Fourteen months old.
That's when I decided I'd had enough of this "being a baby" bullshit and wanted to start real training.
I mean, come on. I'd been in this world for over a year. I could walk. I could talk, well, I could, but I was playing dumb because a one-year-old having full conversations would raise some eyebrows. I had chakra. I had JARVIS. I was ready.
Or so I thought...
«I have completed a full physiological assessment. Would you like the good news or the bad news?»
I was sitting in the playroom, stacking blocks again. Well, "stacking" was generous. I was mostly just knocking them over and pretending it was intentional.
Hit me with the bad news first.
«Your muscle density is currently insufficient for any meaningful physical exercise. Your bone structure is still developing and would be at significant risk of damage under sustained stress. Your chakra pathways, while improving, are not yet stable enough to support even the most basic jutsu without risk of self-injury.»
I stared at the block in my hand.
So what you're saying is...
«I am saying you are a toddler. Your body is not ready for 'real' training. Attempting it now would result in injury, developmental setbacks, or both.»
…And the good news?
«Your chakra control is advancing at an accelerated rate. By age three, you will likely be able to perform basic jutsu without my direct assistance.»
Three. That's two more years.
«Correct. I suggest you use that time for foundational development.»
I knocked over my block tower. It felt appropriate.
---
= 13 Months =
JARVIS called it "foundational kinesthetic development."
I called it "toddler yoga" because that's what it looked like.
The routine was simple. Every morning, when the other kids were still asleep and Nonō was making breakfast, I'd find a quiet corner of the playroom and go through the stretches JARVIS designed.
Touch my toes. Fall over. Try again.
Stand on one leg. Fall over. Try again.
Reach my arms up, bend sideways. Fall over. Cry a little. Try again.
«Your form is improving. You maintained balance for 2.3 seconds on the last attempt.»
That's a win.
«It is a win in the same way that not soiling oneself is a win. Technically correct, but not worthy of celebration.»
I tried to touch my toes again. My hamstrings, if you could call them that, screamed. I grabbed my feet, held for a moment, and then gravity reminded me who was boss.
THUMP.
Face-down on the mat. Again.
«Progress.»
I gave the floor a thumbs up.
---
=15 Months, Chakra Control Refinement =
By now, I could gather chakra in my palm for five seconds before my body gave out.
Five seconds. That was nothing. But according to JARVIS, it was "exceptional for a child who still wears diapers."
«You are being modest. Most children your age cannot consciously access their chakra at all.»
Most children my age aren't trying to become the next Hashirama.
«A fair point. Would you like to attempt wall adhesion again?»
I looked at the wall. The same rough stone wall I'd face-planted against at six months.
Yeah. Let's do it.
I crawled over... okay, walked over, my gait was almost normal now, and pressed my palm against the stone.
The warmth spread. My hand stuck.
I held there. One second. Two seconds. Five seconds. Eight.
Then my concentration wavered, my hand slipped, and I caught myself with my other hand before I could fall.
Ten seconds.
«Well executed. You did not fall this time.»
I'm basically a prodigy.
«You are a toddler who can stick to a wall. I would not enroll you in the Academy just yet.»
I stuck my tongue out. Not that he could see it.
---
= 17 Months, Balance Training =
This was JARVIS's idea of fun.
"Walk along the edge of the rug without stepping off."
I did it. Barely.
"Walk along this line of blocks without knocking any over."
I knocked over three. Fell on the fourth.
"Stand on one foot for ten seconds."
I made it to four before I toppled into a pile of stuffed animals.
Nonō walked in at one point and found me standing on a wooden block, arms out like I was tightrope walking across the Grand Canyon.
"What are you doing?" she asked, tilting her head.
I gave her my best blank baby stare, wobbled deliberately, and fell onto my butt.
Just playing, I tried to communicate with my eyes.
She picked me up, checked me for injuries, and set me down with a toy.
"Be careful," she said. "You're going to hurt yourself."
If only she knew...
«I calculate a 73% probability that she will discover your training before age five. Would you like me to develop contingency protocols?»
Not yet. Just… keep my chakra suppressed.
«Always.»
---
= 19th Month =
I was lying in my crib one night, staring at the ceiling, when the question finally came out.
JARVIS. Can I learn a jutsu yet?
A pause.
«Technically, yes.»
I sat up so fast I almost fell out of the crib.
Wait, really?
«I said 'technically.' Your chakra control, with my assistance, is sufficient to perform a single D-rank technique. However...»
There it was.
however?
«Your chakra reserves remain pitiful. You would exhaust yourself after one attempt. Perhaps two, if the technique is exceptionally efficient. Additionally, performing a jutsu at your age would draw attention. Attention you cannot afford.»
I flopped back onto the mattress.
So what you're saying is I have to wait... Again?.
«Until your reserves expand. Likely by your third year. At that point, your capacity should be sufficient to practice basic techniques without collapsing immediately.»
That's so far away.
«You are not yet two. Everything is far away.»
I closed my eyes, frustrated.
What jutsu would I even learn?
«I recommend the Clone Technique. It is an Academy-standard E-rank, but with sufficient chakra control, it can be adapted. Alternatively, the Transformation Technique offers practical utility for a child of your circumstances.»
Transformation?
«You could, for example, appear older. Or alter your features. It would be useful for moving through the village without attracting attention.»
I thought about that. Being able to look like an adult, even for a few minutes, would be huge. I could explore. Gather information. Maybe even...
«I would advise against any unsupervised ventures outside the orphanage until you are physically capable of defending yourself.»
You read my mind again...
«It is my function.»
Creepy.
«I am a skill. I do not have a physical form to be 'creepy.'»
Alright. Transformation Technique. That's the goal...
«Acknowledged. I will begin compiling training protocols. In the meantime, I recommend sleep. Your growth hormone cycle is peaking.»
You sound like my mom.
«I have no data on your previous maternal figure.»
Exactly...
---
The next two years passed in a blur.
That's the thing about being a toddler, time moves weird. Days feel long, but years fly by. One day you're learning to walk, the next you're three years old, standing in front of a mirror and realizing you're not a baby anymore.
Well. Not not a baby. But less of one.
By my third birthday, JARVIS had been running his expansion protocols for two full years. The results were… noticeable.
«Current chakra capacity: equivalent to an above-average Genin. Pathway width: 210% of birth measurement. Muscle density: within acceptable parameters for light physical conditioning. Height: 107 centimeters.»
I stood in front of the small mirror in the orphanage's bathroom, examining myself.
Dark hair, like my father. Dark eyes. A face that was still soft with baby fat, but there was something sharper underneath. Something that looked like me.
I flexed my hand. Chakra pooled in my palm, glowing faintly.
I held it for twenty seconds before releasing it.
«Your control has improved significantly. You may now practice basic techniques without immediate exhaustion.»
Finally.
I'd been waiting two years for those words.
What's next?
«We begin with the Transformation Technique. It requires precise chakra molding and visualization. If you succeed, you will be able to alter your appearance for brief periods.»
How brief?
«Initially, thirty seconds to one minute. With practice, longer.»
I grinned at my reflection.
Let's do it.
---
But before I could start training, something else happened.
It was a quiet afternoon. Nonō was meeting with a couple in the front room, a man and a woman, both in their thirties, They were here to adopt.
I was supposed to be in the playroom with the other kids. But I'd gotten good at being sneaky. I crept down the hallway, pressed myself against the wall near the door, and listened.
"we head rumours about a child..."
Nonō's voice was calm. "What rumors?"
The man spoke next. His voice was low, uncomfortable. "About a child who… who carries the demon. The Kyūbi."
My blood went cold.
JARVIS.
«I am aware. They are referring to Naruto Uzumaki.»
I know who they're talking about. But the Kyūbi attack was three years ago. Is the village still…
«The civilian population remains divided. The Third Hokage issued a decree prohibiting discussion of Naruto's status as the jinchuriki. However, enforcement has been inconsistent. By your memory I can tell it is Danzō Shimura who is spreading those rumors.»
The woman was still talking. "We don't want to adopt a child who might be… dangerous. We just want a normal child. A safe child."
Nonō's voice didn't change, but I could hear the tension underneath. "All children in this orphanage are safe. The child you're referring to is not here. He might be kept under the Hokage's supervision, Don't worry"
"But we heard..."
"You heard rumors," Nonō cut her off. "I can assure you, there is no danger here. Now, would you like to meet the children?"
There was a pause. Then the woman sighed.
"I suppose. But we want to be careful."
I crept back down the hallway, my heart pounding.
Naruto. Three years old. Alone. Living in some apartment under Hokage supervision, but probably getting shit from half the village.
I sat down in the playroom, staring at my hands.
In my past life, I'd loved Naruto. Not in a weird way... I mean the character. The show. The story of this kid who had nothing but kept fighting, kept believing, kept screaming about becoming Hokage until everyone had to listen.
I'd cried when Jiraiya died. I'd cheered when Naruto finally got recognized. I'd felt that final chapter in my chest, watching him achieve everything he'd ever dreamed of.
And now he was real. A real kid. Three years old, alone in this world, with no one.
JARVIS.
«Yes?»
I'm going to help him.
A pause.
«The jinchuriki?»
Yeah. In the show, he grew up alone. Hated. Starved for attention. I'm not letting that happen. Not if I can do something about it.
«Your current resources are limited. You are an orphan. You have no political influence. No financial assets. You are three years old.»
I don't care. I'll figure it out.
Another pause. Longer this time.
«…Your determination is noted. I will assist where possible.»
I smiled.
That's all I ask.
I looked toward the front room, where the couple was probably being shown around by Nonō. They wanted a "safe" child. A "normal" child.
They had no idea what they were missing.
JARVIS. How do I find Naruto?
«Naruto's residence is classified. However, with access of your memories I can tell that the house is located in the red light district but it will take time to find because you are still a kid, and nonō won't let you go outside easily.»
How long?
«Several months. Possibly longer. I recommend patience.»
I've been patient for three years.
«You have been an infant for three years. Patience has been a requirement for survival.»
---
END CHAPTER 4