Chapter 49 – Sasuke, Naruto, and Yota
At Konoha's kindergarten, a group of four- to five-year-old children were playing outside on the playground, laughing and running about in small groups.
Among them was a boy with short, spiky blond hair — Naruto Uzumaki — who was currently sharing a bag of chips with the chubby Choji Akimichi. On Choji's other side, Shikamaru Nara was lying lazily on the ground, gazing up at the clouds with a bored expression.
Due to the Fourth Hokage's prolonged coma, the Third Hokage had decided to keep Naruto's true identity hidden, and so placed him in the village orphanage to be raised.
However, because the Fourth Hokage was still technically alive, Naruto's treatment was far better than it had been in the original story. The Third Hokage had instructed the orphanage staff to take special care of him and controlled public opinion to prevent the villagers from fearing or discriminating against Naruto.
As a naturally cheerful and energetic child, Naruto had no trouble making friends at the kindergarten. Before long, he had blended in with the other children — including some of the future members of the Konoha Twelve.
"Huh? That arrogant guy again," Naruto muttered.
While wrestling Choji for the last chip, Naruto noticed Sasuke Uchiha walking by alone, hands stuffed in his pockets and wearing a haughty expression. Several little girls, eyes filled with hearts, trailed after him.
"Tch, what's so great about him anyway? Always acting like he's the king of the world!" Naruto grumbled to Choji and Shikamaru. Unfortunately, while he was distracted complaining, Choji seized the opportunity to snatch the last chip.
Naruto hadn't exactly kept his voice down. Not only did Sasuke hear him, but so did the group of fangirl-like little girls following him. Immediately, they swarmed Naruto with a chorus of scolding, leaving him frustrated and furious.
Clearly, Naruto was not the type to be popular with the girls.
Seeing the commotion behind him, Sasuke gave a smug little smirk but otherwise ignored Naruto, continuing on his way without a care.
Fuming and looking for an outlet for his anger — he couldn't very well fight back against a bunch of girls — Naruto pointed at Sasuke and shouted, "Hey, Sasuke! You got the guts to fight me?!"
After all, Naruto considered himself a real man; if he was going to pick a fight, it would be against a proper rival, not a group of little girls.
Besides, those girls honestly looked even scarier than Sasuke.
Sasuke, without so much as turning around, replied coolly, "I'm an Uchiha. I have no interest in stooping to a commoner's level."
Still walking forward with his hands in his pockets, Sasuke's calm and composed demeanor — topped off with his arrogant tone — sent the group of little girls into an even greater frenzy. They squealed in excitement, utterly charmed.
Meanwhile, Naruto was practically exploding with rage.
"Argh! I can't stand this guy anymore! I'm gonna knock him down a peg today, no matter what!" he yelled.
Before anyone could stop him, Naruto charged at Sasuke, fist raised high. Shikamaru, startled, tried to grab him, but it was already too late.
Hearing the commotion behind him, Sasuke's lips curved into a subtle smile. In a flash, he spun around, easily caught Naruto's fist with one hand and grabbed his outstretched arm with the other.
With a loud thud, Sasuke threw Naruto over his shoulder in one fluid motion, slamming him into the ground in a dizzy heap. The move was clean, crisp, and effortlessly cool — drawing another wave of wild screams from the gaggle of girls.
At that moment, Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka came walking out of the school building and happened to witness the scene. They immediately joined the other girls, cheering loudly for Sasuke.
Just as Sasuke and Naruto were scuffling, under a tree not far from the kindergarten gates, three figures — Izumi, Itachi, and Kabuto — were watching the scene unfold from a distance.
"Sasuke's not bad," Izumi said with a chuckle, turning to Itachi. "He's got a bit of your flair from back in the day."
"It's just the result of a little extra practice," Itachi replied calmly. His gaze shifted to Naruto, who was already scrambling back to his feet. "Besides, if it came to a real fight, Sasuke wouldn't stand a chance against that blond kid."
Although Itachi didn't know that Naruto was the jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails, his naturally sharp senses could feel the enormous vitality surging within Naruto's body.
While Sasuke clearly had better training and technique, Itachi could tell that no matter how many punches Sasuke landed, it wouldn't cause serious harm — but if Naruto hit Sasuke just once with full force, it might be enough to knock him out cold.
"I wasn't talking about his fighting skills," Izumi added with a grin. "I meant his talent for attracting girls."
At her words, the corner of Itachi's eye twitched ever so slightly, but he pretended not to hear.
"You're a bad guy! Stop bullying Naruto!"
A childish voice rang out, and a little boy stepped in front of Naruto.
The newcomer looked about four or five years old, with long, coffee-brown hair tucked under a round hat. His chubby cheeks were tinged with a natural blush, making him look incredibly adorable.
This boy was Yota — Naruto's best friend at the kindergarten.
Yota wasn't originally a villager of Konoha. About two years earlier, Tsunade and Kabuto had found him while traveling outside the village.
At the time, Yota had been critically ill, but thanks to Tsunade's unparalleled medical ninjutsu, they were able to save his life.
However, Yota was suffering from a rare bloodline disease — one that couldn't be completely cured and carried the risk of relapse. To have a chance at full recovery, he needed continuous treatment. Tsunade offered the boy and his family a difficult choice: if Yota wanted to continue receiving care, he would have to leave with her.
Though it broke their hearts, Yota's parents ultimately agreed, knowing their child's survival depended on it — and that Konoha, being one of the safer villages, might give him a chance at a better life.
After Tsunade taught Kabuto the techniques necessary for Yota's treatment, Kabuto became not just Yota's doctor, but also his caretaker.
Normally, it would have been almost impossible for an outsider — even a child — to gain permanent residency in Konoha. But since Yota had been personally brought back by Tsunade, one of the village's legendary Sannin and its "Princess," the authorities granted him formal citizenship after a brief review.
"Hmph! This doesn't concern you, Yota. I suggest you stay out of it," Sasuke said with a snort. "Besides, Naruto started it!"
He shot Yota a disdainful glance, hands stuffed arrogantly in his pockets. "And you — you're just some outsider. You really think you can stop me?"
Sasuke's words were delivered with chilling force, and for a moment, the entire playground fell into stunned silence. None of the kids dared to speak.
Even Yota hesitated, startled by Sasuke's overwhelming aura. He instinctively realized he was facing a formidable opponent.
But Yota wasn't the type to back down easily. Gritting his teeth, he let out a loud yell — and suddenly, a gust of snow burst forth from where he stood, blanketing Sasuke entirely and burying him under a mound of snow, leaving only his head sticking out.
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Notes:-
Thank you all for your support!!!
Also, just a reminder: in the original series, Konoha does have a kindergarten!
— The Third Hokage once gave a speech there.
— Before entering the Ninja Academy, several characters were said to have been classmates.
— And the Konoha Kindergarten also appeared in the Boruto spin-offs!