Year 60 of Konoha. The night before the Rookie Nine's graduation team assignments.
(In this timeline, Naruto did not steal the Scroll of Seals, but Mizuki was still arrested.)
Somewhere in Konohagakure, inside a private residence—
A handsome young boy with glossy white hair and fair skin sat cross-legged on the floor. His features carried both sharpness and a hint of youthful softness.
His eyes were closed in meditation.
Inside his mindscape—
The boy's eyes were a brilliant shade of blue, dazzling and clear, though now blurred with tears.
Standing opposite him was a white-haired man with sharp eyes and two red markings on his cheeks. His presence was stern, almost like a strict academic dean.
Anyone from Konoha's older generation would be shocked to see him.
He was none other than the Second Hokage—Tobirama Senju.
Tobirama's body glowed faintly with white light, as though he were about to fade away. Unlike his usual stern expression, he now looked at the boy with unmistakable relief and expectation.
If the current "Konoha's Council of Elders" (Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzō Shimura, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane in their youth) saw this expression, they would be stunned.
Their teacher… capable of looking like this?
Tobirama spoke with rare gentleness.
"Don't worry, Nagi. It's not as though we'll never meet again."
The boy choked back a sob.
"But… Sensei…"
Tobirama stepped forward and wiped the tears from Nagi's face, placing both hands firmly on his shoulders.
(Konoha's Council of Elders: Is this really the same teacher we knew?)
Then his expression hardened once more.
"Now, I will teach you one final lesson."
Nagi steadied himself immediately, suppressing his grief and straightening his posture.
"Nagi, do not grieve over my departure. In my era—and my brother's—partings from comrades and family were commonplace. Turn your sorrow into strength. Do not confine yourself to the present. You still have a future ahead of you. The fate of Konoha—no, the entire shinobi world—must be changed by you."
"Yes, Sensei."
Tobirama's tone softened again.
"If you ever need us, don't hesitate. Use the Impure World Reincarnation and summon us back. As for Hiruzen—if any problems arise, handle them boldly."
He paused.
"And don't tell Hiruzen that I've left just yet."
"…Also, take care of yourself, Nagi."
"…I will."
Tears shimmered in Nagi's eyes.
As Tobirama finished speaking, the white light intensified until his body dissolved completely.
Once he vanished, Nagi could no longer hold back his tears.
For the first time, he truly understood the pain of parting.
"…Goodbye, Sensei."
…
The next morning—
Nagi rose early, washed up, and ate breakfast.
He put on a pair of plain glasses that subtly reduced his presence—almost like something out of an anime—then tied his Konoha forehead protector around his shoulder and headed for the Academy.
When he arrived, only a few students had shown up. He quietly took his seat and began reading.
After a while—
Someone plopped down beside him.
"Nagi! Nagi! I hope we get assigned to the same team!"
Sitting next to him was Konoha's "Crown Prince"—Naruto Uzumaki.
Unlike in the original timeline, Naruto's complexion was healthy, his body well-nourished, and he wasn't unusually short.
Nagi glanced at him and smiled.
"Yeah. I'd like that too."
Naruto grinned foolishly.
"Right?! And if Sakura's on the team too, that'd be perfect!"
A moment later, Sakura Haruno entered the classroom. Naruto immediately ran over to her with a wide grin.
Nagi continued reading—then suddenly remembered something.
He turned his head to warn Naruto—
Too late.
The infamous "accidental first kiss" scene of the Ninja World unfolded before his eyes.
Naruto, who had been standing on his desk to argue with Sasuke Uchiha, lost his balance and fell forward—
Locking lips with him.
Sakura, Ino Yamanaka, and Karin (explanation to come later) were utterly stunned.
Inside the Hokage's Office, several jōnin observing through the Third Hokage's Telescope Technique watched the legendary moment in awkward silence.
Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at Naruto and Sasuke.
Then he glanced at Nagi—
And quietly looked away.
Suddenly—
BOOM!
The classroom blackboard transformed into a massive screen.
At the same time, an enormous projection appeared in the sky above Konoha.
Across the entire shinobi world, everyone felt something connect within their minds—
A shared communication channel.
[Welcome to the Ninja World Livestream]
[Naruto Uzumaki: Ughhhhh!]
[Sasuke Uchiha: …Ugh.]
[Hiruzen Sarutobi: Hmm? What is this? A genjutsu?]
[Fourth Raikage (A): "Ninja World Livestream"? Is this some trick by Konoha?!]
[Hiruzen Sarutobi: Kumogakure, do not make baseless accusations.]
[Ōnoki: If this is genjutsu, its scale is terrifying.]
[Tobirama Senju: Hm? Isn't this the Impure World—]
[Hashirama Senju: Huh? Tobirama's here too? What's going on? Is this the Pure Land?]
[Madara Uchiha: Hashirama. This is not the Pure Land.]
[Hashirama Senju: Madara! You're here too?! (๑°⌓°๑)]
Madara hadn't intended to reveal himself, but seeing Hashirama's confusion, he couldn't resist replying.
The shinobi world fell into stunned silence.
[Ōnoki: Madara Uchiha?! Is this real?! And the "God of Shinobi," Hashirama Senju, is here too?!]
[Hiruzen Sarutobi: Lord First! Lord Second!]
[Hashirama Senju: Oh! Hiruzen's here too! Hahaha! So where exactly are we?]
[Minato Namikaze: Lord First, it seems we are inside something called the Ninja World Livestream.]
[Hashirama Senju: Ohhh, I see! And you are?]
[Minato Namikaze: I am the Fourth Hokage.]
[Hashirama Senju: Oh! The Fourth! Looks like the village has been peaceful.]
[Minato Namikaze: …I'm not sure about that. I died sealing the Nine-Tails.]
[Hashirama Senju: Huh?! You can die sealing that thing?!]
The shinobi world collectively felt speechless.
But no one dared argue with the First Hokage.
[Kurama: You—%#@&! I'll—%@!]
[Hashirama Senju: Hmm? What's wrong with this "Kurama"?]
[Tobirama Senju: Brother. Let's first determine what this is.]
Elsewhere, hidden in the shadows, Black Zetsu and Obito Uchiha silently observed, already calculating how this "livestream" might affect the Eye of the Moon Plan.
Then, a voice emerged from the screen.
[Hello everyone in the livestream! I'm Xiao V, your customer service representative. You can ask me questions—though I may not answer. Hehe.]
[Up next: Two possible futures of the shinobi world. The white frame represents a parallel world's future. The red frame represents this world's future.]
[Hehe~ Though I should mention—your future has already begun changing since I arrived.]
[Oh, and one more thing: your strength will gradually grow to match your counterparts shown in the red-screen future. It's best to prepare early for certain events.]