The streets of Konoha buzzed with energy.
With the Chūnin Exams finals just days away, visitors from across the elemental nations flooded the village. Traders, nobles, shinobi, and spies alike all mingled beneath the red lanterns and tiled roofs.
Naruto hated crowds.
Not because of the noise — he liked that.
Not because of the smells — even if Ichiraku's line was longer than ever.
He hated the stares.
The whispers.
The way people still looked at him like he was a ticking time bomb.
Even after proving himself in the forest… in the prelims… they still saw the demon first.
But lately, Naruto didn't just have Kurama inside him.
He had the System.
And that changed everything.
---
> Sync Level: 33%
Stat Growth Enhanced
New Legacy Path Option: Echo Reflex II – Chain Momentum
Warning: Internal Pressure Rising – Contained Threat (Nine-Tails)
Subsystem Notice: Hidden Seal Activity Detected
Naruto frowned at the last line.
"Hidden… what now?"
He tapped the alert.
For a moment, the System glitched — as if something was resisting.
Then it opened a sealed file:
> [Anomaly]
Internal Chakra Pattern Conflict – Code Name: "Curse Root"
Origin: Orochimaru
Purpose: Surveillance / Suppression
Status: Dormant
Risk Level: ⚠️ HIGH
Removal: Not Possible (Manual Seal Interference Detected)
Naruto's hands clenched.
Orochimaru.
The name sent a chill down his spine. The same rogue Sannin who branded Sasuke in the forest.
The same man who had killed the Grass ninja and stolen his face.
And now... Naruto had a fragment of his chakra buried in his seal?
"How long has that been there?" Naruto muttered.
> System Estimate: Since Chūnin Exam Entry
Activation Trigger: Unknown
Monitoring: Active
He wasn't just fighting the other Genin in the finals.
He was being watched.
---
That night, Naruto trained harder than ever.
Every clone learned something. Every hit mattered.
And for the first time, his System began forming… predictions.
> Combat Projection Module (BETA)
Simulated Matchup: Uzumaki Naruto vs. Hyuga Neji
Win Probability: 39%
Adjusted With: Echo Reflex II → 47%
Key Risk: Gentle Fist – Chakra Point Suppression
Recommendation: Disruption Strategy, Clone Deception, Terrain Control
Naruto stared at the floating window.
"Only 39%?"
Even with all this power, he was still the underdog.
He grit his teeth.
"Then I'll just have to prove your stupid prediction wrong."
---
The next morning
Naruto walked alone toward Training Ground 11.
Jiraiya was off gathering "intelligence" — which Naruto now understood meant peeping.
So today's training was solo.
Except… he wasn't alone.
A figure was already waiting for him.
Cloaked in a high-collared jacket. Face hidden by a traveler's hood.
Naruto stopped twenty meters away, eyes narrowing. "You're not supposed to be here."
The stranger chuckled. "And yet here I am."
The voice was calm. Young. Male.
He reached up, pulled back his hood —
Revealing pale lavender eyes.
A Hyuga.
But not Neji.
"Who are you?" Naruto asked.
The teen bowed slightly. "Call me Koji. I'm part of the outer branch. You don't know me, but I know you."
Naruto blinked. "You spying on me?"
No," Koji said. "I'm here to warn you. About Neji."
Naruto didn't relax.
"I'm not scared of him."
"You should be," Koji replied. "Not for yourself — but because of what he's been pushed to do."
"Explain," Naruto said.
Koji looked around, then stepped closer. "The branch family seal can do more than punish. It can guide. Orochimaru has people… touching the seal from the outside. Neji might not know. But if triggered during your match, it could force a violent surge."
Naruto remembered how Neji had looked fighting Hinata.
Cold. Mechanical.
Too intense.
"So what do I do?"
Koji handed him a scroll.
"Ink seal. Chakra misdirection. Apply it to your jacket before the fight. It won't protect you forever, but it'll scramble anyone trying to remotely hijack the seal."
Naruto hesitated.
"Why are you helping me?"
Koji looked him in the eye.
"Because if Neji loses control, he'll never forgive himself. And I refuse to let Orochimaru use another Hyuga as a weapon."
Then he vanished.
---
That night, Naruto sat beneath the Hokage Monument.
He opened the System.
> Quest Branching: Legacy Path Decision Required
Sync Level: 35%
Options Remain:
– Trickster Sage
– Living Storm
– Ninefold Echo
Choose Path? [Yes/No]
Naruto stared at the last one.
Ninefold Echo.
He tapped YES.
---
> Legacy Path: Ninefold Echo – Stage 1 Activated
Perks Unlocked:
→ Echo Link I – Shadow Clones now share short-term reflex memory in real time
→ Instinct Bloom – Temporary awareness boost during high-adrenaline combat
Clone Limit: Increased by 3
Cooldown: Reduced
Trait Mutated: "Clone Feedback" → "Echo Weave"
> WARNING: Legacy Path Progress will lock future choices
Naruto breathed out.
Locked in.
No turning back.
But somehow, it felt right.
---
Final Day Before the Match
Jiraiya returned that morning with a wide grin and a bruised eye.
"Didn't think I'd miss your last day of training, kid."
Naruto laughed. "Didn't think I'd be fighting a Hyuga with an evil Sannin watching from the shadows."
Jiraiya's grin faded.
"You know?"
"Bits," Naruto replied. "Enough to be ready."
He turned to his mentor.
"Can you teach me one last thing?"
Jiraiya crossed his arms. "What?"
Naruto's eyes gleamed.
"How to win dirty."
---
By sunset, Naruto had a plan.
He had the System.
He had the seal from Koji.
And he had more clones than ever before.
But what he didn't have — was time.
---
Tomorrow, the world would be watching.
Orochimaru's trap would begin.
The Chūnin Exams… would end.
And Naruto Uzumaki would face the first true test of everything he'd become.