You pulled two more capable fighters from the arena—both with decent strength and the right age—and paired them up with Konohamaru to form a three-man squad for the Chūnin Exams.
You told them that if they managed to earn the rank of Chūnin during the exams in Konoha, they'd be granted their freedom.
For these people—especially someone like Uchiha Kirin—who had been imprisoned in the arena since childhood, never seeing the light of day, freedom was an invaluable treasure. Naturally, they agreed without hesitation.
After that, you made a trip to the Hidden Hot Water Village. With a bit of money, you bought three headbands and three invitation slots for the Chūnin Exams in Konoha.
This village had always been lax and indifferent. Even when Konoha sent an invitation for the exams, they had no intention of sending anyone and simply sold the slots to you—an obvious sucker in their eyes.
You then created a shadow clone imbued with Scorch Release, disguised it as the escorting jonin from the Hot Water Village, and arranged a carriage to slowly transport the three to Konoha.
As for your real body, you activated Flying Thunder God and used the Tazuna Construction Company's insignia to instantly teleport into Konoha.
After a brief investigation, you couldn't help but marvel at Naruto's sheer luck. Somehow, he'd ended up as Hiruzen Sarutobi's honorary grandson.
His living conditions had undergone a massive transformation—like night and day.
Kakashi acted as his personal tutor, Jiraiya trained him in ninjutsu, and even the Third Hokage took time to personally teach him techniques.
He was literally bathed in love and admiration from all directions.
With ample nutrition and proper training, he'd grown tall and strong, now the undisputed heartthrob of the academy.
No longer a pathetic simp trailing after the mentally unstable pink-haired girl with brute strength—he was now walking side by side with the quiet Byakugan girl, the envy of all.
If you hadn't killed Sasuke during the Uchiha massacre, leaving Naruto as the only standout among the next generation…
If you hadn't taken Konohamaru away…
If you hadn't forced Hiruzen, the true culprit, to shoulder the entire village himself…
Would Naruto have received this life of ease and privilege as the heir to the Hokage?
...
Watching Naruto live so freely under the sun, you couldn't help but feel a flicker of envy and fatigue within:
Wouldn't it be nice to live this kind of peaceful, beautiful life?
No more schemes, no more bloodshed—just a quiet existence, free of fighting fate…
But the moment that thought was born, it swept through your body like a storm, making you question the path you'd walked all this way. Had it all been a mistake?
Yet how could a slave of fate feel empathy for fate's favored child?
That would be a disgraceful betrayal!
Even Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, as a servant of Isshiki, held a position no better than a Hyūga branch member serving the main house. She still managed to ambush and sacrifice him for her plan!
How could you—after everything you've gained—just give up?
"Only when your sky turns dark… can mine finally see light!"
With that thought, clarity returned to your mind, and the strange notion vanished completely.
...
Soon after, you located the many hidden explosive tag traps scattered throughout Konoha.
Using the unique chakra traces on the tags, you tracked them to a rundown ninja tools shop—and dragged Gennō out.
At first, he thought you were ANBU and prepared to go down fighting.
But you revealed a silver mask, identifying yourself as one of the golden-masked leaders of the Ghost Mask Organization, and stated that you'd come to recruit him in order to strike a devastating blow against Konoha.
After successfully subduing Gennō, you took him to the home of Shinnō, hidden in the residential area behind Konoha's mountains.
Once you explained your intentions and desire to recruit them, Shinnō invited you both in to talk.
You activated your Six Tomoe Sharingan and told them about your plan to stage a brutal drama during the Chūnin Exams—pitting Hiruzen's honorary grandson against his real grandson—as a celebration of their joining the organization.
Both men immediately looked at you with awe and admiration. They knew full well: you had achieved on your own what they had only schemed for.
They accepted your invitation gladly, even praising your plan for the exam as a stroke of genius.
Thus, you successfully brought Shinnō and Gennō under your command.
Although they weren't on Orochimaru's level—who mastered everything—or Amado, who fused technology with ninjutsu, they were each top experts in their respective fields.
Gennō specialized in traps and mechanisms. He'd managed to plant so many explosive tags throughout Konoha without being discovered, even by the Byakugan—an impressive feat.
But the one you valued most was Shinnō. His specialty was flesh revitalization techniques. Once perfected, they could even resist the side effects of the Eight Gates technique. While it's still unclear whether they could counter the Eighth Gate's fatal backlash, his biological research was definitely among the best of the best.
On top of that, he also held in his possession the Zero-Tails—a mass of dark chakra.
What made their loyalty even more meaningful was that both had been subdued through your own strength and actions—not just lured in like Orochimaru or Amado through collaboration.
With these two in your hands, your development of forbidden and secret techniques was bound to accelerate significantly.
After watching the "grand show" in Konoha, your plan was to take them to the Land of Whirlpools, regroup with Karin Uzumaki, and establish an elite research team—
A division dedicated to crafting competitive ninja tools for the organization, and fully arming your forces to gather strength for unifying the Shinobi World...
...
Since you arrived early and there was still time before the Chūnin Exams, you proposed a visit to see the so-called Tailed Beast without a tail—Zero-Tails—to understand how this mass of dark chakra could naturally form.
Shinnō hesitated but eventually agreed.
However, you weren't interested in the Zero-Tails' destructive power—capable of flattening a mountain with a single full-powered blast. That kind of thing didn't impress you.
After all, your body alone was strong enough to blow up a mountain. If you unleashed your Perfect Susanoo, you might already rival the legendary Uchiha Madara.
What truly intrigued you was the process and principles behind the natural birth of a chakra-based lifeform…
And more specifically, the indestructible trait of the Zero-Tails—how it was born of inner darkness. It resonated with you in a way, and you wondered if it might spark some inspiration.
So you used Flying Thunder God to teleport yourself and Shinnō near the abandoned Sky Country base.
It was a derelict flying fortress, now deserted.
Still, thanks to the ever-present Tazuna Construction Company, there was a road sign nearby, which made locating it simple.
Shinnō was initially reluctant to let you near the Zero-Tails…
But when he saw that you were merely studying its chakra composition and only intended to take a small, insignificant thread of dark chakra, he relaxed completely.
...
As you observed the Zero-Tails up close, you immediately noticed something distinct—
Its chakra was fundamentally different from that of the other Tailed Beasts.
First, its chakra nature: you realized this dark chakra wasn't part of the five elemental Nature Affinities, nor was it a Kekkei Genkai fusion.
It bore some resemblance to Yin Release... but there were key differences…
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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