Year 56 Since the Founding of the Hidden Leaf Village.
I lay on the grass beneath a tree, lost in thought. Time flies quickly and unnoticed. Just like that, another three years had passed. During that time, not much really changed. Still, there were a couple of things worth mentioning.
The villagers' attitude toward me had gotten worse, to put it mildly. You know, as if I were some kind of school delinquent or troublemaker — you could clearly recognize the handiwork of a certain old man. I didn't blame them. Honestly, I didn't care much either: I didn't bother them, and they didn't bother me.
One day while wandering around, I came across a rather amusing sight. The so-called reincarnation brother, Sasuke Uchiha, and his brother Itachi were playing hide-and-seek on one of the training grounds. Surprising that they weren't doing it on clan territory. I chose not to draw attention to myself and simply left. There was no point in interacting — only losses to gain from it.
By the way, around this same time, the original Naruto met Hinata… but I didn't. Well, guess it wasn't meant to be. Not that it mattered.
I was still somewhat disoriented and detached from this world, which was only natural. And to put it bluntly — I was bored. It also annoyed me that the ANBU kept watching me.
But that's where the most interesting thing began.
I started sensing and seeing chakra — other people's chakra, not my own. I had no idea how it worked, but it seemed to be some kind of sensory technique, almost like echolocation. If I focused, I could see an aura of chakra surrounding human silhouettes from up to fifty meters away, along with their emotions.
That's how I learned that roughly seven ANBU operatives were monitoring me, which honestly felt excessive. Four of them felt normal — disciplined, but still carrying ordinary human emotions. The other three, however, were emotionally detached, cold, and malicious. It was immediately obvious which ones belonged to Root.
That irritated me.
The Hokage also visited fairly often. He brought me various boring books about ninja and the Will of Fire while subtly brainwashing me at the same time. But overall, things remained relatively peaceful.
This year I was turning six, which meant I would finally enter the Ninja Academy. That excited me, because I'd gain more freedom: fewer ANBU watching me, more freedom to move around, access to proper books and scrolls in the library, and most importantly — access to my own chakra without unnecessary questions or trouble.
Usually, people who end up in situations like this have some sort of plan or grand goal. But I had nothing. Everything felt not unreal, but… plastic somehow. Like I was living inside an installation, inside The Truman Show.
That's why I resembled the Nara clan more than the Uzumaki — lying beneath a tree and watching the clouds drift by. Not too far from the original Naruto, just calmer.
And then that day finally came.
I stood near the legendary swing tree, away from the crowd gathered outside the Ninja Academy. I could hear their contempt, their whispers, their stares.
"Look… it's that kid…"
"Yeah… that one…"
"He's the—"
"Shh, we're not allowed to talk about it."
I didn't care, like I already said. At the very least, I knew who I could become — what version of myself I could be — while they would never know. Though perhaps searching for a path was my path. To walk toward the river, like one who walks toward the river.
I didn't have to wait long. Soon the crowd dispersed, and I wandered toward my classroom. An elite class, though the only "elite" thing about it was the twelve future ninja inside, myself included.
An entrance exam — seriously? What was even the point? The village benefited more from stuffing the academy full of people, pulling out the geniuses, and throwing everyone else into reserves, genin corps, and cannon fodder. Resources were expensive. It was like farming potatoes: planting the entire field produced a wide range of crops you could sell at different prices — far more profitable than harvesting a tiny amount of elite produce. The system here worked much the same way.
I reached the classroom quickly. Without ceremony, I shoved the door open.
For a moment, the room fell completely silent. But almost immediately, everything returned to normal, and the children resumed talking to their new friends.
I'd arrived almost unnoticed, though I didn't care either way. Walking to the back, I took the seat by the window — the same place where the original Naruto used to sit. Beside me, some guy was sleeping. I think it was Shikamaru Nara.
I had absolutely no interest in getting acquainted with children, so I stared out the window in boredom until the classroom door opened again and a man walked in.
"Quiet down, everyone."
Oh. Guess that was the teacher.
He ordered everyone to be silent and wrote his name on the board.
"My name is Iruka Umino. This year I became a chunin and your homeroom teacher. First, let's do roll call and introductions. Each of you will come to the board, write your name, and tell us what you like, dislike, and what your dream is."
For a brief moment, his gaze stopped on me. I looked him directly in the eyes, and the poor guy nearly choked.
Then the roll call began, filled with familiar names:
"Sakura Haruno."
"Here."
"Sasuke Uchiha."
"Here."
"Teaki Kohinata."
And unfamiliar names too — no idea whether they were background extras or future prodigies, but I'd never heard them before.
"Shikamaru Nara."
"SHIKAMARU NARA!"
Iruka repeated louder.
"Tch… what a drag. I'm here."
He muttered sleepily before laying his head back down.
Honestly, I could've fallen asleep too.
Eventually the list ended, and they started calling us up one by one. What the hell was the point of that? Couldn't they just call once and figure out who was present? But I knew I'd never get an answer to that question.
Soon enough, my turn came.
Time for the performance.
I stood and slowly walked to the board. Quickly and neatly, I wrote my name. Then, in a calm and serious voice, I began my monologue:
"My name is Naruto Uzumaki. Remember that name. My house is located on the central street, near the Hokage Tower. I am unmarried and unemployed. I return home no later than eight in the evening. I have no bad habits. I go to bed by eleven o'clock. I always sleep at least eight hours. Before bed, I drink warm milk and spend about twenty minutes stretching. As a result, I sleep peacefully until morning. When I wake up, I feel neither fatigue nor stress, like a newborn baby."
The classroom fell into dead silence.
Every face was turned toward me, yet none of them showed any readable emotion. Even Shikamaru had woken up.
Only after a moment did Iruka recover.
"Uh… I see… and what is it that you disli—"
He didn't get to finish before I interrupted him.
"I dislike the things I dislike, and the things I dislike are probably disliked by you as well. Or perhaps you like them — in which case, the things you like are most likely liked by you. Therefore, paradoxically, we are simultaneously complete opposites and very alike."
"My dream is a great goal. But ninja have no goal — only a path. My path is to faithfully and loyally protect this village. I swear by honor and truth, and nothing but the truth. Let the heavens bear witness to this. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, I bless you, army of the Will of Fire. Oh, glory to our Hokage, may the Lord's mercy descend upon you forever and ever. Amen."
By the end of it, I was kneeling in a prayer pose.
But I achieved the desired effect.
The children looked at me either like I was insane or like I was destined to become the future god of shinobi. Iruka, meanwhile, was clearly lost and had no idea what to do.
"Ahem… ahem… Please stand up from your knees. Well then, that was… a good speech. Let's all applaud the newly introduced Naruto Uzumaki… yes… uh… this is how one should respect and follow the Will of our ancestors."
To the sound of strained, almost mechanical applause, I returned to my seat by the window. Their tiny brains clearly hadn't fully processed what they'd just heard.
The moment I sat down, a voice reached me.
"That was intense… do you really believe all that?"
The speaker was none other than Shikamaru. His face clearly showed curiosity.
"Of course. In the name of our Lord and Savior, I shall faithfully and loyally protect this village. By the way, I'm Naruto Uzumaki. You're Shikamaru, right?"
I said completely seriously, staring at him without blinking while offering my hand.
"Y-yeah. That's right. Shikamaru Nara. Nice to meet you."
He shook my hand cautiously, looking at me like I was mildly insane.
The rest of the lessons passed peacefully, if you ignored the strange looks people kept throwing at me. But that was exactly what I wanted.
You might ask: why?
And I'd answer — because I wanted to have fun. The whole performance was for entertainment. I was bored.
The lessons themselves were actually interesting — at least the ninja-related subjects and the familiar information being applied in new ways. Though for now, it was all theory without practice.
Still, it had been a fun day.
We'd see what came next.
---
Hokage's Office — Evening of the Same Day
As always, Hiruzen Sarutobi was buried in village affairs. Documents after documents after even more documents. Not even his tobacco pipe could save him.
Still, surprisingly enough, despite his age and workload, he handled everything rather quickly and was already nearing the end of today's work when someone knocked on the office door.
"Hm. Come in."
The door opened nervously, revealing a young chunin.
"Hokage-sama, good evening. Sorry to disturb you. I came regarding Naruto."
He spoke nervously, but quickly.
"Ah, Iruka. Come in. I understand how you feel, but you must understand him as well. He's just like you — he also lost his parents that night."
The old man began his usual lecture, completely unaware of what was coming next.
"Hokage-sama, that's not the issue. Naruto… he…"
"Hm? What? Did something happen to Naruto?"
The Third asked, concerned.
"Hokage-sama… he…"
And Iruka began recounting everything he remembered from that morning. More specifically — Naruto's introduction speech. In painstaking detail, nearly word for word.
Even battle-hardened Hiruzen couldn't fully maintain his composure. Emotions crossed his face one after another: surprise, shock, exhaustion… and even a trace of amusement.
Finally, after several minutes, Iruka finished.
"Hm… my, my…"
Hiruzen chuckled quietly.
"Naruto certainly knows how to surprise people. Just like Kushina."
He paused briefly.
"Iruka, I want you to keep an eye on Naruto. With a personality like his, I fear he may get himself into trouble. Besides, you've been assigned the most difficult class."
The old man took a drag from his pipe.
"There's no need to worry too much about Naruto. He's been lonely since childhood, just like you. Perhaps this is simply his way of attracting attention… and making friends. Yes, it's eccentric, but apparently effective."
He narrowed his eyes slightly.
"He already made a friend today, didn't he?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama. He befriended the heir of the Nara clan — Shikamaru."
"Ah, Shikamaru Nara… good boy."
Hiruzen nodded.
"You may go now, Iruka. You've had a long day. Tomorrow will be even busier. Get some sleep."
"Yes, Hokage-sama. I won't fail you. Goodbye."
Once the door closed, the office fell silent again.
Until the Third gave an almost imperceptible signal.
Instantly, two ANBU appeared before him, kneeling on one knee.
"Hokage-sama."
"Owl. Monkey. Has anything unusual happened with Naruto recently?"
"No, Hokage-sama. However…"
A brief pause.
"It appears he suspects he's being watched."
Hiruzen narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Hm… continue the surveillance. Don't reveal that you know."
"Yes, sir."
The ANBU vanished as quickly as they had appeared.
Silence returned to the office.
Hiruzen slowly exhaled smoke.
"'Suspects,' huh? Perhaps he understands far more than he lets on. A gift from his mother? Did he awaken his bloodline… Kagura's Eye?"
He turned his gaze toward the nighttime Konoha outside the window.
"Or… something greater…"
---
Night — Root Headquarters
Danzo stood at the intersection of the underground corridors. As always, his expression was severe, looking at his subordinate as though he were merely a piece of lumber.
"Report."
The command came harshly, without him even shifting his gaze.
"Yes, sir."
The masked shinobi answered dryly and handed over a scroll.
The old man snatched it away without ceremony and began reading silently. As he read, his already cold expression grew darker still.
But in the end, he made no sudden move.
"Continue observing the jinchūriki."
"Yes, sir."
The operative disappeared so quickly it was as though he had dissolved into the air.
Danzo remained standing there for some time, thinking. Then he sharply struck the floor with his cane.
At once, another operative appeared before him. Short. Judging by the build — a teenager.
"Itachi. What is the situation within the Uchiha clan?"
"Danzo-sama, things remain relatively stable. I am trying to influence the clan. Shisui and I have nearly found a solution."
The old man's face did not change even slightly.
"Itachi. You understand the situation no worse than I do. There is almost no time left."
He stepped forward.
"They are arrogant. Proud. Their ambitions stand above the village. They betray the Will of Fire."
"But Danzo-sama, Hokage-sama—"
"Hiruzen understands nothing!"
Danzo cut him off sharply.
"He is too old to see what is obvious. But you are not. You can understand."
His voice became quieter, colder.
"I know this is difficult. But you must make a decision. For the village. For Konoha."
A short pause.
"If the village weakens, the other nations will not wait. And then… your brother may suffer."
Silence hung in the air.
But Itachi answered immediately.
"Danzo-sama… I still believe it is right to follow the Hokage's plan."
He did not lower his head.
"Besides, as a direct subordinate of the Hokage, I cannot make such decisions without his approval."
For a moment, tension filled the room.
Danzo's face remained motionless, but his eye burned with cold fire.
"You are dismissed."
In the next instant, the ANBU vanished.
Danzo was left alone.
The silence of the underground weighed heavily around him.
Slowly, he tightened his grip on his cane.
"You may think whatever you wish, Itachi… but you are already trapped."
"As long as your brother's life is at stake… and as long as you cling to your blind faith in the village… you will do anything."
He lifted his gaze into the darkness of the corridor.
"We shall see, Hiruzen…"
"Which one of us wins."
A brief pause.
"There will be only one victor."
"Me."