Chapter 34: Possessing Naruto
The Uchiha clan had been marginalized ever since the Second Hokage took office, and eventually, even the location of their residential district was pushed to the outskirts of the village.
Phantom Franklin moved swiftly through the shadows of buildings around the outer perimeter of Konoha. After circling most of the village, he finally found a cluster of abandoned buildings in the southwest sector.
The tall courtyard walls blocked everything from view. On the gate and on the doors of the buildings inside, there were various sealing techniques and barriers.
According to the original story, the Uchiha clan's stone tablet was hidden beneath some shrine. But Franklin no longer cared to look for that secret location — the abandoned Uchiha district itself was a perfect hiding place.
Phantom Franklin slipped inside through a crack in the wall. Though the place was covered in dust and dried black blood stains marked the floors and walls, it was at least somewhere he could take shelter. In the next instant, Franklin swapped places with his phantom clone.
On the other side, Phantom Franklin moved out again. After thoroughly sweeping every area far from the Hokage's office — even locating the Ninja Academy — he still couldn't find Ichiraku Ramen.
After a night of tireless searching, the horizon began to glow faintly white. Dawn had arrived, and the main mission timer showed that 63 hours remained.
Ultimately, Franklin decided not to approach the Hokage's office. Instead, he concealed himself beneath the shade of a tree inside the Ninja Academy grounds.
As the young Hinata Hyūga entered the school, other young main and supporting characters followed one after another, strolling slowly inside. The bell for class rang — but Naruto was still nowhere to be seen.
Could he be skipping class? Just as Franklin wondered this, the sound of an argument drifted in from outside the school. A tightly bound Naruto was being dragged in by Iruka.
"Naruto, how many times has it been now? Why do you keep vandalizing the Hokage Rock? Those are the faces of Konoha's great predecessors — the heroes of the village!"
"Hmph! Quit nagging."
The rebellious young Naruto, the patient Iruka… from their conversation, Franklin quickly understood that the timeline was still at the early stage of the Naruto story. With that, he was certain about how to execute his plan.
The moment the two passed the school gate, Phantom Franklin slipped into the elongated shadow cast by Naruto, following them into the classroom. Naruto, still bound hand and foot, was tossed right into the space between the teacher's podium and the rest of the students.
Countless classmates stared at him, their voices of judgment echoing into both Naruto's and Franklin's ears.
"What a waste of time."
"Dead last."
"The village's curse."
Naruto was used to such insults — but Franklin could exploit them to rewrite the story's main plotline.
If he could push Naruto toward darkness, the very course of the Naruto world would diverge completely. Franklin was curious: if he truly succeeded, where would the future of this world lead?
"Uzumaki Naruto — the son of the hero who once saved Konoha — should have been loved by the entire village. And yet now, he's someone everyone curses and despises. Why is that?"
The endless insults left Naruto unfazed. He'd heard them far too many times before. But that single voice resonating deep in his consciousness suddenly made him leap to his feet.
A complex mix of emotions — joy, astonishment, anger — flashed across Naruto's face before settling into a furious glare as he scanned the classroom.
"Who was that? Who just said that?! What do you know?!"
The murderous look in Naruto's eyes shocked the other students. It felt as though one more word from them would unleash a primordial beast from its cage — and none of them would survive.
Iruka, standing at the podium, didn't notice Naruto's expression. He slammed his hand on the desk. "Enough! Quiet, all of you!"
The room fell silent. Franklin said nothing more.
Naruto's question received no answer. Slowly regaining his composure, he slumped back down onto the floor. But those words had driven him into deep thought.
Iruka looked back at the still-bound Naruto. "Naruto, you failed your graduation exam last time — and the time before that. This is no time for pranks, you idiot!"
Naruto pouted and turned his head away. Then, at just the right moment, Franklin's muttering voice echoed in his ear again.
"Harsh words. A teacher like that has no business teaching students."
Naruto, who had only just calmed down, once again shot a sharp glance around him. The voice and the tone were unfamiliar — unlike anything he'd ever heard before. Yet this time, he wasn't as panicked or impulsive as before.
To Iruka, however, Naruto's reaction looked like blatant defiance and contempt — and that infuriated him even more, given that his own parents had died in the Nine-Tails' attack.
"Today's lesson is a review test of the Transformation Jutsu. Everyone — whether you passed the exam or not — will be tested again!"
The classroom erupted in collective groans.
"What a pain…"
"All because of that dead last…"
Seizing the moment, Franklin's voice once again whispered into Naruto's ear.
"A tactic of isolation. Punish the whole class for one student's mistake — it's the perfect way to turn everyone against that student. Some teacher. This is how you make someone the enemy of the entire class."
What had been a routine announcement now took on new meaning. As Franklin's words subtly guided his thoughts, Naruto's gaze toward Iruka shifted ever so slightly.
The students lined up. From the side, Yamanaka Ino and Nara Shikamaru's complaints reached Naruto's ears again, further agitating his already sour mood.
"This isn't my fault! Iruka-sensei's the one making everyone retake the test. Sure, I messed up — but that doesn't mean you all should be punished too."
Under Franklin's constant commentary and subtle psychological influence, Naruto's mindset had already begun to change.
"First up, Haruno Sakura."
Iruka stood before the podium holding a clipboard. Sakura stepped forward and performed the Transformation Jutsu — another Iruka appeared beside him.
"Haruno Sakura, pass."
Sakura jumped with excitement, glancing at Sasuke with a face full of eager expectation.
"Did you see that, Sasuke?"
But the "Second Pillar" remained as aloof and indifferent as ever.
"All right, next — Uchiha Sasuke."
Thinking about Sasuke's life, Franklin couldn't help but recall that it too was a tragedy. If he could push Sasuke to defect from Konoha earlier than in the original timeline, how might that affect the future? The thought crossed his mind, but he didn't act. Naruto remained his top priority — after all, Naruto was the true protagonist.
"Uchiha Sasuke — the last of the Uchiha. His entire family slaughtered by his own brother. Not a single one of them met a peaceful end.
Just like you, the foolish and naïve Naruto, his tragic childhood was the result of the village leadership's political power struggles and paranoia.
But he's still better off than you. At least Sasuke knows who his parents were. At least he knows who he's after.
After the massacre, the Uchiha estate was sealed off, and he was left to grow up alone. He could become an ally you'll want to draw to your side in the future."
Franklin's voice rang in Naruto's ears. The young boy was completely stunned, the flood of information leaving him in disbelief. He had always thought he was the most miserable one — but now, he realized there was someone in the village who had suffered just as much.
"Naruto! Naruto!! Naruto!!!"
Iruka's shouts snapped him out of his daze. He stared blankly at his teacher before finally coming to his senses.
"Don't just stand there. Transformation Jutsu test — now."
Still a little absentminded, Naruto shuffled to the front of the room. Franklin's voice whispered one more time.
"Try the Sexy Jutsu. It's just an advanced form of the Transformation Jutsu anyway — and who knows, it might produce an unexpected result."
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