"Yes. After all, I'm a shinobi. Isn't it normal to be interested in jutsu?"
Uzumaki Naruto replied with perfect candor.
"I've heard the jutsu recorded in the Scroll of Seals are quite fascinating…"
Mid-sentence, Naruto's gaze shifted.
Standing quietly at the back of the classroom—near Naruto's own seat—was Umino Iruka, holding a report card.
It was break time.
Aside from Nara Shikamaru, who was fast asleep with his head on the desk, only Uchiha Sasuke remained in the classroom.
"Iruka-sensei," Naruto asked calmly,
"is there a problem with my grades?"
"No—no problem at all," Iruka replied quickly. After taking a deep breath, he handed over the report card.
"I came to apologize."
"Apologize?"
Naruto's eyes flickered with genuine surprise.
"Yes."
Iruka's gaze grew increasingly sincere.
"I shouldn't have judged you with prejudice."
Naruto paused, then smiled faintly.
"Iruka-sensei, you're a good man."
"Uh… th-thanks?"
Iruka looked momentarily flustered. For some reason, Naruto's words felt strangely… unsettling.
Regaining his composure, Iruka forced a smile.
"You're an excellent student. If there's anything you don't understand in the future, feel free to ask me."
Naruto didn't reply. He simply nodded politely.
Looks like the Third Hokage was right, Iruka thought.
Naruto doesn't reject people who approach him sincerely.
Relieved, Iruka returned to the podium.
Hokage's Office — Conference Room
Around a low tea table sat the Sarutobi Hiruzen and his three advisors.
"The public has raised serious concerns recently," Koharu Utatane began.
"They're protesting the Police Force's increasingly harsh law enforcement. These are the complaint letters."
She pushed a thick stack of documents toward Hiruzen.
"Indeed," Homura Mitokado added gravely.
"The villagers' suspicion toward the Uchiha grows by the day."
"Hiruzen," Shimura Danzo said coldly,
"it's time to make a decision. The Uchiha are openly flaunting their power."
"It's a lingering effect of the Nine-Tails incident," Hiruzen replied slowly, his expression unreadable.
"But the Uchiha weren't harmed in that disaster," Homura countered.
"That's precisely why suspicion festers," Koharu said.
Hiruzen's eyes darkened.
"Back then, when I ordered the Uchiha to stay away from the battlefield, I planted the seeds of distrust myself."
Danzo's gaze sharpened.
"The policy of isolating the Uchiha began with the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. It was part of Konoha's foundational balance."
"That was never Tobirama's intent," Hiruzen snapped.
"He sought equilibrium—not exclusion."
"The Uchiha's position must be reconsidered carefully. The current situation is not—"
"Lord Hokage!"
An ANBU's voice cut him off.
"Hatake Kakashi has arrived. The Barrier Corps also has an urgent report."
Koharu and Homura rose immediately, understanding the cue to leave. Danzo followed a moment later, departing without a word under Hiruzen's watchful gaze.
Moments later, Hatake Kakashi entered alongside a Barrier Corps officer. Two reports were handed over.
Hiruzen's expression grew increasingly grim as he read.
"Kakashi," he asked,
"what's your assessment?"
"We found no trace of the infiltrator," Kakashi replied calmly.
"The intelligence is too sparse to determine their objective."
"My recommendation is a wide-area search, possibly involving more Barrier Corps manpower."
"But we can't enter the Uchiha compound," the Barrier officer added.
"Only the Police Force itself can reinforce security there."
Kakashi hesitated.
"Just what?" Hiruzen pressed.
"…Nothing," Kakashi said after a pause.
"It's just that the Uchiha district feels different lately. There's open hostility. They're clearly unwilling to allow outsiders in."
"I see…"
Hiruzen nodded slowly.
"I'll discuss the Police Force issue with the upper council. You're dismissed for now."
Night — Naruto's Home
A cold wind swept through the village.
On the second floor of his apartment, Naruto trained inside the Mirror World with Namikaze Minato, focusing on chakra shape transformation.
Pale-blue chakra wrapped around Naruto's hands as he molded it again and again.
Eventually, he clenched his left fist.
Chakra surged outward, forming a circular chakra shield in front of him.
"Father," Naruto asked,
"this defensive technique from the Hidden Sand Village—is it also a form of shape transformation?"
"Yes," Minato replied.
"Once you master shape transformation completely, you'll be able to add elemental nature to your Rasengan."
"But remember—what we do here is mostly theoretical. The effects don't perfectly translate to reality."
Naruto nodded. He understood.
Until the surveillance around him loosened, real-world training was limited.
"Naruto," Minato warned suddenly,
"the number of people watching your house has doubled. Something feels wrong."
Naruto exited the Mirror World instantly.
Activating his full sensory perception, he felt it immediately.
Not only had the surveillance around his home increased—chakra activity across the entire village was abnormally high.
It felt as though Konoha's shinobi weren't planning to sleep at all.
More alarming still—
His perception couldn't penetrate the Uchiha compound.
A powerful barrier sealed it completely.
Dozens of chakra signatures surrounded the district—and Hiruzen's chakra was right outside it.
Naruto stepped to the window.
Above him, the full moon shone brilliantly.
The Hokage's office was empty.
"…So it's begun."
He quietly closed the window and pulled out a black cloak and mask.
"Father," Naruto said softly,
"the time has come."
"What do you mean—?"
Before Minato could finish, Naruto created a Shadow Clone, while his real body completed the disguise.
Swish!
Using Flying Thunder God, Naruto teleported directly into the Hokage's office.
Two large bookshelves.
One desk.
He searched quickly.
Seconds passed.
No scroll.
"Naruto," Minato said, surprised,
"what are you looking for? The crystal ball is in the drawer."
"Father… where's the Scroll of Seals?"
"It's in Konoha's Forbidden Techniques Vault," Minato replied flatly.
"You didn't really think it'd be kept in the Hokage's office, did you?"
"So I was wrong…"
Naruto muttered behind the mask.
"You left a Flying Thunder God marker here just to search for the scroll, didn't you?"
"…Yeah. I overestimated things."
Naruto opened the drawer.
Inside lay a gleaming crystal ball.
"Father," Naruto asked quietly,
"are you sure the Third Hokage can't make another one of these?"
"I'm certain," Minato answered.
"The Second Hokage used an extremely rare material provided by the Fire Daimyō. Replicating it would be nearly impossible."
Naruto stared at the orb.
In the original timeline, only the Great Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku had ever been shown with a similar crystal.
Naruto placed both hands on the sphere, chakra surging—intending to shatter it.
Suddenly, a Mirror World prompt chimed:
Collecting data…
Updating… Data collection complete.
Synchronization unlocked.
Current data integrity: 20%.
Authority level updated: Uzumaki Naruto — World Tier 3.
"Heh. An unexpected bonus."
Though disappointed at not finding the Scroll of Seals, Naruto hadn't expected the crystal ball to upload such valuable data.
Crack—crack!
The crystal shattered in his hands.
Poof!
Naruto created another Shadow Clone.
"I'll leave the Hokage Monument to you."
The clone activated Flying Thunder God and vanished.
Minato watched silently.
"Naruto… this will get a lot of people killed."
"I know," Naruto replied solemnly.
"But you understand too, Father."
"If I only destroyed the crystal ball used to monitor me, the village would identify me immediately—by process of elimination."
"This way, the explosion will bury everything beneath the Hokage Rock."
Naruto's eyes hardened.
"I'm not attacking anyone."
"I'm just removing the obstacles others placed in my path."
(End of Chapter)
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