When power grows, secrets stop whispering—and start screaming.
[Ding! Acquired the original protagonist as a subordinate]
[Fusion Rate +10%]
The crisp, pleasant system chime echoed in Alaric's mind.
In an instant, his body surged with new strength.
The increase in fusion rate meant only one thing—
Another ability had been unlocked.
Suppressing his excitement, Alaric focused inward, carefully sensing the changes in his body.
What he wanted most were obvious.
Flight.
Heat vision.
Compared to those, most other abilities barely registered as tempting.
But soon—
Disappointment crept in.
The newly unlocked ability wasn't flight.
Nor heat vision.
It was super hearing.
"…Tch."
Alaric clicked his tongue softly.
Somewhat disappointed—but not enough to dwell on it.
At the very least, it was still a new ability.
And one that could be extremely useful.
After familiarizing himself with the changes, Alaric turned to the blond boy staring at him with unhidden admiration.
"That's enough for today," he said casually.
"From now on, come find me directly at the Sarutobi estate."
"And don't slack off on your training."
With that, Alaric stood and left the barbecue restaurant, Izumi following closely behind.
Naruto remained where he was, clenching his fists.
I have to train hard.
I can't fall behind Big Brother Alaric.
—
It didn't take long for news of Alaric and Naruto to reach Konoha's upper echelons.
Hiruzen and Danzo already knew—and had already discussed it.
But Konoha had two more senior advisors.
And unlike the others, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado were far from pleased.
If it had only been Alaric, they wouldn't have interfered.
But the moment they learned that Izumi Uchiha was constantly by Naruto's side—
They panicked.
"Hiruzen! You can't just let Alaric do whatever he wants!"
"How can you allow a member of the Uchiha clan near the jinchūriki?!"
"This is extremely dangerous!"
Koharu slammed her cane down in emphasis.
Homura nodded gravely beside her.
"Koharu has a point."
Hiruzen rubbed his temples, thoroughly exhausted.
Danzo and I already agreed on this.
And now you two want to jump in?
Because of their long-standing relationship, he restrained himself and said nothing harsh.
Instead, he simply had someone summon Danzo.
Let Danzo handle the arguing.
He was much better at it.
Soon enough, Danzo Shimura arrived.
One glance at Koharu and Homura was enough for him to understand the situation.
"Oh?" Danzo said coldly.
"You have objections?"
The blunt hostility in his tone made the two elders instinctively stiffen.
But after a brief exchange of looks, Koharu hardened her resolve.
If Hiruzen and Danzo continued to align because of Alaric, their already-weak influence would only shrink further.
They had to push back today.
"Hmph! Of course we do!"
"We don't object to Alaric interacting with the jinchūriki—but Izumi Uchiha is another matter!"
"Have you forgotten the Nine-Tails incident?!"
Cleverly, they framed their argument around Izumi and the Uchiha clan, deliberately avoiding direct criticism of Alaric.
They even invoked the Nine-Tails incident to strengthen their stance.
Hiruzen coughed lightly.
"Izumi is already Alaric's personal attendant," he said calmly.
"She may even take the Sarutobi name in the future."
"By all accounts, she's one of our own now."
"Surely we don't distrust our own people?"
Koharu and Homura were speechless.
Changing her name didn't magically erase her bloodline.
"This won't do," Koharu snapped.
"Izumi must be brought here."
"We need to question her personally!"
At this point, both Hiruzen and Danzo exchanged a look.
They knew Alaric's temperament far too well.
If these two elders insisted on pushing—
They'd be digging their own graves.
Without another word, they had ANBU summon Alaric.
—
Not long after, an ANBU operative appeared in front of Alaric and Izumi.
"Young Master Alaric," she said respectfully.
"The Third Hokage requests your presence in the Hokage's office. Both of you."
Alaric glanced at the ANBU—long purple hair, mask half-lifted.
Yūgao Uzuki.
Since his grandfather was calling, Alaric didn't bother asking questions.
He turned and headed straight for the Hokage Tower with Izumi.
—
Inside the Hokage's office, the atmosphere was heavy.
The moment Alaric stepped in and saw Koharu and Homura's grim expressions, he immediately understood.
Ah. So it's about Izumi.
Somewhere along the way—perhaps due to Danzo's blatant favoritism over the years—
Alaric realized he now found Danzo far more agreeable than these two elders.
At least Danzo didn't hide his intentions.
These two?
Their faces alone were irritating.
Before anyone could speak, Koharu pointed straight at Izumi.
"Izumi Uchiha!"
"You've approached the jinchūriki without authorization!"
"What are you plotting?! Or is this another Uchiha scheme?!"
"Speak the truth—now!"
The barrage of accusations left Izumi momentarily stunned, unsure how to respond.
Alaric stepped forward, placing himself squarely in front of her.
"I told her to."
He tilted his head slightly, eyes cold.
"Problem?"
The casual disdain in his tone detonated instantly.
Koharu and Homura both shot to their feet.
"Alaric Sarutobi! What kind of attitude is that?!"
"Do you have any respect for us?!"
"Hiruzen! Danzo! Is this how you're teaching your grandson?!"
Years of pent-up resentment burst out at once.
Watching Alaric's expression darken by the second, Homura suddenly felt a sharp sense of foreboding.
Too late.
Alaric had already walked up to Koharu.
When she finally realized how close he was—
She met a smile that wasn't a smile at all.
A chill shot through her spine.
"A-Alaric Sarutobi…?"
Her voice trembled.
"What… what are you trying to do?"
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