"Who... who are you really?" The Nine-Tails' pupils contracted sharply as Uchiha Akira casually mentioned its true name. The beast's gaze locked onto Akira with intense focus.
Only the Sage of Six Paths and a few other tailed beasts knew the Nine-Tails' name. No one else in the ninja world should have such knowledge.
Yet, here was this Uchiha boy, effortlessly revealing the name that the Nine-Tails had kept secret for so long.
"Kurama, do you remember what the Sage of Six Paths once told all of you?" Akira sat casually in front of the iron bars of the seal, not in any hurry to answer the Nine-Tails' question. Instead, he continued speaking calmly.
"Naruto is the one the Sage spoke of, so it would be wise for you to get along with him."
"Perhaps you don't know this yet, but let me share another secret with you: Hashirama Senju was the reincarnation of the Sage's son, Asura. Naruto Uzumaki is also a reincarnation of Asura."
"So, in a way, Naruto is the reincarnation of Hashirama Senju as well."
"You were once sealed by Hashirama. If you form a bond with Naruto and become his companion, there's a good chance he'll one day release the seal on you."
"Also, don't think that just because you're sealed inside Naruto and he borrows your chakra, that he's taking advantage of you. Honestly, even without sealing you within him, Naruto's chakra reserves would still rival those of Hashirama."
"So, whether you choose to cooperate is entirely up to you," Akira finished speaking, and his form gradually faded, disappearing from the sealed space.
Hmph! The Nine-Tails snorted as Akira's form vanished. "He talks a good game about having a conversation," it muttered.
In truth, all Akira had done was ramble on without answering the Nine-Tails' question. After saying his piece, he simply left. Was that his idea of a conversation?
Despite its grumbling, the Nine-Tails couldn't shake the shock from the information Akira had just revealed.
He said that Naruto was the reincarnation of Hashirama? And also the reincarnation of the Sage's son?
Was the prophecy the Sage had spoken of referring to this boy, Naruto?
But how did this kid know what the Sage had told the nine-tailed beasts long ago?
If Akira hadn't revealed its true name and recounted things that only Hashirama had said on the battlefield—things only the Nine-Tails and Hashirama could have known—the beast wouldn't have taken him seriously.
But the fact that Akira knew these details, things he couldn't possibly have overheard, made the Nine-Tails reconsider.
It seems this Uchiha Akira has a lot of secrets, the Nine-Tails mused. And most importantly, he seems to have some very special sources of information—knowledge that no one else should have.
Naruto Uzumaki, huh? If I really get along with him, will he eventually release my seal? The Nine-Tails' voice echoed in the empty sealed space...
"How did it go? How was your conversation with the Nine-Tails?" Naruto asked as Akira emerged from the sealed space.
"Hmm, it went pretty well," Akira replied with a smile, nodding in satisfaction.
Even though they hadn't had a proper conversation, Akira was confident that what he had said would have a significant impact.
Though he didn't have the power of "Kotoamatsukami" like Shisui, Akira believed that his prior knowledge of the entire script gave his words considerable weight.
"Naruto, you've already mastered chakra extraction, haven't you?" Akira asked, moving on from the topic of the Nine-Tails.
"Yeah, I've got the hang of it!" Naruto replied enthusiastically.
After all, he had spent a year at the Ninja Academy, so he had grasped the basics. While the original story labeled Naruto as the "Dead Last," the truth was that he possessed incredible potential.
"Good. Today, I'm going to teach you an A-rank forbidden jutsu: the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique," Akira announced.
"Really?" Naruto's eyes lit up with excitement.
He knew what it meant to learn an A-rank forbidden jutsu, but he quickly became doubtful. "But I've only just learned how to extract chakra... Can I really master an A-rank jutsu?"
It wasn't that Naruto lacked confidence; it was just that the idea of mastering such a powerful technique seemed daunting. A jutsu that powerful surely required an enormous amount of chakra to perform, right? Could a beginner like him really handle it?
It was like in martial arts stories, where someone who had just learned to sense their qi was suddenly expected to perform advanced techniques like energy blasts. Could that really be possible?
"It seems you don't fully understand your own potential yet," Akira chuckled. "Your training isn't about increasing your chakra reserves. It's about tapping into the chakra you already have."
"Besides, if you ever find yourself running low, you can always borrow some from the Nine-Tails."
"So your focus should be on controlling your chakra and mastering jutsu."
Yes, in a way, Naruto was like someone born with a thousand years' worth of energy. His goal wasn't to increase that energy but to learn how to control and utilize it effectively. And if he ever needed extra power, there was always the Nine-Tails as a backup battery.
"I... I'm not sure I fully understand, but I can learn it, right?" Naruto said, grinning.
He might not grasp all the details, but what mattered was that he was capable of learning an A-rank jutsu!
Without wasting time, Akira began explaining the key points of the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique.
In the original story, Naruto had stolen the forbidden scroll one night and, after practicing on his own, had mastered the technique, even producing a thousand clones on his first try.
And most impressively, Naruto had simplified the A-rank jutsu to the point where he could perform it with just one hand sign.
Yet people still dared to say Naruto wasn't talented?
Then there was the tree-climbing exercise during the Chunin Exams. Despite Sasuke being hailed as a genius, he and Naruto had both reached the top of the trees by the end of the night.
In fact, Naruto had improved faster than Sasuke during that exercise. Even though Sakura had better chakra control and Sasuke was slightly behind her, Naruto, with his notoriously poor control, managed to keep up by sheer force of will and raw chakra.
When Jiraiya helped Naruto remove Orochimaru's Five-Element Seal, Naruto immediately grasped water-walking, proving that his talent might even surpass Sasuke's.
After Akira finished explaining the technique, Naruto moved off to the side to practice.
As for Akira, he lay down nearby, focusing his attention on the life simulator in front of him. A prompt appeared:
[Would you like to spend 1,000,000 ryo to conduct a life simulation?]
Now that Akira had reached the early stages of Kage-level strength, each simulation cost a staggering 1,000,000 ryo.
As for where the money came from? Well, he had recently been assigned to a mission on the village's border, a mission requiring a team of several ninjas. Naturally, he needed some funds for the journey—food, lodging, supplies, and so on.
So Akira had requested a budget from Fugaku, the Hokage. After much persuasion, he had finally secured a budget of 3,000,000 ryo.
Seeing that Naruto was absorbed in his training, Akira turned his attention back to the life simulator. In an instant, 1,000,000 ryo disappeared.
The simulator began.
[You successfully killed the Third Hokage, ensuring the success of the Uchiha coup. Your name resounded across the ninja world, with many predicting that your future achievements would rival those of Madara Uchiha.]
[Your eight-man team left Konoha and headed for the border.]
[Ten days later, you neared the border of the Land of Wind.]
[Half a month later, you encountered an elite unit from Sunagakure. After a fierce battle, your team sustained only minor injuries and successfully repelled the enemy, establishing your dominance and forcing them to retreat.]
[Eighteen days later, while en route to the border of the Land of Earth, your team was poisoned.]
[It turns out that Orochimaru and Sasori of the Red Sand, the "Poison Duo" of the Akatsuki, had secretly poisoned your group, reducing your combat effectiveness by seventy percent.]
[At a critical moment, Might Guy opened the Seventh Gate, but Sasori, controlling his hundred puppets, including the Third Kazekage puppet, managed to stall all of you.]
[You attempted to open the Eighth Gate, but Orochimaru struck first, immobilizing you.]
[You died.]
The simulation ended, and Akira's face darkened.
He hadn't expected that even after reaching Kage-level, he would still die so easily.
So it seems that poison really is a terrifyingly powerful tool in battle...
And with Orochimaru and Sasori, the two top poison users in the Naruto world, he was facing the ultimate challenge.
In terms of chakra enhancement, jutsu acquisition, and bloodline upgrades, this simulation hadn't yielded much. Was it a waste of 1,000,000 ryo?
But when he considered the early warning about this deadly scenario, the cost seemed more like a necessary investment than a waste.
**********
Note: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 136 at patreon.com/Emik01.
Looking at his own situation, Akira Uchiha considered himself barely at the entry level of Kage rank. Might Guy, after opening the Seventh Gate, could temporarily boost his strength to the Kage level. So, in total, they had only two Kage-level fighters.
Given that they were both injured and poisoned, it wasn't exactly surprising that they got wiped out by Orochimaru and Sasori of the Red Sand.
Also, it's worth mentioning that back in Konoha, when Akira took down the Third Hokage, he had to open the Eighth Gate and use the Dead Gate.
This information had likely spread throughout the entire ninja world.
So, if Orochimaru and his allies really wanted to take Akira down, it seemed they had already devised a specific strategy to counter him.
As a result, Akira hadn't even managed to open the Eighth Gate before he was killed.
This is why, Akira mused, it's always important to keep a trump card or two hidden. If all your abilities are exposed, others can easily devise a counter-strategy against you.
Sigh, Akira thought. "In the Akatsuki, Orochimaru and Sasori could definitely be called the Poison Duo... or maybe the Science Duo?"
"Yet again, this falls on the shoulders of the Third Hokage and Danzo. They pushed Orochimaru, a top-tier asset, to defect from Konoha!"
If Orochimaru—well, maybe we should call him Aunt Orochimaru—hadn't defected, Konoha might already have a high-speed rail system by now.
Bang, bang, bang!
Just as Akira was analyzing the critical information provided by the life simulator, his thoughts were interrupted by a series of loud, firecracker-like sounds.
Looking around, Akira saw dozens of Naruto Uzumaki's shadow clones popping into existence.
"Ha ha ha! I did it! I really am a genius!"
"A-rank jutsu? It's not so tough after all! Ha ha ha!"
"There are so many of them! With this jutsu, am I basically invincible now?"
Naruto's naturally cheerful personality only heightened his excitement at mastering the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique. In one go, he created dozens of clones.
The combined chatter of these dozens of Narutos immediately filled the training grounds with noise.
Whoosh, whoosh!
The commotion was so loud that several Konoha Security Force ninjas, who were patrolling the area at night, used the Body Flicker Technique to rush over and investigate.
However, upon seeing Akira Uchiha present, the members of the Security Force simply saluted him and quietly left without saying a word.
"Already?" Akira muttered to himself as he watched the scene with a peculiar expression.
Even though he knew from the original story that Naruto had mastered the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique in one night, seeing it happen with his own eyes was still shocking.
Given this, how was it that in the original story, Naruto couldn't even perform the simplest Clone Technique and almost failed to graduate from the Ninja Academy?
That really is one of the great unsolved mysteries of Naruto.
"Akira, what do you think? Pretty impressive, right? I learned an A-rank jutsu so quickly!"
Hundreds of shadow clones, each with a proud expression, turned to Akira for validation.
"With your chakra, a mere few hundred shadow clones is nothing. You can create even more," Akira replied.
"Really? I guess I really am a genius! You sure have high expectations for me, Akira!" Naruto wasn't discouraged by Akira's words. Instead, he looked even more pleased with himself and continued to experiment with the technique.
"Wait, Naruto. Next, you should practice tree climbing and water walking."
"Like this—gather chakra at your feet and walk up the tree step by step."
"Most people don't have much chakra, so even saving a small amount isn't a big deal. But you have an enormous amount of chakra. Even if you save 30% on each jutsu, the amount you save is still massive."
"And the principle for water walking is similar."
"Oh, and you can use a few shadow clones to practice simultaneously. When the clones disperse, all the experience will return to you."
"But be careful not to overdo it. If you create too many clones, the accumulated fatigue could be enough to kill you."
"That's exactly why the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique is classified as a forbidden jutsu."
Seeing that it was getting late, Akira had no intention of staying with Naruto throughout his entire training session.
After giving Naruto a brief explanation of tree climbing, water walking, and how to use shadow clones to speed up his training, Akira turned and left the training grounds, leaving Naruto to practice on his own.
The night passed without incident, and the next morning, Akira was already up and at the village gate.
Kakashi, Might Guy, Hiashi Hyuga, Inoichi Yamanaka, Choza Akimichi, and Shikaku Nara had all gathered there, one after another.
"Akira, are we waiting for someone else? Everyone's here, but you don't seem ready to leave the village yet," Kakashi asked curiously.
"Yeah, we're waiting for one more person," Akira nodded, glancing back toward the village, wondering if Naruto had overslept after training late into the night.
"Seems like someone who likes to be late, huh?" Kakashi muttered under his breath.
Akira gave him a peculiar look. Of all the people in their group, Kakashi was probably the least qualified to complain about lateness.
In the original story, didn't he always use excuses like getting lost on the road of life or helping old ladies cross the street—excuses he basically copied from Obito Uchiha?
Fortunately, Naruto didn't have a habit of being late. After only a few minutes, Naruto came running up, a large backpack slung over his shoulder and various supplies piled on top.
"The villagers were so enthusiastic! When they heard I was leaving the village, they gave me so much stuff. Sorry I'm late!" Naruto apologized.
Having been shunned by the villagers for so long, Naruto now found their sudden warmth a bit overwhelming.
"Naruto Uzumaki? He's coming with us?" Kakashi was stunned to see Naruto and looked at Akira with questioning eyes.
Likewise, Hiashi Hyuga and the others also showed expressions of surprise.
Sure, Akira was only seven years old.
But not every seven-year-old could be as exceptional as Akira.
Everyone present was among Konoha's top-tier fighters. So why bring along a "burden" like Naruto?
"I'm the captain of this squad, and I believe Naruto Uzumaki is qualified to join us," Akira said to Kakashi, not bothering to explain further.
Well, rank has its privileges.
Kakashi was just a squad leader in the Anbu, while Akira was the head of the Anbu, making him Kakashi's superior.
If Akira believed Naruto was qualified, what could Kakashi say?
"Shikaku, what do you think?" Choza Akimichi asked in a low voice, turning to Shikaku Nara.
When in doubt, ask Shikaku—that was a habit Choza had developed over many years.
"Naruto Uzumaki... If he joins us, it could indeed have some unique benefits. Let's not forget, he has the Uzumaki clan's special chakra and is also the Nine-Tails' jinchuriki," Shikaku replied after some thought, nodding in agreement.
The Nine-Tails' jinchuriki?
Well, although they didn't know how well Naruto could use the Nine-Tails' power, if they were bringing him along, it must have some significance, right?
Thus, the eight of them set off, heading toward the border of the Land of Wind.
Back in Konoha, a force of 3,000 ninja was quickly assembling.
"Akira, last night, I mastered tree climbing and water walking, and I'm now really skilled with the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique. Do you have any other powerful jutsu to teach me?"
After a night of training, Naruto was feeling accomplished and motivated, so he asked Akira eagerly.
"Since you've mastered the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique, it's time to teach you how to create a Rasengan," Akira said, glancing at Naruto.
A Naruto who can't create a Rasengan doesn't have a soul!
"Rasengan?" Naruto looked at Akira curiously.
The name didn't sound particularly impressive.
"The Rasengan is an A-rank jutsu developed by the Fourth Hokage over three years," Akira explained.
"An A-rank jutsu? Developed by the Fourth Hokage—my father?" Naruto's eyes lit up at Akira's words.
He didn't need to be told how powerful an A-rank jutsu was; the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique had already proven its worth.
And considering that this was a jutsu created by his own father, Naruto was determined to master it.
"Wait, Akira, you know how to create a Rasengan?" Kakashi, who had been listening to their conversation, couldn't help but ask, surprised.
"No, I don't, but that doesn't mean I can't teach him," Akira replied, shaking his head as he looked at Kakashi.
True, Akira didn't know how to create a Rasengan—he had never learned.
But in the original story, Jiraiya had taught Naruto how to master the Rasengan step by step, explaining every detail clearly.
So, just because Akira couldn't create a Rasengan himself didn't mean he couldn't teach it, right?
**********
Note: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 136 at patreon.com/Emik01.
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