Mito POV
It had been a month since I gave myself my first ability. Things had been… quiet. Not like people had forgotten about us—oh no, they remembered all too well. Whenever someone tried to start trouble with Naruto, I would just appear, smiling sweetly with the kind of aura that made even grown men shiver. Terrifying? Yes. Effective? Absolutely.
The downside? People didn't dare mess with us anymore, but now they avoided us, whispering "demons" loud enough for us to hear. And here we were—Naruto and I—standing in front of the orphanage like a pair of unwanted strays.
Naruto was clueless, blinking at the closed doors as though they'd magically open if he stared long enough. I, on the other hand, had only one thought: Really? This is the part of the timeline where the kid gets kicked out? They're not even being subtle about it.
[Well, apparently this is reality, and you're going to have to live with it.]
They do know that if we die, their precious Kyūbi gets set free, right?
[Humans are dumb.]
Naruto's confusion tugged at me, his little face looking more lost than ever. My fingers twitched. Oh, I'd love to gut the people responsible for this. Slowly.
[And there it is—the "civilized" girl's answer to everything. Killing.]
Don't sweat the small stuff, Kurama. In this world, sooner or later, I'll have to get my hands bloody anyway. Better it happens when I decide, not when I'm cornered.
I plastered a grin on my face and turned to Naruto. "Hey, Naruto, want to play ninja with me?"
The moment "play ninja" left my lips, his eyes lit up like fireworks. He bounced on his toes, ready to explode with excitement.
"Our mission," I said, drawing out the words dramatically, "is to sneak out of the village without being seen. We'll meet at the edge of the forest. Winner gets the biggest fish tonight."
Naruto nearly burst with joy. Mission accepted.
And off we went. Watching him move was… actually incredible. He just knew how to hide, how to slip away when no one was looking, how to vanish like smoke. A natural-born shinobi. Figures—being Hokage's son wasn't just a title, it was in his blood.
Soon enough, we reached the outskirts. I knew ANBU eyes were glued to us, and somewhere, the old man Hiruzen was probably hunched over his crystal ball, playing Big Brother. But it wasn't like we were spamming forbidden jutsu. Hell, we couldn't even draw out our chakra yet.
The first issue was survival. Food. I had no clue which plants were edible, so hunting and fishing it was.
Time Skip – 3 Days Later
Three days of trial, error, and occasional near-poisoning later, I figured out a few things:
After creating my first ability, I unlocked my chakra. Not just unlocked it—I could instinctively mold it. Which, now that I think about it, might've been why that ANBU showed up earlier, practically waving at Naruto before vanishing again.
Naruto is a genius at anything physical, as long as you call it a "game." Tell him it's training? He'll groan. Tell him it's a competition? He'll master it in a heartbeat.
The ANBU surveillance on us is suffocatingly tight. And how do I know? Because I awakened one of the Uzumaki clan's special abilities—the Mind's Eye of Kagura. Yeah, I can feel every single one of those masked stalkers breathing down our necks.
Naruto proudly held up the fish he caught (yes, he caught them, I mostly supervised with sass), and we roasted them nicely. Just as we were about to dig in—rustling.
And out stepped the king manipulator himself: the so-called "Professor," "God of Shinobi," and "Strongest Hokage"—Hiruzen Sarutobi.
I sighed dramatically. Well, look at that. Grandpa's finally crawled out of his tower.
[Oh, and what now? Gonna act like you're the clueless child, or going to kill him for how he let the village treat you?]
Shut it, fluffball. I cannot kill him now—I'm not skilled enough for that, and he'd see it coming from a mile away. But I'll try to get at least a house from him and a way to unlock Naruto's chakra. I fully intend to make him give us what I ask for—and more—of his own free will.
The ANBU retreated, giving Hiruzen space. Typical—they cleared the area like he was about to give us candy, not chains.
Naruto, blunt as always, tilted his head. "Who are you, old man?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi POV
Three days. Three days since the twins were "asked" to leave the orphanage. Not that I regret it. The villagers were getting restless, and the brats… well, they're weapons more than children. Better to cut ties now before the people cause more trouble.
I've watched them since the day they were born. Both carry parts of the Nine-Tailed Fox—divided, yes, but still dangerous. That beast destroyed my village, forced me back into this cursed chair, and chained me to paperwork until my death.
Minato… hah. He may have been strong, but he was naïve. A soldier, yes, but not a leader. He couldn't play politics. He couldn't weave words to control clans. I could. I did. That's why Konoha survived under me, not him. That's why I am called the greatest Hokage of all—not the First, not my teacher Tobirama.
Now his children are my problem.
The girl—Mito—unlocked her chakra. Reports suggest the process was painful, possibly the fox struggling inside the seal. Irrelevant. What matters is she has chakra, and she's already using it instinctively. Useful. Very useful.
The boy—Naruto—still clueless. Easy to mold. With the right words, he'll idolize me and do as I tell him. It's dark, yes, but for the greater good it's necessary. My greater good and that of my clan. When I have both vessels under my control, I can put Asuma in my position as Hokage and no one will say a word. The title of Hokage will belong to the Sarutobi clan by then, and I will make sure that it stays that way.
Yes. Everything will fall into place.
Mito POV
Naruto tilted his head at the old man, clueless as ever.
"Who are you, old man?"
The geezer smiled like he had just invented the concept of kindness. "Ah, I'm just an old man lost on the road of life."
Seriously? Obito's line? To me? Does he think I've got half a brain cell?
[It's meant for Naruto, not you.]
Point taken. But come on—he could've at least gone with 'lost in the woods.' Would've been thematically accurate.
I put on my best wide-eyed-innocent look, the one that made villagers hesitate before spitting on us. "That's funny, old man… but aren't you the Third Hokage? Your face is on the big mountain rock, and I've seen people bowing to you in the village."
Naruto's eyes went round. "EHHH? What's a Hokage?"
Hiruzen froze for a fraction of a second before chuckling, like I'd caught him playing dress-up. "Sharp eyes, young one. Yes, I am Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage. Naruto, Hokage is the strongest ninja in the village, who has the responsibility to keep the entire village safe."
Naruto all but bounced on his toes. "Woah! Then you're the strongest ninja ever, right?! Hey, hey, how do I become Hokage too? Will people respect me if I become Hokage?!"
Oof. That one landed like a kunai to the chest. Even Hiruzen's smile cracked.
He crouched down, pipe still dangling from his fingers, and patted Naruto's head. "Yes… if you work hard and never give up, the people will one day acknowledge you. That is the path of the Hokage."
Nice speech, old man, but you forgot to mention the part where you let the villagers treat him like dirt for years.
I clasped my hands together, tilting my head sweetly. "Wow, so Hokage-sama is super busy and important, huh? Then why would someone like you be wandering around the woods? Surely you didn't know we were here? And even if you did, why would you want to meet two kids like us? Aren't we just… nobodies? Even the orphanage kicked us out."
His smile faltered. Just a twitch. But I saw it.
[Heh. You're poking holes in his act already.]
Oh, I'm just getting started, fluffball.
Hiruzen coughed politely. "You're not nobodies. You're precious children of this village. And I would be hurt to know that the children of the village have been living in such a situation. Besides, our meeting is nothing but coincidence—a meeting decided by fate. And wouldn't you want to live in the village, where you are safe?"
"Safe?" I echoed, widening my eyes again. "But we've been out here for three days, and we had no problem living here. Besides, no one looks at us with those mean eyes here, so we're safe."
Boom. Hit. Direct to ego.
His hand twitched on the pipe, but he smoothed it over with a grandfatherly chuckle. "I see you feel safe here, but do you know you could face dangerous animals, diseases, unclean water… and if you fell ill, how would you treat yourself?"
At that, I faltered. I couldn't answer without sounding suspicious. Wait…
"Well, we would like to live in a place where we have clean water and food and don't need to worry about getting sick… but where can we live in the village? We don't have a place."
"Oh, don't worry about that. I will give you two a place where you can live, and no mean people will be there."
Naruto jumped up at that. "For real, old man?! We get our own space—no conditions?"
Hiruzen chuckled. "Ah, I won't say no conditions. The condition is that you will have to become strong ninja and protect the village when you grow up."
"All right! I'll be the strongest ninja in the village in the future, and then I'll be the next Hokage—greater than any other!"
Cutting through Naruto's excitement, I asked, "But how do we become ninja? What do we do, and where can we learn?"
He perked up immediately, eager to lecture. "You will learn to become ninja at the village academy, where you will be taught what it means to be a ninja and how you can access your chakra."
I immediately latched on to that opening and asked, "What is chakra?"
His expression was priceless—I wish I'd had a camera. His face flickered through confusion, realization, and resignation at his slip-up. Then he started to explain. "Chakra is the energy that flows within all living things. By molding it, shinobi perform powerful techniques called jutsu—ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu. The balance of spiritual and physical energy is essential. Without chakra, one cannot be a shinobi."
I gasped theatrically. "That sounds amazing! But… how does someone learn to draw out chakra? I mean, you wouldn't want the children of the Leaf to be ignorant, would you?"
Naruto blinked. "Wait, what?"
Hiruzen's brows knitted, but he quickly diverted. "Yes, yes… anyone can learn to access chakra with practice and the right methods."
I leaned forward eagerly, eyes sparkling. "Could you show us? Maybe even give us something to practice with? You're the Hokage, after all. And you want the future of the Leaf to grow strong, don't you?"
[Ooooh, savage.]
His jaw tightened. Damn, the guilt-trip worked. He pulled out two small scrolls, clearly "for beginners." "Very well. These are basic guides—how to sense chakra, how to mold it. And… the three fundamental jutsu. Transformation, Substitution, and Clone Technique."
My eyes gleamed. Jackpot.
Naruto's jaw dropped. "Real ninja scrolls?! Whoa!!"
Hiruzen immediately tried to change the subject. "Ah, but you will learn this in the academy, so—"
I tilted my head, all innocence. "So… you're taking back gifts you already gave? From children who were thrown out of the orphanage and left to survive in the woods? That doesn't sound very Hokage-like to me…"
He stiffened. Naruto looked between us, utterly lost.
Finally, Hiruzen sighed, slipping into his "benevolent ruler" mask again. "Very well. You may keep them. But remember—they are a great responsibility. Do not misuse them."
I clutched the scrolls to my chest like they were the most precious thing in the world. "Thank you, Hokage-sama! You really are as kind as the villagers say."
He visibly swallowed. Hook, line, sinker.
"Still," he said, standing up straight, "you cannot remain in the forest. It is unsafe. I will arrange a flat for you in the lower district of Konoha. You will have shelter, food, and be among the people of the village."
Translation: he wanted us in a cage where he could monitor us without the clans interfering. Cute.
Naruto beamed. "Thanks, old man! You're the best!"
I smiled too—sweet and guileless. Inside, though, I was laughing. The "God of Shinobi" had just been played by a five-year-old girl with a silver tongue.
Hiruzen POV
Damn it. I let them keep the scrolls. I should've pulled them back, made some excuse. But her eyes… and those words… it sounded like I was stealing from orphans. And Naruto was there—he's easy to manipulate, but I don't want him to remember me as someone who took back what I gave.
No. Better to cut my losses. The flat in the lower district will keep them contained. Surrounded by civilians, away from the clans. My ANBU will watch them day and night. They'll grow under my supervision. I'll turn them into loyal weapons, even if they think they're free.
Still… I regret this. Giving them tools so early. That girl—Mito—she's dangerous. Sharp. Too sharp. I'll need to keep her on a tighter leash.
But it's fine. Everything is still under control. I am Hiruzen Sarutobi. And nothing in this village escapes my hand.