On a street in a town somewhere in the Land of Fire...
A tall, imposing man with long white hair tied back in a simple ponytail walked along. Perhaps it was his long hair that suited his image as a writer or an artist? On his feet were wooden sandals, and on his forehead, he wore a headband. However, instead of bearing the symbol of any ninja village, it simply had the large character for "oil" written on it.
Two red lines extended from the corners of his eyes, resembling streaks of tears painted on his face. Anyone from Konoha who saw this figure would immediately recognize him—Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin of Konoha.
Heh heh heh, Jiraiya chuckled to himself. "That hot spring I just visited... wow, they even have that kind of design!"
"This material will be perfect for my next book!" he added, though he shook his head. "But it's not enough. I need to gather more material!"
His eyes glinted with a mischievous, almost lecherous, gleam as he waved his hands in the air, seemingly reliving some delightful memory, with drool nearly dripping from his mouth.
"Hey, did you hear? There was a huge upheaval in Konoha!" someone nearby said, catching Jiraiya's attention.
"An upheaval? What happened? A natural disaster?" the other person replied.
"Not a natural disaster, you fool. The Uchiha clan staged a coup! The Third Hokage is dead! I heard the Uchiha took over and installed the Fifth Hokage just a few days ago!"
Jiraiya's face shifted slightly upon hearing this. He moved closer to the two people talking and asked them for more details.
From their conversation, Jiraiya confirmed the rumors: the Third Hokage was dead, and the Uchiha clan had seized power.
"So, the Uchiha staged a coup? Or... was the old man pushing them to the point where they had no choice?" Jiraiya's expression grew darker.
As a student of the Third Hokage, one of the Legendary Sannin, and the mentor of the Fourth Hokage, why had Jiraiya left Konoha to wander the world?
The truth was, Jiraiya knew the Third Hokage's true nature, which had left him deeply disappointed. In the end, he chose to distance himself from the village rather than face the harsh reality.
Therefore, upon hearing about the Uchiha coup, Jiraiya didn't immediately blame the Uchiha. After all, he knew how things had turned out for the Senju clan.
He also remembered how Tsunade's younger brother, a Senju heir and one of Orochimaru's disciples, had mysteriously died on a mission with Orochimaru. Even back then, Jiraiya had sensed something was off, not to mention the complete decline of the Senju clan afterward.
"It seems that the Uchiha clan is truly a force to be reckoned with. Without the Senju to keep them in check, it's not surprising that the Hokage position would eventually fall into the Uchiha's hands," one of the men continued as Jiraiya listened.
"You're wrong about that. The Uchiha didn't stage the coup just to seize the Hokage title. It's because the Third Hokage was unfit for the role!" the other man argued.
"What? Unfit? Isn't the Third Hokage known as the strongest Hokage, a professor of ninja arts, and a very compassionate leader?" the first man replied, shocked.
"You've been deceived, just like the rest of Konoha!" the other man exclaimed. "At the Hokage inauguration ceremony, the Uchiha listed the Third Hokage's seven deadly sins!"
"One of the most shocking revelations was about the Fourth Hokage's son, Naruto Uzumaki."
"Despite being a hero who served as the vessel for sealing the Nine-Tails, the Third Hokage treated him as an orphan and spread the rumor that he was the Nine-Tails incarnate. Because of this, Naruto was shunned and mistreated by the entire village for years!"
"What? The Fourth Hokage's son, Naruto Uzumaki, ended up like that? That's unforgivable!" Jiraiya's brow furrowed even more upon hearing this.
Naruto? Of course, Jiraiya knew that name well. The protagonist of his book, The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi, was named Naruto.
Minato had even named his son after that character! But instead of being named Naruto Namikaze, the boy was known as Naruto Uzumaki? And to be called the Nine-Tails? To have suffered so much in Konoha?
Even Jiraiya found it hard to accept this news.
The old man... he went too far this time, Jiraiya thought grimly.
"It seems after all these years of wandering, it's time for me to return to the village," Jiraiya muttered to himself.
Despite everything, he felt a duty to pay his respects to his deceased teacher. Moreover, knowing that the Fourth Hokage's son, Naruto, had suffered so much, Jiraiya realized that it was time to return to Konoha.
As a lone wanderer, Jiraiya didn't have much to pack. However, he did regret that he wouldn't be able to gather more material for his books tonight. Sigh, he thought with a hint of disappointment before setting off for Konoha.
The Uchiha are in charge now?
I wonder what Konoha will look like under Uchiha rule, Jiraiya mused as he made his way back to the village.
Meanwhile, back in Konoha, Uchiha Akira was already organizing a team.
The Sand Village, the Cloud Village, and the Stone Village were all making moves, likely planning to attack Konoha. Akira understood their reasoning.
Due to the previous leadership under the Third Hokage, Konoha's talent pool had been severely depleted. Otherwise, the Cloud Village would never have dared to act so brazenly.
Now, after the coup, with both the Third Hokage and Danzo dead, Konoha's situation was even more dire. This was undoubtedly the weakest Konoha had been in terms of high-level combat power since its founding.
From another perspective, Akira could understand why these villages would see Konoha as an easy target.
Currently, Konoha only had two Kage-level fighters: himself and Fugaku.
Thus, the task of deterring the other villages fell to Akira.
After assigning this challenging mission to Akira, Fugaku granted him full authority to mobilize Konoha's forces as he saw fit.
Akira first sought out Kakashi and Might Guy, both of whom were elite Jonin. In particular, Guy could open seven of the Eight Gates, temporarily reaching Kage-level strength, so Akira naturally brought him along.
He then sought a Jonin from the Hyuga clan to accompany them. The Byakugan's abilities would be invaluable, especially in medical ninjutsu, where its x-ray vision could provide immense benefits.
Hyuga Hiashi, the head of the Hyuga clan, graciously volunteered to join the mission, stating that as the clan leader, it was only right for him to face the potential threat from the Cloud Village.
Next, Akira approached the Ino-Shika-Cho trio. The leaders of these three clans also agreed to join the mission for the sake of Konoha.
With this, Akira assembled Konoha's top six fighters, four of whom were clan leaders. This was as close to an elite team as Konoha could muster at the moment.
Additionally, Akira gathered 2,000 more ninja—Jonin, Chunin, and Genin—from various clans and the general populace, ready to deploy to the battlefield if necessary.
If the elite team could successfully deter the other villages, that would be ideal. But if war broke out, a small group would not be enough.
After meeting with Shikaku Nara and finalizing plans to depart the next morning, Akira left the Nara clan's residence. Seeing that it was already late, he decided to return to the Uchiha district.
However, as he walked down the street, Akira suddenly paused. A familiar figure had caught his eye.
"Naruto, where are you heading so late? Training? You must be working hard to be training this late!"
"Naruto, are you hungry? How about I make you a bowl of ramen?"
"Naruto, your clothes are all dirty! Bring them by tomorrow, and I'll wash them for you!"
As Naruto walked through Konoha, people greeted him warmly, each one offering some gesture of kindness.
Naruto felt both happiness and pain from the attention.
On one hand, he was overjoyed that his lifelong dream of being accepted by the village had finally come true.
But on the other hand, the villagers were so overwhelmingly friendly that it was exhausting!
Naruto smiled and greeted everyone who spoke to him, but he could feel his face starting to cramp from all the smiling.
Ever since Naruto's true identity was revealed, the entire village had learned that he was the son of the Fourth Hokage.
Reflecting on how they had treated Naruto over the years, the villagers felt a deep sense of guilt towards him, while silently cursing the Third Hokage and the other village leaders.
Because of this, the village's attitude toward Naruto had done a complete 180.
Where once they had been cold and distant, now they were warm and welcoming, almost to an overwhelming degree.
Watching Naruto walk through the village, greeted warmly by everyone he passed, Akira couldn't help but smile.
To be honest, Akira had always felt sad about Naruto's tragic childhood in the original story.
Now, knowing that he had changed Naruto's fate, Akira couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment.
After watching for a moment, Akira stepped forward to greet Naruto.
"Naruto, what a coincidence!" Akira called out.
"Uchiha Akira, what a coincidence! Thank you for helping me learn who my father is and for making it so that everyone in the village acknowledges me!" Naruto replied with a smile. He was genuinely grateful to Akira.
If it hadn't been for Akira, Naruto would have continued to be deceived by the Third Hokage, believing him to be a good person.
"So, have you had dinner yet? It's late, but I'm sure Ichiraku Ramen is still open. How about I treat you?" Akira offered.
"Sure!" Naruto nodded enthusiastically at Akira's invitation.
And so, the two seven-year-old boys headed off in the direction of Ichiraku Ramen...
Note: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 136 at patreon.com/Emik01.
"Boss, two bowls of ramen!" Uchiha Akira called out as he entered the ramen shop. It wasn't his first time here; he'd been before, just to check it out.
As he spoke, Akira's eyes narrowed slightly, and the three-tomoe Sharingan appeared, staring intently at Teuchi, the owner of Ichiraku Ramen.
Before his reincarnation, Akira had been a fan of the Naruto series. There was a popular fan theory that Teuchi, the ramen shop owner, was actually Otsutsuki Teuchi, a hidden mastermind behind the scenes.
The most significant evidence for this theory was when Pain used his Almighty Push to destroy the entire village, but Ichiraku Ramen remained untouched.
So, Akira couldn't help but activate his Sharingan to carefully observe Teuchi.
But, well, it turned out to be just a rumor. Akira saw no sign of any chakra activity after scrutinizing Teuchi with his Sharingan.
Moreover, considering the original series, there was no plot where Teuchi turned out to be a hidden villain.
"What's with the eyes?" Teuchi asked, noticing Akira's sudden activation of his Sharingan and feeling a bit puzzled.
"Oh, nothing," Akira replied, shaking his head as he deactivated his Sharingan.
"By the way, do you think two bowls of ramen will be enough?" Teuchi asked after a brief pause.
"Huh?" Akira was momentarily stunned by the question. Two large bowls of ramen for two seven-year-olds—why wouldn't that be enough?
Wait... could it be...
Just then, Naruto's voice chimed in, confirming Akira's suspicions.
"Uncle, start with ten bowls of miso ramen. If that's not enough, I'll let you know!" Naruto said, with a tone that suggested it was the most natural thing in the world.
"That's more like it," Teuchi nodded to himself, secretly thinking that this matched Naruto's usual appetite. He then turned to start preparing the order.
Akira, on the other hand, could only place a hand on his forehead in resignation.
Right, he had almost forgotten that Naruto's appetite was legendary. He could stack ramen bowls to impressive heights.
It was a typical trait found in many anime protagonists: a massive appetite, a straightforward nature, and a tendency to get into amusing situations.
Characters like Naruto, Luffy, and Goku all fit this mold perfectly...
But instead of dwelling on it, Akira focused on the here and now. Teuchi's ramen preparation was swift, and once the bowls were ready, Naruto began eating with gusto.
Slurp, slurp! In no time, Naruto had already polished off four or five bowls!
Meanwhile, Akira was still working on his first bowl. Glancing at Naruto's seemingly unchanged stomach, Akira couldn't help but silently wonder if Naruto's stomach was connected to another dimension.
How could he not even show the slightest sign of being full after five large bowls of ramen?
"Akira, you're really strong, but one day, I'll surpass you! People say you'll become the Sixth Hokage, but we'll be rivals in the future!" Naruto declared after downing two more bowls, slowing down a bit as he started to feel slightly full.
"Mm, I'll be waiting," Akira nodded seriously, acknowledging Naruto's challenge.
Naruto was still just a child who hadn't even graduated from the Ninja Academy, while Akira was already the head of the Anbu.
For anyone else, Naruto's claim to compete for the Hokage title would seem utterly ridiculous.
But Akira knew better. If there was anyone who could rival him for the Hokage position, it was definitely Naruto.
As the reincarnation of Asura and the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Naruto was destined to be a powerhouse in the Naruto world.
Of course, with the addition of his life simulator, Akira was also quite formidable.
"By the way, tomorrow I'll be leading the village's top fighters to the border to demonstrate Konoha's strength. Want to come along?" Akira asked, changing the subject after they had chatted for a while.
"Huh? You're inviting me to leave the village?" Naruto put down his chopsticks and looked at Akira in surprise, clearly not expecting such an invitation.
"Yes, so what do you think? Are you up for it?" Akira smiled slightly as he posed the question.
"What's there to be afraid of? I've been wanting to leave the village for ages!" Naruto responded enthusiastically, not one to back down from a challenge.
"Great. Once you're done eating, I'll give you the rest of the night to undergo some special training!" Akira said with a grin.
Dinner wrapped up quickly after that. Once Naruto had finished his ramen, Akira took him to a lake at one of the training grounds.
As the protagonist of the original series, a Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails, a member of the Uzumaki clan, and the reincarnation of Asura, Naruto was already formidable despite being only seven years old.
Akira believed that if Naruto's potential were fully developed, his power could be immense.
Even though Naruto was still just a kid who hadn't graduated from the academy, Akira knew that killing him would be no easy feat, even if he opened all Eight Gates.
For one, the Nine-Tails wouldn't want Naruto to die. Otherwise, it wouldn't have lent him chakra in moments of crisis in the original series.
Secondly, the Sage of Six Paths was practically omnipresent in the Naruto world, keeping a close eye on everything. If his son's reincarnation were in danger, who knew if he might intervene?
Lastly, and most importantly, Naruto was the main character, blessed with a protagonist's luck. Who knew what sort of unexpected developments might occur if someone tried to kill him?
So, considering all these factors, Akira thought it would be wise to have Naruto join him.
If Naruto could unleash his full power, that would be ideal.
But even if he couldn't, having Naruto—someone blessed with the luck of the protagonist—by his side would be like carrying a good luck charm.
And who knows, maybe in a crucial moment, Naruto could even talk an enemy into submission!
"Akira, you said you'd give me special training? What kind of training?" Naruto asked, growing curious as they stood by the lake.
"Naruto, you've met the Nine-Tails sealed inside you, right?" Akira asked, getting to the point.
"Yeah, I've met it," Naruto nodded.
"You have two ways to become stronger," Akira explained.
"First, you could focus on using your own chakra while further strengthening the seal on the Nine-Tails."
"Second, you could tap into the Nine-Tails' chakra."
"Either way, you should be able to grow stronger," Akira continued.
This was true. In the original series, Naruto had relied heavily on the Nine-Tails' chakra.
But in Akira's view, even without the Nine-Tails, Naruto's chakra reserves were almost limitless.
Remember when Naruto, before even graduating from the Ninja Academy, used the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu and created thousands of clones at once?
Was that solely due to the Uzumaki clan's physical constitution?
And how do you explain the seemingly endless chakra of Hashirama Senju?
To Akira, both Naruto and Hashirama were reincarnations of Asura.
So, they were both on a different level—while others had chakra, Naruto and Hashirama had "chato-ns" of chakra!
If not for the influence of the Nine-Tails' chakra, Akira believed Naruto could have reached the same heights as he did in the original series, even without the fox's power.
"In that case, I'll choose the second option. If I strengthen the seal further, that fox will be all alone inside, with no one to talk to. That would be too sad," Naruto said after considering Akira's two options.
He wants to choose the second option because he feels sorry for the Nine-Tails being locked up all alone?
Akira gave Naruto a strange look, thinking to himself that this was just like Naruto.
After all, if Naruto could forgive even Obito, the man who killed his parents, it made sense that he wouldn't harbor hatred for the Nine-Tails.
In fact, Naruto probably didn't even hold a grudge against the Third Hokage.
"Alright, in that case, let's have a good chat with the Nine-Tails!" Akira said with a sigh, nodding as he reentered Naruto's mental space.
"Hmph! You want me to cooperate with this brat? Forget it!" the Nine-Tails growled as Akira stepped into the seal's space. Before Akira could say anything, the fox had already refused.
Though sealed away, the Nine-Tails was not completely unaware of what was happening outside. Otherwise, it wouldn't have lent Naruto chakra during moments of danger.
"There's no need to be so stubborn. Can't we just have a proper conversation?" Akira asked, looking at the caged fox.
"I have nothing to say to you! I hate those eyes of yours!" the Nine-Tails grumbled, clearly annoyed by Akira's Sharingan. The fox lay down inside the cage, closing its eyes, clearly uninterested in further discussion.
"So, this is the great Nine-Tails, huh? All bark and no bite?" Akira smirked. "If you're really that upset, why don't you go after Uchiha Madara instead? Or how about Senju Hashirama? He's the one who said you were too powerful and sealed you away!"
Akira rolled his eyes at the Nine-Tails, mocking it without holding back.
"You... How do you know what Hashirama said back then?!" The Nine-Tails, who had been feigning indifference, suddenly opened its eyes wide in shock, staring at Akira.
The fox could never forget how, after Madara used his Sharingan on it, it had no choice but to fight Hashirama.
And then Hashirama, living up to his name as the "God of Shinobi," had unleashed his thousand-armed Buddha, completely overwhelming the Nine-Tails.
Even worse, as he claimed the fox was too powerful, Hashirama had sealed it away with ease.
That familiar phrase brought back the darkest memories for the Nine-Tails.
"So, can we talk now, Kurama?" Akira asked with a small smile, taking a seat outside the cage, showing no signs of leaving anytime soon.
Note: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 136 at patreon.com/Emik01.
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