Naruto, my father's name is Uchiha Madara.

Page 360

I entered this nascent Konoha Village, still filled with the scent of earth.

The streets are made of compacted dirt, and they must be very muddy on rainy days.

The houses on both sides are low, and occasionally you can see one or two newly opened shops.

People's faces were filled with busyness and anticipation for the future, while children chased and played among the unfinished buildings, creating a vibrant yet slightly chaotic scene.

Naruto and Hikaru gazed at everything with curiosity; for Naruto, this was the past of his hometown.

For light, this was an incredible, peaceful prototype.

Just as Naruto was distracted by looking at an open space in the distance that looked like the original site of Ichiraku Ramen, he accidentally bumped into someone walking towards him.

Naruto instinctively apologized immediately, after all, it was his fault for not watching where he was going.

"As long as you're okay."

A cool, deep voice, yet with a unique magnetic quality, responded.

Upon hearing that voice, Naruto froze instantly!

That voice… he knew it all too well!

He suddenly looked up and saw a face that was much younger, yet still handsome and aloof.

Long, black hair that flaunts itself like spikes, and a deep purple coat.

And those black eyes... at this moment, they did not yet contain endless vicissitudes and obsession, but were only slightly indifferent.

A living, breathing, young Uchiha Madara, working tirelessly to establish Konoha!

The immense shock and an instinctive sense of closeness made Naruto almost blurt out, "Old..."

The word "Dad" was almost on his lips, but he swallowed it back down!

Cold sweat instantly soaked his back!

No! They absolutely cannot acknowledge each other!

He recalled the warning Shuimen had given him back in Loulan.

Since we don't know how the future will change, it's best to keep things as they are, so that the future will remain as beautiful as it was originally.

The person before him was completely different from the spirit of his godfather in his mental space, who always had a stern face and a tough exterior but a soft heart.

This is the real Uchiha Madara, at a crucial juncture in his life, still holding hope for the future!

At the beginning of his career, Madara looked at the blond boy in front of him.

The moment the other person saw his face, his expression changed from apologetic to shocked, then to extremely nervous.

His eyes flickered, and he hesitated to speak, as if he had something difficult to say.

This unusual reaction piqued his slight interest.

He had seen far too many people look at him with fear, awe, and hatred.

But this complex feeling, which seemed to contain some indescribable emotion... was a first for me.

Worried that something might happen to Naruto, Madara crouched down slightly so that his line of sight was level with Naruto's.

He softened his tone and asked, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell, or have you run into some trouble?"

At this moment, within Naruto's mental space, after a deathly silence—

"puff--!!!"

Kushina was the first to break down, nearly jumping up in shock: "He...he crouched down?! Uchiha Madara?! That Uchiha Madara?! He actually crouched down to show concern for someone?!"

Minato was also incredulous, his gentle smile frozen on his face: "This... is indeed very different from the Madara we know."

The Ban they knew was always arrogant and disdainful; he had never acted so...approachably.

It's worth noting that during the time they spent with Madara, he would either stand with his arms crossed or sit atop Kurama's head, looking down at them.

Even the Nine-Tailed Fox, who had been feigning sleep, opened one eyelid and muttered, "Hmph, putting on an act."

The spotted creature lying on its head furrowed its brow almost imperceptibly.

It seems to feel a slight discomfort and...disdain for the actions of the "self" in the outside world.

But in the end he said nothing, simply turned over, out of sight, out of mind.

Outside, Naruto became even more nervous due to the sudden, oppressive, yet strangely "concerned" act of creating Madara.

His mind raced, and in a flash of inspiration, he managed to force a somewhat stiff but undeniably bright smile:

"N-nothing! It's just...it's just that I'm a little too excited and nervous to see the legendary Uchiha clan leader up close for the first time! You are even more...impressive than the rumors say!"

He racked his brains to come up with a positive word.

"Really……"

The young Madara looked at Naruto's deep blue eyes, which were trying to hide their nervousness but were still clear and bright.

There was no fear or hatred in those eyes that he usually saw.

There was only pure, slightly flustered excitement and... a strange sense of familiarity and intimacy that he couldn't decipher.

This peculiar feeling brought a touch of warmth to Madara, the creator of the village who had always been feared by everyone in Konoha.

Madara raised his hand and gently placed it on Naruto's bright blond hair, then ruffled it.

His movements were somewhat stiff, even clumsy to the point that he himself was unaware of.

But it is indeed a gesture of friendliness and... reassurance.

"Do not be nervous."

Madara's voice remained cold, but it seemed to have softened slightly: "Konoha welcomes all those who yearn for peace."

After saying that, he withdrew his hand, stood up, and resumed his indifferent demeanor.

He nodded slightly to Naruto, then turned and left, his deep purple figure fading into the distance under the rising sun.

Chapter 379 The Clumsy Madara Uchiha

As Madara Uchiha's figure was about to disappear into the busy crowd, countless thoughts flashed through Naruto's mind.

The opportunity to return to this era is once in a lifetime, and to be able to get so close to one's godfather when he was young is even more incredible.

More importantly, looking at Ban's somewhat lonely figure, he recalled the stubborn but soft-hearted spirit in his mental space.

A strong urge to do something welled up inside me.

"Wait, wait a minute! Old... Mr. Madara!" Naruto shouted hurriedly, pulling Hikaru along as they quickly caught up.

Ban stopped and turned around, looking slightly puzzled.

His black eyes remained indifferent, but seemed to have lost some of their sharpness compared to before.

Naruto's mind raced.

He forced a smile that was as natural as possible, yet tinged with pleading: "Um... Mr. Madara, my sister and I are new to Konoha, and we don't know anyone here. We don't know where to register or what to do..."

"Would it be convenient for us to follow you for a while? We promise we won't cause any trouble! Just think of it as... just think of it as giving us directions?"

As he spoke, he secretly squeezed Guang's hand.

Although Hikaru didn't understand what Naruto wanted to do, he still lowered his head slightly to cooperate, pretending to be a newcomer who was uneasy.

Madara's gaze swept between Naruto's brilliant blond hair and jet-black long hair, his expression clearly suspicious.

"Uh...cousins! Distant relatives!"

Naruto quickly added, inwardly thinking: "It should be okay!"

If all else fails and we get caught, I'll just blame it on Sasuke! Sorry Sasuke, can I borrow your name for a bit? I'll be called Uzumaki Sasuke!

Sasuke, still in his original era, suddenly sneezed loudly without warning, and felt a chill run down his spine for no apparent reason.

"...Strange, is it a cold?"

He rubbed his nose in confusion.

Perhaps it's Naruto's overly clear and sincere blue eyes that make him so irresistible.

Perhaps the reason of "brother and sister seeking refuge" was still quite common in this turbulent era.

Or perhaps Madara himself, deep down, longed for interactions with people other than Hashirama, interactions that were less driven by self-interest.

He remained silent for a few seconds, but surprisingly did not say anything to drive him away. He simply said, "You can come along, but don't get in the way."

After saying that, he turned around and continued walking.

"That's great! Thank you, Mr. Ban!"

Naruto was overjoyed and quickly pulled Hikaru along to follow.

Hikaru looked up at Naruto, his eyes seeming to ask, "What exactly do you want?"

Naruto responded with a look that said, "Don't worry, I'll handle this."

Walking through the newly established streets of Konoha, Naruto tried to find a topic to talk about: "Mr. Madara, Konoha is really big! It will definitely become the best ninja village in the future!"

"Mr. Ban, is a school being built over there? That's wonderful! The children can study together in the future."

"Mr. Madara, you and Uncle Hashirama... uh, Lord Hashirama are truly amazing! To be able to build such a village!"

"……Um."

The dialogue was basically conducted by Naruto's one-sided output and Madara's monosyllabic responses.

Hikaru followed quietly to the side, observing everything around him, including the Uchiha clan leader in front of him.

She could sense that this powerful man was surrounded by an invisible aura that kept strangers at bay.

But Naruto seemed completely oblivious and continued to chatter on and on.

After walking for a while, Naruto gradually understood why those civilians had looked at Madara with awe and... a hint of fear.

Along the way, an old woman's cart got stuck in a mud pit. When Ban saw this, he walked over without saying a word.

He wanted to help, but his method was to concentrate chakra in his hands and try to lift the car directly with brute force.

The result was merely a leak of chakra, which startled the old woman so much that she screamed and fell to the ground, scattering the contents of her cart all over the floor.