Chapter 89 - 19

Chapter 19: Many Wives, Much Fortune! "Root"!The auditorium was silent for a few seconds, then erupted into thunderous applause.The curtain rose again, and all the actors went on stage for the curtain call.When Naruto took Sasuke's hand and they bowed together, the applause reached its peak.In the audience, Kushina wiped away tears: "That was performed so well..."Minato put his arm around his wife's shoulders, equally full of joy.However, Sai, standing in the corner, was silently watching Naruto, who was surrounded by flowers and applause, his eyes complex.The celebration party after the performance was held in the classroom.Shikamaru, for once, didn't complain, instead showing a satisfied smile."Although it was a huge hassle, the result wasn't bad.""Director Shikamaru is the best!" Choji stuffed a skewer of dango into his hand.Naruto and Sasuke were surrounded by the girls."Naruto! That improvisation at the end was amazing!""Naruto-kun, you performed really well!""Sasuke-kun was also super cool!"...As the festival neared its end, everyone became a little more relaxed.At this moment, Sasuke was leaning alone against the window, watching the outside in a daze.Naruto walked over with two cups of juice and handed him one."Thanks." Sasuke took it.The two stood side by side, looking out the window.On campus, the festival was still ongoing, and laughter drifted by on the breeze."...Today," Sasuke suddenly said, "during the curtain call...""Hm?""It's nothing." Sasuke took a sip of juice, "I just felt that the feeling of standing under the lights... wasn't bad."Naruto smiled: "Then next school festival, let's perform together again."Sasuke didn't answer, but the corners of his mouth lifted in an almost invisible arc....That night, Naruto and Izumi and the others snuck off to the training ground to hold a small celebration party just for them.Izumi brought rice balls she had made herself, Tenten contributed her prized candies, Sakura and Ino bought a large cake together, and Hinatabrewed tea."Cheers!" Naruto raised his juice, "To today's success!""Cheers!" The girls chimed in unison.Izumi sat beside Naruto, the most relaxed smile she had worn in months on her face: "I'm really happy today. Watching Naruto shining on stage was like watching my own little brother grow up.""Sister Izumi..." Naruto scratched his head."But," Izumi leaned on Naruto's shoulder and said softly, "if only every day could be like this. No clan worries, no burden of hostility, just laughing happily with everyone..."Naruto's heart tightened."It will," Naruto held Izumi's hand, "one day, it will definitely be like this."Izumi smiled, though there were tears in her eyes: "Mm, I believe you."The night grew late, and the girls left one after another. Finally, only Naruto and Izumi remained."Naruto," Izumi suddenly said, "there's something... I want to tell you.""Hm?""Shisui, Itachi, and some other clansmen... have been acting very strange lately." Izumi's voice was very low, "They seem to be preparing for something big; every time I see them, they look exhausted. And the atmosphere in the clan... it's too strange, it's terrifyingly quiet."Naruto's heart accelerated.He knew the timeline of the original story was approaching."Sister Izumi, if... I mean if something bad happens," Naruto looked into Izumi's eyes, "you must come find me, find Mom, find Hokage-sama. Don't carry it alone, okay?"Izumi was stunned for a moment, then smiled gently: "Okay. I promise you."The school festival came to a complete end; it was already late at night.Moonlight like water spilled over the empty, silent campus; the bustle of the day felt like nothing more than a brilliant dream.In the auditorium backstage, only Naruto remained, cleaning up the scattered props and costumes.He carefully folded the costumes Hinata had sewn one by one, put the wooden Ninja tools Tenten had prepared back into the box, and finally picked up Sasuke's black robe embroidered with the Uchihafan, his movements pausing.That guy Sasuke actually smiled at the end today.Although only a little bit...The corners of Naruto's mouth lifted unconsciously, but quickly settled back down.The more moments like this seemed warm, the clearer that inexplicable sense of unease in his heart became.The scenes from his memories were like a Sword of Damocles hanging over his head, and the recent, abnormal deathly silence of the Uchiha clan grounds only made this unease ferment further.Just as he picked up the last box of props and prepared to leave, a voice came from the shadows in the corner:"Need some help?"Naruto turned around and saw Sai slowly walking out from the darkness behind the prop rack.The moonlight only illuminated half of his face, the other half hidden in shadow, his expression unclear.The "Sai" before him was like a different person from the silent, timid narrator of the day.His back was straight, his shoulders relaxed and steady, and most importantly, those eyes. Calm, waveless, like two deep wells, reflecting no light of emotion."Sai, I knew you were waiting for me, that's why I deliberately stayed behind to wait for you. What is your goal, anyway?" Naruto smiled naturally, placing the box aside."No goal in particular." Sai's voice was very light, yet clearly reached Naruto's ears, "There are some things I want to say to you in private."The air backstage seemed to freeze for a moment.From the distance, the faint commotion of the festival's end could be heard, which only served to highlight the silence here.Naruto slowly straightened up, the smile on his face fading a little, but he still maintained a relaxed posture: "What things?"Sai took two steps forward, stepping completely into the moonlight. He raised his hand and made a strange gesture. His thumb and index finger formed a ring, while the other three fingers were held together and upright. It was an ancient, almost forgotten Ninja signal."'Root'." Sai said calmly, as if stating the weather, "By order of Danzo-sama, I have been observing and evaluating the target. Uzumaki Naruto, for three months now."Naruto naturally knew that Sai was one of Danzo's subordinates."Oh?" Naruto tilted his head, trying his best to look like a curious child, "What is 'Root'? Who is Danzo-sama? And what are you evaluating me for?"Sai did not answer these questions, which were clearly asked knowing the answers. His gaze scraped over Naruto like a scalpel: "Today's performance was brilliant. Especially the improvisation by you and Uchiha Sasuke at the end. That kind of rapport... it didn't look acted."He paused, took another step forward, and was only three meters away from Naruto: "So I want to ask you a question, Uzumaki Naruto. Answer as someone who might become Hokage in the future."Naruto felt a chill run down his spine.Not because of fear, but because he anticipated what the other party was going to ask."Do you believe," Sai's voice was kept very low, yet every word was clear, "that for the sake of Konoha's overall future and stability, sacrificing a clan that might pose a threat... is right, or wrong?"It's here.Naruto closed his eyes and took a deep breath.The bustle of the festival, Sasuke's almost invisible smile at the end, the hope in Izumi's voice when she said "if only every day could be like this," the deathly silence of the Uchiha clan grounds... all these images flashed through his mind.When he opened his eyes again, the innocence belonging to a six-year-old child in those azure eyes had completely faded, replaced by a deep-sea-like calm that transcended his age."My father," Naruto started, his voice very light but steady, "Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage, once told me something."Sai listened quietly."He said that the Hokage is the person who stands at the very front of all the villagers, carrying all their hopes and pains." Naruto looked straight into Sai's eyes, "If one cannot even carry the hopes of a single clan, and if one can only solve problems through sacrifice... then by what right does one carry the entire Village?"He took a step forward; although he was a head shorter than Sai, his presence did not fall behind:"Sacrifice should not be the first choice to solve a problem, but the very last resort. It is a bitter fruit that must be swallowed only after all other paths have failed and all efforts have been exhausted. It is not..." Naruto paused, his voice deepening, "...a sickle swung the moment a problem begins to sprout."