Kurenai was manageable—
But Tsunade and Mei Terumī were absolutely not the type to go easy later.
Getting entangled with those two gave Uchiha Yusuke a genuine headache.
Still, the greatest threat in the shinobi world had not yet been resolved.
And for now—
Yusuke had no time to think about marriage.
The Political Shift
Because of Yusuke's ambiguous closeness with Tsunade, sharp-minded clan heads such as Nara Shikaku and Aburame Shibi gradually aligned with the Uchiha camp.
In Konoha, clans rarely moved alone.
Once the Nara and Aburame leaned in that direction—
The Inuzuka, Akimichi, and others followed suit.
By the time the Third Hokage noticed—
Hyūga, Nara, Aburame, Inuzuka…
Most of the village's major clans had tilted toward Uchiha Yusuke.
The tide had turned.
Even Tsunade, his own disciple, was drifting toward Yusuke's orbit.
If Tsunade was no longer firmly on his side—
The Hokage faction had no clear successor.
Was he supposed to elevate an ordinary jōnin to compete for the Hokage seat?
He had invited Jiraiya back repeatedly—
Sincerely.
But Jiraiya refused every time.
The Third Hokage could only sigh.
A new generation replaces the old.
The era of Sarutobi dominance was quietly ending.
Hokage Tower — Father and Son
A bearded young man pushed open the door to the Hokage's office.
"I'm back."
The Third Hokage glanced at the mission scroll.
"Guarding the Fire Daimyō. Good work."
The cold tone made the young man clench his fist.
"You still won't acknowledge me?"
"I protected the 'King,' just like you said."
"Why is it never enough, Father?"
Sarutobi Asuma's voice trembled with frustration.
The Third exhaled slowly.
"You understand nothing."
"Protecting the 'King'… is not just about completing a mission."
"Asuma, leadership requires vision."
Asuma snapped.
"Then tell me what I lack!"
"Am I really that worthless?"
The Third fell silent.
If Asuma had even half of Yusuke's excellence—
He could have been groomed as a successor.
But Asuma's political awareness was shallow.
He still sought recognition like a child.
Asuma turned sharply.
"I regret being born a Sarutobi!"
The door slammed.
The Third sat alone.
If he could not rely on Asuma—
Perhaps he should invest his hopes in his grandson.
Konohamaru.
Ninja Academy — A New Generation
Uzumaki Naruto.
Uchiha Sasuke.
Hyūga Hinata.
They had all entered the Academy.
Because Yusuke occasionally guided them—
Sasuke and Hinata were noticeably stronger than in the original timeline.
Sasuke had already mastered advanced shuriken techniques.
He could stably activate two tomoe of the Sharingan.
Hinata's Gentle Fist was refined.
She had begun grasping the foundations of Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms.
By standard evaluation—
Both possessed chūnin-level strength.
As for Naruto—
Without a formal master, Yusuke only guided him sporadically.
He was weaker than Sasuke and Hinata.
But compared to the original timeline—
His taijutsu and chakra control were significantly better.
It was Konoha Year 60.
Early spring.
Only months remained before the true main storyline would begin.
Uchiha District — Breakthrough
Yusuke sat cross-legged in seclusion.
With a thought—
A system interface appeared before him.
Fire Release Chakra Mode — 99.9%
Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan — 12.4%
Extreme Flow Taijutsu: Gate of Shock — 18.2%
Great Swordmaster Swordsmanship — 23.9%
Overall Rating: Peak Demi-God
(Comparable to Prime Madara / Hashirama)
After three years of isolation—
He stood on the edge of god-tier power.
In the past century—
Only two shinobi had reached that realm:
Hashirama Senju.
Madara Uchiha.
Before god-tier—
Even Kage were like ants.
Nagato.
Minato.
Third Raikage.
All would fall.
But Yusuke was not arrogant.
Above god-tier—
Was Six Paths.
Above Six Paths—
Was the calamity of the Ōtsutsuki.
He had no intention of stopping at Madara's level.
He continued pushing.
Chakra refinement surged—
Fire Release Chakra Mode shattered its final limit.
It evolved.
Into Yin–Yang Release Chakra Mode.
In that moment—
Yusuke crossed the boundary.
He entered true god-tier.
The Variable Appears
A small boy with whisker-like marks on his cheeks ran through the village streets.
Paint bucket in hand.
"Hey, Naruto!"
"You'll get divine punishment for that!"
"You can't get away this time!"
Two genin chased after him.
Naruto laughed.
"You're too slow!"
"Only I can pull this off!"
"Pretty awesome, right?!"
He pointed proudly at Hokage Rock—
Now covered in messy oil paint graffiti.
Hokage Office
Two genin burst in.
"Hokage-sama!"
"Naruto painted the Hokage Rock again!"
"This time with oil paint!"
The Third Hokage calmly tapped ash from his pipe.
"…Naruto again."
Graduation Exam
Iruka stood at the podium.
"When your name is called, proceed to the next classroom."
"Today's test is the Clone Technique."
Naruto froze.
His worst jutsu.
Names were called one by one.
Finally—
"Naruto Uzumaki."
Naruto stepped forward, forcing confidence.
Hand seals formed.
"Clone Technique!"
A single frail clone appeared—
And collapsed uselessly.
Iruka sighed.
"Failed."
Mizuki stepped forward.
"His stamina is excellent."
"And technically he did produce a clone."
"Can we pass him?"
Naruto's eyes filled with hope.
Iruka shook his head firmly.
"Everyone else produced at least three functional clones."
"I cannot pass him."
Naruto's shoulders dropped.
The Swing
Parents gathered their children.
Naruto sat alone on the swing.
Whispers cut into him.
"He's the only one who failed."
Mizuki approached gently.
"Iruka-sensei isn't targeting you."
Naruto snapped.
"Then why am I always the one who fails?!"
Mizuki leaned closer.
"What if I told you a secret?"
The Scroll of Seals
That night—
Naruto stole the Scroll of Seals.
Iruka was awakened by urgent news.
"Naruto stole the forbidden scroll!"
Meanwhile—
Naruto hid in the forest.
He unrolled the scroll.
"The first technique…"
"Multi Shadow Clone?"
He blinked.
"That's just clone technique again…"
Betrayal
Iruka found Naruto first—
But Mizuki attacked from behind.
As Iruka fell—
Naruto leapt forward.
A flying kick sent Mizuki crashing backward.
Mizuki sneered.
"You think you can stop me, monster?"
Naruto's eyes burned.
"Don't touch Iruka-sensei."
Mizuki hurled a giant shuriken.
Naruto formed seals.
"Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
The forest exploded with Narutos.
Hundreds.
Thousands.
Iruka's eyes widened in disbelief.
Solid clones—
Not illusions.
Mizuki trembled.
"This… this is impossible!"
Naruto's clones shouted in unison.
"You said one punch would crush me?!"
"Try it!"
Moments later—
Mizuki lay beaten beyond recognition.
The Headband
Naruto scratched his head awkwardly.
"Did I go too far?"
Iruka smiled warmly.
"Naruto."
"Close your eyes."
Naruto obeyed.
When he opened them—
Iruka had tied his own forehead protector onto Naruto's head.
"Congratulations."
"You've graduated."
Naruto threw himself into Iruka's arms.
"Iruka-sensei!!"
From the Shadows
Not far away—
Uchiha Yusuke watched quietly.
A faint smile curved his lips.
The board was set.
The structure of the shinobi world was complete.
And now—
The final variable had appeared.
Naruto Uzumaki.
The story had truly begun.
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