Chapter 42: Return
After reading the introduction, Franklin immediately tossed it out of his mind — he didn't understand a word of it and had no idea what it was talking about.
By now, his phantom had arrived beneath the Hokage's office. Peering through the window, what came into view was the Third Hokage — the old ape himself — wearing a perverted expression as he stared into a transparent glass orb.
Inside that orb was Naruto, carrying the Scroll of Seals on his back as he fled.
The moment the phantom began observing, Sarutobi Hiruzen grew alert. "Who's there?"
Franklin's phantom didn't bother hiding. He transformed into a streak of black shadow and slipped through the window into the Hokage's office. In that instant, the phantom swapped places with his real body. From his own senses, the glass orb was nothing more than an ordinary glass ball.
That meant the Third Hokage's surveillance technique was some kind of ninjutsu. Franklin had originally planned to help Naruto get rid of the surveillance while he was here, but that plan had clearly fallen through.
"Who are you? What's your purpose in coming to Konoha?"
"My name is Uchiha Obito. During the Nine-Tails' attack on the village, I came under the name Uchiha Madara. I only indirectly caused the death of the Fourth Hokage — not enough to sate my hatred at being hunted. This time, I'm here to kill you."
As his gaze met the wary eyes of the Third Hokage, Franklin smiled harmlessly. At the same time, he activated the Eye of True Sight. His divine sense instantly blanketed a hundred-meter radius, and his phantom rapidly closed in on the Hokage's office.
Name: Sarutobi Hiruzen
Age: 67 / 72
Race: Human
Bloodline: Divine Tree Bloodline 33%
Body Cultivation: Body Tempering, 11th Level
Chakra Efficiency: 31%
Mind Cultivation: Mortal Heart Realm
Techniques: [Fire, Wind, Lightning, Earth, Water, Yin, Yang Ninjutsu], [Summoning Technique]…
Innate Talent: None
Overall Combat Power: 955–999
Franklin saw through Sarutobi's stats in an instant. The moment he saw that terrifying combat power — as high as 999 — he froze for a second, but quickly regained his composure.
In the next instant, power surged beneath his feet, causing the entire building to shake. Propelled by immense force, Franklin charged straight at Sarutobi Hiruzen.
The distance between them vanished in a blink. Sarutobi narrowed his eyes at the speed — surprised, but reacting quickly.
His speed suddenly spiked. As he sidestepped Franklin's punch aimed at his face, his hand seals completed. At this close range, Franklin's melee skill was only D-, but combined with the augmentation of his First Origin Realm body, a whip kick was already swinging toward Sarutobi.
The old man's expression hardened — he wasn't planning to dodge at all.
"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Bullet!"
Franklin narrowed his eyes — and he wasn't planning to dodge either. With only a body refined to this level, Sarutobi's strength lay in long-range attacks. If Franklin retreated now, he would surely lose. The power of a 900-level strike was not something he could handle yet.
His whip kick slammed into Sarutobi's waist, sending him flying back and absorbing some of the force — but at the same time, a fiery serpent spewed from the Hokage's mouth, streaking straight toward Franklin's face. Franklin stepped hard and barely dodged the attack.
In the next moment, he lunged again — but a white monkey leapt straight at him. The instant they collided, Franklin was blasted backward.
Sarutobi had already used the Body Flicker Technique to distance himself, and his hand seals were forming once again.
"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
Three fire dragons tore through the roof and came crashing straight down toward Franklin.
Blasted away by the white ape, Franklin crashed through a wall and flew outside. Just as he adjusted his stance in midair, the three fire dragons, radiating scorching heat, were already upon him. In that moment, he swapped places with his phantom.
The phantom danced nimbly through the air, evading the deadly flames before vanishing into the shadows.
Meanwhile, Franklin's real body, having swapped positions, appeared behind Sarutobi. The Guardian Sword in his hand swung down — but Sarutobi, reacting in time, blocked it with his staff.
Franklin followed up with a fierce kick, slamming into the Third's lower back. As Sarutobi was sent flying, Franklin pressed the attack, his Guardian Sword slashing down relentlessly. Each strike was blocked with precision — but Franklin's immense strength made Sarutobi's arms tremble, nearly dislodging the staff from his grip. Spotting an opening, Franklin swung with all his might.
Just when he thought victory was his, a white monkey's claw extended from the staff and clamped down on the blade.
Franklin's gaze hardened, but his response was swift. He poured more strength into the strike, unleashing a surge of sword energy. Blood sprayed through the air — the white claw was severed in an instant.
In the blink of an eye, Sarutobi had turned around. Before Franklin could react, the staff shot forward, extending rapidly. In moments, Franklin was hurled dozens of meters away.
As he looked up, countless shinobi were already converging on the Hokage's office — among them a bowl-cut figure and a tuft of white hair. Franklin knew it was no longer wise to stay.
He grinned. All the hatred had now been pinned on Uchiha Obito, and his will to fight vanished. Spiritual energy surged into his throat as his voice boomed across the entire village:
"Uchiha Obito is still alive. He has always called himself Uchiha Madara. He was the mastermind behind the Nine-Tails' destruction of Konoha. His goal is to collect the nine tailed beasts and resurrect the Ten-Tails.
He is plotting the Fourth Great Ninja War. And not only that — Uchiha Madara will be fully resurrected during the Fourth Great Ninja War.
The Third Hokage doesn't have long to live. Soon, Orochimaru will invade Konoha with the reanimated First and Second Hokage. He will die sealing Orochimaru's arms with the Reaper Death Seal.
The Fifth Hokage will be Tsunade, granddaughter of the First Hokage. The Sixth will be Hatake Kakashi. Uzumaki Naruto will become the Seventh Hokage."
As he watched the Third Hokage and the gathered shinobi frozen in shock and confusion, Franklin didn't bother to explain. He simply chose to return — and vanished from sight. This would make it even harder for Obito to clear his name.
A flash of white light passed before his eyes. When his surroundings came back into focus, the familiar environment and the comforting sense of safety made Franklin exhale deeply.
Sitting cross-legged on the sofa, he watched as lines of text appeared before him:
[Talent Awakener has successfully returned to the Treeborn World. Beginning mission reward calculation.]
Mission World: Naruto World
Mission Difficulty: E- ~ A+
Mission Completion: Worldline Alteration 56%
World Source Extracted: 56 oz (The Dimensional Heavenly Tome extracts World Source when the Talent Awakener kills major characters or distorts the worldline.)
Mission Completion Grade: A+
Mission Rewards: 873 Supreme Spirit Stones, 60 High-Grade Spirit Stones
(560 Supreme Spirit Stones for mission reward, 313 Supreme Spirit Stones and 60 Low-Grade Spirit Stones from combined World Source extraction and mission reward.)
[Mission rewards have been stored in the Dimensional Heavenly Tome's Spirit Stone page. Talent Awakener may check at will.]
[Supreme Spirit Stones: 1032]
[High-Grade Spirit Stones: 60]
After confirming his spirit stone reserves, Franklin let out a long breath and entered the dimensional space once again — now with a real chance to advance directly to the Core Formation stage.
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