"Haah... Kurama." A silent tear slid down Naruto's cheek as he opened his eyes, looking a bit pained, with regret flashing within his gaze. With a silent push, he sat on his bed, staring at the wall with quiet nostalgia.
"Is that really my future?" he thought, remembering Boruto's face… the boy he had once protected as his son. Then came the images, vivid and raw:Haku, a boy of love and sorrow. Sasuke's back, walking away from the village. Orochimaru's twisted smile. The truth of the Fourth Hokage. The wars, the loss, the victories, every single moment shaping him into the man who bore the title of Hokage.
But even with all of that… at the very end, he was powerless. At the very end, Kurama left him. And without his partner, without that bond, he had been reduced to nothing but a helpless old man, unable to protect even those he cherished most.
Naruto clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms. "I won't let it end like that. Not this time."
His breathing steadied. The boy who had always been reckless and loud now sat with an eerie calmness. A new fire burned behind his eyes—still bright, but sharper, colder, and tempered by the knowledge of what could come.
The morning sun slipped through the thin curtains of Naruto's small apartment, painting the room with streaks of gold. He pushed himself up from bed and his eyes fell on the headband resting neatly on his desk. The very same headband Iruka had given him, the same symbol of acknowledgment he had fought so hard for.
Naruto picked it up carefully, as though it were a fragile treasure. His reflection in the polished metal looked back at him—not the mischievous academy dropout everyone knew, but a boy carrying the weight of two lifetimes.
"So… it really wasn't just a dream," he thought, his grip tightening. The flashes of his future—the wars, the friendships, the losses, even that strange Otsutsuki artifact that bent time—felt less like fantasies and more like memories pulled from deep within his soul. Maybe… that's why I'm back here.
He let out a slow breath, pressing the headband against his forehead. "This time… I'll do better."
Naruto knew he had a week of rest before official missions began. To most genin, that meant celebrating or training their bodies. But to him, it meant something far more important. His memories were blurred, pieces of knowledge slipping through his grasp. Jutsu names, history lessons, strategies—things he had once mastered as Hokage—were now fragments, scattered in his mind like torn pages.
That's why he had a plan.
"The library…" he muttered, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "Never thought I'd be excited about that."
Of course, going through rows and rows of books would take forever for just one person. But he wasn't just one person anymore. He had a trick—a trick that made him perhaps the most dangerous learner in Konoha.
Naruto formed the familiar hand seal. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
In an instant, the room was packed with dozens of Narutos, each one smirking back at him with determination. He folded his arms, addressing them like a commander with his troops.
"Alright, listen up! Half of you go through ninjutsu scrolls. The rest, start digging into history and clan records. Anything about bloodlines, the Five Nations, or the Hokage—memorize it. We're going to cram every single thing I once forgot."
The clones saluted with cheeky grins before bursting out of the apartment, racing toward Konoha's great library. Naruto stayed behind, exhaling deeply as silence returned to the room.
The feedback from his clones would come rushing back once they dispelled, multiplying his knowledge a hundredfold. It was a dangerous, exhausting method—but if he wanted to bridge the gap between the boy he was and the Hokage he remembered being, this was the only way.
Naruto looked at the headband again, this time with quiet pride.
"I'll build the strength to protect everything—without losing anyone this time."
While dozens of shadow clones were buried in scrolls and dusty tomes inside the library, the original Naruto slipped quietly out into the village streets. Not because he didn't want to study—though sitting still for hours still sounded like torture—but because something else had been bugging him.
His hair.
Naruto scratched the back of his head, tugging at the messy blond spikes that stuck out in every possible direction. "Man… this looks like a bird's nest," he muttered, grimacing at his reflection in a shop window. He remembered faint flashes of his future self, standing tall and proud, his hair trimmed shorter and neater. Somehow, people respected that look more. He didn't fully understand why, but if a simple haircut could give him a better first impression with villagers, he wasn't going to waste the chance.
Besides, being Hokage wasn't just about strength. It was about presence.
With a grin, Naruto shoved his hands into his pockets and marched toward the nearest barber. "Heh. If I'm going to shock the world, I might as well start with style."
The bell above the door jingled as he stepped inside. A middle-aged barber looked up from sweeping. His eyes widened a little when he recognized the whisker-faced boy, but unlike before, there wasn't disgust or fear in them—more like cautious curiosity.
Naruto plopped himself into the chair with his usual boldness. "Oi, old man! Make it clean and sharp. Something that says 'future Hokage!'"
The barber blinked, then chuckled softly. "That so? Well, I'll see what I can do, kid."
As the scissors snipped and locks of messy blond fell away, Naruto sat still, watching himself transform bit by bit in the mirror. The goofy grin remained, but beneath it was a glint of determination.
When the barber finally spun the chair around, Naruto blinked. His hair was shorter and less wild, framing his face instead of sticking out everywhere. It wasn't perfect—he still looked like a kid—but there was something sharper about him now. More confident.
Naruto grinned at his reflection, flashing a thumbs-up. "Yeah… this'll do. Believe it!"
The barber smirked. "Good luck, future Hokage."
As Naruto walked out into the sunlit streets, villagers glanced his way. Maybe it was just his imagination, but their looks felt a little different—not just annoyance, but curiosity. Naruto's grin widened.
"Step one: nailed it. Now, back to the real training."
The sun climbed higher over Training Ground Three, its light warming the dirt beneath Naruto's palms as he pushed himself up again and again. Sweat trickled down his forehead, soaking into the fresh band of cloth tied proudly around it.
"One hundred and… eighty-seven!" he grunted, chest straining. He collapsed onto the ground, panting hard, then rolled to his feet and started running laps around the training posts. His body screamed at him to stop, but he gritted his teeth.
"I can't just depend on flashy ninjutsu. Not this time." He muttered silently. He still quietly remembers the Otsutsuki clan method of absorbing any ninjutsu. In front of a monster like that he needs, beyond powerful Ninjutsu, Chakra control, and coordinated Taijutsu.
Plus, he clearly remembers how, without Kurama support, all of his strength was at Hokage level at best. With his chance of fighting against Otsutsuki and even coming danger, he will master those, which will help him a lot.
"Taijutsu, kenjutsu, shurikenjutsu… I'll sharpen everything. If I'm going to stand against monsters like that again, I need a body that won't fail me."
As he finished another lap, Naruto staggered to a stop, hands on his knees. And then, suddenly—
Pop. Pop. Pop.
One by one, his shadow clones dispelled inside the library, sending a tidal wave of information crashing into his mind. Naruto gasped, clutching his head as memories, words, and techniques blurred together. For a few seconds it was dizzying—scrolls of taijutsu stances, chakra control notes, and diagrams of the body's energy flow.
But he also knew he couldn't let anyone get suspicious. If he suddenly showed off advanced training, it would raise questions he wasn't ready to answer. Better to play it smart.
Naruto sat down beneath a tree, plucked a small leaf from a branch, and pressed it gently to his fingertip. Closing his eyes, he willed his chakra to flow steady and smooth, keeping the leaf balanced as it spun lazily in the breeze of his control.
Leaf Rotation—simple, subtle, but perfect for refining the basics. Unlike tree climbing or walking on water, no one would notice him practicing this.
The leaf wobbled, slipped, and fell. Naruto picked it back up, smirking.
"Heh. Guess I'm still rough… but that's fine. I'll get there. Step by step."
He placed the leaf again, steadying his breath. In the quiet training ground, with nothing but the chirping of cicadas around him, Naruto's focus sharpened. His pranks and jokes hadn't vanished—but beneath them now was a patience that hadn't existed before.
The scent of tobacco smoke lingered in the air as Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, leisurely flipped a page of his beloved book, his pipe resting comfortably between his fingers. Paperwork towered on his desk, but for the moment, he allowed himself a brief escape.
That peace didn't last.
A masked ANBU kneeled before him, giving his report in a steady tone.
"Regarding Uzumaki Naruto's activities, Lord Hokage… first, after receiving his headband, he was seen entering the Konoha library and remained there for several hours."
Thud.
The book slipped from Sarutobi's hands, hitting the floor. His eyes widened slightly, his calm demeanor cracking. "The… library? Are you sure you're talking about Uzumaki Naruto?"
The ANBU didn't even flinch. "Yes, Lord Hokage. Witnesses confirm he dispatched multiple shadow clones for study purposes."
Sarutobi blinked once, twice, then leaned back in his chair. A boy who usually used shadow clones for pranks was now… studying? In the library?
He reached for his pipe, only for the ANBU to continue.
"Additionally, after leaving the library, he proceeded directly to a barber."
Sarutobi paused mid-puff. "A… barber?"
"Yes, Lord Hokage. Uzumaki Naruto requested a more refined hairstyle, declaring it should make him look like a 'future Hokage.'"
Clink.
The Hokage's pipe nearly slipped from his hand this time. His wrinkled face twisted between disbelief and amusement. "That… that boy, of all people… went to improve his appearance?"
The ANBU tilted his head slightly. "Indeed. Reports indicate the villagers seemed… surprised."
Sarutobi sat in silence, stroking his beard thoughtfully, his eyes narrowing in both concern and intrigue. He knew Naruto was unpredictable—but this was different. He wasn't just pulling pranks anymore; he was making deliberate choices, choices that hinted at… growth.
The ANBU waited silently.
Sarutobi exhaled a slow stream of smoke, though the pipe trembled faintly in his hand. A small smile tugged at his lips. "Iruka was right. Naruto truly is full of surprises."
He leaned forward, tapping his pipe against the ashtray with a thoughtful gleam in his eyes.
The ANBU bowed and vanished in a flicker.
Left alone, Sarutobi chuckled softly, shaking his head. "Library visits… haircuts… What will you shock me with next, Naruto?"
He picked up his fallen book, but for the first time in years, the words blurred. His thoughts were fixed entirely on the boy who carried the Will of Fire—and perhaps, something more.