Two Years
"Hinata's affection for you has reached an unwavering level. You have obtained the 'Byakugan' of the Hyuga clan's Bloodline Limit. This pair possesses purity comparable to that of the Otsutsuki clan. If you collect a few more pairs, perhaps there will be additional effects."
In the Uzushio Village office, Naruto, who had been idly passing time, heard the system's notification sound after a long period of silence.
Hearing the content of the prompt clearly, Naruto smiled and then turned his gaze toward the Land of Fire. He couldn't help but miss the soft and gentle Hinata.
After all, during the days when he was shunned as a demon fox, Hinata was the only one who looked past the prejudice and sought his help.
If not for this, he wouldn't have granted her the Shikotsumyaku—the near-extinct Kekkai Genkai of the Kaguya clan.
After sighing with emotion, Naruto didn't immediately claim the high-purity Byakugan. Instead, he ignored the follow-up prompts and had no intention of collecting more Byakugan for the time being.
As a time traveler, he understood that the Byakugan, like the Sharingan, could evolve.
The evolution of the Sharingan required intense emotional stimulation. Once it advanced to the Mangekyō Sharingan and was fused with another Mangekyō Sharingan from a blood relative, it could reach its final form—the Eternal Mangekyō.
The Byakugan's evolution, however, was far more straightforward and crude. By amassing a large number of Byakugan, they could be merged into the Tenseigan—a powerful Dojutsu rivaling the Rinnegan but specializing in destructive power.
Collecting Byakugan wasn't difficult for Naruto, but he currently had no means of fusing them.
It was uncertain whether the Byakugan of the Hyuga clan—those restricted by the Caged Bird Seal—could even be fused. The only viable path to acquiring the Tenseigan might be to journey to the moon.
If given the opportunity, he might travel there in the future. For now, however, he was focused on gradually accumulating strength.
Although he had mastered Sage Mode combined with the Kyubi's chakra, there was still room for growth. In terms of power, he remained inferior to Boruto-era Naruto and was far from being invincible in the ninja world.
Pulling himself from his wandering thoughts, Naruto shifted his gaze to the Flying Thunder God kunai on the table, alongside intelligence reports sent by Kakashi.
The contents of the intelligence were of little concern to him. While he was familiar with the plot, he didn't blindly trust it. Still, it served as a useful reference for predicting the future course of the ninja world.
What mattered more was that Kakashi's actions clearly indicated his dissatisfaction with the current state of Konoha, as he continuously sought contact with Naruto.
After burning the letter, Naruto turned to the other documents on his desk. Having indulged in some leisure, it was now time to resume his busy and fulfilling role as the village secretary.
---
Two Years Later
Time passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, Naruto had reached his thirteenth birthday.
Thirteen was a pivotal age. At this age, Obito had orchestrated the Nine-Tails' attack on Konoha, leading to the deaths of Minato and Kushina. Uchiha Itachi had massacred his own clan, sparing only his younger brother Sasuke.
In contrast, Naruto remained the quiet village secretary of Uzushio Village, commanding only a few hundred ninjas.
Over the past two years, he had frequently communicated with Jiraiya, the Fifth Hokage, in his capacity as the leader of Uzushio Village. This relationship facilitated economic and trade exchanges, transforming the once-impoverished Land of Waves into a prosperous port city.
Meanwhile, Naruto had developed Uzushio Village into a sanctuary for training. By harnessing the power of Dragon Veins and Curse Seals, he promoted the practice of natural energy. Many ninjas had mastered the Curse Seal's power, with numerous individuals reaching Jōnin-level strength.
This success was largely due to Orochimaru's technological advancements and the research efforts of Ashina's team.
Without their contributions, Naruto's own rudimentary scientific knowledge would have made it nearly impossible to develop a Curse Seal technique compatible with Dragon Veins.
Beyond managing Uzushio Village, Naruto closely monitored Nagato's Amegakure and Konoha, the central power of the ninja world.
Having traveled through parallel timelines, Nagato appeared to have completely abandoned his plan to capture the Tailed Beasts.
Instead, he began modeling Amegakure after Uzushio Village, focusing on economic growth and exerting influence over smaller neighboring nations. The Akatsuki, originally intended for Tailed Beast collection, had instead become a formidable force for Amegakure's external expansion.
Despite these changes, Amegakure and the surrounding countries maintained a general state of stability, with only occasional border conflicts and small skirmishes against Iwagakure.
As for Konoha, Naruto paid particular attention to the Twelve Guardian Ninja and their sensei.
They were the key figures of this era, and their actions could shape the future of the ninja world. However, unlike the original timeline, Naruto's place among them had been replaced by Sai.
Another deviation from the original story was Kakashi's team's first mission. Instead of heading to the Land of Waves, they had been assigned to an obscure small nation. Though officially a mission, it was actually an effort to expand Konoha's influence.
During the mission, Kakashi encountered a rogue ninja named Shennong.
Shennong was a remnant of Sky Ninja Village, possessing knowledge of Zero-Tails' artificial creation and an advanced chakra-powered aerial battleship.
Had Kakashi not mastered the Flying Thunder God technique, he might have suffered an embarrassing defeat.
Ultimately, Naruto's intervention led to the Sky Ninja's battleship being seized and repurposed as a high-speed transport vessel for Uzushio Village's rapid response forces.
More importantly, the villagers of Uzushio, after recognizing Naruto as their leader, offered him numerous rewards.
Individually, the rewards were modest, but together, they were remarkable. Naruto had nearly mastered the majority of basic ninja techniques, earning him a reputation more fitting for a "Doctor of Ninjutsu" than merely a practitioner.
Seated atop the roof of the Uzumaki Temple, Naruto silently gazed down at Uzushio Village.
At that moment, Uchiha Shisui approached, accompanied by Uchiha Izumi.
Shisui now served as a key advisor to Uzushio Village, while Izumi had grown into a formidable elite Jōnin after reaching adulthood.
Seeing them approach, Naruto leaped from the roof.
"Is there an issue at the border?"
Shisui nodded and handed Naruto a letter.
"Lord Mianma, this is a message from Konoha's Hokage. Please have a look."
Naruto opened the letter, his lips curling into an amused smile.
"Shisui, the Fifth Hokage has invited us to participate in the Chunin Exams hosted by Konoha."
Both Shisui and Izumi were momentarily stunned, their expressions turning complicated.
Uzushio Village was theoretically a refuge for Konoha's rogue shinobi. Jiraiya's invitation to the Chunin Exams was unexpected.
Did he not fear revealing Konoha's hidden defectors residing in Uzushio?
Though Danzo—the mastermind behind the Uchiha clan's persecution—was dead, the Uchiha still harbored deep resentment toward Konoha. The fact that they hadn't sought revenge was already a testament to their restraint.
Yet, despite these concerns, both Shisui and Izumi felt a slight longing to revisit their old home.
Ultimately, however, the decision lay in Naruto's hands.
Only he could determine whether Uzushio Village would accept the invitation to the Chunin Exams.
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