"Why?"
Sasuke looked genuinely confused. Tōma hadn't refused to help him, so what did he mean?
"Because if I ever run into him," Fujimoto Tōma said with an easy, confident smile, "you probably won't get the chance to take revenge with your own hands."
He didn't elaborate out loud, but the calculation was already finished in his head.
Against Uchiha Itachi, Tōma held a natural advantage. With his awareness and perception, he didn't even need to rely on vision in battle. That alone shut down most visual genjutsu and severely limited the Sharingan's strongest tricks.
Susanoo was troublesome, sure, but it drained ocular power at an absurd rate. If Itachi dared to use it, Tōma was more than happy to drag the fight out. With Flying Thunder God, endurance battles were his specialty.
Amaterasu? That required actually landing a hit first.
As for ninjutsu… that would come down to raw strength and stamina. And Itachi's chakra reserves were his weakest point.
Strip away the Sharingan's advantages, and Itachi's overall combat ability dropped sharply. In a straight comparison, he might not even outperform Kakashi for long.
The only real variable was backup. Kisame Hoshigaki, in particular, would be a serious problem at Tōma's current level.
Sasuke stared at him in silence. In the past, he would have argued immediately. This time, strangely enough, he believed him.
Tōma noticed the lack of rebuttal and raised an eyebrow. Looks like Sasuke's thinking had changed.
"I'll keep that in mind," Sasuke said at last, his expression complicated.
"That's good," Tōma replied with a small smile.
In the original timeline, Sasuke's life had been nothing short of cruel. Just as he began forming bonds, Orochimaru shattered them, and later even his own brother pushed him down a path he never chose.
Some things couldn't be changed now. But if Sasuke could suffer a little less and still stand strong when the time came, that would be enough.
"Also," Tōma added, glancing at the scorched ground and crater nearby, "let's not train here anymore. This place can't handle your attacks."
Sasuke looked over at the explosion marks left by the tags and nodded. Then, as if thinking of something else, he turned his head away slightly.
"Next time… can you come train at my training ground instead?"
Tōma paused, then nodded with a smile. "Sure."
"Then it's settled." Sasuke turned and walked off without looking back, though the faint curve of his lips didn't escape Tōma's notice.
"Wait."
Sasuke stopped and turned around.
"Take this," Tōma said, tossing him a kunai. "Keep it safe."
The weapon looked ordinary at first glance, but the moment Sasuke caught it, he felt the difference. It was heavier than normal, and faint sealing formulas were etched into the handle.
"I will," Sasuke said seriously, tucking the Flying Thunder God kunai away before leaving.
Tōma watched his back for a moment. Today's experience would probably stay with Sasuke for years.
With that settled, only Naruto remained.
And honestly, Naruto was the harder case.
Helping him meant dealing directly with the Third Hokage. Adjusting seals in secret was one thing, but what Tōma planned next couldn't stay hidden.
He sighed softly and rubbed his temple. If he could guarantee that he'd one day suppress Ōtsutsuki Kaguya with one hand, none of this would be necessary. Unfortunately, he couldn't. Not yet.
So Naruto and Sasuke still mattered.
Decision made, Tōma headed toward the Hokage Tower.
Convincing the Third Hokage turned out to be easier than expected.
Tōma explained his intentions clearly, then laid out his reasoning under the old man's grave gaze. Konoha didn't need an unstable jinchūriki that might lose control at any moment. It needed an Uzumaki Naruto who could control the Nine-Tails.
He cited Uzumaki Mito and Uzumaki Kushina as examples. Neither of them had been ticking time bombs.
The Third Hokage understood this well. His concern lay elsewhere. Naruto was still too weak. If the boy were stronger, he would have gradually introduced him to controlling the Nine-Tails, ideally under Jiraiya's guidance.
That matched Tōma's expectations. A Hokage who had lived through Mito's era wouldn't lack understanding. Circumstances had simply moved too fast, leaving many things unprepared.
With intent aligned, proof was easy.
Tōma demonstrated his sealing ability using the Eight Trigrams Seal and the Four Symbols Seal. While he wasn't on the Fourth Hokage's level, it was more than enough to prove he could stabilize Naruto if the Nine-Tails ever stirred.
He then requested permission to place his Flying Thunder God mark and pre-arranged sealing formulas on Naruto. That way, even in the worst case, he could reach Naruto instantly and suppress the Nine-Tails.
The Third Hokage thought for a long time before agreeing.
Early control of the Nine-Tails meant greater security for Konoha. Fewer risks. More strength.
Most importantly, he trusted Tōma.
Still, he warned Tōma not to expose too much. Others, especially Danzō, would never approve of such a measured approach.
Tōma agreed. Danzō would prefer brute force and control, not patience.
When the agreed day arrived, Tōma stood before a familiar apartment.
"Summer-rain! You're finally here!"
Naruto beamed the moment he opened the door. "You said you'd teach me how to use Shadow Clones better!"
"Relax," Tōma said calmly. "We've got time."
Naruto nodded, visibly less jumpy than before. The chilling aura Tōma carried had faded noticeably.
Before training started, Naruto couldn't resist rambling about his mock exams. He'd nearly failed, but somehow passed the late-arriving teacher's test.
Tōma listened quietly, amused. Both Naruto and Sasuke were stronger than in the original timeline. Sasuke's double-tomoe Sharingan was a clear upgrade. Naruto's stamina alone would probably shock Kakashi, though the gap in skill still remained vast.
"So?" Naruto finally asked. "What's this special Shadow Clone trick?"
"I left a note at the door," Tōma said. "Make a Shadow Clone, have it read the note carefully, then dismiss it."
"Uh… okay?" Naruto did as told, still puzzled.
Tōma leaned back and waited.
A moment later, Naruto's face turned bright red.
"Hey! I didn't mean to kiss that jerk!" he shouted.
Tōma grinned. "I took pictures, you know."
Naruto's eyes went wide.
"And more importantly," Tōma continued, amused, "how do you know what was written on that note? You never read it yourself."
Naruto froze.
Slowly, realization dawned. His eyes lit up.