The chakra belonging to Naruto flowed into the fragile little ball.
Countless chakras gathered in the center, spinning chaotically.
To any outsider, Naruto was just a child playing with a ball, and no one suspected that hidden within it was a terrifying jutsu capable of nullifying a Jonin's combat ability.
Even without everyday training with the Nine-Tails' chakra,
Naruto, who had lived two human lives, possessed a spiritual energy that ordinary people could hardly contend with.
His chakra control was far more frightening than the Naruto of the original story.
At the end of the year,
Snow fell from the sky.
Naruto wandered aimlessly through the streets of Konoha, experiencing his first New Year alone.
— "If you're from the Hyuga clan, show us your Byakugan!"— "Don't look here if you don't want to."— "Your eyes are disgusting! You're a real monster."— "Come on, white-eyed yokai!"
A series of malicious voices reached Naruto's ears.
He was stunned and turned toward the source of the voices.
Hinata, only three years old at the time, was surrounded by three children aged five or six, laughing loudly.
Naruto raised his brows.
Had this period already arrived?
It was worth noting that the only thing Sarutobi Hiruzen had done, being a child in Naruto's time, was probably helping Naruto find a good bride.
Obviously, to strengthen his position as Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen deliberately ensured that Hinata and Naruto would grow close, so the Hyuga clan would side with him.
After all, when selecting the Fifth Hokage, Danzo had indeed opposed Sarutobi Hiruzen.
He originally planned to reclaim the Hokage position, but Danzo argued he was unfit, citing that he was still bound to the Fourth Hokage.
In the end, Sarutobi Hiruzen was forced to temporarily take on the role of Hokage until a new generation of ninja matured.
This put Hiruzen's position at a disadvantage.
Nevertheless, he could not be easily dealt with, and he used Danzo's method to trap Kakashi and manipulate Danzo into his own scheme.
As a result, he not only secured Kakashi's loyalty but also forced Danzo to submit, holding leverage over him. Danzo dared not confront the Third Hokage openly.
Today in Konoha, only the Uchiha clan, the village elders, and the upper Hyuga clan could compete with him.
Following a strategy of vulnerability and battling the strong, the Third Hokage decided to draw the Hyuga clan to his side.
Although Naruto appeared to ordinary people as the embodiment of the Nine-Tails, the real influential figures had long known in the past three years that he was Minato's son.
Under the Third Hokage's pressure, they of course did not dare to speak out, but they also did not deliberately exclude Naruto like uninformed citizens.
Therefore, when Shikamaru asked his father if he could play with Naruto, the decision was left to Shikamaru.
Because they all knew the Nine-Tails inside Naruto was not going anywhere; accepting Naruto meant siding with the Hokage.
Ordinary ninjas like Ino–Shika–Cho were naturally more aware of the current situation.
But the giants, such as the Hyuga clan, did not respect Sarutobi, so Hinata was forbidden from interacting with Naruto in daily life.
One thing was clear: Sarutobi Hiruzen had set a trap for the Hyuga clan.
As a wealthy family, Hinata would be mocked by a few civilian children, which was simply laughable.
The younger branch of the Hyuga, responsible for protecting Hinata, did not understand why they could not get rid of this problem.
Nevertheless, although Naruto did not care about Hiruzen's schemes,
he, of course, was not foolish enough to go against a plan that concerned his future bride.
Seeing tearful Hinata being bullied,
Naruto slowly approached and shouted:
— "Hey! Leave this girl alone! Let me speak!"
The ANBU escort raised their brows in surprise.
The three children in front turned to Naruto with disdain:
— "Who are you? Want a slap?"
Today's Naruto was only a little over three years old, and he looked extremely thin compared to the children two years older than him.
But Naruto smiled and pointed at the three:
— "If that's the case, then you better hurry up and apologize to her."
Saying this, Naruto seemed to remember something and looked toward the ANBU:
— "I am the future Hokage."
— "Future Hokage?" — the lead boy sneered. — "Just you?"— "Are you an idiot?" — his companion laughed.
Based on his memories, Naruto should have pretended to use Shadow Clone Jutsu now, but at that moment he did not understand exactly where he made a mistake…
He had never been taught any jutsu.
The only thing he knew now was probably a level-A technique, the undoubted Rasengan.
He looked at the three children and finally muttered:
— "No."
If things escalated, they would probably be turned into minced meat,
not to mention that Hinata's status as a future wife would frighten him by itself.
Therefore, Naruto folded his hands and performed the Tiger Seal.
The faces of the three children across from him changed:
— "You actually know jutsu?!"
Naruto smirked and replied:
— "Jutsu? I—this is physical arts!"— "Secret of physical arts! A thousand-year death!"
The ANBU escort remained dumbfounded.
— "???"