The annihilation of the Uchiha clan was not merely a matter internal to Konoha. In truth, it had already escalated into a major international issue.
During this period, spies from every nation stationed within Konoha became noticeably more active.
The fall of the Uchiha naturally meant a massive loss of military strength for the village—something other nations were more than happy to see. Konoha had clearly anticipated this reaction and used the opportunity to launch a large-scale counterintelligence sweep.
From the founding era—when Senju and Uchiha stood side by side—
to the Senju quietly withdrawing from the political stage,
leaving Uchiha and Hyūga as Konoha's two great clans,
and now—
Only the Hyūga remained.
Of course, how people understood this depended heavily on how the story was told.
Thanks to Konoha's deliberate narrative control, most civilians believed that while the Uchiha's destruction did weaken the village, it had also completely eliminated the threat of internal rebellion.
So, overall…
Wasn't this a good thing?
For most people, the Uchiha had become nothing more than a topic for idle conversation. The discussions would last a long time, but they would remain just that—talk. Repeating the village's official explanation brought no real change.
In the end, the crushing burden on the Third Hokage and the village elders was lifted—
just not in a way that fully aligned with the Hokage's ideals.
But even a world-shaking event like this had people completely untouched by it.
For example—Naruto.
No one was going to sit down and explain geopolitics or clan extermination to a kid like him. Even if he overheard something, the deeper implications were far beyond his understanding.
Because of earlier changes to the timeline, Naruto's status as the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki was never publicly exposed. As a result, his early bond with the young chūnin instructor Umino Iruka never formed the way it originally should have.
And with certain pressures lifted from his life, even the so-called "cool, aloof kids" lost their strange allure.
Add Hagoromo's return, plus Mirai's constant presence—
In short, while Naruto's personality hadn't changed dramatically at its core, his state of mind was worlds apart from what it should have been.
A red-haired girl who occasionally (???) bullied him but also cared deeply about him.
A stoic boy named Kimimaro and an androgynous prodigy named Haku training alongside him.
And Hagoromo's guidance.
For Naruto, this already qualified as happiness.
Or rather—just having someone stand beside him was enough. Everything else was a bonus.
At this age, a child's heart could be fragile or resilient—it often depended on a single thought.
Naruto's biggest takeaway from the Uchiha incident was surprisingly simple:
Why hadn't Big Sis shown up to the Academy for several days?
So the moment he arrived here, he immediately started asking about it.
Considering what Naruto would face in the future, Hagoromo had no intention of explaining the Uchiha tragedy to him. That was why he hadn't taken Naruto along that night in the first place.
Instead, Hagoromo smoothly redirected his attention—with the promise of learning something new.
As for Mirai's absence?
She had a cold.
Obviously.
"What? You're still not teaching me ninjutsu?" Naruto complained.
"Chakra nature transformation? What's that even supposed to be?"
By now, Naruto had mastered basic chakra control. It was time for the next step.
"Only after learning chakra nature transformation can you truly learn advanced ninjutsu," Hagoromo said calmly.
"Otherwise, you'll be stuck using the lowest-tier techniques for life. Some people are destined to remain genin forever… or worse."
"So," he added casually,
"are you learning or not?"
The more indifferent Hagoromo sounded, the more Naruto felt he understood everything.
"I'm learning! Of course I am! That… chakra nature thing!"
Hook, line, and sinker.
"Well then," Hagoromo continued,
"chakra has five basic natures: Wind, Water, Fire, Earth, and Lightning. For you, Wind Release or Lightning Release would be the best starting points."
"Lightning Release, huh…" Hagoromo gestured toward the distance.
Not far away, Mirai, Haku, and Kimimaro were standing in a circle, holding hands.
And Mirai was actively electrocuting them.
As Hagoromo's students, being unable to use Lightning Release was simply unacceptable. That was why both Haku and Kimimaro were learning it now.
As for the training method—
It was brutally straightforward.
The goal of the first stage was simple:
memorize the sensation of Lightning chakra.
And the method was equally simple:
Get shocked.
Watching electricity cycle endlessly through the circle, Naruto had a sudden realization—
Was this… alternating current?
Before Hagoromo could even begin explaining Wind Release, Naruto shot his hand up.
"I want to start with Wind Release!"
Hagoromo froze.
"…Why?"
Do you even realize I'm a Lightning specialist?
This is heresy.
"Wind just sounds cooler," Naruto replied earnestly.
Hagoromo was speechless.
Have you ever seen a Lightning Release technique user and dared say wind is cooler?
But… fine.
Wind Release it was.
Hagoromo interpreted this as instinctual preference.
In reality, Naruto had figured something else out.
If he chose Lightning Release, he'd be dragged into that horrifying hand-holding electrocution circle without hesitation.
And he really didn't want that.
Watching people arc with lightning and smoke was traumatizing for a small child.
"Wind Release chakra transformation focuses on sharpness and cutting force—"
Less than two minutes into the explanation, Hagoromo stopped.
Naruto's expression could be summarized in two characters:
Utterly lost.
Right.
Pure theory was not going to work on Naruto.
With a sigh, Hagoromo plucked a leaf from a tree and placed it between Naruto's palms.
"Now what?" Naruto asked.
He understood the action—but not the goal.
"Release chakra from your palms," Hagoromo said,
"until you cut the leaf in half."
Finally—a proper way to teach Naruto.
"And if I can't cut it?"
"I'll cut off your hands," Hagoromo replied with a pleasant smile.
Naruto shuddered.
That… did not sound like a joke.
Fine. He'd cut the leaf. No matter what.
Nearby, the three human conductors immediately understood Hagoromo's true intent.
Honestly—Naruto should've just joined them.
Didn't he realize Hagoromo wanted him to learn Lightning Release first?
At this rate, learning Wind Release first might actually drive him insane.
Kid—there's no shore to this sea of suffering. Turn back now.
Electric shocks are gentle. Loving. Kind.
Unfortunately, Kimimaro and Haku were too busy being electrocuted to offer advice.
As for Mirai…
For some reason, she thought Naruto starting with Wind Release was a great idea.
Really.
What could be better?
It trained herself—
And entertained everyone else.
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