Noon.
Naruto was busy in the kitchen when a red figure appeared.
He immediately noticed and turned around, watching as it scooped up a spoonful of various dishes.
"Kurama, if you want to leave Konoha, I can make sure no one notices."
"Uh-huh."
The Nine-Tails had no time to talk—its mouth was full. Seeing Naruto's gaze, it felt slightly embarrassed. It had been mocking the younger generation of jinchūriki for becoming too close to humans, yet here it was, lured back by the smell of food.
In truth, it was just as curious.
Look, perfect timing for a meal.
This fox wouldn't eat for free. After all, after eating, it would naturally do something in return.
Sensing Team 7 approaching, Kurama quickly snatched another steak before making its escape.
"You don't have to hide. I could just say you're a distant relative."
"Tch! As if this fox would associate with a bunch of brats."
"I'm leaving."
Seeing that Kurama was being shy, Naruto didn't press the matter.
What did surprise him, however, was the arrival of Yūhi Kurenai. But after sensing Mitarashi Anko's chakra, he more or less understood why she was here.
Afternoon.
Kakashi arrived for a rare visit. He took a deep breath, savoring the lingering aroma in the air, his usual dead-fish eyes gaining some life.
Unfortunately, he was too late to enjoy any leftovers.
"Everyone's been gathering here a lot lately. No wonder the smell lingers."
He ruffled his silver hair before turning to Sasuke.
"It's a bit early, but since that jutsu isn't easy to master, let's start today."
"Naruto, if you're interested, you can join."
"Sakura—"
Before he could finish, Sakura popped her head out. "No need to worry about me, Kakashi-sensei! Naruto already arranged a special training course for me."
"In that case, let's go, Sasuke."
After saying their goodbyes, Sasuke followed Kakashi and left.
Kakashi was right—it was early, but necessary. After all, in the original timeline, Sasuke had already learned it by now. However, he could only use it about twice per fight before exhausting himself.
And Sasuke was an impatient, vengeful teenager.
The moment he gained a new technique, he would overuse it—even on minor enemies.
Against an opponent with real combat experience, wasting chakra recklessly would only lead to an early grave.
More importantly, Sasuke had yet to awaken his Sharingan. No matter how keen his eyesight, it couldn't compare to even a single tomoe Sharingan.
Using Chidori now was a dangerous gamble.
As for Sakura, she could focus on medical ninjutsu under Tenten and the others. If she wanted to improve in genjutsu, Kurenai was available to train her. They were all on the same side—it wouldn't be a problem.
Even if the Hokage realized Asuma's incompetence and decided to replace Team 8's jōnin instructor, by that time, it would already be too late for him to interfere with Naruto's plans.
Naruto smirked, shaking his head.
"Hokage, Hokage… Even without Orochimaru, your downfall is inevitable."
"Everything you've done to solidify your power—I will tear it apart."
"The old must step aside for the new. You act like a benevolent leader, but you don't even trust me enough to show me the Scroll of Seals."
"You assume my teleportation skill comes from my 'father's' space-time ninjutsu? How foolish."
With a blink, he arrived in his mindscape.
Kurama lay lazily on a bench, a contented smile stretched across its face.
"Still not letting you out yet," Naruto murmured.
"Your chakra contains immense spiritual energy. If placed within a White Zetsu clone, it could function independently."
"For now, I just want some rest."
He exited his mindscape without meditating or training.
Using the Mayfly technique, he traveled to his hidden supply storage.
Here, he could truly relax and get some proper sleep.
If someone asked what he would do first after becoming rich, Naruto's answer would be simple:
"Sleep. Then, when I'm well-rested, I'll consider everything else."
The storage area was covered in vines from the Wood Release-enhanced Sen-Sen Fruit. Any disturbance would immediately alert him.
These vines were self-aware, capable of defending themselves.
Some intruders believed they were well-hidden, but Naruto had sensed them long ago. He simply didn't find it worth the effort to expose them yet.
He slept until the next morning.
Stretching lazily, he welcomed another new day.
The following days were simple.
Aside from completing a daily D-rank mission, he spent time eating and training with his friends. The intensity of his own training decreased slightly, allowing his body to develop properly.
Rest was just as important as hard work.
During the day, he trained Ino, Tenten, Hinata, and Sakura.
At night, he assisted Kurenai and Anko, both of whom lacked proper foundational training.
During this time, Naruto also met an interesting Anbu operative.
And, unexpectedly, Kurama had fully integrated into the group.
The fox arrived precisely at noon for lunch every day.
After eating, it would sneak off to handle mysterious tasks.
If it didn't tell Naruto what it was up to, did it think he wouldn't notice?
There were now over a hundred new chūnin and a dozen jōnin carrying Nine-Tails chakra seeds.
Of course, this didn't escape Naruto's perception.
He simply chuckled.
He hadn't expected Kurama to be so proactive. If the fox wanted to do something, he wouldn't interfere.
After all, it had been imprisoned for so long—
It deserved some freedom.
What surprised Naruto the most was that as his strength increased, his Mori-Mori no Mi evolved once again.
He discovered that he could now hear the voices of plants.
This time, it was real.
No longer the vague sensation he had before.
To test it, Naruto planted a small sapling on the windowsill.
For the first few days, he spoke to it, but there was no response.
However, whenever the breeze blew, the sapling would lean towards him.
A week later, it finally spoke. Its voice was soft, childlike.
"Hungry~"
"Master Naruto, I'm so hungry~"
It was the middle of the night when Naruto first heard it, startling him.
Then, smiling, he mixed some non-stimulating nutrients into the water and carefully watered the sapling again.
Time passed. Two months later...
That day, Sasuke completed a mission alone—retrieving a lost pet, Xiaohu.
Meanwhile, the plants informed Naruto that an old man who loved drinking and bragging had arrived in the village.
Naruto knew what this meant.
The first C-rank mission was coming.
"The Demon of the Hidden Mist... will never be forgotten."
"And the one by his side—Haku."
That night, Naruto lay in bed, something soft resting beside him.
"If you fail, you are a traitor."
"If you succeed, you become the Mizukage."
Zabuza was an impressive figure—the man who first made Naruto question his own beliefs in the original timeline.
"He slaughtered every ninja of his generation... and it was all within the rules. The Blood Mist era was a terrifying time."
"That moment—when Zabuza first began to doubt the leadership of Kirigakure."
It was similar to Neji's situation... yet so much more profound.
Naruto turned over in bed, absentmindedly wiping away a tear.
His thoughts continued.
"Zabuza thought assassinating the Fourth Mizukage would be enough to end the Blood Mist policies."
"But he had no idea... the true mastermind behind Yagura was none other than Uchiha Obito."
"That poor Fourth Mizukage... from beginning to end, he was nothing more than a puppet. He didn't even have emotions of his own."
"And even in death, Obito had the nerve to bring him back with Edo Tensei—just another tool in his collection."
Zabuza left with Haku that day, swearing he would return to take Kirigakure into his own hands.
Power? Revenge?
No, Zabuza's true defiance was against the corruption of the Blood Mist Village. That was his greatest act of love for it.
In the original story, Kakashi once said, "Your ambition is too great. You've sacrificed too many lives. A true ninja shouldn't do such things."
But did Kakashi ever stop to think—how many lives had already been lost to the Blood Mist?
Ah, the hypocrisy of keyboard warriors.
And Kakashi's own father?
Another victim of a so-called "moral" political system. What a miserable end he met.
Of course, Kakashi had no power to resist. He was forced to accept it, just as he was forced to accept the world as it was.
Zabuza's flaws? His arrogance and his lack of advantages.
The first time, when he attempted to assassinate the Mizukage. The second time, when he fought Kakashi without injury yet still believed he could win the next time.
But in Kirigakure's era of bloodshed, no one survived without climbing out of a mountain of corpses.
And Zabuza? He had no "cheat codes."
"The mission will probably come tomorrow."
"Mmm~"
"What's wrong, Naruto?"
"Nothing... just thinking about something."
"Well... I'm so tired. I'm going to sleep first..."
Speaking of the Land of Waves, there's Kado.
A mere businessman. Yet he amassed so much wealth and carried out such shady dealings without repercussions?
Oh wow~
There was indeed such a character in Naruto.
Daimyo.
Ah, so it was about... cleaning the floor?
Well, cleaning is a lucrative business these days.
Tazuna issued a C-rank mission because he had no money.
Yet, along the way, they spoke of the Land of Waves as an impoverished country—even its daimyo lacked funds.
So how did Kado thrive there?
Of course, Kado was also a ninja... a parasite ninja.
When Zabuza was injured, Kado attempted to kill him to avoid paying the fee.
Typical.
Of course, he only dared to refuse payment to ordinary rogue ninjas. Try withholding payment from the Akatsuki...
Kakuzu would have been delighted.
Though, the Akatsuki weren't just a band of rogues. Hiring them required national-level funding.
Yes, I'm looking at you, Oonoki.
"Forget it. I can't sleep. Let's discuss this tomorrow."
"For now, let's focus on what's ahead."
"The mission to the Land of Waves..."
"The tale of Zabuza and the boy who was both his greatest weapon and his greatest weakness—Haku."