Natsuki raised his head, staring at the colossal iron gate.
With a loud voice, he called out, "Kurama!"
The Nine-Tails hadn't planned to respond, but then Natsuki directly called him by his true name.
Boom! A violent surge of chakra slammed against the bars, making the gate tremble. "How do you know my name?"
Natsuki said calmly, "Because I once saw the future."
"The future?" Kurama's first reaction was disbelief. But the fact that Natsuki knew his name was undeniable.
"Don't you want to know how long you'll remain trapped here?" Natsuki's lips curled into a sly smile.
Seeing that expression, Kurama couldn't help his curiosity. "When!?"
"Words are too slow. I'll show you through genjutsu."
Thanks to having awakened the Eternal Mangekyō, Natsuki was now capable of transmitting images directly into others' minds through illusion.
At once, he showed Kurama a vision of the Fourth Shinobi World War—how he was dragged out of Naruto's body and swallowed by the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
"The Ten-Tails!" Kurama roared, his voice filled with fury, unwillingness, and fear.
Being sealed inside a Jinchūriki was only a loss of freedom. But being absorbed by the Ten-Tails meant true erasure—ceasing to exist.
"You mean the Fourth Shinobi World War will happen ten years from now?"
Natsuki nodded. "Remember the man who once controlled you to attack Konoha?"
Whoosh—Kurama exhaled a gust of chakra-laden breath, his rage boiling over.
"That Uchiha!"
"Yes. A descendant of that Uchiha. He'll be the mastermind behind the Fourth War."
"The ultimate purpose of the war is to gather all the Tailed Beasts, feed them to the Ten-Tails, then cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi—reviving the God Tree and destroying the world."
Natsuki sat cross-legged, recounting the causes and effects of the Fourth War.
Kurama listened closely. He didn't doubt Natsuki's words at all. After all, as a fragment of the Ten-Tails himself, he knew such ancient truths.
These were secrets hidden for millennia—yet this Uchiha Natsuki could describe them with startling precision.
"And Naruto is the reincarnation of Asura. He's destined to be the one who saves the world. The earlier you two cooperate, the stronger he becomes, and the safer you'll be. Isn't that better?"
"Hmph. What about that Fourth Hokage sealing me away? You expect me to just forget?" Kurama still held a bitter grudge. After all, when Minato sealed him, he had even split Kurama's chakra in half.
Now, he only had one half of his original power.
Natsuki rolled his eyes. "The Fourth was just fulfilling his duty. Besides, you and Naruto share the same fate now. If he thrives, so do you. If he falls, you do too. Think it over."
With that, Natsuki's figure slowly faded away.
In the darkness, Kurama muttered, "The Ten-Tails…"
In the mental world, no matter how much time passed inside, it was only an instant outside.
Naruto opened his eyes—just as Natsuki did.
Already, something new was burning in Naruto's gaze.
To Sasuke, it simply looked like Natsuki-sensei had told Naruto, "Think it over."
But after closing his eyes for just a moment, Naruto seemed like a completely different person.
"Have you thought it through, Naruto?" Natsuki smiled. As long as the fox stopped interfering, Naruto's growth would be swift.
Naruto looked at him and broke into a wide grin. "I have, Natsuki-sen—er, Natsuki-senpai."
Sasuke glanced between the two, certain they were hiding something from him.
Afterward, Natsuki took Naruto and Sasuke around the village for a stroll before sending Sasuke home.
Finally, he escorted Naruto back to his apartment, ruffled his hair, and saw him off.
The Anbu watching nearby, seeing that Natsuki hadn't said or done anything suspicious, relaxed and simply watched him leave.
The moment Naruto entered his apartment, he pulled out a slip of paper from his hair.
It was a note Natsuki had given him. Entering the mental world wasn't something one could do at will—it consumed enormous mental strength. Doing it too often would overwhelm Naruto.
Naruto carefully read the note, then opened his mouth and swallowed it in one gulp.
By the time Natsuki returned to the Uchiha compound, dinner had long since passed.
Not that it mattered—he'd already eaten his fill.
As soon as he arrived, Fugaku came looking for him.
"Natsuki, the vehicle you wanted is finished."
At that, Natsuki's spirits lifted instantly.
"Take me to see it, quick!"
He was soon brought to a courtyard, where a low-chassis vehicle sat silently.
It was mostly made of wood, with an open-air design on all sides—based on the sightseeing cars Natsuki had sketched from his past life.
The ninja world's technology wasn't backward, but because many nations lacked proper roads, vehicles had never become common.
Among the compensation from the Hidden Cloud, they had received an engine powered by chakra.
This car was designed for Uchiha civilians to travel between the village and the compound—part of Natsuki's broader plan to improve convenience and infrastructure.
Climbing aboard, Natsuki channeled chakra into the front. The vehicle rumbled to life, moving smoothly as he tested the steering wheel and brakes. Releasing more chakra increased its speed.
The sensation brought back memories of driving in his past life.
The car had been built by Uchiha Keimei, who had a knack for mechanics.
It wasn't very practical—only usable between the compound and Konoha, where there was a proper road.
But what did that matter? The Uchiha had money now, and money was meant to be spent.
Though most of their funds still went to Orochimaru's research, even a fraction left Fugaku feeling uneasy. He wasn't used to such prosperity after years of hardship.
After the car test, Fugaku immediately pulled Natsuki into a meeting.
It turned out that thanks to the fertility reward policy introduced over a year ago, many newborns had now been born.
As promised, Fugaku had distributed a reward of 200,000 ryō to every newborn's parents.
But with the baby boom in full swing, the clan's treasury was draining like a broken dam.
Panicked, Fugaku sought Natsuki's counsel.
"Natsuki, about that fertility policy you suggested… many Uchiha have already reached the quota."
"Do we still keep paying subsidies? The treasury's running dry."
Natsuki firmly clenched his fist. "Of course! The clan leader can't go back on his word. Besides the 200,000 ryō, we'll add another 400,000 for every academy graduate, and 500,000 more if they awaken their Sharingan."
"As for money… I forgot to tell you about the franchise stores."
"Franchise stores? What franchise stores?" Fugaku looked bewildered. Ever since Itachi and Shisui had established themselves in the Land of Fields, Natsuki's business ventures had exploded, pouring wealth into the Uchiha.
If not for fear of breeding complacency, Fugaku would've simply put the whole clan on payroll.
But with the way Natsuki was throwing around rewards, each child could end up costing over a million ryō. Even an endless treasury would bleed dry.
Natsuki didn't waste words. Forming a hand seal, he summoned a large storage scroll.
"Boom!" Smoke cleared, revealing stack upon stack of boxes.
Fugaku stared in shock.
"Could it be…?"
Natsuki gestured for him to open one. Inside was packed full of cash.
Each box held fifty million.
And there were eight boxes total—four hundred million ryō!
For comparison, Konoha's entire annual budget was only about a billion.
Fugaku's eyes bulged as he gasped for breath in disbelief.
Alarmed, Natsuki slapped him on the back, nearly knocking him over. He worried the clan head might keel over from shock.
But Fugaku, a seasoned veteran, quickly steadied himself. "Why is the franchise fee this much?"
"This was only the initial surge. Later, it won't be as high." Natsuki patiently explained the concept of franchising.
After hearing him out, Fugaku could only smile wryly. "Natsuki, I don't know how your brain works. Or is this yet another thing from the future?"
"This franchise model was indeed invented in later generations. Almost every successful business group ends up using it."
"But won't the secret recipes leak if you let others join?" Fugaku worried. Natsuki's culinary creations had already taken the entire ninja world by storm.
Now with franchising, [Chinese Cuisine] shops were sprouting like mushrooms after rain.
He feared their unique advantage might fade.
Natsuki reassured him. "Don't worry. Each franchise will only be allowed to sell a limited set of dishes. And only one person in each shop will receive the recipe—with a seal placed in their mind to prevent leaks."
"Even if it leaks, by then everyone will already be accustomed to eating at our stores. It won't matter."
It was like in his old world—anyone could fry chicken wings or French fries, but people still preferred the famous chains.
Looking at the piles of money, Fugaku finally felt true confidence. "Then we'll do as you say. Spend freely! From now on, the Uchiha will never again be at the mercy of others."
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