Meddling

"Can I really activate the Byakugan?" After absorbing the ninja shard Hinata had dropped, Uchiha Ying was surprised to find he could now activate and deactivate the Byakugan at will. "Finally, I have a way to defend myself." He couldn't help but sigh, remembering his arrival in this world—unable to activate his Sharingan, practically chakra-less, lost and terrified. However… he still had a long way to go before he could truly establish himself here, let alone do as he pleased. For now, he needed to lie low and avoid making waves. Fortunately, this Byakugan obtained from the ninja shard didn't require protruding veins and white eyes; it only consumed chakra to activate, making it inconspicuous. Acquiring such a convenient and discreet Byakugan put Ying in an exceptionally good mood. "So, this is what true Byakugan vision is like…" A 360-degree, one-kilometer radius view, but everything was like an X-ray in black and white. People appeared as skeletons and chakra networks, completely unsuitable for any… less-than-savory purposes. He'd truly misjudged Hinata.

The setting sun painted the sky as the school day ended. Since it was a holiday, the Ninja Academy gates were crowded with parents picking up their children.

"Lady Hinata, the Clan Head is waiting for you."

"I understand." Hinata followed the Hyuga guard sent to escort her home, glancing at Uchiha Ying walking alone outside the crowd. Although Ying had insisted he was fine after their earlier spar, even encouraging her, she couldn't help but worry when she recalled the blood he'd discreetly wiped from his lip. "Ying-san must be injured. He says he's fine… but he probably resents me even more now." Later… if she had the chance, she would let him hit her to vent his anger.

"Lady Hinata, did you say something?"

"No, nothing!" Shaking her head to dispel the guard's question, Hinata withdrew her gaze and began to worry about why her father had summoned her.

"Hey, why are you alone too? Where's Sasuke?" Naruto, perched on a dilapidated swing set under an old tree, watched the bustling crowd with a peculiar expression, separated from the noisy school gate as if by an invisible line.

"What about you? Why aren't you home yet?" Ying wasn't sure why he'd walked over to Naruto. Perhaps it was because Naruto's expression resembled that of a lost puppy, too poignant to ignore.

"I…" Naruto had simply been bored and, noticing another solitary figure, had called out. He hadn't expected a response, unlike the usual disregard or avoidance he received. He was momentarily at a loss for words. "It's still early. I was thinking about getting ramen, you…" Naruto hopped off the swing. He didn't want to return to his cold, empty apartment just yet. Seeing other students being picked up by their families had left him feeling strangely hollow. He checked his pockets, intending to treat this Uchiha who had actually spoken to him to ramen and ask about last night's dream, but stopped. He didn't have enough money for even a single bowl, let alone two.

"You want to treat me to ramen?" Ying saw right through Naruto's intentions, including his embarrassment.

"Yeah, but… but I don't have any money right now." Naruto sheepishly held out his empty hands.

"Why would you treat me?"

"Because… you seem similar to Shikamaru and Choji. Maybe we could be friends… maybe we could get along." Not just today, but last night in that strange dream, Ying was the only one who had called out to him, told him to find cover. If it hadn't been a dream, maybe he could have another friend. Naruto thought silently.

"Is that so?" To avoid attention, Ying had always kept his distance from Naruto. He hadn't expected Naruto to approach him first. And… perhaps because of reading the manga in his past life, he felt an inexplicable kinship with Naruto.

"Then let's skip the ramen. Even Ichiraku isn't as healthy as a home-cooked meal."

"Home? I…" They were both orphans without parents. What home? Naruto didn't understand Ying's meaning.

"Do you want to try Sasuke's cooking?"

"Sasuke can cook?!" Naruto's face was a mixture of disbelief and then a spark of rare excitement as he stared at the black-haired boy. Was Uchiha Ying actually inviting him to dinner?

"Are you coming?"

"Of course!" Naruto jumped up and down with joy, nearly tearing down the old swing set by the school gate. "I don't believe that stuck-up Sasuke can cook anything edible!" He couldn't believe Ying was such a nice guy! The thought of eating food cooked by the arrogant Sasuke made him even more thrilled.

*Caw—caw—* The harsh cry of a crow echoed from a large tree. A black-clad ninja perched on a branch watched the two boys walking together and tucked a note onto the leg of a messenger pigeon: 'Uchiha survivor, Ying, is making contact with the Nine-Tails.'

Moments later, the pigeon returned, a reply tucked into the small wooden cylinder on its leg: 'Eliminate the Uchiha brat, Ying. Ensure the jinchuriki remains unaware.' The ninja respectfully read the note and then crumbled it to dust. With a few leaps, he followed the two boys heading towards the Uchiha district.

"Tsk, I thought the surveillance ninja would be off today. Guess not." Discreetly activating his Byakugan, Ying quickly spotted the masked ninja from earlier now rapidly approaching them. "This is a bit troublesome…" He'd assumed Naruto's initiative wouldn't provoke a reaction from the ANBU or Danzo's Root, but he'd underestimated the weight of the words "Nine-Tails" and "Uchiha" to the old guard of Konoha. This newcomer was likely hostile, but he couldn't very well send Naruto back now. And… Ying glanced at a nearby corner. He'd see how things played out. He couldn't be assassinated for offering Naruto dinner, could he?

"Ying, what was that about being troublesome?" Naruto, still excitedly recounting his Konoha adventures, hadn't noticed anything amiss.

"Nothing," Ying replied, concealing a kunai in his sleeve while cautiously scanning their surroundings.

"Ah, no! There's a kitten about to fall from a tree! I have to save it!" Suddenly, a kitten's meows caught Naruto's attention, and he immediately dashed towards a nearby tree.

Ying's body tensed. That cat was bait! Was that ninja really planning to attack him?

*Clang!* Just as Ying was about to react, two dark figures appeared mid-air, their blades clashing. After several more metallic rings, a purple-haired kunoichi wearing an ANBU mask landed before Ying, her blade drawn. In front of them, the other masked ninja, dressed in black, held his long knife in frustration.

"Attacking a villager without provocation, who are you?" The purple-haired kunoichi stood defensively before Ying, her voice cold. She was an ANBU assigned by the Third Hokage to protect Naruto. She hadn't expected someone to attack a fellow villager, let alone a ninja academy student like Uchiha Ying, in broad daylight.

"Meddling fool!" the black-clad ninja growled, glancing at Naruto, who had rescued the kitten and was now returning. Seeing this, he sheathed his blade and vanished into the shadows.

"Root," the kunoichi said, though it was more of a statement than a question. No one else would act so brazenly within Konoha.

"Thank you," Ying said, feigning the dazed demeanor of someone who had just been attacked but didn't understand why.

"Don't mention it. Protecting the villagers of Konoha is the ANBU's duty." The kunoichi glanced at the seemingly timid boy behind her and then at the Hokage Monument. She too vanished, leaving Ying alone. Only two Uchiha remained. Danzo… Root still wouldn't let them be. This had to be reported to the Hokage. She thought angrily.