"So, this is Naruto?" Kakuzu murmured as he gazed at the swaddled infant, witnessing the birth of a protagonist.
"Lord Kakuzu, you are the savior of our family," Kushina said weakly. The Nine-Tails had been sealed back within her, and her life had been preserved, though she remained fragile.
"Enough, there's no need for gratitude. Kushina is still weak. Minato, take care of her and Naruto. Leave the rest to us," Kakuzu said firmly.
In this timeline, Naruto did not lose his parents. Undoubtedly, many aspects of his life would differ from the original. However, it was worth noting that despite these changes, he did not take on the Namikaze surname. He remained Uzumaki Naruto.
When asked why, Minato's explanation was simple. As the head of Konoha's Anbu, he had killed many enemies on the battlefield, accumulating a long list of grudges. Keeping Naruto from inheriting the Namikaze name was a form of protection. Furthermore, the Namikaze clan was not a prominent one, had it not been for Minato's exceptional talent, the name would have remained obscure. In contrast, the Uzumaki name was well known and carried the weight of a great clan. Retaining it made sense. Most importantly, Minato was open-minded and had no strong attachment to passing down his surname.
With the Eight Trigrams Seal reforged, everything was secured.
At dawn the next day, Konoha's upper echelon—including the Third Hokage, the Fourth Hokage, and other senior figures—gathered to see Kakuzu off. Standing at the village gates, Kakuzu gave a casual wave before departing. He walked at a steady pace, deliberately avoiding use of the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Upon reaching a crossroads, he suddenly halted.
"If you don't come out now, I'm leaving," he said indifferently.
The surroundings remained silent, though faint sounds of footsteps became more noticeable. From the shadows, a figure emerged.
If you were in Konoha and saw a lurking silhouette but couldn't immediately identify the person, it was safe to assume it was Lord 'Pot Shadow' himself.
"Danzo, you've been following me for a while. Do you have something to say?" Kakuzu asked with a smirk.
Danzo remained silent at first. Years of political maneuvering had honed his composure, but internally, he was deeply calculating.
"Lord Kakuzu, you are as formidable as ever."
"Is that flattery, mockery, or something else entirely?"
Danzo lowered his head slightly. "I have always regarded you in the same light as Lord Tobirama."
"Oh? That's an interesting way to show respect," Kakuzu remarked, forming a single-handed seal.
"Ahh—!" "Urgh—!"
One by one, Root operatives hidden in the treetops collapsed, falling to the ground. Danzo's expression remained neutral, but his heart clenched.
Kakuzu had eliminated his men with a single genjutsu. Neither he nor Root were a match for this power.
"So this is how the master-disciple relationship works in this world," Kakuzu mused. He couldn't help but think about the shinobi world's tradition of betraying mentors—Hiruzen and Orochimaru, Sasuke and Kakashi, Nagato and Jiraiya.
"Speak. What do you want?" Kakuzu said leisurely.
Danzo composed himself. Since Kakuzu had given him an opportunity to talk, he wouldn't waste it.
"Lord Kakuzu, your power has surpassed what Konoha can tolerate."
Last night, under the Nine-Tails' assault, Konoha's forces were nearly overwhelmed. Danzo had done his part, ensuring the Uchiha remained under control. But what about the Nine-Tails? If Hiruzen Sarutobi and Sakumo Hatake had fought it to the death, wouldn't that have paved the way for a Fifth Hokage—him?
After all, during Sakumo's tenure as Hokage, Danzo and Root had struggled to maintain influence.
"What, you want me to join Root?" Kakuzu asked, half-amused.
Danzo closed his eyes briefly, as if suppressing frustration. "Lord Kakuzu, there are things I cannot say aloud, but you must be aware of them."
"Oh?" Kakuzu raised a brow and stepped forward, approaching Danzo.
Danzo wasn't entirely wrong. Kakuzu had indeed saved Konoha from a great disaster. Minato and Kushina were grateful, and the villagers held him in high regard. But none of them realized that the public narrative credited Konoha's Hokage for everything. Even now, Minato bore Kakuzu's special Flying Thunder God marking on his arm.
What did this imply?
The village, drunk on relief and joy, was oblivious. But Danzo had noticed.
Everything I do is for Konoha! Danzo raged internally. These foolish people need my guidance; otherwise, Konoha will never achieve true strength.
If Lord Tobirama were alive, he would have made the same decision.
Kakuzu reached Danzo's side and patted his shoulder.
"Yes, this is all for Konoha. But if you truly want to create the Konoha you envision, I suggest establishing a new system outside the village. That way, you can protect Konoha even better."
Kakuzu smirked. "I even have a name for it—'New Konoha.'"
Danzo's expression stiffened, as if his mind had been struck by an unprecedented blow.
"New Konoha!" He abruptly turned around, only to find that Kakuzu had already vanished.
...
Two months later, in the Land of Dragons, the delegation from Iwagakure finally arrived. Their arrival wasn't voluntary—rather, it was because Kakuzu's deadline had run out.
With his strength fully restored, Kakuzu had made it clear: if they didn't come to him, he would go to them.
"Ganetsu, you're finally here. I've been stuck in this place for two years—I was about to lose my mind!" Upon seeing his old friend, Kōtsuchi was overcome with emotion and immediately pulled him into a hug.
But he quickly noticed something was off.
"Ganetsu, aren't you happy that I made it back? Why do you all look like you're attending a funeral?"
At his words, Ganetsu let out a helpless sigh and pulled out a large scroll from behind him.
"The condition for your release, along with the others, was to exchange you for the village's Five-Tails Jinchūriki. Lord Tsuchikage has been negotiating with the Land of Dragons for two years, and in the end, he managed to reduce the price—trading only one of the Five-Tails' tails instead of the entire Jinchūriki."
"Lord Tsuchikage foresaw that once Kakuzu obtained the Five-Tails' power, his strength would rise to another level. When that happens, Iwagakure will be in grave danger!"
"What? No! Absolutely not!" Kōtsuchi instantly rejected the deal without hesitation. "I would rather stay here than let Kakuzu become even stronger!"
Ganetsu sighed again, patting Kōtsuchi on the shoulder.
"There's no use arguing. It's already too late.
Ninja of Dragon's Hidden Village, here is what you wanted—go ahead and check it. Make sure you examine it properly so you can't accuse Iwagakure of going back on our word later!"
Without delay, Ganetsu handed over the scroll.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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