Uzumaki Naruto stared at the B-rank ninjutsu scroll and swallowed hard. Was this really something he could just take without paying?
In the past, he would have been thrilled just to learn a C-rank ninjutsu.
Now, a B-rank ninjutsu lay right in front of him, and even he couldn't stay calm.
Inside the seal, Kurama sneered.
"Pathetic. This kind of ninjutsu is far inferior to that raccoon's Wind Bullet."
Naruto froze.
"Raccoon? You mean Shukaku? Another tailed beast?"
"Hmph. Just a stinking raccoon dog, not worth mentioning," Kurama snorted.
Naruto hesitated, then asked carefully, "Kurama… that's your name, right?"
Kurama fell silent.
At present, Naruto had not yet earned his recognition. In Kurama's eyes, Naruto was no different from Kushina—soft-hearted to the core.
The reason Kurama had lent power to Minato Namikaze earlier, when Shimura Danzō tried to seize the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, was partly to let Minato see what kind of life his son had endured.
The other reason was boredom.
He had hoped Minato would lose control and plunge Konoha into chaos, perhaps even loosen the seal. Instead, all Kurama saw was Minato's restraint and regret. It disappointed him greatly.
And now, to make things worse, he had just been threatened by Uchiha Ran.
Today was humiliating.
No—second most humiliating.
The most humiliating day was long ago, when a certain bastard had summoned a colossal Buddha and grabbed him with one hand, saying with a straight face:
"Nine-Tails, your power is too dangerous. I must seal you."
That was the darkest moment of Kurama's life. He had been minding his own business and was suddenly captured without warning.
Absurd.
Kurama withdrew into his memories and ignored Naruto entirely. In his eyes, Naruto was still just an ant.
Seeing that Kurama wouldn't respond, and sensing his teacher watching him, Naruto decisively exited his mental space.
"Thank you, Teacher!" Naruto said happily as he accepted the scroll.
Ran smiled faintly.
"Your turn, Sasuke."
Sasuke didn't hesitate. He took the scroll and smiled.
"Thanks, Second Brother."
"This Fire Release is one I use often," Ran said calmly. "If you practice hard, you might reach my current level one day."
He spoke cautiously, but to Sasuke, those words were pure motivation.
"Second Brother, I'll train hard and defeat you head-on one day!" Sasuke declared confidently.
Itachi rubbed his forehead.
Shisui kept a straight face, though the corners of his mouth twitched slightly.
Ran chuckled.
"It's late. Both of you, go get some sleep. I still have matters to handle."
Naruto looked eager to start training immediately, but Sasuke grabbed his wrist and shook his head slightly.
Naruto understood and nodded.
"I'll take Naruto back to rest," Sasuke said. "Second Brother, you should rest early too."
Ran nodded and watched the two leave. When he turned back, his expression became calm and sharp as his gaze settled on Itachi and Shisui.
Both of them stiffened.
"Where did you two go?" Ran asked coolly. "Why are you back so late?"
The pressure in his gaze was unmistakable.
The two exchanged a glance and answered honestly.
"We were on a mission," Itachi said. "Escorting Rasa to the mine. Because of his status and abilities, the higher-ups asked us to place him under hypnosis so he'd work more efficiently before the Sand Village responds."
Ran's mouth twitched.
Using two Uchiha elites to escort Rasa—this had Shikaku Nara written all over it. Calm, steady, and ruthless as ever.
"I see," Ran said. "Then take me to him. He's a village Kage—by the rules of this world, his status is comparable to mine."
Itachi nodded and prepared to lead the way, but Shisui's expression looked slightly awkward.
Ran noticed immediately.
"Shisui," he said with a smile, "did you… do something unnecessary?"
Shisui scratched his head.
"I used a short-duration Kotoamatsukami. I implanted a keyword: Konoha Miner."
"Konoha Miner: for the prosperity of Konoha, miners are essential. Anyone who understands this can't sleep."
Ran felt a brief wave of dizziness.
Rasa—the Fourth Kazekage—was now mining for Konoha.
If this got out, the Sand Village would probably explode.
Ran frowned for a moment, then patted Shisui on the shoulder.
"Well done."
Shisui straightened, eyes shining.
"For Konoha. For the Uchiha."
Ran nodded. This version of Shisui was far more decisive than the one from the original timeline.
"Let's go."
---
Konoha Mine
Rasa opened his eyes and raised his right hand.
"Magnet Release: Gold Binding."
Chakra surged through his body, flowed along his meridians, and burst forth from his arm.
In moments, a sphere of golden sand formed in the air.
The Konoha foreman was stunned. He had worried the Fourth Kazekage wouldn't adapt to mining—or worse, would cause trouble.
Instead, he watched in awe.
Less than ten seconds later, the golden sand condensed into solid gold bars.
The foreman's eyes nearly popped out.
He rushed forward, picked up a gold bar, and bit into it. Soft. Pure.
Ecstasy flooded his face.
This was a natural-born mining god.
No refining. No impurity removal. Minimal damage.
The savings in manpower, materials, and wealth were immeasurable.
Just as he was considering increasing Rasa's workload, a junior overseer ran over.
"Chief Foreman! Someone outside says he's Hokage Uchiha Ran and wants to see you!"
The foreman waved irritably.
"Tell him to wait—wait until I finish talking with Rasa—"
He froze mid-sentence.
"…Who did you say?"
The foreman grabbed the junior by the collar.
"Say that again."
"H-Hokage… Uchiha Ran," the junior said miserably.
"Idiot!" the foreman roared. "You dared tell the Hokage to wait?!"
He shoved the junior aside, face pale with fear.
"You'd better pray Hokage-sama doesn't blame me, or you're finished!"
With that, he hurried outside in a panic.
------
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