Jingle bell—
As soon as the alarm clock started ringing, a lazy hand reached out from under the covers and smacked it, silencing its noise instantly.
Then, Shinomiya Uzumaki groaned, turned over, and buried himself back into his bed, unwilling to leave the comfort of his blankets.
Time passed slowly. The sun climbed higher, eventually reaching its peak in the sky.
Until—
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
"Gate of Opening! Gate of Opening!"
"Hey! Are you still sleeping? Do you even know what time it is? The day's already half over!"
The sound of pounding on the door was accompanied by an impatient voice.
Shinomiya Uzumaki lazily cracked open his bleary eyes, muttering, "Ugh..."
Though clearly annoyed, he finally dragged himself out of bed, stretching his limbs with a yawn before going through his morning routine at a snail's pace.
By the time he had finally washed up and opened the door, the knocking had turned into full-blown slamming.
"Ten minutes! I was about to break down your door!"
The moment the door swung open, a small, delicate face came into view.
Bright emerald-green eyes shone with frustration, while long golden hair, tied into a high ponytail, swayed as the girl huffed in exasperation. Though still a bit childish, it was undeniable—Yamanaka Ino was already growing into a beauty.
As childhood friends and neighbors, Uzumaki's home was located above Ino's family flower shop, so the two had practically grown up together.
"Ino, don't you know today's our day off?" Uzumaki grumbled. "Why are you here ruining my sleep?"
He barely managed to finish speaking before turning around, intending to head back inside.
Ino, however, swiftly followed him, shutting the door behind her. "The graduation exam is coming up! How do you expect to pass if you don't even practice the basic techniques—Substitution, Transformation, and Clone Jutsu?"
Uzumaki collapsed onto the sofa with a smirk, stretching lazily. "Why are you so anxious? Naruto's still at the bottom of the class."
Ino sighed, shaking her head. "Why are you comparing yourself to him? His father is—"
She abruptly cut herself off, realizing she had almost said something she shouldn't have.
Trying to change the subject, she quickly added, "Anyway, stop lazing around. Get up and train! I came up with a trick last night that'll make learning the Three Basic Jutsu way easier!"
Excited, she turned to him—only to realize that Uzumaki wasn't even listening.
"Shinomiya Uzumaki!"
Fuming, Ino grabbed his collar and started shaking him.
Before she could let out her frustration, however, Uzumaki suddenly grabbed her hands. A mischievous glint flickered in his eyes.
"Shh... Hold on. I just hit the jackpot."
Ino frowned. "What are you talking about now?"
"Come, sit down. I'll explain in a second."
Still half-asleep, Uzumaki dragged Ino down onto the couch beside him. Meanwhile, his full attention was focused on something she couldn't see—an invisible screen floating in front of him.
"You're acting weird again..." Ino muttered.
But Uzumaki ignored her, his gaze locked on the notifications that had just popped up in the virtual chat window.
---
[Ding! You have new unread messages.]
[Member Namikaze Minato has significantly changed the course of history.]
[Rewarding member with 100,000 gold coins.]
[The group leader receives the same amount.]
---
"Nice!" Uzumaki grinned.
His previously empty wallet had suddenly been filled to the brim.
He immediately tagged Minato in the chat group.
Shinomiya Uzumaki: "Fourth Hokage, what exactly did you do last night? I just got flooded with gold coins out of nowhere!"
---
Meanwhile, in Amegakure
Minato had just left the borders of the Hidden Rain Village, trailed closely by Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato.
After saving them from certain death, Minato had made a bold decision—to bring them back to Konoha.
With Konoha's abundant resources and stable environment, it would be the best place for them to grow and thrive. As a result, the Akatsuki Organization had been disbanded.
Yahiko, disillusioned by recent events, had finally abandoned his dream of achieving peace through non-violence and agreed to follow Minato's guidance.
The former Akatsuki members had fallen under Hanzo's command. But rather than fight over them, Minato had brokered an alliance between Konoha and Amegakure, ensuring long-term stability.
Just as Minato was reflecting on these events, a sudden notification caught his attention.
---
Shinomiya Uzumaki: "Fourth Hokage, what exactly did you do last night? I just got flooded with gold coins out of nowhere!"
---
Yahiko, noticing Minato's pause, raised an eyebrow. "Brother Minato? Everything alright?"
Minato blinked, then smiled. "It's nothing. Let's keep moving."
While walking, he quickly typed out a response.
Namikaze Minato: "Lord Uzumaki, thanks to the future insights in your video, I managed to rescue Yahiko early and eliminate Danzo without any complications."
Back in Konoha, Uzumaki's jaw dropped as he read the message.
Shinomiya Uzumaki: "Whoa! You move fast! No wonder the reward was huge—it's because Yahiko survived!"
The impact of Yahiko's survival was monumental.
Had he died, Nagato would have taken his place as Pain, changing the course of history entirely.
And as for Danzo?
Uzumaki smirked.
"That old bastard finally got what was coming to him."
---
As the chat went on, Minato became intrigued by something else—the Gold Coin Mall.
With a hundred thousand gold coins at his disposal, he began browsing its offerings.
But what caught his attention most was something unbelievable.
"This...!"
Tailed beasts.
Kurama, the Nine-Tails. The Eight-Tails. The other seven tailed beasts.
Each one was available for purchase.
Minato's eyes widened in shock.
"You can actually buy tailed beasts?"
Quickly, he sent another message.
Namikaze Minato: "Lord Uzumaki, if I purchase a tailed beast, won't that mean there will be two of the same one in my world?"
Shinomiya Uzumaki: "That's right."
Minato exhaled in disbelief.
This chat group's abilities were truly beyond his comprehension.
Shaking his head, he closed the shop and returned his focus to reality.
---
Back in Konoha, Uzumaki finally turned his attention back to Ino—only to find her sprawled out on the other end of the couch.
Her legs, casually extended, nearly touched his face.
Grinning, Uzumaki playfully commented, "Huh... Never noticed before, but you actually have pretty nice feet."
"Tch, idiot."
Ino shot him a glare, then lightly kicked his shoulder. "You're such a pervert."
Uzumaki smirked. "Hey, I have an idea. You have two feet, and I have a mouth. How about we—"
Before he could finish, Ino yanked her legs away, looking absolutely disgusted.
"Ew! What's wrong with you?"
Uzumaki chuckled. "Relax, I was just going to suggest we make some pickled vegetables."
Ino rolled her eyes. "You're the worst."
And just like that, the golden retriever of Konoha was officially online.
---––--––-------------------------------
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