In the distance, a flock of birds fluttered among the trees, their cheerful chirping occasionally breaking the tranquility.
After the tea conversation with Fugaku, Naruto Uzumaki didn't immediately go to find his "good sister."
He was still thinking about Sasuke's question—and Shikamaru's.
He remembered a reward that mentioned "Uzumaki Shikamaru."
Curious, Naruto decided to try actively choosing a path and see if it would lead to the same reward as passively triggered ones.
To his satisfaction, it worked. Active choices provided more freedom—but came with tougher conditions and lesser reward tiers.
[Active Selection Triggered!]
[You wish to obtain "Uzumaki Shikamaru". Choose one of the following tasks to complete:]
Choice 1: Secretly take control of the Nara Clan.
Choice 2: Become the Fourth Hokage.
Note: Uzumaki Shikamaru is a customized descendant created to restore the original storyline. He will resemble the original Shikamaru but will carry your bloodline.
Control the Nara Clan?
Become the Fourth Hokage?
Difficult, but doable.
Naruto felt confident. Becoming the Fourth Hokage was within his grasp. But if he followed that path, he'd need to replace the original Fourth—Minato Namikaze. Which meant killing him.
That would make things complicated. Some people might turn against him and refuse to cooperate in the future. Not worth it.
As he walked, Naruto arrived at the tent area.
Konoha's noble clans were all highly class-conscious, and the Uchiha were no exception. None dared approach the main tent of the Hyuga clan and simply stood guard at a distance. Not a single sound escaped them.
A breeze brushed his face, cool and refreshing, making him close his eyes briefly.
Inside the tent, it was dim and quiet. Only soft, uneven breathing could be heard beneath the covers.
Naruto squinted.
Yoshino?
Was she really—?
He frowned and yanked the quilt away.
Yoshino grinned smugly at him.
"Boo! Scared you, didn't I?"
Maybe because she'd been lying there for a while, sweat beaded beneath her tied black hair. Her white shirt clung to her skin, revealing a soft glow of bare skin beneath. The effect was... distracting.
Naruto's expression darkened.
Yoshino realized her little prank had gone too far and quickly took his hand.
"I'm sorry! I swear I won't trick you like that again!"
She batted her eyes, cajoled, and acted cute—something she never used to do.
Where the hell had she learned that?
Naruto gave her a cold look.
"I don't believe you unless you let me examine your conscience."
Yoshino raised a brow, chuckled, and leaned in to whisper,
"You're such a naughty little troublemaker."
Naruto smirked.
"No, you're the real troublemaker."
"I'm fun."
"..."
"..."
"Yoshino!"
"Yoshino!"
The river nearby was crystal clear, its surface rippling as a gentle breeze carried a faint, moist scent across the grass.
The flap of the tent lifted. Uchiha Mikoto poked her head in—only to find it empty.
"Huh? Where did she go?"
She smoothed the hem of her plain white dress from her thighs and bent one leg backward to slip off her shoes with a graceful hook of her toes.
"It's strange. She clearly arranged to meet me, so where—?"
Mikoto stepped into the tent with bare feet, lifted her skirt slightly, and walked slowly toward the bed.
The air inside was scented faintly—incense burned in the corner—but there was something else. A scent she recognized.
A bit like chestnut flowers.
It smelled like... Menma-kun had been with Yoshino.
Well, she had arranged things that way. Mikoto couldn't help remembering the times she'd been with both of them—Menma and Yoshino. Neither had ever done anything inappropriate behind her back.
She blushed slightly, but didn't feel surprised.
Still, what a pair! They didn't even bother opening the curtains to let the scent out.
She waited for a while. No one came.
Just as she was about to leave, she felt a wave of sleepiness wash over her.
Might as well rest a little.
Her son was napping. No point disturbing him. She could talk to Yoshino later.
She lay down—and quickly drifted off.
Her breathing grew heavier, and her face flushed a deep red.
The sunset crept in, and everything grew quiet again.
By the river, the green trees swayed gently in the breeze as if smiling at spring.
Uchiha Izumi blinked blankly, her mouth slightly agape as she stared ahead.
"I didn't know you were hiding this much…"
Uzumaki Chiname had… quite the assets.
At least two E-cups' worth.
Every time she reached back to adjust her hair, it looked like the straps might snap from the strain.
Izumi looked down at herself. She had never thought she was lacking.
But she had to admit defeat.
Only Lady Tsunade or Samui from the Hidden Cloud might rival Chiname in sheer… wealth.
Sitting under a tree in short shorts and a tight vest, Chiname munched happily on a packet of Bulala snacks, looking completely at ease.
"You're back. What did Naruto want you to do?"
"Nothing big. He said he wanted to help Uchiha Mikoto and asked me to take care of it."
"Mikoto?" Zhiming blinked. "Why her?"
Izumi simply said, "Just lit some incense."
To her, both Zhiming and Yumuren were trusted allies now—no need to hide anything.
Zhiming's expression darkened slightly, and the Bulala in her hand suddenly lost its flavor.
She thought about Naruto's tragic past and sighed.
"But last time, he didn't do anything to Mikoto. Why now?"
Back then, Izumi had prepared everything to allow Naruto to dominate Mikoto, but Naruto refused.
Now, even with her husband nearby, Naruto was trying again.
Zhiming was confused. Was Naruto even darker than she'd imagined? A psychological deviant?
Izumi explained, "He said it's for Sasuke."
Sasuke? That's Mikoto's younger son.
"Does Sasuke hate him?"
"No, they're good friends."
"The mother of a good friend's friend?" Zhiming was dumbfounded.
"He's not afraid Sasuke will hate him?!"
Izumi shook her head.
"I asked him the same. He said since Fugaku is now useless, he's worried Sasuke might disappear from the future storyline. So he's doing this."
Zhiming nearly vomited blood.
Who could've imagined she'd ever be connected to Mikoto's son like this?
Absurdity has reached a whole new level.
"And where is Naruto now?" Zhiming asked, massaging her temples.
"Uh… well…" Izumi looked embarrassed.
"Menma has a good friend named Nara Shikamaru. Yoshino is Shikamaru's mother. Her relationship with Shikamaru's dad is strained, so Naruto's… concerned."
He's worried Shikamaru won't be born and wants to "help"?
What a bastard.
Wait. No. I'm his chakra. Cursing him is like cursing myself.
Zhiming gritted her teeth, chest rising and falling with frustration.
Clouds drifted overhead, casting intermittent light on the forest floor.
Yoshino had scraped her knee and cried.
Naruto comforted her every day, sleepless and exhausted.
People only saw that he took Yoshino from Shikaku—but they never saw the care, the effort, the sheer time he put into her.
If translated into monetary value, Naruto's investment in Yoshino was easily over 100 billion.
Finally calming her down, Naruto had some time to study the Tensong technique.
He let out a breath, sat upright, and formed a hand seal. His body glowed golden, birds chirping around him as the breeze carried the scent of spring flowers.
"If the white dot represents a path to the past… are the colored ones paths to the future?"
He focused his mind, studying the glowing lights around him. The once-invisible strands now shimmered clearly, radiant and floating from his body into the distance.
The energy pushed everything away, forming a halo of repulsion.
Though he still needed to force light spots to explode to fully absorb them, he'd made serious progress.
Faster than the "one year" Ma Buyi predicted.
But what caught Naruto's attention was the aged feeling on one distant path.
"Selector, cancel the reward 'Uzumaki Shikamaru'. I want 'Return to the timeline before time travel' instead."
[Active Choice Triggered!]
[You want to return to the pre-time-travel timeline. Choose one of the following:]
Option 1: Restore the original plotline.
Option 2: Manipulate the storyline to keep the future similar.
Note: These are the only two methods. If the plot diverges too much, the host will be unable to return to the original future.
As expected.
So far, Naruto hadn't disrupted too many key threads.
"Uzumaki Sasuke" is in progress.
"Uzumaki Shikamaru" is ready when needed.
Yoshino is already his.
Mikoto is within reach.
Now comes the tricky part:
How to make Nara Shikaku and Uchiha Fugaku willingly raise Naruto's children without derailing the story?
And whether Yoshino can accept being another man's wife while continuing the plot…
"Selector, cancel the previous reward. I want 'Nara Shikaku's Depravity Value' instead."
[Active Choice Triggered!]
[You want 'Nara Shikaku's Depravity Value'. Complete one of the following:]
Choice 1: Destroy the Otsutsuki Clan.
Choice 2: Kill the Otsutsuki God.
Choice 3: Kill the original god of the Earth.
What kind of ridiculous options are these?!
All for one depravity point?
Even the system seemed too stunned to reply.
"…Forget it."
"Revert to the reward 'Uzumaki Shikamaru'."
[Active Choice Triggered!]
Naruto resumed his visualization. When he opened his eyes, Yoshino was grinning at him, her chin resting on her hand.
This woman is silly.
They were outdoors. The breeze tugged at her loose collar, exposing creamy white skin beneath.
"Menmaaaa~ What kind of jutsu is that glowing thing you do?" Yoshino leaned over, wrapped her arms around his neck, and whispered against his ear,
"Teach me, will you, big brother?"
Hot breath brushed his cheek.
Naruto's danger sense lit up.
"You're too sexy."
"Do you like it?" Yoshino teased, stretching her legs to show off.
"You're a grown woman, calling me 'big brother' and flirting like this. Where's your shame?"
He pushed her down.
"If you really want to play, call me daddy!"
"Bakayarō! Keep dreaming!" Yoshino's embarrassment vanished in a flush of rage.
"You still haven't accepted me calling you mom! How dare you!"
…Huh?
Looks like she needs some discipline.
After giving Yoshino a good beating, Naruto stuffed her unconscious body into his storage space.
The sky burned orange as sunset approached. Uchiha campfires flickered brightly, their glow warming the land.
"Mom, Dad asked me to bring food for you and Aunt Yoshino."
Little Itachi, struggling with the weight of his tray, staggered toward Naruto's tent. He lifted the curtain—
—and was hit by a powerful aroma that nearly made him pass out.
As he collapsed, he vaguely saw Uncle Menma saving the tray from falling and calmly placing it down.
Then Menma said to someone outside,
"Izumi, take care of him. I'm going to see his mother."
Itachi didn't understand what that meant.
All he saw was Menma lifting the blanket and revealing his mom—face flushed, breath shallow, body soaked in sweat as if she'd just come out of water.
His mother murmured,
"Menma-kun… help me… I can't take it anymore!"
Before he could register anything else, Izumi appeared behind him and knocked him unconscious.
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