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[NTU] [ARC-24] Chapter : 317
🕑 Added 2025-05-20 18:31:51 +0000 UTCKonoha – Uchiha Compound
Inside a charming two-story home, the delicious aroma of breakfast filled the air as Kushina, dressed casually in her house clothes, placed the last dish on the table.
Just then, a lively voice echoed from the hallway.
“Mom! When is the pervy sage coming back to Konoha? He still owes me some secret training!”
Fresh from washing up, Naruto fidgeted in his seat, visibly impatient—clearly wanting to skip breakfast and jump straight into action. But a memory of his mother’s legendary temper flashed in his mind, and he grudgingly stayed seated.
“You mean Grandpa Jiraiya, don’t you?” Kushina corrected him with a playful, warning tone.
Naruto’s attachment to Jiraiya was both adorable and mildly concerning. Thankfully, the old sage had mellowed a bit in recent years—Kushina couldn’t imagine tolerating his old antics under her roof.
Turning to the bespectacled girl beside her, Kushina’s expression softened.
“Karin, has Naruto been causing any trouble at school lately?”
Unlike her whirlwind of a son, Karin was the picture of responsibility—a presence that brought Kushina some peace of mind.
“Not really,” Karin replied, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. “He’s been focused on chakra control lately, so he hasn’t had time to argue with Sasuke.”
“That’s a relief,” Kushina sighed.
Her biggest headache was Naruto’s endless rivalry with Sasuke—and the odd, unpredictable ideas that seemed to result from it.
“Naruto, don’t stick too closely to Jiraiya. You’re still young. There’s plenty of time to learn the... more dramatic techniques.”
Halfway through the sentence, she caught herself and trailed off. Maybe not the best topic for a growing boy.
“But if I catch you reading any weird books, or sneaking into places you shouldn’t be—”
She gave her son a sweet smile… while raising a dainty fist and waving it playfully in front of his face.
“You know what’ll happen.”
“Y-yeah, yeah! I got it!”
Naruto nearly choked on his milk, then gulped it down hurriedly. Stuffing the rest of his breakfast into his mouth, he mumbled around a mouthful of food:
“I'm… heading out!”
He made a beeline for the door, eyeing the open window longingly—but sensing the gentle pressure of his mother’s gaze, he wisely opted for the front door.
“Hmph~”
As he stepped outside, he spotted a boy about his age walking by with an unmistakably smug expression.
“What’s with that attitude?” Naruto grumbled internally, closing the distance in a few quick strides. His eyes gleamed mischievously as he caught up.
Back at the table, Karin calmly finished her breakfast and drained her glass of milk in one gulp. She stood up gracefully.
“Aunt Kushina, I’m off to school now!”
“Eh? You barely ate anything!”
Kushina blinked at the half-full plate and frowned.
“I’m watching my figure lately—can’t eat too much in the morning~”
Karin tossed the excuse over her shoulder and bolted for the door.
Once outside, her shy demeanor melted into something much warmer. Her gaze locked onto a distant figure, and her eyes sparkled with admiration. Compared to breakfast, he was a far more satisfying sight.
Back inside, Kushina watched her go, then turned toward the photo frames on the cabinet with a wistful smile.
“They’re really growing up fast…” she murmured.
In the two framed pictures, Minato’s golden hair and Haruka’s vibrant red smiled back at her—frozen in time, yet still radiating warmth.
After settling in Konoha, Haruka had finally found peace… but that peace came at a cost. Perhaps relieved of long-held burdens, her health quickly declined, and not even Tsunade, the famed medical prodigy, could save her. After a difficult half-month in the hospital, she passed, entrusting Karin to Kushina’s care.
Kushina’s thoughts were interrupted by a familiar, soft voice.
“Good morning, Haku-senpai! Are you heading to the hospital again? You’re so dedicated~”
Karin, all modesty and charm, greeted the approaching figure with a blush. The usual boldness of the Uzumaki women was nowhere in sight.
“Karin, it’s graduation day right?”
“Yes! I’m planning to become a medical ninja just like you and work at Konoha Hospital. I hope you’ll look out for me in the future!”
As she spoke, Karin stole a glance at the boy beside her—graceful, soft-featured, and almost glowing in the morning sun. Karin appeared lost in a quiet daydream, her gentle expression frozen in thought.
“Karin? ...Karin?”
Snapped out of her reverie by Haku’s voice, Karin blinked, her long lashes quivering slightly as embarrassment washed over her.
“N-nothing! I was just... thinking about the exam. I’m nervous about whether I’ll pass.”
Though Sasuke’s popularity reigned supreme in class, it was Haku’s calm, warm presence that drew Karin in. It was part of why she’d chosen to pursue medical ninjutsu—to one day work alongside him at the hospital after graduation.
“Don’t worry,” Haku smiled kindly. “You’ll do just fine, Karin.”
The two walked together a while, then parted ways—Karin heading to the Ninja Academy and Haku to the hospital.
—
Meanwhile, in the Hokage’s office...
Toshiro, rarely seen in the building, sat reviewing a stack of files containing information on this year’s graduating class. He furrowed his brow, feeling the pressure of assigning them to appropriate teams.
“Ugh… maybe I’ll just stick to the original roster. Why make things harder?” he sighed, half to himself.
With a wave of his hand, a shinobi appeared and knelt silently before him.
“Itachi, I’m granting you a two-week vacation. Use the time to prepare properly.”
Toshiro’s lips curled into a teasing grin as he studied the young Uchiha—one who looked eerily similar to a version from the original timeline, minus the infamous akatsuki cloak.
“So, after marrying Izumi, are you two planning to move out?”
Itachi, stoic as always, hesitated just a beat before replying.
“...Izumi would prefer that. She says it’s time for us to live in our own world.”
Even for someone as composed as Itachi, the question brought a faint trace of awkwardness to his expression.
“We’d be honored if you attended the wedding.”
Despite his mild embarrassment, Itachi quickly regained his calm. At eighteen, he was of the age when marriage was common among Uchihas—especially those with a compatible partner.
What Toshiro hadn’t expected, however, was for the famously dutiful Itachi to agree to move out of the Fugaku household. It was a small surprise, but a sign of change nonetheless.
“Count me in. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
After all, with two Mangekyō users in that family alone—not to mention Itachi being the brother of Indra’s reincarnation—there was no way Toshiro could sit that one out.
“Go on then. Enjoy your time off.”
“Thank you. I’ll take my leave, Hokage-sama.”
With that, Itachi vanished, his presence gone from the office as quickly as it had come.
The next day, around noon – Konoha Training Grounds
Three figures moved in a blur around the field—two streaks of yellow and black clashed and danced around a third, cloaked in green.
Off to the side, a girl with long pink hair watched the scene unfold, kunai clutched in her hand. Her brow furrowed in mild disbelief.
“Sasuke I get—but how is Naruto this strong? Isn’t he the guy who couldn’t even pull off a basic Clone Jutsu?” she thought bitterly.
Naruto’s recent years had been good to him. With a loving mother, a childhood friend by his side, and Jiraiya dropping by now and then to share training (and stories), his life was rich in affection.
Even Karin, for reasons he didn’t quite understand, had been a constant part of his orbit.
He never felt the need to show off in class. Other than being a bit mischievous, Naruto had no glaring flaws—and pining after Sakura? That was a myth in this world.
His only real weakness was his chakra control, which remained inconsistent. Kushina had explained it to him: there was a presence inside him—an uninvited guest, influencing his chakra flow.
But Naruto was working hard to overcome it.
Sasuke’s life, too, had been peaceful. The tragedy of the Uchiha massacre had never occurred, and with both parents alive, he’d grown up in a happy home.
His only frustration was his brother, who, after making some mistake years ago, kept a low profile in the clan. Sasuke couldn’t boast about him the way he used to.
As for Sakura? Some things never changed—her adoration for Sasuke burned just as brightly as in the original timeline.
“Kakashi-nii! I’m going to win this time!”
With a shout, Naruto leapt forward, forming a hand seal mid-air.
“Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!”
It was a move Jiraiya had finally taught him last year, after relentless begging on his birthday.
Dozens of Narutos appeared in a burst of smoke—each one charging forward with the same spirited determination.
