Hamura Estate – Training Grounds
Morning light filtered through the trees. Naruto stood at the edge of the training ground, hands on his knees, panting heavily.
"Again," Ryu said.
Naruto protested, "I've already run twenty laps!"
"He really needs to learn to count first." Ryu thought
"A few more won't hurt," Ryu reassured Naruto.
Naruto groaned and took off. His form was sloppy, arms swinging too wide, feet striking the ground too hard. He lacked polish, but he did not slow. The boy simply kept going.
Ryu watched in silence, a small orb of golden Yin chakra forming between his palms. His hands channelled Yang in opposition, the forces holding the sphere suspended as it rolled smoothly from one palm to the other. Ryu can now form small chakra balls, the simplest shape in the book.
"Naruto has too much power and too little technique for how to use it. And also he lacks basics," Ryu thought. "If I don't intervene, Naruto will rely solely on his endurance."
Naruto had tenacity. That much was undeniable. But his taijutsu foundation was poor. His balance was inconsistent. Left alone, every real fight would grind him down through attrition.
"Well, that can be corrected without messing up too much," Ryu thought.
Ryu was careful about what he changed and how. It was too late to cry about the butterfly effect but certain events need more than just a touch of butterfly, and Ryu wants to preserve a few key events by not making Naruto too powerful from the beginning, before the right moment.
Strengthening Naruto's body, improving chakra control, and drilling proper taijutsu. These were fundamentals. They sharpened what already existed, rather than forcing something new. And Ryu predicted that a little taijutsu and somewhat better chakra control will not derail the timeline.
Ryu called out as Naruto passed again. "Finish it, and then we will eat something delicious."
Naruto blinked. "Really?"
"Yes," Ryu said. "We will go to Ichiraku today."
They trained like champions for the next few days, just like this. Ryu stripped everything down to the basics and rebuilt from the ground up. Taijutsu first. Foot placement. Weight distribution. Balance before speed. Naruto grumbled, but he followed instructions. His recovery and healing helped him keep up with training.
Outside those sessions, Ryu focused on his training. Yin and Yang cycled between his palms with increasing precision as Kiyomizu-sensei's guidance pressed him toward finer control rather than raw output. The work proceeded methodically, with precision and careful attention to detail. The chakra ball got bigger and bigger with each session.
Ryu was not blind to what this closeness would invite. His involvement with Naruto would draw the attention of the village authority. A meeting was inevitable, and without the ability to formally establish Uzumaki lineage, the odds would not fall in his favour.
Four Days Later
The four days leading up to launch passed quickly.
The centrifugal launch system had already completed its dummy run weeks ago. The tests were successful, and all calculations checked out. There was nothing left but the actual launch.
With the technical burden largely settled, Ryu spent his mornings training Naruto and his afternoons refining his own Yin–Yang control. Evenings were reserved for schematics, early designs for Shiroi's prosthetics, alloy compositions, and nerveinterface layouts sketched in clean, careful lines.
The launch site was located several kilometres from the village walls. The launchpad was powered up and ready. The satellite remained sealed within a special storage scroll housed inside the launch capsule, compacted for transit, and ready to be summoned once the right orbit was reached.
Technicians stood at their stations doing all necessary checks before launch. ANBU watched the perimeter. At the centre, hands folded behind his back, stood the Third Hokage.
Ryu double-checked the control panel before initiating the launch. Energy levels steady. All systems without errors.
Kaori approached. "All teams are ready."
Ryu nodded and turned slightly. "Lord Hokage."
Hiruzen stepped forward. "Proceed."
Ryu pressed the button.
The launcher began to spin. Faster and faster.
The air hummed, pressure building until—
The satellite launched.
By the power of centrifugal force alone, it hurled itself upward in a blur. Once clear of the atmosphere, its auxiliary system would complete orbital insertion.
Ryu tracked the ascent through the systems and calculated in his mind the correctness of the course. Altitude was stable. The trajectory was correct.
"Deployment in thirty seconds," he said.
The casing separated and a rocket then launched itself at the proper altitude to push towards a higher and proper altitude. The seal activated and the satellite was summoned. It began to unfold. Antennae extended. A final pulse locked it in its stabilised orbit.
"Satellite active," Ryu said. "Running diagnostics."
Green indicators bloomed across the panel.
"All systems operational. Communication established."
After a burst of excitement from the team, a hush fell as they awaited the next phase.
"Opening the first channel," he said. "Fire Capital."
Ryu nodded and picked up the prototype communicator and dialled a number.
Then a voice answered, clear and sharp. "Ryu? This is Ikkyu. Can you hear me?"
Ryu nodded once. "Loud and clear."
"Receiving perfectly," Ikkyu said. "I will pass you to my father."
There was a brief shift of static.
"This is the Fire Daimyo," a calm, measured voice said. "Good morning. Your transmission is clear."
Hiruzen stepped closer. "Good morning, my lord. A historic moment."
Ryu handed him the device.
"On behalf of the Hidden Leaf," Hiruzen said, "I commend everyone involved. Today shortens the distance between governance and action."
"Indeed," the Fire Daimyo replied. "Let us see what future this foundation allows us to build."
Applause rippled across the field. Cheers broke out among the technicians as hands clapped shoulders and relief gave way to excitement.
Ryu stood back, watching.
This was not a spectacle. It was a milestone.
Later – Private Conversation
As the field cleared and the sun lowered, Ryu and Hiruzen withdrew into a separate room adjoining the launch hall, privacy seals already active.
Hiruzen lit his pipe. "You have done well."
Ryu replied, "Thank you, Lord Hokage."
Hiruzen then said with a serious tone, "There is another matter."
Ryu nodded and replied with a neutral tone and a smile on his face, "Is it about Naruto?"
Hiruzen paused, surprise flickering across his face. "You already know what I intend to discuss?"
"I saw it coming miles away," Ryu said. "Among other things."
Hiruzen exhaled smoke slowly. "You know what he is."
"I know all... about... him, Lord Hokage."
The warmth faded from Hiruzen's expression, replaced by something more guarded. He took a slow pull from his pipe. "Did Dan tell you?"
"No."
Hiruzen's eyes narrowed slightly. Then how?
Ryu's voice remained calm. "I'm not boasting, Lord Hokage, but I can even guess what the Raikage and Mizukage are doing right now. They're increasing my bounty. You'll hear the news soon." He paused. "My mind can predict many more events happening right now as well."
A half-truth. Ryu's [Parallel Thinking] and [Fast Thinking] abilities could genuinely map probabilities and predict outcomes, cross-referencing vast amounts of data about each character, their motivations, and their allegiances. But the certainty in his predictions came from something else entirely.
Hiruzen studied him for a long moment and believed him, as he had demonstrated this a few moments before when Ryu mentioned Naruto before he could. Hiruzen said, "Your predictive ability is... extraordinary."
"It's pattern and probity recognition. The Nara clan do it all the time," Ryu said. "Human behaviour follows predictable paths if you understand the variables."
"Even so." Hiruzen's voice dropped. "Do you also know about his parents?"
Ryu nodded.
Hiruzen's grip on his pipe tightened slightly. "Then you understand why it must remain secret."
"I understand your reasoning," Ryu said. "You wanted to protect him from the enemies of the Fourth Hokage. But with respect, Lord Hokage, that decision wasn't wise."
Hiruzen's expression hardened. "Explain."
"Naruto should be treated as a hero. The son of the Fourth Hokage, who saved the village," Ryu said. He spoke with a steady and sharp tone. "Instead, he's treated as the demon itself. The enemies of the late Fourth can tell at a glance what Naruto is. They don't need confirmation; they already know."
The Hokage said nothing.
Ryu continued, "Under my care, Naruto will have something he's never had. A family. People who show him love, not fear." He paused, choosing his next words carefully. "And with respect, Lord Hokage, the secret didn't even hold. Naruto's identity as a jinchūriki leaked anyway. What exactly did all that secrecy protect?"
Hiruzen's expression tightened. Each word reflected the decisions made in times of grief and desperation. Minato's last request had been to see his son as a hero. Instead, the village had given the boy hatred. And for what? The very thing they'd tried to hide had become common knowledge anyway.
"You believe you can give him that?" Hiruzen asked.
"I know I can."
Hiruzen took another pull from his pipe, the silence stretching. Finally, he spoke. "Danzo will demand a hearing and try to prevent it from happening."
Ryu nodded. "Let him."
"The other clans will object as well. You've made allies, but this... adopting the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is a different matter entirely."
"I've accounted for that."
Hiruzen studied him. "You don't seem concerned."
"I'm not."
"Why?"
Ryu's voice was calm and matter-of-fact. "Because I know I'll lose."
The Hokage's eyebrows rose. "You're certain?"
"The civilian council members will vote against me. Danzo will vote against me. The other elders will follow his lead. The Hyuga clan will vote against me as well," Ryu said. "That's nine votes already. If Hiashi rallies his allies, the number grows."
"And your supporters?"
"The Uchiha. The Senju. The Ino-Shika-Cho alliance. Maybe Inuzuka will join as well, along with you, Lord Hokage." Ryu paused. "But it won't be enough."
Hiruzen took a long pull from his pipe. The boy had just predicted a council vote down to the numbers, votes that hadn't even been formally called yet. If he was right, and Hiruzen suspected he would be, then what else could this child foresee?
Hiruzen said, "Your foresight is... unsettling."
"Probability," Ryu corrected. "I can never be one hundred per cent certain. But the odds are high."
"Then what will you do to change it?"
"I will do nothing and lose."
The Hokage blinked. "Lose?"
Ryu replied, "At the hearing, yes. Then I'll appeal."
Understanding dawned slowly. Hiruzen's lips curved into a faint smile. "You're planning something for the appeal."
"Yes."
"May I ask what?"
"You'll see."
Hiruzen's eyes sharpened. "You sound confident."
"I am prepared."
Hiruzen considered him, then allowed a small smile. "You make me curious about the appeal."
Ryu said nothing.
Hiruzen tapped ash from his pipe.
"There are moments I forget how young you are," Hiruzen thought.
They stood in silence and Ryu allowed himself a small, private smile.
The game had just begun.
A/N:
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