Time passed quickly, and a new year arrived.
"Heh, Shikaku… the reports Shikamaru has been submitting these past few months about Naruto have been very promising. I knew I wasn't wrong about this kid."
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, sat behind his desk, flipping through Shikamaru's detailed reports with visible satisfaction.
But Nara Shikaku wore a troubled expression. "Lately, Shikamaru has been spending a lot of time with Naruto and Chōji. Chōji's fine, but… do you think we should talk to Chōza about this?"
"Hm." The Third set the report down gently, pausing to think. "Did Chōza Akimichi approach you about it?"
"No, not yet." Shikaku shook his head. "Also, you saw what Shikamaru wrote—he told me too. Naruto hasn't been coming around as much lately."
The Third Hokage's expression darkened. "I know."
The report included Shikamaru's theory about Naruto's recent withdrawal.
Each time Naruto came to hang out with Shikamaru and Chōji, he did so under the pretense of "training." Despite Naruto's strong taijutsu, the two always used their clans' secret techniques in combination, which eventually irritated Naruto.
And looking at the timeline…
The Third realized Naruto would be entering the Ninja Academy this year.
If that was the case…
"Why haven't you been hanging out with Shikamaru and Chōji lately, Naruto?"
In the seal space, Minato asked quietly.
"Dad, acting is exhausting," Naruto replied flatly. "I'm not a professional actor. Shikamaru suspected me a long time ago—he just doesn't have proof. Plus, he was sent by the Third Hokage to observe me from the start."
"The longer I stay around them, the more likely I'll slip up."
After saying that, Naruto walked to the second-floor windowsill.
Through the glass, he watched tiny specks of white drifting down from the sky. He opened the window, reached out, and caught two snowflakes in his palm.
"It's snowing again."
Naruto had been staying home most of the time recently. Because of the Five Elements Seal (Gogyō Fūin) placed on him, aside from using the Transformation Jutsu to buy daily necessities, he rarely went out.
Strangely, after introducing Chōji, Shikamaru never brought anyone else to meet Naruto.
Given Naruto's status as an outcast in Konoha, he couldn't just roam around trying to "make friends" like the original Naruto. He couldn't fake that kind of forced enthusiasm—not without slipping.
So he spent the time grinding puppet data in the Mirror World.
Finally, with the new year, he earned a new chakra nature from Chōji's data puppet.
Ironically…
It was Yang Release.
Still, it was better than nothing.
Sensing that Gekkō Hayate had shifted to the other side of the balcony again, Naruto's eyes moved to the corner of the room.
There, on the small desk by the window, lay a finely crafted wooden mallet.
Carved into its handle was a name:
"Gennō."
It was the carpenter's mark.
Naruto had found the mallet after waking from his week-long hospital stay the previous year. It must have been left behind when the village sent someone to repair the hole in his second floor. The carpenter hadn't only repaired the wall—he'd also made Naruto two chairs.
Before the year ended, Naruto had used the Transformation Jutsu to check the Konoha craftsmen registry and track the man down. But when he arrived, the house was empty. The neighbors said the carpenter had taken a job out of town.
Now that it was early winter, he should have returned.
Putting on two thick coats, Naruto grabbed the mallet and went downstairs.
Just as he was about to close the door, he noticed Hayate had shifted positions again—standing in the snow near the edge of the small building.
With a cold smirk, Naruto stepped outside without using the Transformation Jutsu.
He crossed Konoha's bustling shopping district, enduring the usual stares and whispers, until he reached a quiet street lined with old wooden houses.
No one was around.
Based on his last visit, he found the hidden corner—and the house he'd been looking for.
He stepped forward and knocked.
An old man with glasses opened the door.
Naruto hadn't even spoken yet when the man's eyes widened, as if he'd seen a ghost.
"You're… no… it can't be. You—you're…!"
"Hello," Naruto said coldly, stepping back two paces. "This belongs to you, right?"
He placed the mallet on the ground.
The old man's hands trembled. When he picked it up, his posture straightened, and his eyes seemed to regain life.
Something about this felt… wrong.
Naruto had assumed the man was afraid of him, like everyone else.
But that expression wasn't fear.
It was excitement.
Was this person… actually happy to see him?
Had he mistaken Naruto for someone else?
Even if he had, shouldn't he still fear the Nine-Tails jinchūriki?
"Thank you, young man," the old man said hoarsely. "May I ask your name?"
Not sensing any malice, Naruto turned to leave. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto. I returned your tool. Goodbye."
"Wait!" the old man called, stepping in front of him and thrusting a small, finely carved wooden sculpture into Naruto's hands.
"Naruto, right? Please take this. Thank you for returning my tool!"
Naruto didn't plan to accept—
—but then the Mirror World flashed a notification in his mind:
Data available for collection.
As Naruto reached out, the old man unexpectedly grabbed his hand and shoved the carving into his palm, refusing to let go.
Collecting data…
Data completeness: 10%.
Authority upgraded: Uzumaki Naruto — Level 2 World Sovereign.
Sync functionality update imminent. Please complete the data.
"Thanks," Naruto said flatly, freeing his hand and slipping the carving into his pocket.
Without another word, he turned and walked away.
In the distance, Hayate relocated again—switching positions like a restless shadow.
But what the Mirror World had just revealed…
…was far more important than Hayate.
Naruto didn't look back.
He didn't see the old man standing there, silently shedding tears.
"Naruto," Minato said quietly inside the seal, "that man… it felt like he mistook you for someone else."
"I don't care about that," Naruto replied. "What interests me is who he really is."
He shifted his consciousness into the Mirror World, where a new data puppet had appeared.
"As I thought… a shinobi."
He stepped forward and opened the puppet's information window.
Name:Gennō
Affiliation:Kagerō Village, Land of Sand Narutopedia
Alias:Trap Master Narutopedia
Specialties: traps, infiltration, taijutsu, genjutsu, Explosive Tag deployment Narutopedia
Naruto browsed the visual logs tied to the puppet and finally remembered.
In the original timeline, this old man had infiltrated Konoha as a carpenter and seeded the village with explosive tags, nearly triggering a disaster at the Hokage Monument—even using the Third Hokage's face as the final trigger. Narutopedia
It had been a filler arc—not a central event—but it left a mark.
And the key detail was this:
After meeting Naruto, Gennō ultimately abandoned true revenge and deactivated his bombs—because Naruto reminded him of his son. Narutopedia
Naruto's eyes narrowed.
In his mind, he replayed the image of tags buried inside the Hokage Rock, right beneath the Third's stone face.
He returned to the seal space, eyes gleaming, and asked:
"Dad, you're sure the crystal ball the Third uses is one of a kind, right?"
Minato blinked. "Yes. It was crafted by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, using rare crystals provided by the Fire Daimyō. Only one exists."
Naruto smiled.
"Perfect. Now I just have to wait for the right moment."
"What do you mean?" Minato asked, confused.
Naruto bumped fists with his father.
The next moment, Minato shuddered.
"Naruto! You have to report this to the Third Hokage immediately!"
"Dad…" Naruto's voice turned glacial. "I'm truly impressed. Your loyalty to Konoha really is eternal."
"You seriously want me to report this?"
"What do you expect me to say when he arrests Gennō? That I had a vision? That I magically knew everything?"
"You trying to get me killed?"
Kurama lazily opened one eye, glanced at the father and son, then went back to sleep—clearly uninterested.
Naruto's words hit Minato like a blade of winter wind.
Minato opened his mouth… but couldn't say anything.
"I'm sorry, Naruto. I… I didn't mean—"
"There's no need to apologize," Naruto interrupted. "Let me make it clear."
He raised his eyes, voice steady.
"I will personally detonate the explosive tags Gennō set up."
"What? Naruto, are you insane?!" Minato shouted.
"You think I'm crazy?"
Naruto lifted his head and met his father's gaze, their eyes locking.
"Then that's perfect."
"Because I once heard something that stuck with me—"
"When people start calling you crazy…"
"…it means you're getting close to success."
(End of Chapter)
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/FinalArcHero789