Hyūga Neji.
A name that now resounded throughout Konoha.
Once known as a quiet and reserved clan, the Hyūga had suddenly risen to overwhelming prominence, their influence rivaling—even surpassing—the once-dominant Uchiha. And at the center of it all stood a single figure.
Neji.
After vanishing for an entire month, the branch family prodigy had returned—and in front of none other than Senju Tobirama, he had effortlessly crushed multiple elite members of his own clan. His movements were sharp, his instincts flawless, and the pressure he exuded was something no one present could ignore.
Even Uchiha Itachi, long hailed as the greatest genius of the Uchiha clan, seemed ordinary when compared at the same age.
From a distance, Naruto watched silently.
Within the Hyūga compound, Neji trained without pause, his body moving again and again through the same sequences. Sweat soaked his clothes, dripping from his chin as he pushed himself past exhaustion. There was no hesitation in his movements—only focus.
Naruto allowed a faint smile to form.
Once removed from the high-density natural energy environment he had created, Neji's explosive growth would inevitably slow. That was unavoidable. But it didn't matter.
As long as natural energy existed in this world, Neji's path forward remained open.
By the time the Fourth Great Ninja War arrived—
Whether it was Uchiha Madara or Ōtsutsuki Kaguya—
They would no longer stand untouchable above everyone else.
This time…
They would face resistance.
Real resistance.
Naruto's gaze softened ever so slightly.
Across countless timelines, Neji's life had ended in tragedy—his potential buried beneath the weight of fate, his choices constrained by a system that never gave him freedom.
But not here.
Not anymore.
The "Caged Bird" had been broken.
And this Neji—
Would soar.
---
Far away, deep within a snow-covered forest, a completely different scene unfolded.
A group of children surrounded a lone boy, their small fists and feet striking him as he curled into himself on the ground. Their laughter rang out across the quiet forest, light and carefree—
Yet their actions were anything but.
Cruelty, raw and instinctive, hidden beneath childish innocence.
"You think you can become Hokage?"
"What a joke!"
"Monster! You'll always be a monster!"
Their voices overlapped as the blows continued.
The boy said nothing, enduring it in silence.
Then—
"Stop! Don't hit him!"
The trembling voice cut through the chaos.
The children paused and turned.
From behind a tree stepped a small girl with pale eyes—Hyūga Hinata.
Her body trembled. Fear was written all over her face.
Yet she didn't retreat.
"This has nothing to do with you! Go away!" the boy shouted, trying to push her away even as he lay on the ground.
But Hinata shook her head.
"I… I won't," she said softly, her voice shaking but firm. "It's wrong to hurt people."
The children burst into laughter.
"Oh look—another freak. A white-eyed monster!"
"Let's beat both of them!"
They turned toward her.
For a moment, Hinata froze.
But before they could reach her—
"Hey! If you want to fight, fight me!"
The blond boy suddenly sprang up, grabbing one of them and slamming him into the snow.
It was Uzumaki Naruto.
Bruised and battered, yet still standing.
Outnumbered—
But fearless.
Hinata's fear broke in that instant.
Something inside her shifted.
Her trembling stopped.
"Get away from him!"
She stepped forward.
Then moved.
Fast.
Her palms struck out instinctively—
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The children were sent tumbling backward, rolling across the snow in a mess of limbs and panic.
Their earlier arrogance vanished instantly.
"M-Monster—!"
They fled.
The forest fell silent once more.
Naruto lay on the ground, staring up at her with wide eyes—like he had just witnessed something unbelievable.
Then—
His face lit up.
"That was amazing!"
"Can you teach me that?!"
"It looked so cool!"
Hinata froze, completely flustered.
"I… I'm Hinata…"
Naruto grinned.
"My name's Naruto! Let's be friends!"
One loud and energetic.
The other shy and reserved.
And yet—
Somehow—
They connected instantly.
---
From afar, Naruto—the traveler—watched the entire scene unfold.
A faint smile curved his lips.
"Fate… huh?"
He shook his head lightly.
Then—
He vanished.
---
The time-space turtle had finished recovering.
It was time to return.
Golden light shimmered as a spatial rift tore open before him, its surface rippling like liquid glass.
Naruto stepped forward.
This time—
There was no hesitation.
No uncertainty.
The coordinates of his original world were completely locked.
Even the parallel worlds he had visited—
Now anchored permanently within his perception.
He could return whenever he wished.
As he traveled through the void, his thoughts sharpened.
How far has the Red Sun Society developed?
Has the information network fully spread?
After the Chūnin Exams, the other villages shouldn't dare act recklessly…
Akatsuki is gone… did Nagato join?
Then—
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Only a few variables remain.
Black Zetsu.
Uchiha Obito.
And…
The Ōtsutsuki lurking in the shadows.
---
Meanwhile—
Near Konoha, hidden deep within the forest—
Two figures stood concealed.
"Still can't get in?" Black Zetsu asked, his voice edged with irritation.
Obito shook his head.
"That barrier… it's insane."
"No disguise works. No genjutsu works."
"Even space-time techniques are blocked."
Frustration hung heavy in the air.
Two years had passed since Naruto disappeared.
And in that time—
Konoha had transformed.
Even without him—
It had thrived.
With powerhouses like Sasuke, Itachi, Shisui, Jiraiya, and Tsunade—
The village stood at its absolute peak.
Stronger than any era before.
Obito clenched his fists.
Even now, he didn't dare reveal himself openly.
Because he had already tested it.
Against Sasuke—
He had nearly died.
Kamui hadn't saved him.
Wood Style had been useless.
And Sasuke—
Was the weakest among the top Uchiha.
If Itachi or Shisui had intervened—
He wouldn't have lasted a moment.
Black Zetsu's voice turned colder.
"This is our only chance."
"That monster isn't here."
"If we don't act now—we're finished."
Obito's expression darkened.
The original plan—
The Ten-Tails.
The Infinite Tsukuyomi.
All of it had collapsed.
Now—
Only one option remained.
"…We revive him."
Silence followed.
Then—
Black Zetsu nodded slowly.
Uchiha Madara.
Only he—
Could turn the tide.
The forest fell silent as the two figures vanished into the shadows.
---
At that exact moment—
Space cracked open.
Naruto stepped out.
His consciousness spread instantly across the entire world.
Everything—
Every movement, every presence—
Came into his awareness.
He took a slow breath.
Then smiled.
"I'm back."
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