"Nobody knows that I've awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. How exactly did you find out?"

  "That's not important. I'm here to ask for your help."

  Itachi furrowed his brows, not directly answering. Instead, he released a wave of killing intent.

  "This is my Tsukuyomi world. Here, time, space, and matter are all under my control. Do you really think you're in a position to threaten me?"

  No one would doubt the authenticity of Itachi's killing intent at this moment, because as soon as he finished speaking, Kakashi was already bound to a cross. Yet, Kakashi remained calm and composed.

  "You seem to have misunderstood. I'm not here to threaten you. I merely want to make a deal."

  "A deal? What kind of deal?"

  "I need your eyes to suppress the Nine-Tails. In return, I can also help you with something."

  Itachi's brows, which had just rexed, furrowed again. He stood in front of Kakashi, pondering for a long time before finally speaking, "Do you think you're capable of helping me?"

  "Of course. What your eyes see is far less than I imagined, Uchiha Itachi. You're torn between the vilge and your cn, aren't you? You're still hesitating, but i already seen your choice. I believe that you'll need me when time comes."

  Itachi's expression changed drastically. The Tsukuyomi space vanished instantly, and the two of them returned to their seats in the shop. Itachi's eyes were no longer the Mangekyō Sharingan, as if nothing had just happened.

  "Time."

  "You're going to pick up Sasuke after school today, right? It'll be a chance encounter. No one will suspect a thing. This will be our secret. What do you think?"

  Itachi took a deep breath, quickly closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, they had returned to normal. He didn't speak further, but Kakashi already knew the agreement had been reached. With a light chuckle, Kakashi stood up and left.

  Itachi hesitated for a moment, then picked up a dango.

  The school bell rang, and Naruto, who had been dozing off, instantly woke up. The first period didn't have much content, so Iruka didn't drag it out. After greeting the students, he left the cssroom.

  Since the Third Hokage had given a speech, the css ended just in time for lunch break. Most of the students took out their lunch boxes, but Naruto hadn't prepared one. Not only because he didn't have money, but also because he had been training with Kakashi for the past two months and had almost skipped lunch every day. As a result, he had lost the habit of eating lunch, and instead, he would eat a lot during dinner.

  At this moment, Hinata was holding her lunch box, gncing at the food inside and then at Naruto not far away. After several moments of hesitation, she got up and walked over to Naruto. She opened her mouth but turned red in the face, unable to say a word.

  Naruto was already familiar with how Hinata acted. For her to take the initiative to approach him was unexpected.

  "Hey, Hinata, what's up?"

  "N-Naruto-kun, d-did you not bring a lunch box?"

  "Nope, I've gotten used to skipping lunch."

  As he spoke, Naruto yawned, looking as if he was about to doze off again.

  Seeing this, Hinata's eyes darkened slightly, and her fingers turned white from gripping the lunchbox too tightly.

  "Um, if it's okay...if it's okay....."

  At first, Hinata couldn't bring herself to say what she wanted to, but she eventually stretched out her hands and pced the lunchbox in front of Naruto.

  Naruto was momentarily stunned, surprised by Hinata's boldness, but the next moment, a look of delight spread across his face.

  "Is this for me? Then, as a thank you, how about i treat you to barbecue after school?"

  "Huh? But, but...okay...okay!"

  "Then it's settled!"

  Naruto immediately sealed the deal. Although Hinata still seemed hesitant, she didn't object, and the two sat together to eat their lunch.

  After finishing the meal, Naruto took a nap until the afternoon bell rang, waking up just in time for css.

  This css was still taught by Iruka, and it was still theoretical knowledge. Naruto had initially pnned to continue sleeping, but since he had already napped, he couldn't fall asleep again. So, he managed to stay awake through what he considered an extremely boring lecture.

  After school, Naruto and Hinata walked out of the school together, ready to go eat barbecue.

  Having a barbecue meal wasn't cheap, but the Third Hokage had increased Naruto's allowance from 1,000 to 3,000 ryo. Plus, Naruto had been mooching off Kakashi's meals tely, saving quite a bit of money. At least, he could afford a few barbecue meals.

  As soon as they stepped out of the school gate, Naruto saw Kakashi already waiting at the entrance, standing next to Itachi Uchiha. The two didn't seem to have any interaction, as they weren't talking to each other.

  [Oh crap! I totally forgot about this! That jerk Kakashi is going to drag me off for training. No way! I have to think of something.]

  On the surface, Kakashi and Itachi seemed to ignore each other, but in reality, Kakashi's attention was entirely focused on Itachi. After all, he needed Itachi to perform a certain task, so he had to keep a close eye on him to avoid any issues. It wasn't until he heard Naruto's thoughts that he noticed Naruto had already come out.

  'Think of something? Think of what? What is Naruto scheming this time?'

  Kakashi was a bit puzzled by Naruto's sudden remark. At that moment, Itachi also noticed Naruto.

  Feeling Itachi's gaze, Naruto instinctively looked back at him. The moment their eyes met, Itachi's eyes transformed into the Mangekyō Sharingan. Naruto was momentarily dazed, while Itachi tightly held his right eye. Even though his eye was closed, a trickle of blood still slid down from the corner, like a tear of blood.

  [What the hell just happened? Mangekyō? That wasn't an illusion, was it? Itachi's eye is bleeding? Did he use Tsukuyomi on me?]

  A chill ran up Naruto's spine, and his hair stood on end. An overwhelming sense of fear involuntarily surged within him.

  "Brother! What's wrong with your eyes?"

  Sasuke's slightly anxious voice snapped Naruto out of his daze. It seemed Sasuke had already run up to Itachi, worried about the blood from his brother eyes. Itachi just smiled gently, crouched down, and lightly tapped Sasuke's forehead with his finger.

  "It's nothing, just a minor injury from a mission earlier. Let's go home."

  "Are you really okay?"

  "Don't worry, I've already seen a doctor."

  Itachi stood up, took Sasuke's small hand, and turned to leave. Meanwhile, Naruto remained standing in pce, inspecting his body. Itachi's Tsukuyomi was no joke—if something went wrong, he might not even know how he died.

  [Damn it, why did i look into Itachi eyes? Now i'm in trouble. I've been hit with Tsukuyomi, and i don't even know what he did to me. What if he pnted some kind of trap in my body? i'd be completely screwed!]

  On the surface, Naruto showed no reaction, but inside, he was frantic with worry. Hinata, who knew nothing about what had happened, looked at Naruto with confusion, while Kakashi took the initiative to approach him.