily!" That's taking too much advantage of an old friend!"

"Huh?! Me, me, me...! Hold on..."

Iruka was smiling nervously and trying to calm old Ichiraku's spirits, while Naruto frantically reached into his pockets.

From the streets, Naruto's constant pleas could be heard, drowned out by the loudest screams of Ayame, who begged for mercy for the young Uzumaki in front of her father's fists.

Meanwhile, the quiet footsteps of a young girl went unnoticed in the streets, which were still somewhat restless. Despite the rumors and comments about the chaos inside the Ramen Ichiraku, the girl walked with determination, dodging people who crossed her path.

When he realized that he was a nuisance to others, he would withdraw without the need to interact with strangers.

But amid the bustling atmosphere of the civilian side of the village, the girl stopped her pace as she reached the end of her tour. Her worn, dusty ninja sandals stood out from the shoes of the civilians around her.

He rummaged through his pockets and hid his disappointment with a clenched fist that hid the few coins he had.

"Ro-san and Hinoko-san gave me some money, but it's not enough..." The girl thought. His clenched fist hid the few coins. "We have to spend wisely before we can earn anything for ourselves... I have to manage expenses."

"Welcome, welcome."

The trembling voice made her turn around.

Among the many market stalls, an old woman greeted passers-by. Although his merchandise was scarce, the irresistible aroma of the bread he baked filled the air. His eyes, narrowed with age, seemed to be looking into infinity.

Sumire stopped, surprised by the familiarity of the place.

Although he hadn't been very present at that time recently, he clearly remembered the days when he attended the Academy. He remembered how, not far from there, he would meet with his classmates to fight each other, which often ruined the meetings.

Back then, war between men and women was commonplace.

With the violet of her eyes obscured by the intensity of her thoughts, Sumire spoke silently to her heart.

Sadly, her inner voice went unnoticed by the world around her, unable to hear the suffering of her wounded soul.