Before dawn, Konoha was still shrouded in a veil of hazy mist.
Yet three-year-old Naruto had already been dragged out of his warm blankets by Madara.
"Waaake—uuup—Naruto!"
Madara's voice exploded in Naruto's mind like a clap of thunder.
Half-asleep, Naruto rubbed his eyes. His small hands clutched the edge of the bed as his short legs kicked twice in midair before finally touching the floor.
"So sleepy…"
He yawned, tears still clinging to the corners of his eyes.
Normally, he wouldn't wake up until the sun was practically roasting his butt.
"Ninjas don't have the privilege of sleeping in," Madara said coldly.
"Now—go run."
"R-Run?"
The shock instantly scattered Naruto's drowsiness.
He stared wide-eyed at the star-filled sky outside the window.
"But it's not even light out yet…"
"Move."
Startled by Madara's tone, Naruto soon became a wobbling little figure on Konoha's streets.
After all, he was only three years old—his running was clumsy and unsteady.
Every so often, he'd trip over a pebble. But each time he was about to fall flat on his face, Madara's chakra gently supported him, preventing a full-on tumble.
"Adjust your breathing," Madara instructed inside his mind.
"Inhale through your nose, exhale through your mouth. Keep the rhythm steady."
Naruto tried his best to follow along, but after less than ten minutes, his face was already flushed bright red, sweat beading across his forehead.
"I… I can't anymore…" he gasped, hands on his knees.
At that moment, Naruto could barely feel his legs at all.
If not for Madara's chakra propping him up, he would have collapsed straight onto the ground.
Madara clicked his tongue.
"That's all it takes to wear you out? Three-year-olds in the Warring States Era could run all day."
Naruto puffed out his cheeks in grievance.
"B-But I'm not a kid from the Warring States Era…"
Madara fell silent for a moment.
In the end, he relented.
"…Five minutes of rest. Then we continue."
By the time the sun had fully risen, the training finally ended.
Naruto lay sprawled on the grass, panting like a stranded little fish.
His clothes were soaked through with sweat, his blond hair plastered damply to his forehead.
"Dad… am I going to die…?" he asked weakly.
Madara's chakra circulated through his body once, evaluating his condition.
"Chakra overexertion," Madara concluded.
"But your recovery speed is faster than expected."
Naruto blinked.
"Recovery speed?"
"Your body is replenishing chakra on its own," Madara explained.
"An ordinary ninja pushed this far would need at least half a day to recover. You took less than an hour."
Naruto nodded, only half understanding—but then his eyes lit up.
"Does that mean I'm really amazing?"
Madara snorted.
"Barely passing."
Though his words were harsh, even Madara himself felt a trace of surprise.
Naruto's chakra recovery far exceeded that of normal people.
Is this the physical constitution of the Uzumaki clan…?
Meanwhile, inside the Hokage's office.
The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, sat behind his desk, the ember in his pipe flickering faintly.
Through the crystal ball, his gaze settled on the tiny figure training in the distance.
"I've been observing him for three days now," he murmured.
"Can Minato's chakra imprint… really do this much?"
Naruto's changes were simply too obvious.
From identifying poisons, to chakra control, even his taijutsu movements carried a sharp, aggressive edge.
It didn't resemble Minato's style at all.
If anything… it resembled Hiruzen's own childhood fighting style.
"Hiruzen," a cold voice spoke from behind him.
"What are you worrying about?"
Shimura Danzō stood at the doorway, his cane tapping lightly against the floor.
The Third Hokage's brow creased almost imperceptibly.
"Danzō. What is it?"
"I've heard the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki has been acting strangely lately," Danzō said as he walked in slowly, his single eye fixed on Hiruzen.
"ANBU reports say he's learning dangerous survival techniques."
The Third Hokage exhaled a cloud of smoke, his expression calm.
"Just basic self-preservation. Something Minato left within the seal."
Suspicion flickered in Danzō's eye.
"The Fourth Hokage would teach a three-year-old how to identify lethal poison mushrooms?"
"Just in case," Hiruzen replied flatly.
"Besides, Naruto will have to face these things eventually."
Danzō fell silent for a moment, then let out a cold chuckle.
"You're too soft, Hiruzen. If a jinchūriki loses control, the consequences are unimaginable."
"That's why I'm monitoring him personally," Hiruzen said, turning his gaze back toward the window.
"Root will not interfere."
Danzō stared at his back for a long moment before snorting and turning away.
After he left, the Third Hokage drew deeply on his pipe, his brows knitted tightly.
He knew Danzō wouldn't give up so easily.
If Naruto's abnormalities were reported to the advisory council, the result would only be stricter surveillance—or worse, being taken by Root.
"Minato…" Hiruzen leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling.
"What exactly did you leave behind in that seal?"
That night, inside the seal space.
Naruto was curled up in a corner of his consciousness, already asleep from exhaustion.
Madara's phantom stood nearby, his gaze fixed on the Nine-Tails.
"You've changed, Madara," the fox said lazily, tail swaying.
"To think you'd grow soft."
Madara stared at it coldly.
"What are you trying to say?"
"The once ruthless Uchiha," the Nine-Tails' vertical pupils narrowed with amusement,
"has started playing nanny."
Madara rolled his eyes.
"Say whatever you want…"
"Then do you still remember how you died?"
Madara's soul chakra stalled abruptly.
"What are you getting at?"
The Nine-Tails flicked its tail.
"My perception isn't perfect—but I can clearly tell your soul isn't whole."
Madara didn't refute it.
Ever since arriving inside Naruto's body, he'd noticed gaps in his memories.
He remembered his childhood, the wars between clans, his bond with Hashirama.
The founding of Konoha.
The truth of the Uchiha.
The battle at the Valley of the End.
He remembered all of that.
But he also remembered that after the battle, he didn't die.
He survived.
And lived for a very long time.
Yet—how did he avoid Hashirama's fatal blow?
How did he escape?
How long did he live?
Those memories were gone.
The Nine-Tails chuckled.
"What? Realizing you're missing memories is making you uneasy?"
Madara glanced at the sleeping Naruto, a complex emotion churning in his chest.
Why had he ended up inside Naruto in the first place?
That mystery alone was already a headache.
And now—why was he missing part of his own past?
Unwilling to dwell on it, Madara replied coldly,
"That's all in the past. It has nothing to do with me anymore."
"I'll live according to my own will."
The Nine-Tails gave him a long, meaningful look, but said nothing more.
In the real world, the Third Hokage still stood by the window, gazing at the moonlit sky—
sleepless, deep in thought.