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Ah, the fragile heart of adolescence has been poked again.
Kuroshi didn't want to argue with him about this, he just shook his head helplessly.
"Are you going out of the village for the mission?"
Kakashi raised his eyebrows strangely, lifting his eyes.
"Yeah, most of the Anbu missions require going out."
Kuroshi wouldn't care about where he was on missions before, so suddenly asking this made Kakashi feel a little strange.
"Are Root members going with you?"
Kakashi was just about to take off his mask, holding a bowl of soup in one hand, when he was choked by Kuroshi's words.
Kuroshi was just a civilian now, and he wouldn't usually talk about missions with him.
While coughing, Kakashi turned his head away and asked in surprise.
"I didn't receive any news, how do you know about Root?!"
Kuroshi innocently shook his head, handing him the tissue on the side.
"Just asking casually, and you and Itachi are both Anbu members, it's not strange that I know."
Kakashi looked at Kuroshi suspiciously, wiped his mouth, and didn't say anything else.
Kuroshi watched Kakashi lower his head and eat the fish quickly and silently like a cat, then took the plate and walked towards the sink.
The night passed in silence.
The two of them slept on the tatami, separated by the table, far apart from each other.
…
The next morning, Konoha.
Hatake Kuroshi took a day off from school and was leisurely wandering around the streets, looking for a place to have breakfast.
"Get out, get out, you still want to steal things!"
"It's the Nine-Tailed Fox."
A commotion came from a nearby shop.
Nine-Tailed Fox?
A familiar figure appeared in Hatake Kuroshi's mind, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.
Well, I'm not in a hurry anyway, let's go take a look.
"Oh, it's a fox mask, it's quite cute."
Hatake Kuroshi leaned down slightly and caught the mask that was thrown at Naruto's head, flipping it over in his hands.
The shopkeeper obviously didn't expect such a strange person to suddenly appear, and he took a step back in surprise.
He looked around nervously and mumbled to himself.
"You scared me, where did you come from?"
The people gathered around all tilted their heads and looked at the strange person wearing an blindfold.
A murmur arose from the crowd.
"I don't think I noticed when he squeezed out of the crowd."
"Talking to the fox, what a strange person."
"Can he really see the road with that blindfold covering his eyes?"
An unhappy symbol appeared faintly beside Hatake Kuroshi's head. No wonder Sakumo was driven to despair by a group of people.
These comments were really unpleasant.
But even though these people had some complaints, they didn't dare to say anything out loud.
Groupthink can sometimes be a shield for evil.
After all, they were just taking advantage of the fact that Naruto was still a child, still at an age where they could easily manipulate him, and openly targeting him.
As soon as they saw Hatake Kuroshi come out to support Naruto, they quickly scattered in a few minutes.
Seeing that everyone around had left, the shopkeeper awkwardly stared at Hatake Kuroshi's blindfold.
"No charge, no charge, take this kid away quickly, don't disrupt my business anymore."
The shopkeeper looked at the black blindfold and felt inexplicably uneasy.
He just waved at Kuroshi perfunctorily and hurried back into the shop.
"This is the second time."
Hatake Kuroshi took the mask and pulled Naruto up from the ground, who was still in a daze.
This was the first time someone had stood up for him when he was being bullied.
Naruto was still a bit dazed, sitting on the ground.
When he saw Hatake Kuroshi's face with the blindfold, Naruto's bright blue eyes instantly sparkled.
"Ah! I remember you! You're the guy with the blindfold who was in the dango shop yesterday!"
What is blindfold handsome?
It's fine to be praised by women, but being praised by men feels weird.
Hatake Kuroshi shook his head, squatted down, and tied the fox mask around Naruto's head.
"That's not a bad nickname, but my name is Hatake Kuroshi, remember my name."
Naruto touched the mask hanging on his head, nodded, and flashed a bright smile at Kuroshi.
He opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but then he was interrupted by a rumbling sound from his stomach.
Naruto covered his stomach in embarrassment.
Hatake Kuroshi stroked his chin and stood up, looking at the nearby shops.
"You were so busy watching the commotion, want to come eat with me?"
"Yes!"
As soon as Naruto heard Kuroshi's question, he immediately came back to life with full energy, jumping up high.
"How about ramen? Do you like it?"
Hatake Kuroshi asked Naruto while pulling his hand towards Ichiraku Ramen.
Naruto blinked at the hand holding his, his heart beating a little faster.
Like other children with parents, this person is holding my hand!
And this person is going to treat me to a meal.
Something that has never happened before!
"Huh?"
Hatake Kuroshi didn't get a response and turned his head back in confusion.
But Naruto's face was flushed with a strange pink, and his bright blue eyes stared at the back of his hand with unusual enthusiasm.
Compared to most ninjas, Kuroshi's hands were whiter and more delicate, after all, he didn't need to practice throwing shurikens or anything like that.
Seeing Kuroshi turn back in confusion, Naruto quickly grabbed his hand, pulled him closer, and shouted loudly.
"I like to eat everything!"
It's so easy to coax a straightforward and cheerful child.
Hatake Kuroshi pulled Naruto into the ramen shop with satisfaction.
After they sat down, the few people around them all moved their seats with a hint of disgust, keeping a distance from them.
Naruto was still immersed in the joy of being treated to a meal, and he didn't care about the reactions of those around him.
Hatake Kuroshi propped his cheek and scanned the reactions of those around him, a contemptuous smile appearing on his lips.
But, these people are so excessive.
Naruto always manages to forgive everyone with his strange maternal heart.
I need to give this guy a good brainwashing.
But I'm not in a hurry, after all, Naruto is just a little kid now.
He's a big problem, let's cultivate him slowly.
Then, Hatake Kuroshi tapped on the table, turned his head to look at Naruto beside him.
"Ah—It's a bit boring just sitting here, I'll tell you a story?"
"Okay!"
Naruto agreed enthusiastically, looking at Kuroshi with anticipation.
He was completely won over by this older brother with the blindfold, who helped him out and took him to eat.
Is there anyone in the world who is a better good person than this guy?!
Hatake Kuroshi didn't know that he had been elevated to such a high position in Naruto's heart.
After sorting out the order, Kuroshi began to tell the story.
"A long time ago, a few groups of frogs by the pond fought with each other because of unequal food distribution and territory issues."
"They fought fiercely, refusing to give in to each other, and each group of frogs had particularly strong fighters."
"One group of frogs had a yellow frog."
"He was very strong! He beat down many other frogs with a "whoosh"."
Naruto quite liked frogs, and he listened intently, his eyes shining.
"After the war between the frog groups ended, everyone elected the yellow frog, who had achieved great feats, as the leader of the frog group."
"But later, a big cat came from somewhere and destroyed the home of this group of frogs."
"To protect everyone, the yellow frog "whoosh" hid the big cat in his child's body."
"This way, the big cat couldn't come out to do bad things anymore, but the yellow frog died because of the big cat."
Naruto visibly lost his spirits, clearly he liked that yellow frog.
Then, he asked Kuroshi with anticipation.
"So, what about the frog child with the big cat hidden inside?"
"Will everyone take good care of him?"
Hatake Kuroshi shook his head and showed a regretful expression.
"No, everyone hated that frog child, they ostracized and bullied him everywhere."
"Because he had the big cat inside him."
Naruto shouted unhappily.
"Hey—! How could they do that!"
"The yellow frog did so many good things, and the big cat is hidden now!"
His shout attracted the attention of those around him.
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