"Yu! Well done!"
Naruto said happily, looking at Uchiha Yu.
Uchiha Yu's expression turned almost fanatical.
"Of course! Izumi also performed excellently!"
Naruto's gaze shifted toward the cool and reserved Uchiha Izumi. He knew she longed for recognition, even if she rarely showed it.
As expected, after receiving his praise, Izumi's lips curled into the faintest of smiles.
"Excellent! With the support of the Hidden Mist, we can definitely grow stronger at a much faster pace," Shisui added with a smile.
Naruto turned to look outside the window. The view had changed—concrete buildings were slowly replacing the old wooden houses. The Ninja World had begun its own form of industrial revolution, though many regions still lagged behind, stuck in poverty and tradition.
One day, perhaps, industrial development would push even further. Maybe Konoha itself would rise into a city of towering skyscrapers. Hidden Cloud had already advanced to the point of developing Chakra Cannons, after all.
If one were to speak of true industrialization, however, then the Land of Rain under Nagato—no, under Pain—stood as one of the most complete examples.
Still, the state of the world was strange. Primitive computers had begun to take shape, and yet advanced forms of transportation were absent. There were no airplanes soaring the skies. In many regions, people still relied on horse-drawn carriages.
What a bizarre world this was.
Naruto couldn't help but sigh in wonder.
In his memories, trains should already have appeared in the Land of Snow by now. Perhaps, one day, he could even build an airplane just for fun. After all, while a ninja could travel with great speed, they still couldn't rival a machine capable of flight.
Or better yet—what if he could develop a space-time ninjutsu that allowed direct teleportation? Then he could roam the entire Ninja World freely.
The thought was beautiful, but Naruto knew well such things would take years—if not decades—to become reality.
And yet… the Ninja World was not lacking in brilliance. Orochimaru was one such example. Though known primarily for his terrifying mastery of biology, his knowledge of mechanics was no less impressive—after all, he had once built a mechanical Naruto.
There were others, too. The Sky Ninja possessed formidable technological capabilities. Even Amado, Orochimaru and Jiraiya's former classmate, had proven himself a genius in biological research.
Yes… this world was full of sharp minds. Perhaps his dream of reaching the stars wasn't as impossible as it seemed.
Still, Naruto reminded himself to be cautious. Working with someone like Orochimaru without overwhelming strength was suicide—he would be devoured without leaving even bones behind. Now was not the time. When the day came to leave Konoha, perhaps then he could consider approaching the Sannin.
Until then, patience.
...
Konoha Village
At that moment, Nara Shikamaru was playing shogi with his father.
Though still a child, Shikamaru already displayed remarkable intelligence. Unfortunately, his laziness often kept him from applying it fully.
"Shikamaru," his father, Nara Shikaku, suddenly asked, "how are things at the Academy lately?"
"Tch, trying to distract me, old man? I'm not falling for it!"
Gone was his usual lazy tone—Shikamaru sat upright, serious. Against his father, there was no room for carelessness.
"It's fine, just a little boring. But a few classmates are… interesting," Shikamaru admitted, still making his move on the board.
Shikaku raised an eyebrow. It wasn't often something piqued his son's curiosity.
"Oh? Don't tell me it's that Uchiha boy—the orphan?"
"Uchiha Sasuke is a genius, sure, but it's not him. It's Uzumaki Naruto," Shikamaru replied calmly, placing his piece to form a sharp pincer attack.
Shikaku twirled a piece between his fingers before placing it down with quiet precision. In an instant, Shikamaru's formation collapsed into a counter-encirclement.
A few more moves, and the board was lost.
"I give up," Shikamaru muttered with a sigh.
Shikaku didn't press the victory. Instead, he asked, "Has Naruto shown anything unusual lately?"
Shikamaru thought for a moment.
"He's not the strongest in our class, but ever since the Uchiha clan was wiped out, he and Sasuke have grown very close. For a while, they even sent Shadow Clones to school in their place. Oddly enough, Sasuke seems to respect Naruto. Between them, it's Naruto who takes the lead."
Shikamaru's words made Shikaku fall into deep thought.
"Uzumaki Naruto…"
Shikaku's eyes grew distant as his thoughts drifted back to the past—back to that sunny young man and the figure of a woman with bright red hair.
"Minato… did you leave behind some hidden move?" he murmured quietly.
"Father? What did you say?" Shikamaru looked up, unsure if he had heard correctly.
"Nothing," Shikaku replied, shaking his head before turning serious. "Shikamaru, do you know who that boy really is?"
Shikamaru immediately sharpened his expression.
"Could it be… he's the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki?"
He connected what he'd heard from rumors in the village about Naruto being a "fox demon" with his own observations.
"Yes," Shikaku said gravely.
"That's right. Naruto is the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki. Don't underestimate him—every Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails has the potential to become a true powerhouse."
But Shikaku still didn't reveal the full truth.
Though the Third Hokage had never made Naruto's parentage public, as Konoha's chief strategist—the brains of the village—Shikaku had long since pieced it together.
The boy's golden hair, his clear sky-blue eyes… and above all, his surname—Uzumaki.
Who else could he be, born on the very night of the Nine-Tails' attack, other than the child of the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, and Uzumaki Kushina?
As Minato's friend, Shikaku felt a deep, unshakable guilt.
The Ino–Shika–Chō clans had deliberately kept their distance from Naruto all these years, fearing that too much closeness might draw the suspicion of Hiruzen Sarutobi… or worse, Danzō.
Little did he know that elsewhere in the village, another tragedy had unfolded—the Uchiha clan had been reduced to just two survivors. And Shikaku could never have imagined that Naruto himself had secretly saved a small remnant of their bloodline.
"…I see," Shikamaru said at last, watching the complicated look flicker across his father's face. He realized that Naruto might not be just the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki. But being the clever child he was, he didn't press further.
If his father wasn't telling him something, there had to be a reason.
"Alright, Shikamaru. Go get some rest."
Shikaku dismissed him with a gentle wave. After Shikamaru left, the room grew quiet once more, leaving only Shikaku, lost in thought.
...
The Next Morning
For once, Shikamaru didn't sleep in. Instead, he quietly dug into the family archives, looking up records on the history of the Shinobi World—and more specifically, on the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki.
When he discovered that the very first Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails had been the First Hokage's wife, his eyes widened in surprise. From the scattered words and records, he began to sense the terrifying weight of what it meant to contain a Tailed Beast.
Turning the page, he found that the second Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails had been none other than the Fourth Hokage's wife, Uzumaki Kushina. His hands trembled slightly.
Both bore the same surname—Uzumaki.
A realization dawned on him.
The Fourth Hokage had perished the night of the Nine-Tails' attack. His wife, Uzumaki Kushina, had died as well. And now… the current Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki was named Uzumaki Naruto.
Shikamaru quickly closed the book and slid it back into its place. His heart pounded, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't calm it for a long while.
...
TN:
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