Chapter 17 : Third Hoe-Kage Meets Izumi

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The next morning, Naruto, who had been sleeping soundly, was abruptly awakened by a rapid knock on the door.

Stretching with a groan, he lazily removed the foot resting on his face and yawned as he trudged toward the door.

As soon as he opened it, the familiar kind yet authoritative face of the Third Hokage appeared before him.

"Naruto, why didn't you go to school yesterday—" Hiruzen Sarutobi began, but his words faltered as his sharp eyes caught sight of Uchiha Izumi stretching in the background after being woken up. His pupils shrank slightly, a flash of alarm crossing his aged face.

Naruto nonchalantly placed himself between the two, his voice lazy as he replied, "Oh, it's you, Old Man Third. I was too tired yesterday and totally forgot I was supposed to be at school…"

Sarutobi's expression remained calm, but his gaze sharpened. "Naruto, who is she?"

"Oh, her? I picked her up," Naruto said with a carefree wave of his hand. "It was the night of the school bonfire. I found her unconscious on the street, so I carried her back here. It wasn't easy, you know?" His words were deliberately loud enough for Izumi to hear.

Still groggy, Izumi finally fully registered what was happening.

As her vision cleared and she found herself face-to-face with the mastermind behind the Uchiha Clan's massacre, resentment flickered in her eyes. Suppressing her emotions, she lowered her head and walked forward. "Lord Hokage."

Sarutobi hummed in acknowledgment before putting on a seemingly pleased expression. "I didn't expect there to be another survivor of the Uchiha Clan. This is… truly great."

"Lord Hokage, about our Uchiha Clan…" Izumi's voice was low, trembling slightly.

Sarutobi sighed heavily, his face shadowed with regret. "I thought Uchiha Sasuke was the sole survivor, but it seems Naruto saved you as well." His tone carried an air of false sympathy.

Although she had already guessed the truth from Naruto, Izumi still trembled, grief etched onto her face.

"Konoha has been somewhat unstable lately, especially regarding the Uchiha incident. It would be best if you didn't return to the district for now." Sarutobi then glanced at both of them with a small smile. "I have a task for you—stay here with Naruto for a while and take care of his daily needs."

"Really, Grandpa Third?! That means I'll have a friend staying over!" Naruto exclaimed, feigning excitement.

"Yes," Sarutobi nodded before shifting his gaze back to Izumi. "Do you understand?"

"…Yes, Lord Hokage." Izumi bowed her head slightly.

Satisfied, Sarutobi turned to Naruto. "Since you passed the entrance exam, you need to attend school properly. Otherwise, we won't be able to provide financial support to those who haven't contributed to the village."

Naruto smirked slightly, his eyes narrowing. "Got it, Grandpa Third."

Hearing this, Sarutobi turned and left, his steps slow yet steady.

As he walked into a nearby alley, a masked figure appeared at his side in an instant.

"Any unusual activity around Naruto in the past few days?" the Hokage inquired.

"Reporting, Lord Hokage," the cat-masked ANBU spoke. "Two nights ago, when Naruto was returning home, an individual wearing a swirling mask abducted Uchiha Izumi. However, once we intervened, he abandoned her and retreated."

"Hmph." Sarutobi's expression darkened. "Report to me immediately if anything similar happens again."

"Yes, sir." With that, the ANBU agent vanished.

Sarutobi muttered to himself, "Uchiha Izumi… Itachi, it seems we've found another one of your weaknesses."

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Meanwhile, back at Naruto's apartment, he turned to Izumi. "So, what do you think of the Third Hokage now?"

Izumi remained silent, her head lowered.

"You should stay here and rest. There's food in the fridge, but don't go outside for now," Naruto continued. "As the only 'official' Uchiha survivor, some people might take an interest in you. We'll wait for this situation to settle first."

Izumi's eyes snapped up. "Wait… 'Official'? Are you saying there are others?"

Naruto simply grinned. "Haven't you seen one already?"

Izumi's breath hitched. "…You mean…?"

Naruto waved her off. "Forget it. I'm just a kid, after all. I should do things kids do. You get some rest."

"…Like what?" Izumi asked, still confused.

Naruto gave her an exaggerated eye roll. "Like going to school, duh."

Izumi blinked. "You—are you serious? You're basically a one-man elite Jōnin, and you're still going to that academy?"

Ignoring her bewilderment, Naruto happily walked out of the apartment, stretching his arms behind his head.

The events of the Uchiha massacre had finally concluded in his mind.

Even though he hadn't changed the overall course of the original story, he had at least managed to amend one of his biggest regrets from his past life.

Strolling leisurely through the village, he hummed a familiar tune:

The sun shines high in the sky, the flowers smile at me… The little birds say hello… Wait, why do I have explosives on my back? I turn around, and the school is gone—

"Oi, Naruto."

A lazy voice called out from the corner of the street. Turning his head, Naruto saw a familiar pineapple-haired boy leaning against a wall—Nara Shikamaru.

"Oh hey, Pineapple-Head," Naruto greeted, smirking. "You're late, y'know. And yet you're still loitering here? Careful, or Old Man Third might kick you out."

"Look who's talking," another voice chimed in. A red-haired boy with face paint sneered as he approached—Inuzuka Kiba, followed closely by his white-furred partner, Akamaru.

"You don't understand," Naruto said dramatically. "I'm aiming to be Hokage man. Have you ever seen a future Hokage man sit in some boring school classroom?"

"Like hell you are!" Kiba yelled, pointing at him. "I'm the one who's gonna be Hokage! You think you can compete with me?"

A calm voice interrupted them. "Are we actually going to school, or are we just standing around?"

Turning, Naruto spotted Chōji Akimichi and Shino Aburame standing a short distance away.

Chōji was munching on a bag of chips, while Shino, as always, remained expressionless behind his dark sunglasses.

Naruto grinned. "And with that, the legendary four-man truancy squad is assembled."

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You Noob Naruto Fans Don't understand what the word Hokage man mean(If you know you know)

Only us Who completed Heavenly Tribulations of Dao Of Naruto fics can understand that..

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"I want to go to school, but I'd rather bask in the sun," Shikamaru said lazily. "Didn't your family teach you anything about what they teach in the Academy? Going is a waste of time. Why are you even going, Naruto? Weren't you the dead last?"

Naruto waved dismissively. "You just don't understand the world of geniuses. I say we go eat ramen instead!"

Without another word, he took the lead and started walking toward Ichiraku Ramen.

"Damn it! That bastard Naruto! Why do you get to decide?!" Kiba growled.

"Then come chase me, hehehe~," Naruto taunted.

"Can you two stop being so childish?" Shikamaru sighed.

"Shikamaru, I'm hungry," Choji complained.

"And you, the guy with the sunglasses—what's your name again?" Naruto turned to Shino.

"Aburame Shino."

"Yeah, sorry. I read manga before, but your sense of presence is just too low. I keep forgetting you exist."

"..."

Anbu, who had been silently following Naruto, sighed helplessly. This is the so-called prince of Konoha? He glanced around and noticed Chūnin from the Akimichi, Nara, and Aburame clans also following their respective kids from a distance. What a hassle…

That Evening

After spending the whole day skipping class, Naruto bid farewell to the group and made his way back to the Academy gate alone. His plan? To "escort" a certain someone home and deepen their bond.

Before he could leave, a black-haired boy walked straight toward him—Uchiha Sasuke.

"Come with me," Sasuke said coldly.

Naruto shrugged and followed him to Training Ground Three.

"Fight me, Naruto," Sasuke demanded, his expression dark. "I need to see how far apart we are in strength!"

"Why would I do that~?" Naruto replied lazily. "I'm the one with the worst grades."

"Shut up! I don't believe the guy who keeps warning me every day is actually some dead-last loser!" Sasuke snapped.

Naruto plucked a piece of grass from the ground and chewed on it absentmindedly. He then pulled out a small silver bell and dangled it in front of Sasuke. "Fine. Try and take this bell from me."

"You bastard! You think I'm that weak?!" Sasuke growled. In a flash, he pulled out a kunai and hurled it at Naruto.

Naruto tilted his head, effortlessly dodging the attack.

Sasuke quickly pulled out a scroll, performed a series of hand signs, and unleashed a barrage of shuriken. They curved mid-air, surrounding Naruto. Then, with a sudden yank of the chakra-infused wires attached to them, Naruto was completely bound.

"Snake, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse, Tiger.

—Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

A massive fireball roared along the wires, engulfing Naruto in flames.

Sasuke panted, staring at the burning silhouette, his Sharingan-less eyes filled with determination. I did it!

Then— POOF!

A smoldering piece of wood fell to the ground where Naruto had stood.

S-substitution Jutsu?! Sasuke's heart pounded.

"Not bad," Naruto's voice echoed from behind him. "As expected of the prince of the Uchiha Clan."

Sasuke spun around, only to find Naruto grinning at him. Before he could react— POOF! Naruto vanished again.

"You're quite something, forcing me to use three different jutsu," Naruto's voice teased from behind once more.

Sasuke whipped around and saw him standing there again, completely relaxed.

Sasuke clenched his fists. His body trembled slightly. Then—

"Tch! Where can I escape to? Teach me how to get stronger, damn it!" he yelled, his pride momentarily thrown aside.

"...Nani?" Naruto blinked. "Did you just ask me—a kid who just entered the Academy—to be your teacher?"

"That's right!" Sasuke wiped his face, his pride discarded. "That man told me to stay away from you. He said he wasn't sure he could beat you."

Naruto paused. Itachi?

Did Itachi sense something about him? Or was he just talking about the Nine Tails sealed inside? Either way...

Naruto suddenly smirked. He remembered the system reward he received yesterday. Hehehe…

"Alright, alright. I'll show you a small glimpse of my strength."

Feeling the presence of the Anbu spies moving away—probably assuming there was nothing unusual—Naruto took a deep breath.

"Watch closely."

With precise hand seals, he called out—

"Chidori!"

Lightning crackled around his hand, illuminating the dark training ground. The chirping noise was sharp, like a thousand birds screaming in Sasuke's ears.

Sasuke's eyes widened in disbelief. Lightning Release?!

Naruto grinned and then—BAM!—thrust his hand into a nearby tree. The wood splintered apart as the massive tree tilted, then collapsed with a thunderous crash.

Sasuke stood frozen. No way…

Naruto turned to him, smirking. "Still think I'm just some dead-last?"

Sasuke clenched his fists. His expression darkened before shifting into pure determination. "Teach me," he said seriously. "I don't care what it takes. As long as I can kill him, I'll do anything!"

Naruto scratched his chin. "Well, it's not impossible. But do you have the perseverance to endure real training?"

Sasuke nodded without hesitation.

Naruto then asked the system in his mind: Hey, can you transmit the peak training memories of Goku, Master Roshi, and Krillin into Sasuke's mind?

The system was silent for a moment. Then—

Ding! Request granted.

Naruto smirked. Steady.

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For This Week Bonus Chapter - 100 Power Stones

Next Chapter Soon...30 minutes....

This Week Bonus Chapter - 100 Power Stones