Chapter no.18 Naruto

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Chapter no.18 Konohamaru in Naruto's Shadow

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Hiruzen weighed his options. He could keep Naruto in the academy for another year, send in proper teachers to undo the damage, and rebuild what had been broken. Or he could let Naruto graduate, place him under the care of a skilled jonin sensei who could fix those flaws, who could guide him the way he deserved to be guided. The latter seemed more favorable—not just for his growth as a ninja, but because Naruto needed connection. He needed teammates his own age, people he could relate to, trust, and maybe, in time, he could trust Hiruzen again too.

"Naruto," Hiruzen said, steadying his voice, "remove your chakra enhancement."

Naruto blinked at him, a bit confused, but then obeyed. The second he did, Hiruzen watched as the boy's knees almost buckled, the floorboards beneath him creaking under the sudden shift of weight.

How heavy is that armor? Hiruzen wondered, his eyes narrowing at the sight. This wasn't ordinary gear. It felt like it was designed to fight something far more dangerous than human foes, like it was made for battles beyond their world.

He shook his head, forcing himself back to the matter at hand. Hiruzen offered Naruto a reassuring smile, even though his mind was racing. "See? Try to wear lighter armor. It would be better for you on missions."

"Can't I just use chakra enhancement?" Naruto argued, his frustration bubbling to the surface.

"There are people who can sense chakra," Hiruzen said calmly. "Sensors who could detect you from a mile away if your entire body is enhanced."

Naruto clicked his tongue in annoyance, but before Hiruzen could say more, the boy threw a smoke bomb to the ground. Where did he even pull that out from? The room filled with smoke, but it was hardly enough to blind Hiruzen. He watched, his senses on high alert, as Naruto's pants and shield seemed to vanish right before his eyes. And then, just as quickly, Naruto reappeared, dressed in a completely different set of clothes.

He changed his outfit in a second. A literal second. It was like he'd clicked a button and his entire gear had switched.

Space-time ninjutsu? Hiruzen thought, his mind reeling. How in Kami's name had Naruto—Naruto of all people—stumbled upon something so advanced? In two days, the boy had given him more headaches than Danzo did in a year.

Hiruzen felt a creeping unease settle in his gut. Was Danzo somehow involved in this? Was he training Naruto in secret? No, no. Hiruzen dismissed the idea almost as quickly as it formed. Danzo was too careful, too paranoid to leave any trace of himself if he were meddling in this.

But the question remained, and it nagged at Hiruzen like a wound he couldn't heal: What had Naruto been doing to get all these new abilities? Where had he learned them? And what else was he hiding beneath that armor and that stiff, soldier-like demeanor?

Naruto Uzumaki, the boy Hiruzen thought he knew, was becoming a puzzle he wasn't sure how to solve. And for the first time in a long while, he was terrified that he didn't have the answers.

Naruto was able to move faster now, but still, it was slow compared to other genin. Better, but...

"Do you want me to fight naked or something?" Naruto blurted out before immediately realizing his mistake and bowing slightly. That was a first. The boy's humility took Hiruzen by surprise, though it didn't last long.

"No," Hiruzen said, trying to hide his amusement. "Just wear lighter clothing."

"But what if I wanted to wear this armor, Hokage-sama?" Naruto asked, looking at Hiruzen with those determined eyes. He was still seeking guidance, even through his frustration and resentment.

Hiruzen couldn't help but feel a small flicker of hope. Even if Naruto was upset, he still asked for guidance—that had to be a good sign, right? Small steps, Hiruzen told himself. Small steps to regain Naruto's trust.

"Well, another way without jeopardizing yourself on the battlefield would be to try weighted training," Hiruzen suggested.

"What?"

"Weighted training," Hiruzen explained. "You introduce weight onto your body to force it to grow and adapt. The idea is to make your body accustomed to the extra weight so that when you finally remove it, you'll be much faster and stronger."

Naruto's eyes seemed to light up at the concept. Before Hiruzen could say another word, Naruto threw a smoke bomb to the ground. When the smoke cleared, he was back in his full armor, completely suited up.

"Why?"

"Weighted training," Naruto replied with a smirk, moving around in his heavy armor. His movements were slow, clunky, but Hiruzen could already see the potential in the plan. Naruto might not be training at the level of Rock Lee or Might Guy, but this was a step in the right direction.

"Why am I here?"

"Oh, well, I almost forgot," Hiruzen said with a chuckle, but before he could continue, the door to his office flew open, and he let out a groan as he saw who barged in.

Konohamaru, Hiruzen's grandson, stood there, all six years of him, with his brown hair, blue eyes, and that small chip in his tooth. He wore that ridiculous grey helmet with a hole at the top for his hair to stick out, along with his grey shorts, a long blue scarf, and that yellow shirt with the red Konoha symbol on it.

"Incoming! On guard, ol' man!" Konohamaru shouted, brandishing a shuriken as if he were ready to charge. But then, as if the universe itself couldn't bear to see him succeed in his little assault, he tripped over his scarf and landed face-first on the floor.

Hiruzen closed his eyes, taking a long, deep puff from his smoking pipe. It was all he could do not to let out a tired sigh.

"I get it, it's a trap!" Konohamaru mumbled, rubbing his forehead and looking around suspiciously.

Another voice interrupted, more anxious and frantic than the last. "A-Are you alright, Honorable Grandson? And for the record, there are no traps."

Ebisu, Konohamaru's overly devoted tutor, burst into the room. His dark hair, brown eyes, and ever-present sunglasses made him look like a ninja who'd never quite left his teaching persona behind. He was in the standard Konoha shinobi outfit, lacking only the flak jacket.

When did my office become a playground?

Then, to top off this circus, Konohamaru pointed an accusing finger at Naruto. "Aha, so you tripped me! It was you! Right?!"

Naruto, not missing a beat, responded with a flick to Konohamaru's forehead. "You fell over that stupid scarf," he said plainly, his voice carrying a hint of irritation.

Hiruzen could only shake his head, fighting the urge to laugh.

Konohamaru rubbed the spot on his forehead, looking like he was on the verge of tears. Naruto didn't seem to realize that those gauntlets of his packed quite a punch. Hiruzen sighed inwardly, seeing the situation escalate, especially when Ebisu burst out, "How dare you harm the honorable grandson of the Third Hokage!"

Hiruzen groaned at those words. He really disliked it when people measured someone's worth based on their bloodline. The way Ebisu said it, as if Konohamaru's value was solely tied to being Hiruzen's grandson, grated on his nerves. And then there was Konohamaru's smug little smirk—the one that clearly said he expected Naruto to apologize. It made Hiruzen realize the boy needed a lesson in humility.

"Hey, apologize to me!" Konohamaru demanded, puffing out his chest like a little rooster in front of Naruto.

Hiruzen watched closely, half-expecting Naruto to get mad and blurt out something in that blunt way of his. But instead, Naruto calmly said, "Fuck off."

Hiruzen almost had to bite the inside of his cheek to stop himself from reacting. Okay, so maybe Naruto was still Naruto after all. It was... oddly reassuring. Ebisu and Konohamaru looked absolutely stunned, their mouths hanging open like fish out of water.

"But... but I am the honorable grandson!" Konohamaru stuttered, his sense of entitlement dripping from every word.

"And I am the Squire of Oscar," Naruto shot back with pride, and that's when Hiruzen felt his heart skip a beat.

What? Squire of Oscar? What was he talking about? Hiruzen didn't even know who Oscar was or why Naruto would claim such a title. The words didn't sound like they came from their language, and the look of utter confusion on Konohamaru's face showed he didn't know how to respond either.

"Ha! What's that? Something lame?" Konohamaru blurted out, his unfiltered six-year-old mind doing what it does best—cutting straight to the heart of things.

Hiruzen saw Naruto's eyes darken at that. The next thing he knew, Naruto swung his fist and knocked Konohamaru clean on the head, the force of the blow sending the boy crumpling to the floor.

"Honorable grandson!" Ebisu screeched, ready to leap at Naruto in outrage, but Hiruzen stopped him with a mere tap of his finger.

"Yes, Hokage-sama," Ebisu said, barely containing his fury as he lowered his gaze in respect.

"Take Konohamaru out of my office," Hiruzen said, his voice firm.

"But—"

Hiruzen pointed at Konohamaru, who was already starting to wake up. His helmet, the one Hiruzen had personally crafted with a barrier fuinjutsu to protect him from physical harm, had a visible crack. That helmet was supposed to withstand even a chunin's blow without breaking, yet Naruto's fist had done the impossible. The crack spoke volumes about the force Naruto had used. It made Hiruzen wonder—was Naruto so angry about Konohamaru's insult that he didn't hold back, even against a child?

Questions bombarded Hiruzen's mind. Who was this Oscar? Why was Naruto suddenly throwing around titles and speaking as if he came from another culture? Was this armor connected to that name somehow? When did all this happen?

Before Hiruzen could dive deeper into his spiraling thoughts, a knock on the door drew his attention.

Iruka stood there, looking like he'd just woken up from a night of drinking—his face pale and eyes bloodshot. He clearly had a hangover.

"Hokage-sama, may I come in?" Iruka said, his voice carrying a hint of embarrassment as he eyed Ebisu, who was helping Konohamaru to his feet. But Konohamaru didn't let the moment pass; he scrambled to Naruto's side, eyes wide with admiration.

"Teach me your skills, and I'll become your disciple!"

Hiruzen blinked, and so did everyone else in the room. Naruto's expression didn't change. It was like watching a stone face come to life for a brief moment, only to harden again.

"No," Naruto said, as blunt and straightforward as ever.

"But I need to become the 5th Hokage!"

Hiruzen held his breath, waiting to see how Naruto would respond, hoping to see some flicker of the boy who used to shout about his dreams of becoming Hokage, who wore his ambition on his sleeve like a badge of honor.

Naruto looked straight into Konohamaru's eyes, enough to make the boy flinch.

"I don't care."

Konohamaru's face twisted in frustration, and with a defeated sigh, he motioned for Ebisu to guide him away.

Hiruzen watched them leave, his heart sinking. One thing was clear now—Naruto didn't care about being Hokage anymore. That dream, the one that used to light up his eyes with so much passion, was gone. And that realization hurt more than he cared to admit.

What had happened to the Naruto I once knew?

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[ Personal Note: First off, thanks a ton to all of you for sticking with this story. Seriously, you guys are awesome. Now, if you're interested in supporting me on P@treon, let me just say that over there, I post these massive 5k-word chapters. But heads up, if you're jumping to P@treon, you'll need to start from Chapter 9, since that's where this chapter lines up with the content there.

To everyone here just reading along, please don't forget to leave a comment! Honestly, your comments make my day, and they let me know you're as invested in this story as I am. So yeah, thanks again, and I hope you have an amazing rest of your day!