Naruto was curled up on the ground, clutching his head as his face threatened to explode from embarrassment. He did not dare look Sakura, Sasuke, or anyone else in the eye!
For the first time in his life...
Someone had praised him so much that he wanted to disappear!
He wished the ground would open up and swallow him whole!
He might have gone along with it if no one else were around. The problem was, that idiot Sasuke, Sakura, his dad, and Kakashi-sensei were all standing right beside him!!!
This was even more humiliating than when his mom, Kushina, caught him playing pranks with the Sexy Technique!!!
His future self really had no shame at all!!
And what about those guys across from him? That kid who looked exactly like Shikamaru and kept muttering about how troublesome everything was. Could he be Shikamaru's son?!!
Had Shikamaru never told him what Naruto had really been like?
Waaah! Shikamaru! What a true friend!!
Then there was the one who looked like Rock Lee! Who would have thought that guy would have a kid someday? Wait, Rock Lee once confessed to Sakura! Could that be his and Sakura's child?!!!
OH NO!
Had both he and Sasuke lost to Bushy Brows?! Did Sakura think Bushy Brows was more attractive?!!
None of these kids seemed to look like him or Sasuke...
Could it be that neither of them ever found a wife?!
["You two didn't really fall in love after just one kiss, did you?"]
Kurama propped his cheek on one paw and made a snide remark.
"Aaaargh!!! Shut up!! Don't make me remember that!!! Bleeegh!"
Amid the sounds of Naruto retching inside his inner world, Kurama muttered under his breath:
["I've thought there was something strange about you two for a long time. What kind of two men hurt when the other hurts and call each other their one and only?"]
Naruto was retching so loudly that he probably did not hear a word Kurama said.
Still, the idea that his future self might never find a wife and would be forced to spend the rest of his life relying on Sasuke had apparently rooted itself deep in Naruto's mind.
When he finally emerged from the deepest recesses of his thoughts, he nearly wiped away a tear, turned to Sasuke beside him, and said, "Please take care of me for the rest of my life."
Denki Kaminarimon, Iwabee Yuino, and the others apparently failed to notice how Naruto's group was reacting. They continued with the standard routine of any Naruto fanboy, endlessly singing the praises of the Seventh Hokage-sama.
"The Seventh Hokage-sama was the most popular male ninja among all the Ninja Academy students in his class! They say every kunoichi in his year was in love with him!! Every male ninja admired him and looked up to him as a role model!!"
Sakura: "..."
Sasuke: "..."
"Ahhh... How could anyone as perfect as the Seventh Hokage-sama exist in this world?! Perfect scores in every subject! First place overall at the Ninja Academy! The object of every kunoichi's affection! The village's greatest hero!!"
Everyone who had just traveled here from ancient times: "..."
Even Madara Uchiha looked at Naruto in secondhand embarrassment.
"You really have the nerve to brag like that, kid."
Naruto wished he could roll his eyes back and faint on the spot!!
Unable to endure another word, he hurriedly stopped Iwabee, Denki, and the others.
"Perfect scores in every subject?! First place overall at the Ninja Academy?! Does someone like that even exist?!!"
The moment he finished speaking, someone from his own side immediately contradicted him.
"Me."
When it came to showing off, no one could beat Young Kakashi.
He calmly raised his hand and told Naruto, "Minato-sensei and I both received perfect overall scores and ranked first at the Ninja Academy when we were children."
Naruto's breath caught. He looked at Kakashi-sensei, then at his dad.
Both of them smiled gently and confirmed that it was true.
Naruto's face immediately crumpled in sorrow...
Even Kurama started knocking him on the head and laughing at him for being an idiot who had failed to inherit any of Minato Namikaze's intelligence or wit.
This was the first time Sasuke and Sakura had heard about it as well. They could easily imagine how exceptional the Fourth Hokage-sama had been, but neither of them had known that Kakashi-sensei had also been so outstanding at the Ninja Academy.
Rin smiled and told them, "Kakashi was also very popular with the girls~"
Young Obito's cheeks immediately puffed up in anger.
Naruto and Obito huddled together, quietly stewing in jealousy as they wondered why every underachiever had to suffer through life with someone like Sasuke or Kakashi around.
Shikadai Nara listened to their conversation, and his gaze shifted almost imperceptibly.
Without giving anything away, he asked Naruto, "You're playing the Seventh Hokage as a child, while the others are playing the Sixth Hokage-sama, the Sixth Hokage-sama as a child, the Fourth Hokage-sama, the First Hokage-sama, and the Second Hokage-sama, right? Then who are the rest of them supposed to be?"
The perpetually sharp-tongued Inojin Yamanaka glanced at Sakura and Sasuke.
"He probably knows his portrayal of the Seventh Hokage-sama looks nothing like the real person, so he brought people to play the Head of the Medical Corps and Sasuke-san to make his performance seem more convincing."
Naruto Uzumaki had no idea how to respond to that jab. This was the first time anyone had ever told him that he did not look like Naruto Uzumaki!
This was ridiculous!!!
Before Tobirama Senju and Minato Namikaze could invent identities for Madara Uchiha, Obito Uchiha, and the others, since they could hardly introduce them as the legendary culprits who had started the Fourth Shinobi World War, Iwabee, Denki, and Metal had already come up with suitable roles for them.
"Isn't it obvious?! They have to be..."
Madara, Izuna, Obito, and the others stared at the little brat with the chonmage-style haircut as he spoke with complete confidence.
After drawing out the suspense, he declared, "The Hokage-sama's bodyguards! I've heard that every Hokage-sama has a personal squad of ANBU guards! They're all incredibly powerful, utterly loyal, and willing to die for the Hokage-sama!"
None of them knew how to respond.
Madara Uchiha looked at Hashirama Senju. Izuna Uchiha looked at Tobirama Senju. Obito Uchiha looked at Kakashi Hatake...
With their vivid imaginations, the Uchiha could not help picturing themselves dressed in ANBU uniforms and standing behind the various Hokage.
The moment the thought occurred to them, the image became painfully clear.
Madara Uchiha: Get lost!
Izuna Uchiha: Protect him? I'd sooner stab him!
Obito Uchiha: Maybe I could flatter Kakashi and get myself a position for now? I wonder whether he'd agree. He probably would. That would count as returning Team 7 to him, wouldn't it?
Having casually assigned roles to the Uchiha serving the Hokage, the boys refused to let their presence interfere with their praise of the Seventh Hokage-sama!
Denki Kaminarimon and Iwabee Yuino spoke with passionate enthusiasm as they recounted the Seventh Hokage-sama's glorious achievements.
How he had saved the Gourd Prince of the Desert, the Fifth Kazekage Gaara, time and time again, eventually becoming the most important person in his life.
How he had saved the entire village from Akatsuki and Pain.
And, of course, the most important event of all, the Fourth Shinobi World War!
"Fifteen years ago, the Seventh Hokage-sama led the Allied Shinobi Forces in defeating those powerful and evil enemies! He is the great hero who saved the entire world!!!"
"He is the pride of all Konohagakure! No, the pride of the entire Ninja World! He is a hero! He is our light! Our sun!!!"
Naruto "Light and Sun" Uzumaki: For the first time in my life, please stop praising me! Any more and I'll die of embarrassment!!
Meanwhile, across from them...
Madara Uchiha: "..."
Obito Uchiha: "..."
Kaguya Ōtsutsuki: "..."
They might have come from different eras, but the trio of evil enemies was now complete.
There was probably no recorded footage of the Fourth Shinobi World War, so later film and television adaptations based on the real events had changed the villains' appearances considerably to appeal to audiences.
Denki Kaminarimon and the others did not recognize the three of them at all.
They had no idea that these were the three central villains of the Fourth Shinobi World War!
Perhaps Denki was afraid that his explanation had not been detailed enough to convey the Seventh Hokage-sama's true greatness to the boy standing before him, especially when that boy was doing such an unconvincing job of portraying him.
Denki Kaminarimon pulled out the laptop he carried with him and began furiously tapping at the keyboard.
"Look at this!!"
He turned the search results toward the strangers.
Madara Uchiha and the others crowded around Denki's laptop. The official footage showed the Five Kage making a grand entrance in Konoha for a Five Kage Summit.
Iwabee Yuino pointed at the screen. "That's the Seventh Hokage-sama! He signed a peace treaty alongside the other Kage and established regular Five Kage Summits! He brought us fifteen precious years of absolute peace!!"
"And this one too!!"
Denki began typing furiously again.
"This is from the joint Chūnin Exams held in Konohagakure not long ago, with all the major ninja villages taking part!!"
At the mention of that event, the genin of Konoha's eightieth year were moved to tears!!
Iwabee Yuino gazed at the Seventh Hokage-sama's face on Hokage Rock in the distance.
"Enemies from the Ōtsutsuki Clan invaded during the exams! To protect us and the village, the Seventh Hokage-sama was captured by those members of the Ōtsutsuki Clan! No one knew whether he was alive or dead, or where they had taken him!!"
"!!!!"
"The Ōtsutsuki Clan..."
"Enemies invaded?!!"
"The Chūnin Exams?!!"
Naruto, Sasuke, and the others' expressions changed.
Minato Namikaze was especially shaken. The moment he heard that Naruto had been captured by enemies from the Ōtsutsuki Clan while protecting the village, his heart as a father nearly gave out.
Although they all considered becoming Hokage a great honor, there was no denying that it was an extremely dangerous profession!!!
Kaguya Ōtsutsuki and her descendants also grew solemn.
Who would have thought that, after so many years, members of the Ōtsutsuki Clan would eventually come to this planet after all?
Naruto asked, "Are you sure they were really from the Ōtsutsuki Clan? Was it Isshiki Ōtsutsuki?!"
"Isshiki Ōtsutsuki? I don't know their names, but there's footage. You can see for yourselves."
Denki Kaminarimon turned the laptop back toward himself and rapidly worked the keyboard.
"Dr. Katasuke Tohno had someone filming the event, so almost everything was recorded."
***
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