Kumogakure, Raikage's Office
"…and that would be the general situation, Raikage-sama," Mabui finished reading her younger brother's report to the leader of their village. "The team is expected to return in three days."
The Raikage was not behind his desk. Instead, he stood in front of the large window of his office, hands behind his back, gazing over the village.
"Three days," the Raikage repeated, chewing on the words. "Do we have any news or updates regarding the missing ones?"
"In fact, we've made progress, and the information just came in," Mabui nodded as she placed the scroll with the report on the desk. "The jonin inspected the surrounding areas and found traces of the two Uchiha children who disappeared from the orphanage. The trail leads to the Garaka clan, belonging to Councillor Tenro. They attempted to search the premises, but were stopped outside the clan compound."
"That idiot!" the Raikage ran a hand over his face in exasperation. "How can someone that old do something so stupid?!"
He was one of the most powerful and influential councillors in Kumo's Council. At the same time, he was also one of those who harbored the most hostility toward Chad because of his origins, and one of the elders who was always trying to stir up trouble.
He even put his grandson in the position of deputy director of the hospital!
"Raikage-sama, what are your orders?" Mabui asked. "If Councillor Tenro did something to the children, my brother's reaction when he finds out—"
Tenro had always made his moves carefully and "within the rules," which kept the situation tense but stable. Chad also retaliated in the same way, creating a constant tug-of-war, but things never escalated too far.
No one expected that, with only a few weeks of Chad's absence, Tenro would grow so bold and make a decisive move that crossed the line outright.
"I know!" the Raikage waved his hand. He was fully aware that mishandling this situation could be problematic, to put it mildly.
In the best-case scenario, the children would return safely to the orphanage, and the matter could be quietly swept under the rug. Warnings and shouting, a couple of blows to reaffirm his authority…
He didn't like politics or power games, but he understood how they worked.
In the worst-case scenario… the Garaka clan would cease to exist in three days!
It was no joke.
There were precedents.
He still remembered how the small Hiramatsuri clan had tried to eliminate Isaribi despite being warned about it five years ago, sending several assassins from their clan to do the job on a new moon night.
A silent operation, one no one would ever learn about, thanks to the cooperation of every clan member.
That's probably what they thought.
The result?
That very same night, the clan ceased to exist.
At least, that was how it could be interpreted. The adults vanished like ghosts. There wasn't a drop of blood anywhere, nor any signs of struggle. The children left behind suffered total, irreversible amnesia, and whether it was wealth or knowledge, everything disappeared into nothingness.
The shock from the event was considerable, but the Hiramatsuri clan had many enemies due to their belligerent and extremist xenophobic attitude. No specific culprit could ever be identified.
The "truth" everyone accepted was that several enemies had joined forces to carry out such a "clean" job. That was what they needed to believe in order to sleep at night.
Village security was reinforced. Time passed…
But he knew the truth.
Because the missing money and knowledge were handed over in full to the village by Chad himself. There were no words, no sanctions—not after seeing the evidence of information sales and the letters presented. A tacit understanding between them was enough.
The resources stayed in the village. There was one less political enemy for both of them. Isaribi would no longer be bothered. Chad would not be accused for his actions. And the hospital obtained a large quantity of healthy organs for emergency transplants.
The matter was never brought up again.
But the Garaka clan was different from a small clan like the Hiramatsuri. It was a large clan that had existed since the village's founding. They had contacts and ninja. They weren't anywhere near as important as the Uchiha or Senju of Konoha—not even close—but comparatively speaking, they almost matched clans like the Aburame or the Inuzuka.
Oh, he never once thought Chad would back down if he found out. This matter would only be resolved the same way as the Hiramatsuri clan incident.
The Raikage was very clear about which side held more value and weight.
"Mabui," he called. "Have ANBU deliver an ultimatum to Councillor Tenro immediately. I want those children back within an hour, and they'd better be perfectly fine, or losing his seat on the Council will be the least of his worries!"
By the Sage, he'd rather go himself and kill a few idiots personally than allow Chad to go berserk inside the village!
Tenro didn't understand that he was poking a dragon—
And he was poking it in the balls!
…
Konoha
Naruto returned to his apartment, staring at his immobile arm in confusion. When he passed out, he almost thought it would take months for his arm to heal.
He had never suffered such a severe injury in his life!
But in just a few hours, he woke up and was discharged after receiving a simple cast. They even told him he could take it off tomorrow morning.
Naruto wasn't a doctor, but he was pretty sure people weren't supposed to recover that fast. Otherwise, Bushy Brows wouldn't be crying and completely immobile after being operated on by that dark-skinned blond ninja.
"Ah, I never asked his name or thanked him…" he realized belatedly.
Setting aside his embarrassment in front of the entire village during the third exam, he hadn't forgotten that the man had revealed his ancestry to him. That had been emotionally intense.
His thoughts were quickly interrupted when he noticed a small scroll on his bed cushion.
"I'm pretty sure this isn't mine," he scratched his head in confusion.
The only rolled-up paper in his house was toilet paper!
He picked up the scroll and opened it curiously.
A cloud of smoke burst out, and several bundles of ryo fell into his lap.
Naruto: ???
He had never seen so much money in his life!
"Huh?" Before he realized what he was doing, he had already hidden the money under the bed.
He looked around cautiously, making sure no one had seen what happened.
"All clear," he sighed in relief, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. "Ah, the scroll."
In his rush to hide the money, he had tossed it aside.
He picked it up, sat cross-legged on the bed, and began to read.
Ten nutritious diets to become Hokage and how to make them!
Fail-proof clothing advice: how to dress without becoming a living target!
The secret to telling love and friendship apart!
Five habits that weaken a powerful ninja!
Steps to legally claim an inheritance!
…
Naruto didn't even notice how much time had passed as he read, completely absorbed in content that seemed directly connected to the deepest core of his desires.
It was as if someone had given him the instructions he needed—ones he never even realized how badly he needed!
Moreover, there were no complicated words. Every point seemed written with the fewest letters possible, going straight to the heart of the matter, which helped immensely in keeping his attention.
It even had drawings!
If Kakashi or any adult had read the titles and seen the content, they would have been stunned.
Why did it look so much like a children's book?
More importantly—
Was Naruto reading on his own initiative?!
"I didn't know I was doing so many things wrong," Naruto scratched his head again, looking at the scroll and then around his apartment. "So drinking milk to grow taller is a lie! What I really need are these things called 'nutrients'…"
That was extremely important news for him.
After all, expired milk didn't exactly have a good taste, smell, or texture, and he only drank it because he'd heard everyone said milk helped you grow big and strong.
No one had ever explained the concept of nutritious food to Naruto.
Now he could finally stop drinking that awful stuff.
He'd also save a lot of money on toilet paper!
It made up about a fifth of his expenses…
"The recipes don't even look hard," he examined the diet section. "This 'salad' is just washing and cutting vegetables. I could try that. I don't have knives at home, but a kunai should work."
It definitely wasn't because it said all mothers made sure their kids ate vegetables.
"I should also change my clothes. I've been wearing this for years and never thought this color might be counterproductive for a ninja," Naruto sighed. "But the Old Man's allowance isn't enough to—"
Wait a second!
Suddenly, he remembered the money under the bed and the part about claiming a family inheritance.
If his father was the Fourth Hokage, he must have saved up a lot!
The really crucial part was that the scroll explained how to make sure no one kicked him out of a store and treated him like a normal customer. He could finally get supplies he'd only ever seen, but never enjoyed.
He just had to use the Transformation Technique!
"How did that never occur to me?!" Naruto shouted, clutching his head as he cried dramatically, humiliated at having overlooked something so obvious.
He was a visionary with that technique—he'd created a version that even knocked out the Hokage! To miss such a practical and obvious use…
"By the way, who left the scroll and the money here?" he wondered in confusion. He didn't even consider Kakashi—not after having him as his jonin sensei and seeing how he was. "It's not signed… Ah, whatever! I'm sure I'll be promoted to chunin in a few days after my brilliant performance, and I'm recovering, so—Ichiraku, here I come!"