The mist had lifted, but the air remained heavy in the small house at the edge of the village. Inside, Kakashi lay unconscious, bandaged and pale. His chakra was still recovering from the water dragon jutsu and overuse of the Sharingan.
Naruto sat by the window, chewing on stale bread, eyes locked on the trees outside.
The system floated quietly at the edge of his mind.
> Status Report – Lv. 8
Chakra: 92/120
Stamina: 81%
Clones (available): 4
Skill Progress
Shadow Clone Jutsu (Lv. 5) – 82%
Gale Cutter (Lv. 2) – 57%
Clone Relay (Lv. 1) – 12%
Stat Points Available: 5
He hadn't distributed them yet.
Instead, he tapped a new option that had appeared in the corner of his interface:
> Team Dynamics: [Team 7]
→ Leader: Kakashi Hatake (Unavailable)
→ Active Role: Temporary Lead
Traits In Progress:
Leadership (Dormant) – 2/3
Tactical Instinct – Active
Coordination Bonus (Clone-Linked) – Active
Naruto stared at the words for a long time.
Then he heard a soft cough from behind him.
Tazuna's daughter, Tsunami, stood in the doorway with a tray of tea. Her eyes were tired, but warm.
"You're not like most ninja I've met," she said.
Naruto blinked. "How so?"
"You look like a boy pretending to be a man… but also like someone who knows what war tastes like."
Naruto didn't reply.
What could he say? That he'd fought an A-rank missing-nin and survived? That he had a secret system inside him feeding him stats and numbers like he was a game character?
He took the tea in silence.
---
Later, as the sky darkened, Naruto stepped outside and met Sasuke near the shoreline. Sakura stood nearby with Tsunami, tending to the garden.
"You're not sleeping either?" Naruto asked.
Sasuke crossed his arms. "Don't act like you know me."
Naruto shrugged, ignoring the hostility. "I know you're pissed you couldn't do more against Zabuza."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "I should have done more. Kakashi nearly died. We were helpless."
"You weren't. You hit his water clone hard enough to make it lose form. That gave me time."
Sasuke blinked.
Naruto looked up at the stars.
"We're not perfect. Yet. But we're getting there."
> Trait Progress: Leadership – 3/3
→ Trait Activated: Leadership (Lv. 1)
→ +5% morale in allied squads
→ Enables battlefield commands (limited)
Skill Unlocked: Field Command – Clone Echo
→ You can designate one clone as a Field Officer
→ That clone can issue simple verbal commands to others autonomously
Naruto smiled slightly.
Finally. Something that makes leading my clones actually mean something.
He opened his stats menu again and placed his available points:
Chakra +2
Control +1
Dexterity +1
Intelligence +1
> New Stat Threshold Crossed – Chakra ≥ 100
→ Chakra Affinity Evolution: Wind Element becomes more stable
→ Passive Chakra Flow Efficiency improved by 5%
Just then, a scream echoed from inside the house.
Both boys snapped to attention.
Naruto was already moving before he thought.
---
They burst through the door to find Tsunami backed against the wall, clutching her son, Inari. A masked figure stood in the doorway, blade drawn — but his hand was shaking.
Naruto saw the hesitation in the intruder's stance.
Not a killer. A thug. A pawn.
"Move," the man snarled. "Gatō wants the builder dead!"
Sasuke reached for a kunai.
But Naruto held up a hand.
He walked forward slowly.
"No."
The man hesitated.
"Y-You don't scare me."
Naruto's voice was calm. "You're scared because you know you don't belong here. This isn't your fight. You were sent to kill a builder… in front of his daughter and grandson."
The man looked between them.
"I… I just… Gatō said—"
Naruto pointed to the door. "Leave. Don't come back."
The man trembled.
And fled.
> Social Check Passed: Intimidation + Wisdom (System-enhanced)
→ No combat engaged
→ Morale boost to civilians
XP Gained: +120
Leadership Growth: +1%
Moral Choice Logged
Sasuke stared at him.
"You're changing," he said.
"Yeah," Naruto replied. "I know."
---
The next morning, Kakashi was able to sit upright, if barely. His voice was hoarse.
"Zabuza isn't dead. And he'll be back. Stronger."
Sakura's face paled. "What do we do?"
"We prepare," Naruto said.
Everyone looked at him.
Kakashi gave a weak chuckle. "I see. You're taking the lead."
Naruto shrugged. "You told us to protect Tazuna. That mission's still going."
Sasuke nodded. "We train."
---
Over the next three days, Team 7 stayed near the unfinished bridge, helping defend it from occasional thugs and mercenaries while they trained and healed.
Naruto practiced clone control drills using his Field Command skill — sending groups of clones to simulate defense formations around the bridge, timing their responses, practicing flanks and distractions.
> Skill Level-Up: Field Command – Clone Echo (Lv. 2)
→ Clones gain 15% increased coordination when under a Field Officer
→ Officer can now recall clone memories mid-battle (limited sync)
Sasuke trained on tree-walking and throwing shuriken under increasing pressure.
Sakura kept watch over Kakashi and Tsunami, learning from Kakashi about chakra flow and basic medical ninjutsu.
By the end of the third day, they felt more like a unit than a group of students.
---
But peace didn't last.
Early on the fourth morning, as mist rolled in over the village—
Naruto woke to a system alert blaring in his mind.
> Emergency Alert: High-Level Chakra Signature Detected
→ Source: Zabuza Momochi and associate
→ Estimated Time to Contact: 2 hours
Optional Quest Activated: Prepare the Battlefield
Objective: Create traps, coordinate defenses, and ensure safe fallback points
Reward: +600 XP, +Tactical Proficiency bonus, unlock "Tactical Terrain: Beginner"
Naruto's mind raced.
No time to hesitate.
He turned to his team.
"They're coming," he said. "And this time, we fight to win."