One week later.
Seven days since the Uchiha compound turned into a crime scene. A week of staring at the water stain on my ceiling, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Nothing happened.
No ANBU showed up at the orphanage. No one pulled me aside for "questions." Mikoto kept her mouth shut like she promised.
«Your secret remains intact. For now.»
Don't jinx it Dammit.
---
The Academy was the same as always. Iruka at the front, chalk in hand, droning on about the Warring States Period for the 69th time.
"And then Hashirama Senju proposed the idea of a hidden village to the other clan leaders"
I rested my chin on my palm. My notes were fake. My attention was fake. Everything about this classroom was fake.
Naruto was drawing something in his notebook. Looked like a frog fighting a snake. He'd added little speech bubbles. The frog was saying "BELIEVE IT" and the snake was saying "HISS HISS I'M A SNAKE."
«Your friend's artistic skills have not improved in 10 months.»
It's called abstract expressionism.
«It is called a frog with a Hokage hat.»
The door slid open.
Sasuke walked in.
The class went quiet. Everyone stared. It was his first day back since... you know.
He looked different. Not the angry, revenge-obsessed Sasuke from the original timeline. Just... tired. Dark circles under his eyes. Shoulders slumped. But his face wasn't twisted with hatred. He wasn't clenching his fists or glaring at everyone who looked at him.
He just walked to his seat. Sat down. Stared at the blackboard.
«Mikoto's survival has altered his psychological trajectory. He is grieving, not obsessing over killing itachi. But he still wants to avenge his clan.»
Good. That's a bit better.
Naruto leaned over. "Dude. Sasuke looks like crap."
"He lost his family... Naruto."
"So? I don't even know mine"
"Naruto there's a difference between losing a family member you know and losing someone you didn't know but still they were your family"
"I know I know. I just meant..." He scratched his head. "Should we say something? Like, 'hey that sucks' or something?"
"Maybe not 'that sucks.'"
"What do I say then?"
"I don't know. Just... be normal. Don't treat him like a broken thing."
Naruto nodded. Then he turned around and yelled across the classroom.
"HEY SASUKE! YOU WANT RAMEN AFTER CLASS?"
The class went silent again.
Sasuke turned his head. Looked at Naruto with an expression that was half confusion, half annoyance.
"No..."
"OKAY! JUST ASKING!"
Iruka slammed his hand on the desk. "NARUTO! QUIET!"
"Sorry, sensei!"
Sasuke turned back to the blackboard. But I saw it. The corner of his mouth twitched. Almost a smile.
«Naruto's social intelligence is higher than his academic performance suggests.»
He's not dumb. He just doesn't care about school.
«That is also a form of intelligence.»
---
= Lunch Time =
I sat on the bench. Alone. Naruto was off buying ramen from the cart outside. Sasuke was eating in the classroom by himself. Hinata was watching me from behind a corner like I didn't notice her.
I pulled out my lunchbox. Rice balls. Pickled plum. Same thing every day.
JARVIS... think I was too weak against Itachi.
«You were seven. He was thirteen. He had almost double your combat experience and a Mangekyo Sharingan. You had a kunai and some what confidence.»
Still. I couldn't do anything. If he'd decided to kill me, I'd be dead.
«Correct. That is why you need to get stronger.»
I've learned everything from the library. All the powerful B-ranks. All the chakra natures. I'm at a bottleneck.
«You have not learned Fuinjutsu.»
Fuinjutsu?. Sealing techniques.
The stuff with the weird symbols?
«The 'weird symbols' are highly versatile. Explosive tags. Storage seals. Barrier techniques. With my assistance, you could learn them rapidly.»
How rapidly?
«Estimated mastery of basic explosive tags: just let me Scan 'Em... Storage seals: same. More complex barriers: maybe needs some practice on that.»
I bit into a rice ball. Chewed. Thought.
Where do I even start?
«The library. Majime will direct you.»
And the materials?
«Special paper. Special ink. Fine brushes. You will need them to practice.»
How much do those cost?
«Approximately 5,000 ryo for a starter kit. You have 340 ryo to your name.»
I choked on my rice ball.
How do you know how much money I have?
«I have been tracking your finances. You are broke.»
Come on I'm seven!
«Beggars cannot be choosers. You are a beggar.»
So what, I just don't learn seals?
«I did not say that. I said you cannot afford the materials to make them. There are other methods of acquisition.»
You want me to steal?...
«I want you to acquire the necessary supplies through whatever means are available to you.»
That's stealing.
«That is resource redistribution.»
JARVIS...
«You stole weapons from the Academy. You stole clothing from a ninja store. You left "Some" money on the counter that one time and felt virtuous about it. This is no different.»
I stared at the sky.
Fine. But we're doing this smart.
«I would not have it any other way.»
---
= The Library – Seals Section =
After class, I walked to the library. Majime was at her desk, reading something, not looking up.
"Seals section?," I said.
She pointed to a corner without saying a word.
The seals section was dusty. Neglected. Scrolls piled on shelves, covered in a layer of gray that hadn't been disturbed in years.
«Fuinjutsu is not popular. Most shinobi prefer flashy elemental techniques.»
Their loss...
I grabbed scrolls on explosive tags. Storage seals. Basic barrier formulas. Sat down at a table. Unrolled the first one.
Explosive Tag – Standard Formula
The scroll showed the kanji sequence. The brush strokes. The chakra infusion pattern. The paper type. The ink composition.
«Scanning. Technique logged. Inputting information to user's motor cortex.»
Suddenly, I knew how to make an explosive tag. Not just the theory. The muscle memory. The exact pressure of the brush. The precise chakra flow.
That's... easy.
«The theory is simple. The execution requires precision.»
I unrolled the storage seal scroll.
Storage Seal – Basic Model
Same thing. Kanji sequence. Chakra pattern. The scroll explained how to seal objects into a small space and release them later.
«Scanning. Technique logged.»
This is insane. I could carry an entire armory in my pocket.
«Yes. You could.»
I unrolled a third scroll. Barrier techniques. More complex. More kanji. The scroll warned that improper execution could cause the barrier to collapse inward, crushing whatever was inside.
«Scanning. Technique logged. Warning: Do not practice barrier techniques without proper supervision. The margin for error is 0.67.»
"..."
I rolled up the scrolls. Put them back.
Now I just need the materials.
«And money?. Which you do not have.»
Working on it....
---
= Training Ground 3 – around Sunset =
Naruto was already there when I arrived. He was running laps around the clearing, shirt off, sweat pouring down his face.
Ten months of training had changed him. The baby fat was gone. His arms had definition. His legs were solid. He moved like someone who'd been running every day for months.
"RYŪ!" He waved. "I DID FIFTY LAPS!"
"That's great, Naruto."
"I'M GONNA DO FIFTY MORE!"
He kept running. I sat on a stump and watched.
«Naruto's physical conditioning has improved significantly. His chakra control has increased by 47% since you began training him. He has mastered water walking, the three basic Academy techniques.»
How does he compare to Sasuke?
«Slightly below in terms of raw technique. Above in terms of stamina and unpredictability. In a straight fight, Sasuke would win 6 out of 10 times. In a chaotic fight, Naruto would win 7 out of 10.»
That's closer than I expected.
«naruto's growth rate is accelerating. He is motivated by your example.»
Naruto finished his fifty laps. Collapsed on the ground next to me, breathing hard.
"Hey," he gasped.
"Hey."
"You think I could beat Sasuke now?"
"Maybe. Why?"
He stared at the sky. "I dunno. Just feels like I'm getting stronger. Like, really strong."
"well... You are."
He turned his head. Looked at me. "You're getting stronger too, right? Like, way stronger?"
"I'm trying to."
"Then I gotta try harder." He sat up. Pounded his fist into his palm. "I'm not gonna let you leave me behind."
"You couldn't get rid of me if you tried."
He grinned. Then he jumped up and started doing push-ups.
"ONE! TWO! THREE!"
Damn might guy will love his power of youth.
I watched him for a minute. Then I joined him.
"FOUR! FIVE! SIX!"
We did push-ups until the sun went down.
---
= The Heist – around 11 PM =
The ninja supply shop was on the west side of the village. Small. Family-owned. The owner was an old man who closed at 8 PM and was probably asleep by 9.
I stood across the street, transformed into a cat.
«Transformation integrity: 100%. You are a cat.»
I ain't meowing...
«You are a cat. Now move like one.»
I padded across the street. Slipped into the alley next to the shop.
«Back window. Third from the left. The lock is rusted. Apply pressure at a 15-degree angle.»
I jumped onto the windowsill. Pressed a paw against the lock. Channeled abit of chakra.
Click.
The window slid open.
I slipped inside.
The shop was dark. Shelves lined the walls. Scrolls, ink bottles, brushes, paper. Everything I needed.
«The good paper is on the second shelf. The ink is in the glass bottles, third row. The brushes are in the wooden box near the counter.»
I transformed back. Moved quickly. Quietly.
Grabbed ten sheets of high-quality paper. Two bottles of ink. Three brushes of different sizes.
«That is sufficient for practice. Do not take more. The shopkeeper will notice larger quantities missing.»
I stuffed everything into my bag. Slipped back out the window. Closed it behind me.
Click.
The lock engaged.
I stood in the alley, heart pounding, bag full of stolen goods.
«You did not leave money this time.»
I'm broke, JARVIS. You said so yourself.
«I am simply observing. For a boy who lectured Itachi Uchiha about morality, you have no problem stealing from a elderly shopkeeper.»
Umm... that was Naruto's technique, Talk no justsu...
It's not stealing. It's resource redistribution.
«That is what I said.»
Bruh.
I ran back to the orphanage. Climbed through my window. Hid the supplies under the floorboard with the rest of my stuff.
«Robbery successful»
---
END CHAPTER 19
Xx-----xX
A/N: Leave some power stones if you like the story.
---
Btw if you want to read some advance chapters then check out my P@treøn, links in the synopsis.