"Let me go, you jerk."
As they neared the gates of Konoha, Uchiha Mikoto quickly pinched Naruto's palm and whispered to him.
She was the one who insisted on holding hands in the first place, excited by the thrill. But now, she couldn't handle anything more intense.
Naruto, resolute as ever, refused to yield to her teasing. Instead of letting go, he gripped her hand even tighter.
Mikoto turned her head, gave Naruto a coy look, and scratched his palm hard in retaliation.
Naruto only smiled, saying nothing, amused by her playful frustration.
"Is there something on my face? You two keep staring at it," Yoshino, who stood between them, raised an eyebrow suspiciously.
"No!" Mikoto quickly replied, flustered.
"You've got beauty on your face," Naruto answered sincerely.
The contrast was stark. Yoshino, previously overwhelmed at the thought of seeing her family again, lit up and planted a kiss on Naruto's cheek.
"You're handsome," she added sweetly.
She didn't notice that Naruto had quietly removed his mask and started another round of silent communication with Mikoto.
Naruto: Your acting's awful. You nearly gave us away.
Mikoto: Not as bad as your shameless flattery.
Naruto: How is praising my woman shameless?
Mikoto: I've never heard you praise me.
Naruto: Because you're not my woman. You're someone else's wife. I only borrow you now and then.
Mikoto: And Yoshino? Isn't she someone else's wife too? How come she's your woman?
Naruto: She's willing to divorce for me. Are you?
Mikoto: ╮(╯_╰)╭ Reluctantly... no.
"What are you two doing? Flirting with your eyes?" Yoshino frowned.
From the beginning, Mikoto and Naruto had been exchanging strange expressions like they were using some sort of secret code. It made Yoshino, who was physically closest to both, feel like an outsider.
What she didn't realize was that if she turned around and looked clearly, she'd see she had already been betrayed—by her best friend.
Two minutes later, Naruto finally caught up to Uchiha Fugaku at the main gate of Konoha and quickly let go of Mikoto's hand.
He liked a bit of danger, but not outright trouble.
If Fugaku discovered the affair between him and Mikoto, who knew how long the fallout would drag on?
Mikoto shot him a glare full of contempt, as if to say, So brave earlier. Why so cowardly now?
This time, Naruto ignored her look and acted like he hadn't seen anything.
He stepped slightly away from Mikoto and Yoshino, pulled his mask back on in a flash, and looked ahead. That's when he spotted Konoha elder Kōshō En (Koharu Utatane's male counterpart in this AU) speaking with Fugaku.
Konoha really doesn't give the Uchiha any respect anymore.
Here was a war hero returning to the village, and neither the Hokage nor even Danzo had shown up. They'd only sent Kōshō En.
It was a blatant dismissal of the Uchiha's importance.
But on second thought, it made sense. The Uchiha no longer had a Mangekyō Sharingan among them. In the eyes of others, they were no more important than the Hyūga clan.
Had it not been for Hizashi, Hiashi would've been forced to commit suicide when Hinata was rescued from Kumogakure years ago.
So why would anyone bother showing respect to a clan no more powerful than the Hyūga?
Combined, their reputations didn't even come close to that of Naruto's "brother."
"Yoshino, come here!"
"Mikoto!"
Their families had come to greet them. Naturally, in public, neither woman could stay close to Naruto anymore.
And so, Naruto—who had no family or friends here—was left standing alone. He watched for a while, found nothing of interest, and walked into Konoha by himself.
He had arrived with the Uchiha, and no one stopped him.
Of course, if anyone had tried, they wouldn't have succeeded.
In the current Konoha, aside from Might Guy opening the Eighth Gate, no one could match Naruto. Anyone who crossed him would get slapped down instantly.
Remembering that Izumi wanted to visit her mother, Naruto headed straight to the Uchiha compound.
But when he got there, the house was empty.
He realized that in this timeline, Uchiha Izumi's biological father might still be alive.
And not his version of "dad." Her real, biological father.
Since her father was a Senju, she'd technically be known as Senju Izumi right now.
Which brought up a new problem—where the hell was the Senju clan's territory?
That area of Konoha didn't even exist in this era.
Most of the Senju clan had either changed their names or disappeared into the general population. Only Senju Tsunade remained known by name.
So Naruto couldn't just release Izumi from the space-time seal and ask her where her house was.
"Forget it. I'll find a place to release her, and she can figure it out herself."
Konoha's streets, a dozen years ago, weren't much different than in his time. The houses were a little older, the walls worn, posters faded.
The wooden lattice on many windows was cracked.
Stray dogs lounged in the sun, occasionally letting out lazy groans.
The streets were busy. Civilians bustled past, laughing and chatting. Ninjas walked around relaxed. Despite the war, the village felt peaceful and prosperous.
"Boss, how much is your pork?"
A familiar voice caught Naruto's attention. He turned and saw a woman in a white and green house dress shopping.
She had a slightly round face, gentle eyes, and long, red hair hanging past her shoulders. When she smiled, she looked almost like a mischievous girl.
The pork vendor grinned when he saw her. "Hey, it's Kushina! Hold on, I'll cut ten pounds of pork for you—free!"
Kushina hurriedly waved him off. "No, no! I insist on paying."
"Haha, don't be silly. Your Minato saved my son on the battlefield. How could I ever take your money?"
He insisted, handing her the pork and refusing her payment. "Take it. My way of saying thanks."
Kushina had no choice but to accept it, awkward and grateful.
Naruto stood frozen for a few seconds.
It was her.
Then, without a word, he turned and walked away.
The moment he left, Kushina seemed to sense something. She spun around sharply.
After scanning the area and seeing nothing, she stood still, frowning, her expression clouded.
"Why… does that chakra feel like the Nine-Tails?"
"But… it's different somehow."
Murmuring to herself, she wondered aloud, "Could a Jinchūriki from another village have infiltrated Konoha?"
Meanwhile, in the quietest corner of the spatial classroom, the blackboard flickered like a movie screen, showing everything happening around Naruto.
Naruto never told Izumi that the tailed beast, Zhiming, could observe the outside world through the space.
This secret was something Izumi had discovered only recently.
Now, both of them were staring at the screen in silence.
Gulp.
Someone swallowed audibly. The sound broke the tension in the room.
"Zhiming… if I'm not mistaken, Naruto-kun's mother is also named Kushina, right?" Uchiha Izumi asked.
Zhiming nodded wisely. "Based on my vast experience as a tailed beast, yes. She is indeed my second Jinchūriki—Uzumaki Kushina, Naruto's mother."
"…Hehe…"
Izumi's lips twitched at Zhiming's goofy tone. She let out a sigh and walked out of the classroom, stone-faced.
The wind outside howled.
"Uzumaki Kushina."
"Should I go visit my own mother first… or go win over my mother-in-law?"
That evening, an autumn rain fell, cleansing the earth.
Inside a well-kept courtyard, vases emitted a delicate fragrance. A group of people knelt before an elderly man seated at the head of the room.
"Old Patriarch, the young lady has arrived."
"Bring her in."
"Yes!"
The servant bowed and hurried out.
This was the Nara clan's assembly hall. Sitting at the head was Nara Naoya, father of Shikaku and former clan leader.
The "young lady" was Nara Yoshino—Shikaku's wife.
She entered wearing a formal black kimono, hair styled elegantly in the clan's three-leaf pattern, light makeup on her face. She walked with quiet grace.
Nothing like her usual wild monkey self.
Yoshino bowed deeply to Nara Naoya and then knelt before him.
The larger the clan, the stricter the rules. Even family meetings were bound by custom.
She hated this. She hated this clan. And she hated Shikaku for being just like them.
"Old Patriarch."
"Hm?" Naoya's brow furrowed at the greeting but said nothing.
"Yoshino," he said sternly, "you convened a clan meeting the moment you returned. What happened?"
"I have something to say." Yoshino inhaled deeply.
She had already made up her mind. She wanted to be with "Menma-kun." That meant divorcing Shikaku.
In this clan, a divorce from the clan head had to be formally announced—or it would be seen as a betrayal.
"I want to divorce Nara Shikaku."
Silence.
Every elder in the room froze. Even Naoya, stunned, took a moment to respond.
Then his expression darkened.
"Do you know what you're saying?"
"I said I want to divorce Nara Shikaku!" Yoshino's voice rang clear and strong.
Naoya, face red with rage, flipped the table over.
"You've been spoiled by Shikaku and lost your mind! Return to your quarters and don't leave until Shikaku returns."
The elders chimed in.
"What a joke. A wife initiating divorce? Unheard of in our clans!"
"The Nara family isn't some backwater tribe!"
"We have widows, yes. But never divorcees!"
"You must've had a fight with Shikaku. Take this jewelry, calm down."
"Couples argue. That's normal. Don't escalate it."
Voices overlapped—blame, persuasion—but none supported her.
If Shikaku asked for a divorce, maybe.
But Yoshino asking? Unacceptable.
"The hell with all of you—I still want a divorce!"
Yoshino stood, eyes red with fury.
"We have no love between us. I won't keep living this lie!"
As a Special Jōnin, Yoshino had her pride. She hoped they'd accept it peacefully.
But if not—she'd go straight to the Hokage.
In Konoha, marriage wasn't a life sentence.
Naoya's eyes narrowed, sensing her plan.
"Complain to the Hokage if you dare. We've served the Hokage loyally for generations. Do you think he'll support a mere Jōnin over us?"
"Think of your own parents. You'd drag them down with you."
He pointed to the floor.
"You have three options: Obey and stay. Wait for Shikaku to divorce you. Or die."
He gestured to a guard, drew a katana, and threw it at Yoshino's feet.
The choice was hers—leave in disgrace or die with dignity.
"Oh, and one more thing—don't even think of going to the Hokage."
"You won't make it out the gate."
Yoshino trembled. Her eyes burned with disbelief. She never imagined the Nara clan would threaten her life.
BANG BANG BANG!
Suddenly, a knock rang out, and a bright voice shouted:
"People of the Nara clan! You're surrounded—by me alone!"
Everyone turned toward the voice.
A short figure in a cloak and mask stood at the door.
The guards hadn't even noticed him approach.
"Where did you come from, brat?" Naoya threatened, eyes narrowing.
But before he could finish, golden light flashed—and Naruto appeared before him like a ghost.
SLAP!
The crisp sound echoed through the hall as Naruto struck Naoya across the face.
The room exploded in chaos. Nara elders began to attack.
"Tch. You people aren't even worth one minute of my time."
Dozens of golden chakra arms erupted from Naruto's body and whipped through the room like vipers.
He didn't come here just for Yoshino.
After all, to unlock the reward "Uzumaki Shikamaru," he had to control the Nara clan.
They would never hand over control willingly.
So Naruto chose the simplest solution:
Overwhelming force.
What else was power for, if not to break through the world by your own will?
If you worked so hard to become strong and still couldn't beat people into submission—
Then what was the point of strength at all?
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