Chapter 2: The Weight of Strength
The night air in Konoha was cool, scented with earth and smoke from evening cooking fires. Gun Park sat on the rooftop of the Academy, watching the moon creep higher into the sky. His arms rested loosely on his knees, sunglasses glinting faintly in the silver light.
The day's events circled in his mind like vultures.
He'd failed the exam. That didn't bother him in the slightest. Rules and paperwork were never things he cared about. But the way the scar-nosed teacher — Iruka — had looked at him, equal parts frustration and confusion, lingered. He didn't belong here, and they all knew it, even if they didn't understand why.
And Naruto.
Gun's gaze shifted toward the Hokage monument in the distance. He could still hear the blond idiot's laugh, still see the determination in his eyes when he shouted about becoming Hokage. Goo's voice echoed in Gun's mind again, teasing from years ago.
"The kid's a moron, Gun, but you'd like him. He never quits. Just like you."
Gun scoffed under his breath. He didn't see himself in Naruto. Naruto wanted to be recognized. Gun had always wanted the opposite.
His eyes narrowed. A rustle in the distance. Movement. Someone darting across rooftops — clumsy, but fast.
Naruto.
Gun's instincts sharpened. The kid was clutching something large and heavy. A scroll? And behind him, two shinobi in uniform chased.
Gun stood. His gut told him this wasn't ordinary mischief. And if Goo's half-baked retellings were right, then tonight was the night things went sideways.
He found them in the forest. Naruto was panting heavily, clutching a massive scroll nearly bigger than his body. His face was set with stubborn determination, sweat dripping down his temples.
"Damn it… I'll show them… I'll show Iruka-sensei…" he muttered.
Gun leaned against a tree, arms crossed. "Stealing from your own village. Bold move."
Naruto spun around, nearly tripping over himself. "Gun?! What are you doing here?"
Gun didn't answer immediately. His eyes flicked to the shadows, where he felt another presence lurking. A predator waiting for the right moment.
"You've got no plan," Gun said finally. "You're just running blind."
Naruto scowled. "What do you care? You already passed with that insane speed thing—"
"I failed."
Naruto blinked. "…What?"
Gun stepped closer, his expression unreadable. "I didn't do their jutsu. I don't have chakra. So I failed. Just like you."
Naruto's jaw dropped. For a second, his indignation wavered, replaced by something softer. Recognition.
"Then… why're you here?"
Gun's answer was simple. "Because I don't trust the guy who told you to take that scroll."
The sound of slow clapping echoed through the trees. Mizuki stepped into the clearing, smirk wide, eyes gleaming.
"Smart boy," Mizuki drawled. "You've always been different, Gun. Stronger. Sharper. But still too cocky for your own good."
Naruto stiffened. "Mizuki-sensei…?"
Gun's jaw tightened. Mizuki was the type he despised: the kind who wore authority like a mask, hiding greed and malice underneath.
Mizuki's eyes slid toward Naruto. "Did he tell you, Naruto? Did Iruka ever tell you why everyone hates you? Why you're treated like garbage?"
Gun moved before Naruto could respond, stepping between them. "Shut your mouth."
Mizuki's smirk widened. "Oh, so you know, do you? That the boy's the Nine-Tails' vessel?"
Naruto froze, eyes wide with horror.
Gun didn't flinch. He turned his head slightly, speaking just loud enough for Naruto to hear. "Doesn't matter. You're still you. Don't let trash like him decide what you are."
Mizuki snarled. "Out of my way, brat!"
He hurled a massive shuriken straight at Gun. The weapon spun with deadly speed, whistling through the air.
Gun didn't dodge. He caught it.
The steel bit into his palm, the force rattling his bones. But he held it steady, arm locked, blood trickling from his hand.
Mizuki's eyes went wide. "What—"
Gun dropped the shuriken at his feet. His sunglasses slid down his nose, and when he lifted his head, the moonlight caught his eyes — pitch black, bottomless, the kind of gaze that had made grown men hesitate back in Seoul.
Naruto gasped.
"Try harder," Gun said quietly.
Mizuki roared and lunged, pulling a kunai. Gun stepped forward to meet him. The clash was sudden, violent. Mizuki slashed, Gun deflected with his forearm, then drove his fist into Mizuki's ribs with bone-crunching force.
The sound was ugly. Mizuki staggered back, coughing blood.
Gun flexed his hand. His body felt different than it should — lighter because of his younger frame, but no weaker. In fact, it was stronger. Faster. His muscles responded instantly, his strikes carrying the same lethal precision they had in his twenties.
Maybe even more.
This isn't possible, Gun thought, even as he closed the distance again. If I'm really twelve… I shouldn't have this strength. But if this body kept everything I built in my old life, then my ceiling here…
He ducked under Mizuki's wild swing and drove his knee into the man's gut. Mizuki wheezed, folding over. Gun's elbow smashed down on the back of his skull, sending him sprawling into the dirt.
"…then my upper limit might be far beyond what I thought."
Naruto stared, trembling. He'd never seen anything like it — not jutsu, not flashy chakra tricks, just raw, terrifying skill.
Mizuki groaned, trying to rise. Gun grabbed him by the collar and hauled him up effortlessly, holding him off the ground. His sunglasses dangled broken in the dirt, eyes cold and merciless.
"You prey on kids," Gun said, voice low. "That's all you are. Trash."
Mizuki spat blood. "You… you're not normal…"
"No," Gun agreed. He hurled him into a tree. Mizuki hit with a sickening thud and didn't move again.
Silence filled the clearing. The only sound was Naruto's ragged breathing.
Gun turned, expression calm once more. "You're still holding that scroll."
Naruto blinked, looking down. The weight of Mizuki's words, of the truth about the Nine-Tails, pressed heavy on his shoulders. His hands trembled.
"I… I'm a monster…"
"Does that change anything?" Gun said firmly. His voice cut through the night like steel.
"No, I'll still become the Hokage." Naruto's eyes burned with tears. For a moment, he looked like he might collapse. Then his jaw tightened. His fists clenched.
Gun nodded once. "Then prove it."
Iruka arrived minutes later, panting, kunai drawn. His eyes widened at the sight: Mizuki unconscious in the dirt, Naruto clutching the forbidden scroll, and Gun standing calmly with bloodied knuckles and shattered sunglasses.
"Gun… Naruto…" Iruka's voice faltered.
Naruto straightened. His eyes glowed with new determination. "Iruka-sensei… I'm gonna be Hokage! You'll see!"
Iruka's gaze softened. He looked at Gun, then back at Naruto. Slowly, he smiled. "I believe you."
Gun said nothing. He just picked his sunglasses out of the dirt, folding the broken frames in his hand.
This world was insane. It demanded chakra, bloodlines, destiny. But he had none of that. All he had was himself — and for now, that was enough.
Because if his strength hadn't diminished in this world, then maybe he could go even further.
Maybe this place would force him to