Konoha: I have a clone in One Piece.

Konoha Village.

Uchiha clan.

Sasuke Uchiha got up early this morning because his brother Itachi Uchiha had said yesterday that he would take him to the lakeside for training this morning.

After quickly washing up, Uchiha Sasuke immediately ran to his brother Uchiha Itachi's room.

However, the place was already empty.

"How could this be...?"

Sasuke Uchiha's face showed disappointment, and he muttered to himself with a hint of grievance:

"Has my brother left again?"

But just then, Itachi Uchiha's shout rang out.

"Sasuke—"

"Come to the kitchen for dinner!"

"Coming...coming!"

Upon hearing the familiar call, Sasuke Uchiha's expression of disappointment instantly turned into joy, and he ran towards the kitchen with a big smile.

Inside the kitchen, Itachi Uchiha had already taken off his apron.

On the dining table next to him was a steaming plate of egg fried rice, which was Sasuke's favorite food!

"Eat up, don't let it get cold. Mom and Dad had something to do today, they went to the Hokage's house. I'm not very good at cooking, so please make do with this."

Itachi Uchiha walked over, smiled gently, and patted his younger brother's head.

"How could that be? My brother's cooking is delicious!"

Uchiha Sasuke shook his head rapidly, then looked at the plate of fried rice on the table, his little face showing a hint of confusion as he asked:

"Brother, aren't you going to eat?"

"No."

Uchiha Itachi answered gently, then said with a hint of apology on his face:

"I'm sorry, Sasuke, the Chunin Exams are about to begin. The Hokage has high expectations of me, and I can't let the village down."

"I need to go to the Forest of Death later to receive instruction from Kakashi-senpai."

"If we have time later, I'll take you to train by the lake."

Sometimes, the most painful disappointments are those that come after a series of setbacks.

Upon hearing that his older brother, Itachi Uchiha, still couldn't train him, Sasuke Uchiha paused for a moment, then silently sat down at the table, picking at his small bowl as he ate, muttering with a wronged expression:

"Hmm... okay, brother, you go ahead. I already made plans to hang out with Naruto and the others."

As he spoke, Uchiha Sasuke, suppressing his immense grievances, raised his small face to look at Uchiha Itachi, made a gesture of encouragement, and gave him a smile that looked more like a grimace as he offered his blessing:

"Brother, you can do it! You'll definitely be number one!"

"Okay, okay, sweetie. Don't worry, I promise I won't break my word next time."

Seeing his younger brother's aggrieved look, Itachi gently patted his head again before packing up and leaving.

Watching his brother's retreating figure, Uchiha Sasuke pouted and forced back his tears as he ate Shang Wen's fried rice.

Not long after.

On the street leading from the Uchiha clan compound to the Konoha Ninja Academy.

Uchiha Sasuke wandered aimlessly through the crowd, his small face filled with boredom.

He will be five years old in a little over a month, and he will have to wait until next year to enroll in the Konoha Ninja Academy. Therefore, apart from his daily training with his clan, he usually plays around with Naruto and the others.

However, not everyone has time every day.

The promises Sasuke made with Itachi this morning were all nonsense. Sasuke didn't even know what Naruto, Shikamaru, and the others were doing.

Bored, he could only wander around the streets, curiously watching the adults busily engaged in their work.

"Flower pots... put the flower pots here."

"Quick, the lantern over there is hanging crooked!"

"Sorry, sorry, hahaha..."

Many vendors are decorating their shops with lanterns and colorful decorations to welcome the many customers who will be arriving soon.

"This area also needs to be thoroughly cleaned. We can't think it's unimportant just because it's a sewer. Our guests will come from all over the world, so we must do our best!"

"Yes, Captain! Water Release..."

The ninja squad also received a series of D-rank missions.

Some team leaders were cleaning the sewers, while others were inspecting the sturdiness of various buildings and facilities in Konoha Village. Still others were clearing weeds from the roadside and transplanting flowers and trees.

The entire Hidden Leaf Village was busy preparing for the upcoming Chunin Exams.

At this moment, even the young Sasuke Uchiha could feel the importance the villagers placed on the Chunin Exams.

My brother will definitely be number one!

Thinking of Itachi Uchiha standing majestically on the high platform, Sasuke Uchiha couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

"Sasuke??"

"What are you doing here? And why are you laughing so stupidly? Hahahaha..."

Across the street, Naruto saw his friend's silly expression and immediately clutched his stomach, laughing.

"Naruto... Naruto?!"

Sasuke Uchiha's eyes widened, he instantly stopped grinning, and quickly walked over.

He glared fiercely at Naruto and whispered in a threatening tone:

"You didn't see anything just now, understand?"

"Hahahaha...No! I saw it! I saw it clearly!"

Naruto Namikaze was completely unconcerned about Sasuke Uchiha's threat; in fact, he found it even more amusing.

As peers who had known each other and played together since they were just one year old and were still wearing open-crotch pants, his relationship with Uchiha Sasuke was quite strange.

They were supposed to be good friends, but they just couldn't stand each other.

But to say they dislike each other wouldn't be accurate; in fact, they often bicker and tease each other, spending more time together than with their families.

Even in a village as big as Konoha, you can always encounter people in the streets in a very strange way.

"you……"

Sasuke Uchiha's face turned bright red, but he couldn't say a word.

"Ha ha ha ha……"

Upon seeing this, Naruto laughed even louder.

The two bickered and played around on the street for a while, and soon they made up and headed to the gathering place of their friends.

Unlike Uchiha Sasuke, who was naturally somewhat aloof.

Naruto Namikaze didn't suffer the disdain of the villagers in the original future. In fact, because his father was the Fourth Hokage, and because of his cute appearance and cheerful personality, he was actually loved by the villagers.

Even the younger generation of the various clans in Konoha Village, with the tacit understanding of their elders, have all become close to Naruto.

Sasuke Uchiha's friends, whom he couldn't find for various reasons such as pride or being from the Uchiha clan, were quickly gathered together under Naruto's guidance.

Not long after.

On the edge of Konoha Village, at the lake where Suzuki and Might Guy once trained together.

Of the future Konoha 12, aside from Lee, Tenten, Neji, and Sakura from a commoner family who have already enrolled and are attending classes, the other eight Konoha 12 have all come here.

There's Shino Aburame, who's still very young but completely covered up; Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, and Choji Akimichi from the Ino-Shika-Cho trio; Kiba Inuzuka with a small dog; and Hinata Hyuga, who's a little shy and standing close to Ino Yamanaka.

Finally, there's Naruto Namikaze, who has no beard, blond hair, and a cheerful smile like his father, and Sasuke Uchiha, with his handsome features and aloof demeanor.

Eight children sat around the lake, discussing what games they would play that day.

"How about we play hide-and-seek?"

Nara Shikamaru suggested that if they played hide-and-seek, he could simply choose a safe spot and then enjoy a nice, lazy sleep. (End of Chapter)