Morning.
Shinho yawned as he woke up.
Still half-asleep, he wandered to the bathroom, only to bump into something at the door. Startled awake, he looked up to find Tsunade's back.
"Wait, a bit until I'm done," Tsunade said, glancing at him.
When Shinho was younger, he used to squeeze into the bathroom with her to brush his teeth. But now that he was grown, space was limited, and it wasn't possible anymore.
After Tsunade finished freshening up, she raised her hands, pulling her messy blonde hair into two neat ponytails.
She checked herself in the mirror, making sure everything was perfect before stepping aside.
As she walked past Shinho, she stood on her tiptoes, her toes slightly flushed, and patted his head.
"You've gotten taller. It's becoming inconvenient to pat your head."
"..."
Shinho glared at her.
Are you dissatisfied? If you love patting heads so much, why don't you just have a kid of your own?
Noticing his expression, Tsunade's lips curled into a smile. Her mood had visibly improved.
Shinho ignored her and started brushing his teeth. When he finished, Tsunade was already gone.
"Good morning, Shizune-nee," Shinho greeted as Shizune emerged from the kitchen.
"We're having tonkotsu ramen for breakfast," Shizune said as she placed a bowl in front of him. "Smells great, doesn't it?"
"Smells amazing," Shinho praised. "Shizune-neesan's cooking skills are good enough to open a ramen shop. We can put uncle Teuchi out of business, you know!"
"You're exaggerating," Shizune said with a bright smile.
"I'm hungry!" Tsunade called out from the dining table, tapping it impatiently like a large golden cat chiding her caretaker for being slow.
Thinking about it, that comparison wasn't far too off. After all these years, it had mostly been him and Shizune feeding Tsunade.
"There's another bowl in the kitchen," Shizune reminded.
"I'll get it," Shinho said, heading to the kitchen. He found the bowl of ramen still simmering in the pot. Taking it back to the dining room, he sat at the table.
"Shinho, how's life as a Genin treating you?" Shizune asked after taking a sip of her ramen.
"It's going well," Shinho replied, noticing a bit of oil on her lips. He grabbed a napkin and handed it to her.
Shizune took it naturally and wiped her mouth. "I'm a little jealous, though. I never got to experience life as a Genin."
It wasn't meant to brag; it was more of a lament.
After graduating from the Academy, she had expected to have her own two teammates and leader.
Instead, she ended up with just Tsunade, launching her into a wandering lifestyle filled with gambling, running from debts, borrowing money, then gambling again and hiding once more.
Without Shinho around, Shizune had no idea how long she might have continued in that cycle.
Tsunade seemed like she wanted to say something but ended up focusing on her ramen instead. After finishing her bowl, she let out a satisfied sigh.
Shinho handed her two napkins. The oil on her light pink lips glistened under the light, almost like lipstick. It was hard to ignore.
"Why is it office time already?" Tsunade grumbled after wiping her mouth, slumping onto the couch like a lifeless body.
"Most of your duties are handled by Uncle Shikaku, aren't they?" Shinho asked, standing by the couch and glancing down at her curvy figure.
Then why are you still complaining? Although, Shinho kept the last part to himself.
"Work is still work," Tsunade groaned. "Just the act of going to work makes me tired."
Wow! You've mastered the art of being a corporate drone without even trying!
Shinho chuckled and teased, "Shizune-nee will finish the dishes soon. You better get moving."
Shizune could never stand seeing Tsunade being this lazy.
"You little brat!" Tsunade grumbled, sitting up and grinding her teeth. "You better watch your steps, or I'll stomp you out flat one day!"
Shinho instinctively glanced at her pale bare feet.
"What? You actually want that?" Tsunade noticed his gaze and snorted. "Not interested, huh?"
"Nope," Shinho replied, handing her the light green outer coat. "Time to go to work, Sensei."
Annoyed, Tsunade raised her foot and lightly stomped on his. It wasn't hard, but the sole of her foot was a bit cold.
You're being too childish, sense!
Shinho shook his head slightly.
"Ah, brat, keep an eye on Naruto for today," Tsunade said as she stood, shrugging on her coat. The kanji for "Gamble" on her back fluttered as she moved.
"I know," Shinho nodded. "I was heading over to see him now."
….
Shinho left the Senju residence and soon spotted a familiar, albeit slightly unexpected, figure standing outside Naruto's apartment: Sasuke Uchiha.
Sasuke stood there, lost in thought, a hint of hesitation on his otherwise cold face.
"Sasuke," Shinho called out as he approached, "Are you here to see Naruto?"
"No," Sasuke replied instinctively, though his expression suggested otherwise.
That attitude won't cut it anymore. Normally, Team 7 would meet at the training ground every morning.
Was Sasuke really going to claim he was "just passing by"?
Shinho chuckled and asked, "Then what are you doing here?"
Sasuke stiffened slightly, glancing around before muttering, "Checking the notice board."
"The notice board?" Shinho looked around and finally spotted the bulletin board about fifty meters away. The Sharingan's eyesight is impressive.
"Yes," Sasuke said, his tone remaining indifferent. "Naruto is the Fourth Hokage's son."
"It's definitely surprising," Shinho replied with a smile, not calling him out on his obvious lie.
"Other than his hair, he doesn't really look like the Fourth," Sasuke remarked, shifting his gaze. "Go call him down. It's almost time for our meeting."
"You're already here. Why don't you come up with me?" Shinho suggested, heading upstairs.
When they reached the hallway, they found all kinds of gifts piled outside Naruto's door.
Are these peace offerings? Or are just people trying to get on his good side?
Shinho squeezed past the pile and knocked on the door.
The door opened to reveal Naruto, his hair a messy, spiky nest. A strange smell wafted out—something that resembled hair gel.
"Shinho! You're just in time!" Naruto's eyes lit up with excitement. "I need your help!"
Classic Naruto, Shinho thought. Even after learning the truth, he was still so optimistic.
"What do you need help with?" Shinho raised an eyebrow.
"Fixing my hair!" Naruto scratched his head, ruffling the mess further. "I'm trying to style it like my dad's!"
Ah, so that's what it's about, Shinho thought, his face showing realization.
Sasuke, standing nearby, couldn't help but roll his eyes in exasperation.
This guy isn't even fazed by the news. Sasuke had thought Naruto would react the same way he did when he lost his father, maybe even cry uncontrollably... Wait, no, Saksuke had never cried like that.
"Well, you asked the right person," Shinho said, stepping inside. "Give me the hair gel."
After years of having his head patted by bad influences like Tsunade and Shizune, Shinho had become an expert at managing hair.
Cutting hair required a keen eye and steady hands—skills every ninja had in spades.
And of course, Sasuke's Sharingan was perfect for copying techniques.
This's a pretty nice technique, but in the next second, it'll be mine!
Sasuke thought, an imperceptible smile on his face.
Fifteen minutes later, Naruto's new hairstyle was finished.
Shinho decided to call it a "pineapple head." The color matched, and it resembled one quite a bit.
"Thanks, Shinho!" Naruto said, nodding in satisfaction.
"No problem," Shinho replied before glancing at Sasuke. "You want one too?"
He was getting hooked on this.
"No need," Sasuke declined instantly.
"Let's go then," Shinho said, setting down the hair gel. "Kakashi-sensei should already be at Training Ground One."
"What about all the gifts outside?" Naruto asked, a bit annoyed. "I don't even know half the people who sent them. I don't want them, but they just left everything at my door."
"At least take them inside, even if you don't want them," Shinho said as he began carrying the gifts into the house.
A few moments later, a corner of the room was piled high with the presents.
"Take whatever you want," Naruto said generously.
"I don't need anything," Sasuke said after glancing at the pile. Nothing caught his interest.
Shinho was about to refuse as well but suddenly noticed something. He bent down and picked up two movie tickets.
The film was titled The Princess of the Wind and Clouds, starring Fujikaze Yukie.
Unlike the movie tickets from his previous life, these had no set date.
"I'll take these," Shinho said, tucking the tickets away.
Hinata had given him an amulet recently, and he hadn't figured out what to give her in return. Now he knew—he'd take her to a movie.
In the original series, Fujikaze Yukie was actually Princess Koyuki Kazahana, and her story was featured in the movie Naruto the Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow.
Essentially, it was a tale of a princess seeking revenge.
"Let's go!" Naruto said excitedly as they made their way down the street. This time, there were no hostile glares following him.
…..
At Training Ground One, Kakashi stood there, holding his Icha Icha Paradise book in one hand, though in truth, he was just spacing out.
Overnight, the news that Naruto was the son of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, had spread across the entire village. It was clear this was Tsunade's doing.
For the first time, Kakashi realized that Tsunade had more guts than Hiruzen Sarutobi. After all, Naruto wasn't just the son of the Fourth Hokage—he was also the Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails.
"Sensei!" Naruto's familiar voice rang out as he arrived.
"I told you, if you're late, you'll be—" Kakashi started, but then froze.
For a moment, he thought he was seeing Minato. The hairstyle was almost identical.
"Kakashi-sensei," Shinho greeted him, breaking the moment of confusion.
"Ah, right," Kakashi said, coming back to reality and putting away his book. As for their tardiness, this time he decided to let it slide.
"Let's talk about Team 7's schedule," Kakashi said, regaining his usual demeanor. His dead-fish eyes glanced over at them. "We'll be training in the morning, and then we'll take on missions in the afternoon."
"What kind of training?" Naruto asked, full of enthusiasm.
Sasuke felt a jolt of anticipation. He had a rough idea of what he would be learning.
Shinho, on the other hand, remained calm. Although Kakashi was known as the best ninjutsu expert in Konoha, there wasn't much he could teach Shinho.
Medical ninjutsu? Shinho was already learning from Tsunade.
The Aburame clan's insect techniques were exclusive, so Kakashi couldn't teach those either.
As for other ninjutsu, Shinho wasn't particularly interested in those, aside from the few essential ones, he already had his hands full with cultivating, studying medical ninjutsu and managing his social life.
"You'll work on walking on water and climbing trees, and I'll also teach you how to counter genjutsu," Kakashi explained.
"Awesome!" Naruto shouted, recalling how helpless he had felt during the fight against Idō. It seemed like he hadn't changed at all since then.
Kakashi turned to Sasuke. "Sasuke, you'll be learning new jutsu, mainly focused on genjutsu and lightning-style techniques."
Sasuke nodded slightly. This was exactly what he had expected.
"Shinho," Kakashi continued after a brief pause. "Has the Hokage assigned anything for you?"
"The Yin Seal," Shinho replied.
Kakashi's eyes widened in surprise. He's already working on the Yin Seal? That was a forbidden jutsu, one that even most Jōnin struggled to master.
Kakashi couldn't shake the feeling that within two years, Team 7 might have to disband, with each member going their separate ways. Their progress was just too rapid—being called Genin no longer suited them.
"Alright, then you can train on your own," Kakashi said without hesitation.
"Got it, Kakashi-sensei," Shinho nodded. This arrangement suited him perfectly—it would give him time to work on cultivating his Primaeval Essence as well.
Kakashi formed a hand seal. With a puff of smoke, an identical shadow clone appeared in front of him. The two Kakashis each took Naruto and Sasuke to their respective training areas.
Shinho found a giant tree, climbing up to sit on one of its branches. From his perch, he could see Naruto trying to walk up a nearby tree. Gathering chakra in his feet, Naruto managed to walk up two steps before losing his balance and falling.
Shinho glanced at him, then returned to his own training.
He focused on circulating his True Essence, directing it toward the chakra pool in his forehead where the Yin Seal was forming.
Time passed quickly.
When Shinho opened his eyes again, the sun was high in the sky. The air shimmered with the heat of a summer day.
"Naruto, what do you want to eat for lunch?" Shinho asked as he jumped down from the tree, finishing his training.
"Ichiraku ramen—ahh!" Naruto started to answer, but lost focus and fell flat on the ground. He quickly scrambled to his feet, seemingly unharmed.
"Chashu pork ramen! Extra-large!" Naruto declared proudly. "My treat today! My parents left me plenty of money!"
Shinho immediately understood. So that's it—it's Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki's inheritance.
After all, Minato had been the Fourth Hokage. If nothing else, he definitely left behind a sizable fortune.
"I'll have the same," Kakashi said after a few moments of silence. He hadn't expected that after all these years, he'd still be spending money from his teacher's savings.
Shinho then headed to the other side of the training field.
Sasuke stood in place, his Sharingan activated.
Kakashi noticed Shinho approaching and subtly shook his head, signaling him not to interrupt.
A few minutes later, Sasuke came out of his trance, panting heavily.
"How did I do, Sensei?" Sasuke asked, his voice tired.
"You need to be faster," Kakashi said with a strict tone. "With the Sharingan, you should be able to dispel genjutsu almost instantly."
"It's time for lunch," Shinho interjected, coughing lightly. "Sasuke, what do you want to eat?"
"I don't care," Sasuke replied, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
"Let's just go to Ichiraku Ramen, then," Shinho suggested, opting for convenience.
Sasuke didn't object, and after catching his breath, he returned to practising his genjutsu training.
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