"Too pathetic."
Sasuke stared hard at the diary, face darkening as he replayed the moment in the video where he was so overwhelmed he nearly chose death. The shame burned all the way down to his bones.
How was someone that pathetic supposed to kill Uchiha Itachi?
Just one elite jonin, Momochi Zabuza, had nearly crushed him with killing intent alone. So what would happen when he stood in front of Itachi, who was far stronger than Zabuza?
Forget revenge, he'd probably use up every ounce of his resolve just standing there.
"The gap is that big…?"
His fists tightened.
He knew he was years younger than Itachi, but that didn't matter. Not to him. He was the avenger, the last hope of the Uchiha clan. Excuses meant nothing.
"No. I have to get stronger. I need more training."
He shut the diary that had stopped updating for the night, changed into his training clothes, and headed out to begin another round of late-night practice.
———
Meanwhile, Kaede Kitahara had just finished writing today's diary entry. He had no idea the video inside had shaken Kakashi and Sasuke so badly.
He washed his hands, sat down, and started today's lottery draw with sincere anticipation.
"Start."
A translucent wheel spun rapidly in front of him. After a few rotations, he called out for it to stop.
Flying Thunder God (Beginner)
Kaede Kitahara froze, then burst out laughing. Flying Thunder God.
One of the rarest space-time ninjutsu in all of Naruto. Created by the Second Hokage, perfected by the Fourth. The technique that made Namikaze Minato the Yellow Flash and earned him a reputation that shook nations.
A reputation so overwhelming it helped him become the Fourth Hokage.
But the moment the skill merged into his mind, Kaede Kitahara understood why it was labeled "Beginner." The beginner version let him inscribe a Flying Thunder God seal onto a kunai and use it for long-distance travel. But that was it.
He couldn't use it in combat at all.
The hand signs were too slow. Only those who reached "proficient" level could use it in real battles.
Still, being able to teleport for movement was already insanely useful.
He reviewed the technique in his mind. The core logic wasn't actually complicated. It was like the heavenly-grade manuals he'd seen in his past life, or Qian Xuesen's physics manuscripts.
You understood instantly why genius mattered so much. If someone had talent, they'd get it. If they didn't, they could stare forever and never comprehend a thing.
Flying Thunder God was just like that. Without innate aptitude for space-time jutsu, you couldn't even understand it. Minato had taught it to members of his personal guard squad, and even with all of them working together, they could only produce half-baked results.
To truly learn Flying Thunder God, two things were absolute requirements: talent for space-time ninjutsu, and extreme reaction speed.
Because Flying Thunder God combat meant killing in the span of a heartbeat. And the enemy wasn't an idiot. They could see your kunai fly toward them. If they countered after your teleport and your reactions weren't fast enough, you'd die instantly.
If you didn't have those two qualities, you weren't suited for real Flying Thunder God combat.
And Kaede Kitahara had neither. He had no space-time talent and no superhuman reflexes. In his hands, the technique would never reach Minato's level. He wouldn't do better than the Fourth's guard squad.
And he couldn't even use it openly. A random chunin shouldn't know Flying Thunder God at all. He had no way of explaining it.
But he wasn't in a hurry. Sure, he lacked the talent and reflexes now… but who said he wouldn't get them later?
As long as the diary's lottery function existed, he refused to believe he wouldn't eventually draw them.
He immediately began testing the technique. First, he carved a Flying Thunder God seal in a hidden spot inside his house. Now, whenever he wanted to go home, he could teleport straight in.
Then he checked the range he could sense his seal from. About a ten-kilometer radius.
Pretty decent for starter-level Flying Thunder God, though still far from what he wanted.
But he wasn't disappointed. After a quick cleanup, he headed to bed.
A few days later.
At Ichiraku Ramen, Kaede Kitahara had just finished a mission and was enjoying a hot bowl of noodles. For all the hype the restaurant got in the anime, the food really did live up to its reputation. He often ate here whenever he had free time.
"Whaaaat? No way it's gone! I swear I put the coupon in my pocket!"
A loud voice shouted nearby. A blond boy around eleven or twelve was frantically digging through his clothes. He was wearing bright orange, face twisted in panic.
He had lost his ramen coupon. The tragedy hit him like the end of the world.
It was none other than the protagonist of this world, Naruto Uzumaki.
Kaede Kitahara couldn't help shaking his head. In the anime, this scene had been comedy relief after a tense arc. But now this was real life.
Meaning this was the Fourth Hokage's orphan, the hidden crown prince of Konoha.
Look at Naruto's life, then look at Sarutobi Konohamaru's treatment. The difference was night and day.
"Boss, put his bowl on my tab."
Kaede Kitahara raised his voice.
After all, this was the future protagonist of nearly twenty years. Grabbing onto this thigh early wasn't a bad idea.
But he also knew not to get too close. Even as he spoke, he could feel several sets of eyes land on him.
Anbu surveillance, most likely.
"Got it!" Teuchi replied immediately and went to cook Naruto's order.
Naruto wasn't a stranger here. Even though most villagers treated him like the Nine-Tails itself, Ichiraku never had. If Naruto had kept searching a little longer, Teuchi probably would've paid for him anyway.
Not everyone failed to appreciate a loyal customer.
"Uh… big brother…" Naruto froze. He hadn't expected anyone to treat him to ramen.
People who were kind to him were rare. Even something as small as paying for a bowl of ramen left him stunned and deeply moved.