Naruto attended classes as usual, appearing no different from before. Yet beneath the surface, the tension between the Village and the Uchiha Clan was steadily escalating.
To his surprise, Naruto had recently obtained a Sealing Technique from Shisui—a remarkable find.
Sealing Techniques had long troubled Naruto. It was a domain he had no foundation in, a blank spot in his knowledge. Fortunately, within the Ninjutsu Shisui had passed on, he found a breakthrough.
In the Shinobi world, Sealing Techniques were akin to universal tools—versatile, powerful, and sometimes game-changing.
The destruction of the Land of Whirlpools was a testament to that. Several great nations had united to annihilate it, fearing the might of its Sealing Arts. And behind it all, Konoha's own darkness—Danzo—was likely pulling strings.
In the original timeline, the Land of Whirlpools had sought aid from Konoha. That help never came. Perhaps that was why many surviving Uzumaki chose not to take refuge in the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Instead, they became wanderers across the Shinobi world—Nagato being one of the most infamous among them.
The technique Naruto had acquired was known as the Object Sealing Formula.
It allowed the user to create storage scrolls and even seal Ninjutsu—though the latter was extremely complex and inefficient for combat. Still, its utility couldn't be denied. For storing weapons, tools, and supplies, it was invaluable.
Naruto was overjoyed.
These days, he no longer ventured outside the village in person. Instead, he sent out Shadow Clones.
Konoha was surrounded by a powerful barrier, but Shisui, as a former member of the Anbu Black Ops, knew how to bypass it. Konoha had not changed the barrier's access method, likely assuming Shisui was already dead. After all, modifying a large-scale barrier was no simple feat.
Meanwhile, Shisui had been quietly recovering from his injuries. During this time, he frequently questioned Naruto about the ideology of their organization.
And after days of what could only be described as ideological brainwashing, the despair in Shisui's heart began to transform into something else—hope.
Hope for Umbrella.
"To become the umbrella that shelters the entire world"—that was Naruto's vision.
Umbrella would one day gather the most elite talents of the Shinobi world. From a single spark, a wildfire would spread.
Over several days, Naruto sought Shisui's guidance on both the Object Sealing Formula and his own training in the Body Flicker Technique.
Since Shisui's eyes were blind, Naruto also created a new support Ninjutsu to help him navigate.
It was a sensory technique inspired by radar systems from Naruto's past life. Thanks to his Heaven Rewards Diligence talent, what might have taken years to develop was done in weeks.
Unlike chakra-sensing techniques like Kagura's Mind Eye, this one didn't rely on chakra signatures at all. It used ultrasonic pulses to detect surroundings with uncanny precision—though its range was limited.
Through this, Naruto also began developing infrasound techniques, similar to the sound-based attacks used by the Sound Village, founded by Orochimaru.
"Naruto-kun!" Shisui's voice trembled. "You're entrusting me with something so important… Can I really do this?"
Naruto placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
"Shisui, believe in yourself. In the future, others like you will join our cause. But someone has to take the first step."
He continued to encourage Shisui, though in his heart, Naruto realized he needed a true strategist.
Shisui was intelligent, but he lacked foresight—and, more importantly, the ruthlessness sometimes needed to lead.
Still, resources were thin. Naruto himself had not yet grown to his full strength.
Right now, his power was just about equivalent to a Jonin, nothing more. He was still too young.
And Naruto understood a fundamental truth: no matter how powerful one person becomes, they can't do everything alone. Even Orochimaru, with all his strength, had created the Hidden Sound Village—not for fame, but because he needed subordinates to carry out his vision.
Speaking of Orochimaru…
Naruto saw him as one of the most valuable figures in the world.
His true strength wasn't in combat, but in research.
He was a jack-of-all-trades. His Ninjutsu and Taijutsu were impressive, and he possessed exceptional scientific acumen and leadership skills. Truly a terrifying polymath.
And he had done it all without any cheat abilities.
Naruto couldn't help but wonder—if Orochimaru had something like Heaven Rewards Diligence, how far could he have gone?
Another person Naruto considered a key figure was Tsunade.
But she couldn't be approached—at least not yet. That would require a different plan, one for later.
For now, Naruto had a clear course of action.
Recruit talents. Accumulate resources. Stay hidden.
If he were exposed now, he would face danger from all sides—Danzo, the Third Hokage, the Akatsuki, and even the ancient manipulator Black Zetsu, lurking in the shadows of history.
Once discovered, it would be nearly impossible to survive.
He had no choice but to bide his time… and wait for the right moment to rise.
Naruto didn't yet have the power to overturn the chessboard.
But he wasn't in a hurry. There was still plenty of time before the events of the original timeline, so he slowly settled into a more peaceful daily life.
Every day was the same—teasing Hinata, and training with Lee and Sasuke.
On this particular day, Naruto, as usual, had teased Hinata until her face turned completely red.
"N-Naruto-kun…"
Seeing Hinata's shy, flustered face only made Naruto more amused. He found himself growing increasingly fond of this timid girl.
At the podium, Iruka was growing more and more frustrated. The classroom in front of him was a complete mess.
Inuzuka Kiba was playing with his new ninja dog.
This year, Kiba had finally been entrusted with his own ninken—a pup descended from a high-level ninja dog once bonded to a clan Elite Jōnin. The pup would grow up alongside Kiba, developing a deep bond over time. Its potential was obvious: with proper training, it could easily reach jōnin-level strength.
Shikamaru was asleep, again.
The classroom material was far too easy for him. Nothing here could compare to the challenge of playing shogi against his old man back home.
Naruto was still teasing Hinata. Sasuke was off to the side, practicing hand seals over and over.
And Shino? …Was there even a Shino in class? Iruka couldn't remember. In fact, he often forgot the boy entirely.
These kids—once they learned the basics, they completely stopped paying attention in class.
Iruka finally snapped.
"Uzumaki Naruto! Uchiha Sasuke! Nara Shikamaru! Akimichi Chōji! Inuzuka Kiba! Yamanaka Ino!"
He slammed a hand on the desk, voice echoing down the hall.
"Stop disrupting class and get out! Yamanaka-san, is the mirror more interesting than the lesson?! OUT! All of you—OUTSIDE!"
The named students glanced at one another.
Naruto stood up first, calmly patted Hinata on the head, and strolled toward the door. Sasuke followed behind him silently. Shikamaru groggily rubbed his eyes, clearly annoyed to be woken up, and Chōji didn't seem fazed at all—he just kept munching on his snacks like nothing had happened.
Just as Naruto stepped into the hallway, he bumped into Lee.
Lee paused in surprise before flashing a bright grin.
"Naruto-kun!"
Lee was often absent from class. He was Might Guy's student now and frequently took leave for "special training." That was the official reason, anyway.
In truth, Lee trained alone at their usual spot before reporting to Guy-sensei later.
None of the academy instructors ever questioned it. After all, a regular teacher—even a chūnin—wouldn't dare confront a renowned Elite Jōnin like Might Guy. The hierarchy in the shinobi world was strict, even within the village.
As for Lee's relentless dedication?
According to him, it was simple: "Naruto is a genius, yet he works harder than anyone I've ever seen. If I want to keep up with him… I have to work twice as hard!"
Lee's tireless effort was something even Naruto had to admit he couldn't match.