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You can now get early access up to Chapter 155 of Re: Naruto Uzumaki on my Patreon.
Up to Chapter 11 of Marvel: Star Wars System is also available on my Patreon. Each chapter averages 5,000 words.
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The first 5 chapters of Marvel: Star Wars System are now available, completely free on my Patreon!
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"Naruto..."
In the Hokage Mansion, Tsunade watched Naruto closely as he stood in front of her desk.
Beside him were Hinata, Reika, and Shion, the Priestess from the Land of Demons.
But what truly caught her attention was the man standing behind the group. Tall, broad-shouldered, with long red hair and arms crossed. He watched her with a cold expression, as if harboring a personal grudge against her.
Naruto had told her his name was Shūen Uzumaki, a direct descendant of Ashina Uzumaki.
He was the father of Naoto and the other Uzumaki children they had welcomed into Konoha a few days earlier.
That made them family. Distant relatives, yes... but relatives nonetheless.
She was his second niece. Shūen was her second uncle.
From having no one to call family, overnight, she had recovered a brother and discovered that she still had family through her grandmother's side.
The thought that Naruto had managed to gather the scattered Uzumaki around the world was astonishing. It was a feat no one had attempted since the fall of Uzushiogakure.
She never believed Naruto would do something like that...
"You've done a great job, Naruto." she gave him a small smile. "Konoha will welcome the Uzumaki Clan and help them settle in the village."
Shūen scoffed, amused.
"Settle here...? The Uzumaki Clan hasn't returned to get stuck in mediocre Konoha."
Tsunade frowned.
"As Patriarch of the Uzumaki Clan, you should know that settling here is your best chance at rebuilding. Or are you planning to go to another village? Maybe you'll move the Uzumaki Clan to Kumogakure—the same village that led the alliance which destroyed your homeland?"
Shūen slowly shook his head, with an almost mocking smile.
"You think I'm the Patriarch of the Clan...? That's flattering." He gave a slight nod towards Naruto. "The brat will be. He's shown he has what it takes. He has the strength. He has the vision. And most importantly, he has the knowledge. Only an Uzumaki who has become a Master of Fūinjutsu can lead the clan. And as much as it pains me to admit it, I'm no master."
After seeing Naruto manipulate Yomi's Fūinjutsu in the Land of Swamps, Shūen had made a decision.
As a direct descendant of Ashina Uzumaki, the clan's former leader, all signs pointed to him taking command.
But he wouldn't.
Naruto was better prepared. He was more capable. Not only did he have the necessary strength, but also the knowledge and character the position demanded. Over the course of their journey to Konoha, the two had spoken extensively about it.
To Shūen, the conclusion was clear.
There was no one more suited than Naruto to lead the clan.
Even if he still had much maturing to do...
"Naruto... the Patriarch of the Uzumaki Clan?" Tsunade murmured, a mix of surprise and confusion in her voice.
And unintentionally, she once again asked herself why the clan didn't plan to settle in Konoha.
Wasn't Naruto one of their own? A ninja born and raised in the village?
Then Naruto spoke.
"I resign."
He said it without drama, without raising his voice. He simply dropped his headband onto the desk, letting it fall over the documents in front of her.
"Y-you resign...?" Tsunade repeated, unable to hide her disbelief.
Hinata and Reika looked at him wide-eyed, just like Tsunade, unable to believe what they were hearing.
Naruto... was going to leave the village...?
Naruto hadn't told them about this decision.
"Do you know what you're saying?" Tsunade's voice dropped, graver. "A ninja doesn't resign, Naruto. He only ceases to be one if he's incapacitated... or dead. Are you saying... you'll become a rogue ninja?"
Her hand, resting on the table, clenched tightly.
Naruto calmly sat in the chair across from Tsunade, not taking his eyes off hers.
"I have no intention of becoming a rogue ninja. I'm just leaving the village. I'm an Uzumaki... and the Uzumaki belong to Uzushiogakure, not Konoha."
"It's always been that way, and it always should have been," Shūen added.
Tsunade sighed, bringing a hand to her temple. A slight headache was beginning to settle in, slow but firm.
"You know what that means, right? Kumogakure will never allow Uzushiogakure to rise again. The Uzumaki Clan wasn't feared for their Fūinjutsu without reason. Once they discover you're rebuilding the country, they won't hesitate to attack."
She fell silent for a second before adding gravely:
"And Kirigakure might join the attack. They're far too close to Uzushiogakure to ignore it."
The sharp smack of Shūen's fist into his palm exploded in the office.
"Then let them come," he said with absolute confidence.
Naruto remained silent. Kumogakure and Kirigakure weren't a problem.
If the Land of Lightning and the Land of Water decided to attack them, let them try.
Let's see who falls this time...
"There are still many preparations before leaving for Uzushiogakure. We'll stay in Konoha for a while." Naruto continued speaking.
Tsunade nodded slowly, eyes closed, a hand on her forehead.
"Isn't there any way to convince you, brat...?" she murmured, mentally exhausted.
They had only been talking for a few minutes, and she was already tired of the conversation.
The Third Hokage had left her with so many unresolved problems.
There was so much to rebuild. So many decisions pending, systems to reform, wounds to heal...
She thought the return of the Uzumaki Clan would energize Konoha. Now she knew they wouldn't stay. And that Naruto... was leaving too.
As Hokage, she shouldn't allow the Jinchūriki to leave the village. But she knew Naruto.
There was no way to stop him.
The return of the Uzumaki Clan, and with them Uzushiogakure, would also benefit Konoha in the long run, so she had no choice but to support them.
"I'll get to work immediately on assigning you a housing complex where you can stay while you're in Konoha. Whatever you need, make a list and send it to me. I'll take a look..." said Tsunade.
Naruto nodded with a small smile on his face.
As he was about to leave with the others, Tsunade stopped him.
"Brat..." she called.
Naruto turned around, raising an eyebrow.
"I hate you for convincing me to become the Fifth Hokage, just so you know..." she murmured.
Naruto simply smiled, amused, before leaving the office.
...
"Naruto!" Kushina ran toward him and hugged him tightly, burying her face in his chest. "Don't go away for so long again! Do you hear me?!"
After getting emotional over seeing her son again, Kushina's attitude changed in an instant. She went from joy to fury, pushed him away and smacked him on the head while scolding him.
"If you don't want another hit, make sure to say goodbye next time!"
Naruto frowned.
"Don't hit me again, old hag."
Kushina's hair slowly rose. The Kyūbi's Chakra appeared around her body... Even her eyes transformed, becoming identical to Kurama's!
"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU'RE CALLING OLD HAG?!" she exclaimed, hitting him again with all her strength.
In a blink, Naruto, who had been standing in front of his mother, was now just inches from the ground.
The blow had bent him over completely, almost making him kiss the floor.
Luckily, he had reinforced his body with Chakra right before the impact. Otherwise, his skull would've ended up fractured.
Minato, who was standing next to Kushina, remained still and silent, his face tense.
Naruto glanced sideways at him. He wasn't even paying attention; he was swallowing hard while glancing nervously at his wife.
Was he... acting like Kushina was a T-Rex? Staying completely still not to be detected by her?
"Let me tell you, Dad, that doesn't even work in the movies..."
Kushina turned to Minato.
"You should scold him too, dear!"
"That... I think he's had enough, Kushina... Let's leave it for now, let him shower and tell us about his trip, okay?" he murmured.
Kushina crossed her arms, looking back and forth between Minato and Naruto.
Finally, she sighed and nodded.
"You've caused quite the stir, Naruto..." she said, placing a hand on her face and letting out a long sigh.
"Look who's talking," Naruto muttered to himself.
He heard Minato swallow hard—he had clearly heard the comment.
Luckily for both of them, Kushina hadn't heard anything.
"But your mother is right, Naruto. In the Five Great Ninja Nations... and beyond, everyone's talking about you," Minato informed him.
Naruto puffed his chest slightly, wearing a confident smile.
"Of course they are. I'm awesome..."
Minato let out a brief laugh, amused, while Kushina shook her head, visibly exasperated.
"By the way, how can you use Kurama's Chakra?" Naruto asked, raising an eyebrow toward his mother.
Kushina looked at him, visibly confused.
"As far as I remember, I never stopped being able to use it."
"Did the system create another Nine-Tailed Fox...?" Minato asked, tossing out ideas, even absurd ones.
Then, a mass of reddish-orange Chakra emerged from Naruto's body and took the form of a huge fox head.
It was Kurama.
"Interesting..." he murmured, fixing his gaze on Kushina. "It's not like there's another me inside, Minato," he said, answering his question. "What I see is a Chakra imprint, an energy matrix that reproduces my signature, density, and energy conversion circuits... but without consciousness, without instinct, without will. Like a functional machine."
Minato frowned.
"So it's not another Nine-Tailed Fox?" Naruto asked, looking at Kurama with interest.
For a moment he had thought the system had created another Kurama by bringing Kushina back to life...
"No," Kurama answered flatly. "Think of it as an isomorphic copy of my Chakra. It mimics my pathways, power, and affinity with Kushina's Chakra circulatory system, but lacks the cognitive layer. That is, there's no 'me' in there. It's a pilotless plane."
Naruto narrowed his eyes.
"It must've been the system," Minato murmured to himself.
Kurama glanced at him.
"Whatever this 'system' is that you're talking about, it acted as a state restorer. It didn't bring you back to the exact point before your death, but to the peak of your historical performance. In your case, Kushina, that means when you were still a Jinchūriki. But since the 'real' me is sealed in Naruto, the system compensated for my absence with a mindless energy replica to maintain power coherence."
"In short," Naruto said, "you get full access to Kurama's power without the hassle of him growling in your head."
Kushina raised her fist and winked at Naruto. "That sounds great. Your mom's super strong, Naruto. You should be proud."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say," he murmured, amused.
Kurama snorted.
"And while I'm at it... do something about Shukaku. I can't stand him anymore."
Naruto looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "What did he do now?"
Kurama growled.
"What did he do? Exist. I don't like sharing space with that unbalanced raccoon. Separate us. Or better yet, seal him in a gourd and throw the key somewhere. And make sure you forget where."
Kushina brought a hand to her mouth to stifle a laugh.
Naruto shook his head, amused.
"Deal with it. I'll do something about it soon."
Kurama didn't reply. He simply vanished, dissolving silently into Naruto's body.
Kushina, still smiling, wiped away a stray tear.
"I'll go prepare the bath for you. Relax a bit... then we'll talk more."
Naruto nodded, grateful.
After his journey, a hot bath was a luxury he wasn't going to refuse. Since leaving Konoha, his only hygiene moments had been in cold rivers and lonely lakes.
As he followed his mother down the hallway, he felt the tension in his shoulders slowly begin to melt away. As if, just for a moment, everything was at peace.
Naruto thought he could get used to this.