Two children—a boy and a girl—could be seen running through the lively streets of Konoha. The boy, a young blond with bright green eyes, laughed freely as the wind rushed past him. The girl beside him, with her messy golden hair and cheerful grin, ran just as fast, her laughter echoing behind him.
However, unlike the smiles directed at the boy, the villagers' expressions hardened when their eyes fell on the girl. Whispers spread among them, faces twisted in disgust.
But the girl didn't seem to care. She only looked ahead, chasing after her friend.
"The last one to make it to the park gets to be IT!" the boy shouted with a grin, increasing his pace.
"Hah! I won't lose this time, Yuto!" the girl, Naruko, yelled determinedly, pushing her legs faster.
They arrived at the park almost simultaneously, both collapsing onto a wooden bench, panting heavily.
"Yutoooo…" Naruko groaned, leaning back dramatically. "Do we really have to exercise this much? Can't we just play for another hour before doing all these drills?"
Yuto chuckled softly, brushing his messy bangs away from his forehead. "Naruko, if you want to become Hokage, you should at least be able to run around the village in a second," he said with a teasing smile.
Naruko blinked. "Eh? Run around the village in a second?!"
Yuto nodded, his tone turning playful but confident. "You don't know this, but the Fourth Hokage was called the fastest shinobi to ever live. He could run around the village a million times before we could even cross half of it."
Naruko's jaw dropped. Her bright blue eyes sparkled with awe as she looked toward the Hokage Monument. "Sugoi!" she exclaimed, practically bouncing in excitement.
Then her expression hardened with determination. "I wanna become the strongest Hokage! Stronger than all the Hokage before me! Believe it!" she said, clenching her tiny fists.
Yuto smiled at her fiery spirit. "Then I'll become your right-hand man," he said, his tone earnest.
Naruko blinked, surprised. "Huh? What do you mean?"
Yuto looked up at the sky, a faint grin on his lips. "The First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, was called the God of Shinobi. But he had someone who pushed him to become even stronger—Uchiha Madara, his rival and best friend. I'll be like that for you, Naruko. Your rival, your right hand, and your partner in the future."
Naruko froze, staring at him with wide eyes. For a moment, she couldn't speak. No one had ever said something like that to her—not with such sincerity.
Her heart felt strangely warm. 'What… what is this feeling?' she thought, clutching her chest slightly. But then she quickly shook her head and grinned. "I'll be counting on you then! But for now…" she suddenly jumped up, tapping his shoulder. "You're IT!"
She darted away, laughing loudly.
Yuto blinked before bursting out laughing as well. "Oi! Naruko, get back here!" he shouted, chasing after her as their laughter echoed through the park.
Hidden in the shadows nearby, two masked figures watched the scene silently. After a moment, they disappeared in a blur—each heading toward a different destination.
The first masked man appeared inside a large building adorned with the kanji for fire. Kneeling before an elderly man wearing a white hat and robes that read Third Hokage, he bowed respectfully.
"Report," Hiruzen Sarutobi said calmly, puffing his pipe.
"Hokage-sama," the ANBU began, "Naruko has made friends with a Yamanaka orphan named Yuto. After observing him, I've found no signs of hostility or malice toward her. He seems to genuinely care for her and often trains with her—running around the village and performing various physical exercises."
Hiruzen hummed thoughtfully, exhaling a puff of smoke. "Continue to observe him. If his intentions are genuine, let him be."
'It would warm my heart if that girl truly found a friend,' he thought sadly. 'I'm sick of seeing her treated like this. Even after explaining that Naruko is not the demon but its jailer, the civilian council refuses to change.'
His gaze shifted toward the Fourth Hokage's stone face outside the window. A sorrowful smile touched his lips. 'I'm sorry, Minato, Kushina… I've failed you both in taking care of Naruko.'
Meanwhile, the second masked ninja appeared in an underground base dimly lit by flickering torches. He knelt before another elderly man—this one wrapped in bandages over his right eye and arm.
"Danzo-sama," the Root operative greeted.
"Report," Danzo ordered, his tone sharp and cold.
The Root agent relayed the same report the ANBU had given Hiruzen.
Danzo's lone visible eye narrowed. "Keep an eye on that boy. We cannot allow anyone to manipulate the jinchūriki. This could be a ploy by the Yamanaka clan to get close to her."
His expression darkened. "If you find any evidence of that, kill him in front of the jinchūriki. Let her go berserk. It'll give me a reason to take her from Hiruzen. Once that happens… she'll finally be under my control."
The Root ninja bowed silently before vanishing.
Unaware that two powerful men were keeping tabs on him, Yuto sat cross-legged in his small room, a single leaf balanced carefully on his forehead. His expression was focused, his breathing steady.
Minutes passed. Sweat began to trickle down his face. Then—plop—the leaf fell to the ground.
"Damn…" he muttered, wiping his forehead. "This is harder than I thought. I have to focus so much just to keep the leaf up that I'm wasting chakra."
He sighed, picking up the leaf and staring at it. 'I need to increase my chakra reserves… but how? The only methods I know involve Hashirama cells, being a jinchūriki, or mastering Tsunade's chakra seal. None of which I can do right now.'
He flopped back onto his bed, holding the leaf between his fingers and staring at the ceiling.
"Let's just focus on improving control for now," he murmured to himself. "Big reserves don't mean much if I can't use them efficiently."
With renewed determination, Yuto sat back up, placed the leaf on his forehead again, and closed his eyes. His breathing slowed, his mind focused. Slowly, chakra flowed evenly across his body as the leaf remained still—pressed firmly by his growing control.