The night sky was painted in deep indigo, stars scattered like specks of light across a velvet canvas. A full moon hung high above, its silver glow pristine and gentle, illuminating the world below in a crystalline radiance.
Standing on the second-floor balcony, Naruto gazed up at the moon. He could even make out the craters peppering its surface.
"The moon seems especially big tonight…"
Sweeping his sensory perception across the shadows, he noted the presence of several ANBU hidden within the darkness of the village.
Stepping back inside, he completed his nightly routine and lay down on his bed.
"Huh?"
The moment he entered the Sealed Space, Naruto noticed something odd—Matatabi(the Two-Tails) had grown nearly twice its previous size.
The white-furred creature wagged its tail with a smug elegance, clearly in high spirits.
"Kurama thought I looked too scrawny, so he gave me more chakra."
Lying beside them, Kurama stirred. Though seemingly asleep, one ear twitched noticeably—a telltale sign that he was eavesdropping.
Naruto, well aware of Kurama's theatrics, didn't buy Matatabi's(the Two-Tails) story for a second. Clearly, something had happened between the two, but the fox wasn't talking.
Still pondering, Naruto asked,
"Kurama, Matatabi(the Two-Tails)—are you heading into the Mirror World again tonight?"
Matatabi rolled its eyes sideways, not responding. A few seconds later, Kurama cracked one eye open and grunted,
"Yeah."
Matatabi followed up,
"Might as well. Not like there's anything better to do in here."
Naruto chuckled silently and took them both to the Mirror World, arriving just outside the Konoha gates.
Strangely, neither of them moved.
They just stood there silently, as if waiting for Naruto to leave first.
Sensing something was up, Naruto shrugged and quietly slipped away, jumping into Ino's data puppet as a cover.
The moment he disappeared, Kurama instantly opened a combat interface.
"Let's go, Matatabi—we're taking down Uchiha Itachi tonight."
Matatabi tilted its head.
"Kurama, we've already tried. He's got the Yata Mirror, remember? Unless we kill him before he can react, even a Tailed Beast Bomb won't land a clean hit."
"And you were caught off guard by his Totsuka Blade once. That sword is beyond bizarre—not only does it seal on contact, but the genjutsu it carries is terrifying."
Kurama scowled, selecting Itachi's profile.
"You'd best not spread that around. Got it?"
Matatabi gave a nonchalant shrug.
"I won't. But if Naruto finds out—which he will, seeing as this is his space—you can't blame me."
Kurama growled and jabbed a claw at the interface.
"Stop whining and accept the joint mission request already. You took my chakra—don't act like you didn't benefit."
Matatabi muttered under its breath,
"I never asked for it…"
Seeing Kurama's glare deepen, Matatabi hurriedly tapped to accept the mission. The two Tailed Beasts vanished from the Mirror World together.
Moments later, Naruto reappeared.
He'd just acquired the Mind Body Switch Technique.
He hadn't learned anything new from Ino's data today, and even during class, there'd been no data collection prompts when he got near Kiba or Shino, two other key figures from the original Konoha 12.
But the technique itself intrigued him.
The Mind Body Switch sent a user's consciousness forward in a straight line to possess an enemy's body. If it hit, they'd temporarily control the target.
Maybe I should try it on Sasuke tomorrow… it might yield some unexpected results.
As he pondered, Naruto opened the interface again.
All Mirror World data puppets had finished syncing—except his father's, which was still processing.
He opened the Third Hokage's data puppet first.
It showed the old man, after failing to reach a consensus with Shikaku about Naruto and Sasuke's team arrangements, going straight to Hiashi Hyuga the next day.
The question: Would Hiashi be willing to let Hinata join Kurenai Yuhi's team, alongside Kiba and Shino?
But Hinata now was far stronger than the timid girl from the original timeline. She still feared her father's stern demeanor, but her skill had grown immensely—she could already perform the Eight Trigrams: 64 Palms.
According to Neji's data, even he couldn't pull off 64 Palms at her age.
Still, Hiashi didn't give an immediate answer. He said he needed to consult with the clan elders.
Clearly, Hiashi had his own plans. In the original story, he had two daughters but could only name one as heir. The other would be branded with the Caged Bird Seal and made part of the branch family.
By clan law, the second child should be branded when the heir turned three—but even though his second daughter had long since passed that age, no seal had been applied.
The truth was, Hiashi despised the main/branch family system and the tragedy it brought to him and his brother Hizashi. He'd been using his authority as clan head to stall the elders.
So, in the original story, even after officially deeming Hinata a disappointment, he still refused to brand her.
Thinking back… the scene where Hiashi calls Hinata useless in front of Kurenai feels even more suspicious now.
Shaking his head, Naruto opened the next feed—Uchiha Itachi's.
To his surprise, Akatsuki hadn't held many meetings recently. Itachi and Kisame were doing bounty missions in small countries.
Nothing of value.
Switching to the bounty office's manager's data feed, Naruto watched with growing interest.
"Business is still slow. Still no sign of Jiraiya… huh?"
A short, chubby man in sunglasses appeared.
"Isn't that Gato?"
Gato casually dropped a wad of cash on the counter and posted a job listing—under his own name.
"Right… he was filthy rich in the original story…"
As the footage shifted, Naruto suddenly tensed.
A tall figure walked into the exchange office, carrying a massive blade nearly his own height.
(According to official databooks, the Executioner's Blade is 250 cm long, weighs 30 kg, with a 186 cm blade and 64 cm handle.)
"Zabuza… he's finally shown up. And he took Gato's job. But… where's Haku?"
Just as the scene ended, Naruto's hand hovered over Kabuto Yakushi's data puppet—when Kurama and Matatabi returned.
Both looked… off.
Especially Kurama, whose fanged muzzle was twisted in a scowl. But upon seeing Naruto, the fox quickly schooled his face into a neutral expression.
Naruto raised an eyebrow.
"What happened?"
Kurama quickly cut in,
"Nothing. You were watching puppet feeds?"
Naruto glanced at Matatabi, who looked exasperated, and nodded.
"Yeah, just about to."
Kurama jabbed at the interface with a claw, expanding the feed window a hundredfold.
"You were going to check out the guy with glasses, right?"
Naruto nodded again.
Kurama tapped Kabuto's icon, and the feed began to play.
It hadn't been long before both Tailed Beasts shouted in unison:
"The horns of the Eight-Tails!"
The Next Day – Land of Waves
Ding ding ding—
Chimes rang gently in the breeze.
Sasuke glanced up at the wind chimes hanging from the teahouse eaves.
"Looks like Gato really is loaded. This is the third high-end teahouse we've visited—and they're all under his name."
Naruto sipped his tea and smiled.
"Didn't I tell you? Gato's not just rich—he's one of the wealthiest men in the world."
"Relax. One of my Shadow Clones is already waiting at his company. And didn't the manager say his boss's ship is due back soon?"
Sasuke shifted awkwardly. They'd both altered their appearances early that morning. Naruto had promised him a strong opponent—and the chance to make money.
After another thirty minutes, just as Sasuke was about to request a new pot of tea, Naruto stood up.
"Let's go. The tycoon's finally come home."
Land of Waves – Eastern Shoreline
The headquarters of Gato Company loomed ahead. But this looked less like a business and more like a military outpost.
There were no other buildings for miles—just this one heavily guarded structure, surrounded by armed ronin and rooftop patrols.
Whoosh!
Naruto and Sasuke appeared on the roof, clad in black cloaks and masks.
"Who's there?!"
Gato's men rushed over.
With a flick of his wrist, Sasuke drew a gleaming blade. He moved like a blur—striking fast and deadly. In mere seconds, all enemies were down, clutching their throats.
Naruto glanced at the carnage and turned toward the edge of the rooftop.
"Your opponent's here."
Sasuke followed his gaze and saw two figures—one tall, one short—standing silently at the rooftop's corner.
He barely glanced at the short one. His eyes were locked on the tall figure, who was absurdly muscular, wore a face mask, and carried an enormous sword across his shoulder.
Just the sight of him triggered alarm bells in Sasuke's mind.
Taking two steps closer to Naruto, he asked,
"That guy with the sword—he's my opponent?"
Naruto chuckled.
"Nope. The one beside him—that girl—is your opponent."
Sasuke's eyes widened.
"What?! Her?!"
PS : Matatabi : the Two-Tails, a large, blue flaming cat-like Bakeneko Tailed Beast in Naruto, known for its polite demeanor, speed, and powerful Fire Release (Katon) abilities, particularly giant blue fireballs
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