Although she had already guessed that this blond boy with fox-like pupils was strong, his performance still exceeded her expectations.
The Uchiha girl froze for a moment before her expression stiffened.
A proud Uchiha didn't need anyone to rescue her. It was time to give him a small reminder of Uchiha pride.
But then—
"What's wrong with you?"
Just as she was about to speak, she noticed something strange about the blond boy.
His pants were bulging noticeably, as if he had stuffed a large fruit inside them.
The sight was… rather difficult to ignore.
"It's swollen."
Naruto scratched the back of his head.
"I might be sick. I was actually heading to the hospital today to get it checked."
Naruto glanced down awkwardly and explained with a naive expression.
He looked completely harmless—nothing like the boy who had just tossed three people aside moments earlier.
"Then you should hurry to the hospital," the Uchiha girl said.
While the two spoke, Kurama inside Naruto's mind had become unusually serious.
"Naruto Uzumaki carries half of the Uzumaki bloodline. That makes him barely capable of withstanding my chakra, making him a suitable jinchuriki vessel. My chakra contains immense life force, which could explain the abnormal changes in his body. Excess life force can even affect the environment, causing dead trees to bloom again. Of course… that would require him to become a perfect jinchuriki like Asura once was."
Kurama snorted.
There was no way it would ever become partners with humans.
Times had changed.
Ever since Indra appeared long ago, humanity had been steadily declining.
If hell was empty, it was only because the demons were walking the earth.
In Kurama's eyes, not a single human in this world was truly good.
"So I can make a hypothesis," Kurama continued to himself.
"The reason this brat hasn't been affected by the hatred within my chakra… is because there's already a true demon hidden in his heart. Before any jinchuriki becomes a perfect jinchuriki, they must endure the hatred carried within tailed beast chakra. Yet he shows no reaction at all. Instead, he's becoming stronger."
Kurama stared intently at its host.
This jinchuriki was completely different from Mito Uzumaki and Kushina Uzumaki.
A jinchuriki capable of withstanding the negative emotions of a tailed beast.
What did that mean?
More importantly—if the hypothesis was correct—
Then this brat was a natural-born demon.
People always said humans were born good.
But Kurama disagreed.
Some people were simply born evil.
"What's your name?" the Uchiha girl asked before leaving.
"Naruto. I'm Naruto Uzumaki."
Naruto nodded and introduced himself.
"What about you?"
"Hmph. I'm not interested in telling strangers my name."
The Uchiha girl turned her head slightly, leaving Naruto with only her proud side profile.
The breeze lifted her bangs slightly.
She looked undeniably proud.
'A tsundere?'
Naruto understood immediately.
After all, there were plenty of those in the Uchiha Clan.
"Naruto Uzumaki, you're not bad," she said in a deliberately cool tone.
"Next time we meet, I hope you'll be worthy of fighting me."
After saying that, she casually slipped her hands into her pockets and walked away.
Naruto watched her leave.
Then he turned his gaze toward the three bullies who had barely managed to crawl back up.
"Everyone," Naruto said kindly.
"I'm a little short on money lately."
His friendly smile grew even warmer.
"How about lending me some pocket money? When I become the Seventh Hokage, I'll make you high-ranking officials in Konoha."
Kurama fell silent.
…
"Thank you for visiting. Please come again."
A beautiful woman stepped out of a shop carrying several bags.
Standing beside the road was her daughter waiting for her.
"Sasuko."
"Mom."
Sasuko stepped forward and took the bags from her mother.
Seeing her daughter act so obediently, Mikoto Uchiha smiled warmly.
"Sasuko, when you grow up, you must become a good wife and mother."
"No way!"
Sasuko immediately protested.
"I'm going to follow Father and my brother. When I grow up, I'll join the Police Force and become a great ninja!"
Mikoto simply smiled at her daughter's dream.
Once upon a time, she had dreamed the same thing.
But people changed.
Once you met someone you loved, even someone as lively as Kushina Uzumaki would become gentle.
Thinking about her long-deceased friend, Mikoto's gaze became distant.
"Mom, I met an interesting person just now," Sasuko said.
She began telling her mother what had happened.
Neither of them noticed the shadow watching them from the dark alley nearby.
Standing at the entrance of the alley, Naruto observed everything silently.
Even after giving birth to two children, the woman before him was still incredibly beautiful.
Time had not diminished her charm—it had only refined it like fine wine.
Her slender figure was wrapped in a modest dark-blue dress that still outlined her graceful curves.
Naruto's gaze slowly drifted downward.
Finally, it stopped.
Kurama, who could only see things vaguely through Naruto's senses, made a guess.
"This brat must be jealous that she has a mother."
After Mikoto and Sasuko disappeared into the busy street, Naruto finally looked away.
"So it's not Sasuke… it's Sasuko."
Naruto sighed inwardly.
He had to admit—he was truly shocked.
"If Sasuke is now Sasuko… then does that mean Sakura won't even have a role anymore?"
If Sasuko was female, the story might become something like a long chase between rivals who eventually fell in love.
Where would that leave Sakura or Ino?
"And judging from how those kids spoke earlier… it's easy to see how the village views the Uchiha Clan."
Although Naruto acted naive on the outside, he was far from foolish.
As a Naruto fan in his previous life, he knew the entire story.
The oppression and suspicion faced by the Uchiha Clan were no secret to him.
"If things follow the original timeline, the Uchiha Clan will be wiped out in a few years…"
"If Sasuko loses her mother… she'll be devastated."
"I have to stop that tragedy."
"Power…"
Thinking about the cute Sasuko…
And Mikoto Uchiha's graceful figure…
Naruto felt a surge of burning desire rise within him like a volcanic eruption.
Kurama sensed the emotional upheaval immediately.
"What's wrong with you?!"
Kurama couldn't understand Naruto's sudden change.
Yet the seal seemed to loosen slightly once again.
Seeing this, Kurama was overjoyed.
"Yes… that's it."
"Naruto Uzumaki, use more of my power."
"One day, you will become the stepping stone for my resurrection."
Naruto groaned softly.
Heat spread from the seal on his abdomen as more of Kurama's chakra leaked out.
His body began changing again.
His slit pupils narrowed further.
The whisker marks on his cheeks deepened into a darker red.
His teeth sharpened.
His fingernails lengthened into claws.
When the transformation finally stabilized, Naruto felt incredibly refreshed.
Looking down, he saw his reflection in a small puddle on the ground.
If he went to the hospital looking like this, he would definitely scare people.
After a moment of thought, Naruto made a quick decision.
He would go home first.
At least until his appearance returned to normal.
He turned and sprinted away.
His speed had increased dramatically.
His chakra surged again, strengthening his body and sharpening his mind.
Running through the dark alleys, Naruto made a firm decision.
He would change the tragic fate of the Uchiha Clan.
He had already planned to do so when he first arrived in this world.
But now that Sasuke had become Sasuko—and he had seen Mikoto, Kushina's old friend—it strengthened his resolve even more.
"You don't want others to see your transformation?" Kurama asked.
"Why? You're already incredibly powerful."
Ignoring Kurama's voice, Naruto soon arrived at his house.
"Hmm?"
Just as he reached for the door, Naruto noticed something strange.
Several strands of blond hair had been swept into the dust near the corner of the ground.
But the strand he had deliberately placed in the doorframe earlier was gone.
Naruto frowned.
"Someone… broke into my house?"
As a jinchuriki, Naruto never believed his living environment was perfectly safe.
Being cautious was necessary.
So who had entered his home?
Naruto immediately stepped away from the front door.
Then he climbed up to the next level, planning to enter through the balcony instead.