Malrick leaped across the rooftops, his presence now unconcealed. Naruto followed frantically, shouting, "Wait for me!"
They landed one after the other in a residential area in the southeast corner of Konoha, downstream of the Naka River. This was where the Naka Shrine stood, as well as the Uchiha Clan Compound.
The desolate residences made Naruto shiver. "Ehh~~ This place looks like a haunted house! Big Brother, why did you bring me here?"
The eerie silence made him uneasy. Even a ninja dog from the Inuzuka Clan would sense something wrong. The houses were empty, the moonlight barely softening the oppressive atmosphere.
"Calling it a haunted house is an exaggeration. People live here, Naruto," Malrick said, glancing back at him.
"Huh? Is this your house then?" Naruto asked, relaxing a little at Malrick's calm demeanor.
"But it's so scary! Aren't you afraid of… things running out at night?"
"This isn't my house," Malrick replied, turning his gaze toward the interior of the residential area. Naruto followed, seeing nothing but darkness.
Suddenly, the creak of a sliding wooden door broke the silence. "Is! Is it a ghost? There's a ghost!" Naruto cried, goosebumps rising, and ducked behind Malrick, tugging at his sleeve.
Footsteps approached, and a black-haired boy in a dark outfit emerged into the moonlight, expression cold.
"A ghost… huh, you arrogant Sasuke? What are you doing here!" Naruto exclaimed.
Uchiha Sasuke's hands were in his pockets. "What are you doing here?" he asked coldly.
The two rookies locked eyes, their rivalry immediate. Before Naruto could advance, Malrick caught him by the collar.
"Quiet down. I brought Naruto here to teach him how to become Hokage and get stronger. Sorry for the intrusion," Malrick said, ruffling Naruto's head with an air of invincibility.
Both boys were stunned.
"Oh right! Hokage! Big Brother, teach me how to become Hokage!"
"You just said… get stronger?" Naruto exclaimed.
---
In the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi stood at his desk, pipe in hand. "Why isn't Naruto here yet?"
Bang! Shimura Danzo, wrapped in bandages, pushed the door open.
"The Jinchuriki has been lured to the Uchiha Clan Compound. Hiruzen, you're wasting time!"
"What? Naruto didn't go for the Scroll of Seals, but the Uchiha?" Hiruzen was startled.
Danzo snorted. "Whatever your plan tonight, hand over the Jinchuriki. A Jinchuriki without protection is too dangerous!"
"Impossible! Danzo, stop your schemes!" Hiruzen replied firmly.
"I will handle Naruto. As long as I'm in Konoha, he will be safe."
Hiruzen's face darkened. "Danzo, I am the Hokage! Recall the Root members—I will find Naruto myself!"
Danzo's expression soured. "My men are already on it. I'll instruct them to only capture whoever lured the Jinchuriki, but keep an eye on him, or…"
"Hiruzen, you'll regret it!" Bang! The door slammed as Danzo left. Hiruzen sighed but felt worry. Who had lured Naruto? It could be Itachi, Orochimaru, or another ninja village. He called upon Anbu and trusted Jonin, setting off in Danzo's indicated direction.
---
At the Uchiha Clan Compound, the ancient corridor glowed with orange light. Malrick sat on the steps with Naruto and Sasuke.
He drew a stream of Chakra from Naruto, observing it carefully. Naruto, impatient, asked endless questions. Sasuke watched coldly, skeptical.
"Hey! You said you'd teach me to become Hokage. Why do I have to release Chakra?" Naruto asked.
"Do you really want to be Hokage?" Malrick asked, calm.
"Of course! Because I, the great one, am going to—" Naruto began dramatically, but Malrick's gaze stopped him.
Immediately, Naruto fell into a genjutsu, confused and disoriented.
"This… genjutsu!?" Sasuke exclaimed.
"More or less," Malrick said. It was a genjutsu not created through ninjutsu, but through soul and spiritual manipulation. The illusion felt completely real.
Inside, Naruto lived another life from the start, under Malrick's guidance. He taught him everything: from dialectical materialism to production relations, to the new economic systems of ninja villages.
As Naruto's knowledge grew, so did his strength. Outside the illusion, Malrick studied Naruto's Chakra, feeding the findings into his training.
"The Nine-Tails' Chakra and Asura's Chakra contain past powers and reincarnation traces," Malrick explained. He carefully separated and reverse-engineered them: Chakra nature transformations, Wood Release bloodline, Senju Body, Sage Mode, Yang Release, Truth-Seeking Orbs—all powers of Asura and past reincarnations, reconstructed instantly.
"Yin-Yang Release can create matter, and the Ōtsutsuki Clan genes are unique compared to the others I've studied. Excellent," he noted.
After analyzing Asura's Chakra, Malrick sorted and erased residual wills from the past, returning the refined energy to Naruto's body.
____
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