Naruto, my father's name is Uchiha Madara.

Page 361

Ban's outstretched hand froze in mid-air, his expression growing even colder.

In the end, Naruto quickly ran over, comforting the old woman while pushing the car out.

Once again, several children were chasing and playing, and almost bumped into a ninja who was surveying the terrain.

Ban suddenly appeared in front of the children, trying to stop them.

But he just stood there expressionless, looking down at them.

Those menacing black eyes terrified the children, turning them pale and causing them to burst into tears, as if they had seen some kind of man-eating demon.

spot:"……"

On another occasion, a merchant wanted to ask Ban about the village's trade zone planning.

Ban simply stated the facts and rules objectively, his tone cold and direct, without any pleasantries or formalities, sounding as if he were issuing an ultimatum.

The merchant was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat, bowed repeatedly in apology, and fled in panic.

Naruto:"……"

Light:"……"

In the short distance, Ban's attempts to "integrate" or "handle" things almost all backfired.

He clearly had no malicious intent; in fact, his initial intentions might have been good.

But his strength, his indifference, his poor communication skills, and his fearsome reputation as the Uchiha clan leader and "Battlefield Asura" are all factors to consider.

This makes all his actions seem oppressive and terrifying to ordinary people.

Naruto finally understood firsthand why Madara's eyes held such deep meaning.

Occasionally, a very faint trace of loneliness and weariness would appear, one that even he himself was unaware of.

This word inexplicably popped into Naruto's mind.

He felt a lump in his throat. The Ban he knew, though sharp-tongued and arrogant, actually had a sensitive side.

But this young man with freakish features was like a ferocious beast that didn't know how to retract its claws.

Every time I try to get close to a crowd, I accidentally hurt them, and in the end, I can only wander alone on the edge.

"Hey! What kind of look is that?!"

Madara seemed somewhat irritated after scaring away yet another young ninja who wanted to ask for directions.

Especially when he saw Naruto's pitiful face and Hikaru's curious face, his tone couldn't help but turn cold.

"Do you think I'm scary? Hard to approach?"

The atmosphere around them instantly plummeted to freezing point.

Naruto suddenly raised his head and retorted loudly, "No way! Madara-san, you clearly wanted to help! Those people were just cowards! It's ridiculous!"

His voice was so loud that it attracted the attention of a few passersby who looked over in surprise.

They seemed surprised that this blond boy dared to speak to Uchiha Madara like that.

Madara was also taken aback, clearly not expecting Naruto to say that.

He was used to people's fear and alienation, used to responding with even stronger indifference, but no one had ever... so directly stood up for him.

"What do you know?" Ban's tone was still cold, but it seemed to have lost some of its sharpness.

"I don't understand those complicated things!"

Naruto, hands on his hips, looked completely self-righteous: "It's just that Mr. Madara isn't good at helping, but there's no need to think of yourself like that. Mr. Madara is handsome! Strong! He's super, super, super amazing!"

Hikaru watched as Naruto's face turned red with anxiety as he tried to protect Madara, and then glanced at Madara's somewhat dazed expression.

She didn't quite understand this complex emotional interaction, but she could sense that Naruto was genuinely protecting this person.

She hesitated for a moment, then, mimicking how Naruto usually encouraged her, she carefully reached out and gently tugged at the hem of Madara's dark blue armor.

Ban lowered his head and met the girl's clear eyes, which were tinged with a hint of timidity yet incredibly earnest.

She whispered in her unique, flat but sincere tone, "Go for it..."

For a moment, the air seemed to freeze.

Ban looked at the two children in front of him.

One of them, as reckless and passionate as the sun, defended him, seemingly oblivious to the fearsome shadow surrounding him.

Another, as quiet as moonlight, expresses a peculiar support in the most clumsy way.

A gentle stream that is both extremely unfamiliar and incredibly warm.

Without warning, it surged into the depths of Madara Uchiha's heart, a heart long frozen by war, loss, and suspicion.

He was already used to people's fear, hatred, exploitation, or awe.

Hashirama's understanding and friendship were the only light in his life, but that light was also accompanied by ideological disputes and unspeakable barriers.

At this moment, there are two children of unknown origin and behaving strangely.

Yet, in the most direct and selfless way, it touched upon the deepest loneliness in his heart.

They...are not afraid of him.

Even... trying to understand him, to comfort him?

On the face of the eternally icy mountain, the taut lines softened slightly and awkwardly in an instant, unnoticed by anyone.

The corners of her mouth seemed to be pulled upwards in a tiny arc, as small as a single pixel.

An extremely brief expression that can hardly be called a smile.

But like the first ray of sunlight breaking through the dark clouds, it instantly illuminated his entire cold and stern face.

Although it was fleeting, he returned to his usual indifference.

But Naruto caught it! The light saw it too!

"...Hmph, mind your own business."

Ban turned around, his tone seemingly even colder, but he didn't immediately leave. Instead, he paused for a moment, as if waiting for something.

Naruto snapped out of his shock—had he just seen his godfather smile?!

Madara Uchiha actually smiled?! Even if it was only for a fraction of a second!

He immediately grabbed Guang's arm and happily followed again, chattering away, "Mr. Ban, Mr. Ban! Where are we going next?"

"Is there anything I can help you with? I'm very strong! And I'm very powerful too!"

Madara Uchiha, walking ahead, listened to the energetic voice of the boy behind him and felt the pure gaze in his eyes.

A faint, almost imperceptible warmth flickered in his unfathomable black eyes, a warmth he himself was unaware of.

Perhaps, besides Hashirama's dream, this newly established village will hold some other unexpected things.

Chapter 380 Leaving This Era

The brief companionship continued in a subtle and warm atmosphere.

Naruto continued chattering incessantly, trying to use his excess energy to dispel the invisible ice wall surrounding Madara.

Light followed quietly behind, occasionally widening her eyes slightly as she saw ordinary details of life amidst peaceful scenes she had never witnessed before.

Madara Uchiha remained a man of few words, spending most of his time silently moving forward, handling the complex affairs of the early days of the village's founding.

But Naruto could sense that the sharp, unapproachable aura emanating from him seemed to have softened slightly.

At least they no longer exude impatience because of their following behind.

However, this brief period of tranquility was soon shattered.

A Uchiha ninja quickly approached Madara and whispered something to him.

Ban's expression instantly turned serious, and his cold, commanding aura as a battlefield commander returned.

He stopped and looked at Naruto and Hikaru, his tone returning to its previous businesslike tone: "There's an urgent mission that needs to be handled. You..."

He paused, seemingly thinking for a moment, then waved to the side.

Another young Uchiha ninja, who had been silently following behind and was clearly in charge of guarding or assisting, immediately stepped forward: "Clan leader."

Ban instructed, "Take them to the post station area and arrange temporary accommodation for them."

"They are new...visitors."

He used the word “visitors” instead of “vagrants” or “suspicious individuals”.

"Yes, clan leader." The ninja named Tetsuka bowed respectfully.

Madara glanced at Naruto and Hikaru one last time, his gaze lingering briefly on Naruto's blond hair.

Without saying anything more, he flashed and disappeared at the end of the street along with the ninja who had reported.

"You two, please come with me."

Uchiha Tekka said to Naruto and Hikaru.

His attitude wasn't exactly enthusiastic, but he maintained basic politeness and didn't show any disdain or hostility towards them because they were outsiders.

Although Naruto was somewhat disappointed that he could no longer follow Madara, he knew that the mission was of utmost importance.

He pulled the light along and followed the iron fire.

Walking down the street, perhaps because the atmosphere was somewhat silent, or perhaps out of curiosity about the clan chief's unusual attitude, I felt a sense of unease.

Uchiha Tetsuka spoke up first, his tone tinged with a hint of emotion: "Speaking of which, it's truly a rare sight."

"Hmm? What's so rare?" Naruto replied.

"The patriarch..."

Tiehuo seemed to carefully choose his words: "This is the first time I've seen the clan leader with such a... relaxed expression on his face."

He looked at Naruto and Hikaru, his eyes filled with inquiry and a hint of barely perceptible respect: "The clan leader... has always carried a heavy burden."

"The future of the Uchiha clan, the stability of the village, and... well, cooperation with the Senju clan."

“He rarely showed any kindness to outsiders, let alone allowed strangers to follow him.”