Hidden Leaf Village - Hokage Tower
"You called for me, Lady Tsunade?" A masked man with white hair humbly entered the office.
"Kakashi. Once Naruto returns, I want you to lead his mission squad. You'll report directly to me about his performance."
Kakashi nodded.
"So you want me to keep a close watch on him."
Tsunade shrugged.
"Something like that. Akatsuki will come for him in two years. Make sure he survives until then."
The Land of the Moon — One Month Later
Jiraiya stood on a bridge above a waterfall, watching Naruto below.
"You sure you're ready, kid? It's only been one month."
Naruto twisted his neck and cracked it.
"Let's go!"
He focused wind-type chakra into his hand. As he sliced through the waterfall, the water split apart.
They both got soaked in the splash as Naruto turned toward Jiraiya with a proud grin.
"I just sliced through a waterfall with my bare hands! What do you think, Ero-Sennin?"
Jiraiya patted Naruto's head.
"I think... it's time to go home."
Naruto responded by tumbling off the bridge.
******
Konoha – Two Days Later
Upon returning to the village, Naruto's first stop was Ichiraku Ramen.
As he wolfed down his meal, a familiar figure patted his shoulder.
Naruto looked up to see Kakashi smiling.
"Hey, Naruto. Long time no see."
"Hey, Kakashi. What brings you here?"
Kakashi sat down beside him.
"I heard you were back. How have you been lately?"
Naruto shrugged.
"Not much. So, 'Copy Ninja Kakashi,' Granny assigned you to lead A-rank and S-rank missions, right?"
Kakashi placed an order for a small chicken ramen.
"Something like that. But now she's given me something else to do."
Naruto paused mid-bite.
"What did she assign you to do?"
"According to Lady Tsunade, I'll be your commanding Jonin on your next mission."
Naruto choked, and Kakashi gently patted his back.
"You're gonna be our team leader?"
"You got it!" Kakashi said cheerfully. He stood up, leaving some coins on the counter. "Anyway, good seeing you again, Naruto."
Naruto chuckled bitterly.
"Kakashi, aren't you going to eat?" When he turned around, Kakashi had already vanished from the stall.
Looking at Kakashi's untouched bowl, Naruto gave a faint smile.
"Guess I gotta figure out how he pulls that off..."
After finishing his meal, Naruto began preparing for training.
Sitting deep within the Forest of Death, Naruto sat in meditation, slowly drawing chakra from the Nine-Tails' seal.
"Damn it… This seal won't let me use the Nine-Tails' chakra the way I want—at least not yet. Feels like there's still something missing… That old perv must've been hiding more from me..."
Hearing rustling leaves, he quickly drew his blade and stood up.
"Come out…"
A blurry figure darted toward him, followed closely by two larger ones.
"It seems you share the same elemental affinity as Danzo," Naruto recognized the voice as Sai's.
Naruto turned around to face him.
"Hey, Sai. What brings you here?"
Sai blinked emotionlessly.
"I have something that might catch your interest. Danzo knows about your difficulties when channeling the Nine-Tails' chakra."
Naruto immediately became serious.
"Wait—how does he even know that?" Naruto paused in thought.
Sai's fake smile appeared again.
"There's a place we believe might interest you—a lost village known as Uzushio."
Naruto raised his eyebrows.
"Go on..."
Sai continued.
"The village was famed for its mastery of sealing techniques, especially among one particular clan."
Naruto rolled his eyes.
"You two have an annoying habit—always stopping mid-sentence. Hurry up and stop making me drag information out of you like pulling teeth."
Sai remained unfazed.
"The whole village was feared for its unmatched skill in sealing techniques. It was eventually destroyed during the wars. The lost country where it once stood was called Uzu no Kuni. In the ninja world, your surname once became synonymous with sealing prowess."
Naruto frowned.
"So this place is gone? I've never seen it on any map..."
Sai shook his head.
"Yes, you've seen it—and likely visited without realizing it. After Uzu no Kuni fell, it was renamed—it's now known as the Land of Waves."
Naruto remained silent for a while before conversing with the fox.
"You knew all along, didn't you?"
The Nine-Tails yawned.
"No, I didn't."
Naruto laughed loudly.
"Bullshit. You must've known. How do you explain it, Nine-Tails?"
"Nine-Tails?"
"... Zzzzz…"
"Wake up, damn it!"
With a groan, Naruto gave up and turned his attention back to Sai.
"Alright then. So I had a clan. We had our own village. And in the end, we were destroyed… all because of our sealing techniques. Fine, I'm going to the Land of Waves as soon as possible."
******
"Going home, bastard," Tayuya said cheerfully, lounging on Naruto's couch.
Naruto walked into his dorm room expressionlessly.
"What're you still doing in my dorm?"
Tayuya shrugged.
"You've got a TV. Keeps me entertained."
Grumbling under his breath, Naruto flopped onto the couch beside her.
"Can't you sit somewhere else?"
"This is technically my dorm. I usually just collapse face-down on the couch. You're lucky you're sitting right where my face normally lands."
Her face turned red as she started to rise—but froze at his next move.
"Uh…"
He tilted sideways, letting his head drop onto Tayuya's lap.
Her cheeks burned even redder.
"What the hell do you think you're doing, bastard?!" she snapped.
******
Ino and Sakura sat by the lakeside.
"How's the training with Lady Tsunade going?" Ino asked.
"It's been the hardest thing I've ever done, but I'm loving it. I really owe Naruto big time for setting all this up."
"You idiot!"
"I didn't do anything wrong! You came to my dorm by yourself!"
"Come back here! I'm gonna rip you limb from limb!"
"You know you're into it, Tayuya-chan!" he taunted.
"Die already, you bastard!"
Shouts rang out from somewhere far away.
Sakura and Ino exchanged confused glances.
Sakura covered her face with one hand:
"Just look at that moron..."
******
Somewhere in Konoha, a tall man with white hair climbed out of a hole, tears of emotion streaming down his face:
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