Lily's face went pale with fear. This was one of the most powerful figures in the entire ninja world. Even though Naruto was the son of the Fourth Hokage, how could he just stroll into the Hokage's office as if it were nothing?
The Third Hokage glanced at her, quietly sliding the crystal ball on his desk out of sight. With outsiders present, appearances mattered.
"Shouldn't you be preparing for the exam right now? What are you doing here?" Hiruzen asked, his tone calm but firm.
Naruto grinned, pointing a thumb at Lily. "Old man, I need a favor. It's about her."
"Oh? Let's hear it." The Third narrowed his eyes slightly, studying Naruto.
"She used to be a ninja from the Grass Village. I want to bring her into Konoha." Naruto spoke with a smile, but his eyes were serious.
At those words, Lily lowered her head, lips pressing together nervously. She dared not meet the Hokage's gaze. For her, this was someone so far above her that even breathing felt heavy in his presence.
"And your reason?" The Third Hokage's curiosity sharpened. He knew Naruto was kind-hearted, but kindness alone wasn't enough to justify interfering with another village's affairs.
"She carries the Uzumaki name," Naruto answered quickly, "and she was treated horribly in the Grass Village."
Hiruzen's gaze shifted back to Lily. That fiery red hair he hadn't seen it in years. Could she truly be one of the last descendants of the Uzumaki clan?
"If she were just a civilian, one word from me would be enough. But as a registered ninja, the Grass Village has her name recorded in their registry." The Hokage's voice grew thoughtful, heavy smoke curling from his pipe.
Lily's heart sank like a stone.
Naruto tilted his head. "So what, we just wipe out the Grass Village?" he asked with boyish bluntness.
"Pah!" The Third Hokage exhaled a sharp puff of smoke, glaring. "Don't be ridiculous. I mean that, from Konoha's perspective, there's little difference. We'll simply register her as one of our own. Once she's listed in Konoha's records, she's a Leaf ninja."
His lips curled into a faint smirk. "Would the Grass Village really dare march into Konoha demanding answers?"
"Old man, you're awesome!" Naruto shot him a thumbs-up, eyes sparkling with admiration.
"That's it?" Lily whispered. Slowly, almost timidly, she lifted her eyes toward the Hokage. "Just like that… I can leave the Grass Village?"
Her voice trembled with hope. That hellish place had chewed her life to pieces. After her mother's death, the only thought that had kept her alive was survival itself. Now, for the first time, she glimpsed something beyond survival.
"Yes," Hiruzen replied with a warm smile. "Go register with Naruto. Since you are relatives by blood, who would dare oppose your joining Konoha?"
After all, who could argue against family seeking shelter with family?
Naruto nodded enthusiastically. "Got it! Leave it to me." His eyes darted once more toward the Hokage's desk, where he'd seen the crystal ball earlier. He smirked but kept quiet.
As the two left, the Hokage sat back, lost in thought. The Uzumaki clan… his mind drifted to Mito Uzumaki, his late teacher's wife. Then to Kushina, and to Minato. Memories of old companions and sacrifices weighed on him like a shadow.
Thanks to Naruto's special status, the process was smooth. Lily, being older, was registered as his distant cousin an elder cousin on paper. Within hours, her new citizenship in Konoha was official.
When she finally held the papers in her hands, her eyes grew wet. Tears slipped down her cheeks, falling one by one. She had broken free from that devouring village. For the first time in years, she could breathe.
Mother… if you could see me now, I know you'd be proud.
"Thank you, Naruto," Lily said, bowing deeply to him.
"Come on, no need for that," Naruto replied, scratching the back of his head. "We're both Uzumaki. We're family, right?"
If his mother were still alive, knowing he had found another survivor of their clan, she would have been overjoyed.
Back at the Uchiha residence, Hinata and Sasuke were already deep in their daily training. The world only saw their overwhelming strength, but few realized how much sweat, blood, and perseverance went into every step of their progress.
Naruto turned to Lily. "Now that you're officially a Leaf ninja, what do you want to do?"
She hesitated, her voice dropping. "I… I don't know anything."
In the Grass Village, she had never been trained, never treated as a shinobi. To them, she had been nothing more than a resource, a vessel of blood and chakra to be drained.
Naruto closed his eyes, thinking. Then, suddenly, his eyes snapped open. "Wait. You're an Uzumaki. That means your healing factor should be incredible, right?"
"Eh?" Lily blinked, startled. Then she nodded slowly. "As long as someone bites me, their wounds heal quickly…"
"Not that!" Naruto waved his hands, flustered. "I mean your own healing ability."
"Oh." She paused, then nodded again. "Yes… my body recovers fast too."
"So that's why I've always been resilient," Naruto muttered to himself. "It's our clan's natural ability."
"And you have a huge chakra reserve, right?" he asked again.
"Mm," Lily confirmed softly.
Naruto slammed a hand down on the table, his face alight with excitement. "Then what's there to worry about? With that kind of talent, you can train in anything! Taijutsu, ninjutsu it doesn't matter. You've got the Uzumaki gift."
He puffed out his chest proudly. "Stick with us. I'll even split my shadow clones to help train you. You'll catch up in no time!"
Then, softening, he added, "Of course, if you want to try something else, that's fine too. Konoha doesn't only need fighters on the front lines. We need medics, researchers, support specialists. You can find your own path."
Gratitude welled in Lily's chest, and she bowed once more. "Thank you!"
She didn't yet know how grueling training under Naruto could be. That realization would come later.
Five days passed quickly. When Naruto and his companions returned to the central tower of the Forest of Death, the second exam was already over.
There they found Shikamaru and Choji, both covered in dust and grime, their faces worn with exhaustion.
Naruto tossed two bags of chips toward them.
"Whoa!" Choji's eyes lit up, his hands moving with surprising speed and precision as he caught both bags.
"What happened? Did you run into tough enemies?" Naruto asked curiously as he walked over.
"Don't mention it… we almost died," Shikamaru sighed, taking one bag of chips from Choji. After chewing, he gave Naruto a sharp look. "Where did you even buy these?"
"I cleared the exam on the first day. Bought them outside, of course." Naruto shrugged casually.
Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Figures. With your team, that's not surprising." He popped another chip into his mouth.
Naruto raised a brow. "But with you around, how did you end up in a life-or-death mess?"
"Sometimes brains aren't enough," Shikamaru muttered. He lowered his voice as Gaara's team emerged from the tower in the distance.
"We ran into them. Luckily, we hid fast enough. But I think they noticed us. They just didn't bother to attack."
Shikamaru's expression darkened at the memory. He had seen Gaara kill Rain ninja without hesitation, the sand swallowing bodies whole. That killing intent still made him shiver.
"Yeah, that makes sense." Naruto nodded, lowering his voice too. "If you see that guy again the one with the dark circles don't fight. Just run. He's not someone you can handle yet."
Shikamaru's gaze flicked to Naruto, then he nodded seriously. He knew his limits. Strategy could win against equals, but against overwhelming power, there was only one smart move: retreat.
Naruto looked around the hall. "Still, a lot of people passed."
Shikamaru finished another handful of chips, then agreed. "Yeah. From what I can tell, nearly all of our peers made it through this round."
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