That night.
Under the Hokage Office's coordination, Konoha moved at top speed to arrange a temporary manor for Minato's family while a new residence was already under construction.
It was a sprawling estate in the village's central district. It had belonged to a certain elder who'd been purged—now it had a new owner.
The Namikaze.
In the bedroom of the estate, lights burned warmly.
Kushina cradled the sleeping Naruto, a mother's glow on her face as she hummed an ancient lullaby of the Uzumaki clan.
Minato sat beside them, smiling at his wife and son, eyes full of the hard-won joy of reunion.
Shinju sat cross-legged in a corner of the room, eyes closed as if in meditation.
For this nominal "eldest son," Minato and Kushina's feelings were complicated.
They tried to speak with him, but Shinju's replies were always calm, quietly accepting whatever arrangements they made.
This child had been through too much; his heart was no longer that of an ordinary six-year-old.
Healing old wounds would take time.
Just then, the long-silent Shinju shivered, startled awake by a sound.
The long-missed chime of the system rang out in his mind without warning.
[Ding! System settlement begins…]
[Detected the following major historical corrections by the host:]
[1. Resurrected the legendary Heroic Spirit "Namikaze Minato," overturning his death.]
[2. Resurrected the legendary Heroic Spirit "Uzumaki Kushina," overturning her death.]
[3. Prevented the tragedy of "Uzumaki Naruto" being shelved, correcting his growth trajectory.]
[4. Removed Konoha's cancer "Shimura Danzo" and his Root, correcting the village's slide into darkness.]
[5. Deposed the elders' advisory council, overturning Konoha's old power structure.]
[6. Successfully established the prototype of the first great clan of the shinobi world, the "Namikaze," and secured your own core position.]
[Comprehensive rating: Perfect Correction!]
[Generating system rewards according to correction rank…]
[Rewards generated!]
[Congratulations, host—acquired a Legendary Talent: "Uzumaki Sen'nin-tai (Uzumaki Sage Body)"!]
Uzumaki Sen'nin-tai!
Shinju almost leapt to his feet.
Others might not know, but he knew exactly what that name meant.
It was the perfect fusion of Senju and Uzumaki blood—the lineage of the Six Paths Sage's younger son—signifying chakra as vast as the ocean and a terrifying vitality and regeneration that bordered on immortality. This was a massive haul.
Before he could come down from the shock—
[Ding! Talent reward distribution commencing! Host, prepare yourself!]
The words had barely fallen when—
A flood of life force and chakra, hundreds or thousands of times greater and purer than when he first activated the system, surged into his frail body like the Yellow River pouring from the heavens.
"Mm—!"
A muffled groan slipped from Shinju as his face flushed crimson.
His body felt like a balloon being inflated to bursting—ready to explode at any moment.
The unimaginable energy rampaged through him; he wasn't sure he could endure it.
His bones, scoured by the force, crackled and popped—like they were being shattered inch by inch, then reforged into something tougher and more perfect.
"Break to build, huh? Interesting. Very interesting," Shinju thought.
His meridians were forcibly widened and reinforced, tougher than the strongest wire.
Every cell drank greedily of the surging life energy, undergoing a transformation from the deepest layer.
The price was immense.
The pain defied words, pressing to the point of overflow.
But at the end of that pain lay unmatched strength.
"Shinju!"
Minato and Kushina noticed at once.
They saw golden light spilling uncontrollably from Shinju's body. Waves of chakra, vast enough to make the heart quail, pulsed from his small frame. The sheer volume made even Minato's eyes widen—it was on par with a tailed beast!
"What's happening?!" Minato's face changed; he flickered to Shinju's side, ready to help suppress it.
"Wait! Minato!" Kushina suddenly stopped him.
Her expression was even more shaken than his.
"This chakra… this feeling…" Her violet eyes locked on Shinju. "It's… it's the power of our Uzumaki! And… and…"
She tried to speak smoothly, but shock tangled her tongue.
"And this Uzumaki power is purer—and greater—than mine… than any pure-blooded Uzumaki I've ever known!"
"How is that possible?!"
As the former princess of the Uzumaki, Kushina's sense for bloodline was absolute.
She could clearly feel that the power emanating from Shinju stood at the very pinnacle of the Uzumaki lineage's pyramid!
It was a throwback to the most primordial—and strongest—Uzumaki power.
Within that boundless vitality, she sensed something sacred as well—a breath that stirred instinctive closeness and submission.
Could it be… the aura of a sage!
Hearing Kushina, Minato stayed his hand, the same astonishment filling his eyes.
He looked at the youth wrapped in gold, at the ever-rising tide of chakra that even shook his own heart.
He understood.
This was Shinju's "miracle" again.
He was growing stronger—
Evolving in life and power in a way they could not comprehend.
Minato and Kushina met each other's gaze; in both sets of eyes, the same shock.
They chose silence, standing guard in quiet support as Shinju advanced.
By now, Shinju had weathered the worst of the pain.
His body had adapted to the torrent's scour.
He could feel it clearly—he was being reborn.
The frailty and sickliness of his old body were being remade.
Strength surged from every corner of his limbs and bones, without end.
Chakra roared through meridians widened severalfold.
He didn't even need hand seals—just a thought could marshal chakra greater than most jonin.
He didn't know how long had passed.
At last the torrent ebbed.
The golden radiance cloaking him drew back into his flesh.
Shinju opened his eyes.
He stood, feeling the unprecedented power raging like a tidal wave within him.
He clenched his fists—
His knuckles cracked like bursting beads.
A feeling he'd never known before, of holding everything in his own hands, rose up unbidden.
So this was what strength felt like.
From this moment on, he was no longer merely the mastermind who could only rely on the system.
In this world where the strong rule, he—Shinju—finally had capital to stand firm, at last the courage to lock arms with other powerhouses.
Uzumaki Sen'nin-tai—
That was his power!
(End of Chapter)
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