Naruto: All depends on the Nine-tails Fox

"Eh? So, not only has Sasuke become your neighbor, but he's also your landlord now?" Hinata exclaimed in surprise during the next day's class.

"Yeah," Naruto nodded, recalling the morning conversation. "He told me that he agreed to let the village reclaim the Uchiha clan's territory. In return, the village paid him a huge sum of money! And guess what? The guy went ahead and bought the entire building where I live!"

Naruto turned to glance at Sasuke's empty seat, his expression twisted in frustration. "He's off signing some contract today. I knew something was off with the way he looked at me yesterday. Ugh, just thinking about having to pay rent to him from now on makes me sick!"

[So that's what happened. Now that you mention it, Naruto-kun did say before that his current place was arranged by the village,] Hinata thought, suddenly struck by an idea.

[Maybe I could ask Father to let Naruto-kun stay at our house... Ah! What am I thinking?!]

"...Hinata?" Naruto called out, noticing her unusual silence.

"Ah, no, it's nothing!" Hinata blushed, snapping out of her thoughts.

"Hm? What's wrong? I asked you something, but you didn't respond," Naruto tilted his head, puzzled.

"S-Sorry," Hinata quickly lowered her head, feeling embarrassed. "I got distracted. What did you ask?"

"I was saying," Naruto leaned in and lowered his voice, "Neji's been staring at me non-stop since last night and even this morning when he came to pick you up. What's up with him?"

Hinata hesitated for a moment. "Well... to be honest, after I got home yesterday, I felt like Neji-nii-san, my father, and even my sister were acting a bit strange. Maybe something happened in the family, but they haven't told me about it."

"Man, it must be tough being part of a big clan," Naruto sighed sympathetically. "Hinata, you have to be careful, okay? Just look at what happened to Sasuke's family. If anything weird happens with your clan, you have to let me know right away!"

"I-I don't think it'll come to that..." Hinata stammered, feeling a bit spooked by Naruto's words.

Naruto clenched his fist, determined. "I'm going to talk to him!"

And so, as expected, Naruto's conversation with Neji quickly escalated. The two ended up in a fierce exchange of words, followed by a brief scuffle...

Though it was short-lived and didn't escalate into anything serious.

In the depths of Naruto's mind, Kurama, the Nine-Tails, observed Naruto's daily life unfold—an ordinary, simple, yet warm existence. Kurama narrowed his eyes in thought.

In the previous timeline, Kurama's memories of Naruto's school days were hazy. Back then, it was filled with hatred and malice, constantly influencing Naruto's thoughts, trying to drag him into darkness. Naruto, unknowingly, experienced isolation and the pain of being ignored by others. Even when a few classmates would play with him, it was only for a moment's amusement at school.

To be noticed, Naruto resorted to pranks and outrageous antics, desperately craving attention...

Reflecting on it now, Kurama felt a pang of guilt. If given the chance, it wouldn't mind seeing Naruto live a carefree childhood and follow the path toward his dreams.

However, if they didn't address the looming threats, neither Naruto nor Kurama would get that chance. Kurama knew this better than anyone else in the world.

"Boom."

Before Kurama, an enormous ball of natural energy formed, larger than anything Naruto had ever seen before. It swelled visibly, growing more potent with every passing moment. If the spirit of Minato could sense it, he'd be astonished to find traces of chakra within this expanding mass of natural energy!

The natural energy exhibited the properties of Sage Chakra, yet this completely defied the typical principles of Sage Mode.

Usually, pure natural energy must merge with chakra in a fixed ratio; otherwise, it would destabilize. Too much natural energy could either consume the user, transforming them into stone or fail to form Sage Chakra at all. In every Sage Mode, natural energy always made up precisely one-third of the mixture.

But the energy before Kurama broke this rule. It was as if a vast army of natural energy was mixed with just a tiny speck of chakra, entirely disproportionate. Moreover, unlike ordinary Sage Chakra, this energy showed signs of self-refinement and continuous expansion.

"Just a bit more," Kurama muttered, swallowing the energy back into its body. Its fox-like eyes flashed with a dangerous glint. "Ōtsutsuki clan, I can't wait to see your faces when you encounter this gift."

Far away in the Hidden Mist Village, Kakashi, having faced no more surprises, was finally led by Mei Terumī to meet a revered elder whose influence rivaled the Mizukage's.

"The Uchiha clan's massacre, two rogue ninjas of S-rank... Who would've thought? It's a truly lamentable outcome."

The elder, with his stern yet kind expression and distinctive hairstyle, looked almost grandfatherly. After confirming the intelligence from Kakashi, he addressed the Leaf Village ninja. "But does this mean Konoha acknowledges Uchiha Shisui's involvement in the crimes in the Hidden Mist Village?"

"We don't deny it," Kakashi replied with a calm smile. "In fact, I believe his actions here might just be the tip of the iceberg."

"Oh? If the disappearance of our Mizukage is just the beginning, what was his true goal?"

"I wonder, Elder, have you heard of an organization called the 'Akatsuki'?"

"Akatsuki?"

The elder's eyes narrowed sharply at the name. He could sense Kakashi's insinuation and knew that this wasn't just idle gossip.

Kakashi continued, "From Konoha's intelligence, we've confirmed that Uchiha Shisui joined this organization."

"I've also heard rumors during my missions," Kakashi added, "that some of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist who defected joined a mysterious group..."

The elder fell silent, digesting the information. Then he spoke again, turning to Kakashi with a serious expression. "You must have more reasons than just sharing this information, correct?"

"Is Konoha interested in striking a deal with the Hidden Mist?"

As the sun slowly set over the Hidden Mist Village, Kakashi, having completed his mission, strolled leisurely through the village streets.

He even spotted an early edition of Icha Icha Paradise in a bookstore, long since banned in the Leaf Village.

Contrary to the Hidden Mist's notorious reputation as a "Village of the Bloody Mist," Kakashi found it surprisingly tranquil, though an underlying tension lingered in the air.

[It seems that the elder's governance has exceeded expectations. Despite the disappearance of their Mizukage, the village remains steady,] Kakashi noted mentally.

Turning his head, Kakashi gave a playful glance to Mei Terumī beside him. "Miss Mei, is that icy stare your way of saying goodbye?"

"With someone as dangerous as you around, even without orders from the elder, I'd keep an eye on you as long as you're in the Hidden Mist," Mei retorted, her vigilance unmasked.

Kakashi noticed the barely healed wound on her neck and glanced at the two elite Mist Village jonin trailing close behind her.

[Formidable. Skilled in taijutsu, I see,] Kakashi acknowledged internally.

It was clear that their previous encounter had taught Mei the dangers of engaging a jutsu specialist like Kakashi in close combat, so she had come prepared this time.

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Note: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 159+ at patreon.com/Esei01.