Naruto : All Genders are reversed except for me

Compared to Sasuke's current pain and helplessness, Naruto wasn't faring much better.

His plan to collect 10,000 silver taels and activate the system's functionality had been utterly derailed by Danzo, that crafty old schemer.

If Danzo had dared to brazenly order his Root members to plunder the Uchiha clan's property, he would undoubtedly dispatch members of the Hyuga clan to assist.

With their Byakugan active, it would be the equivalent of turning the land inside out.

By the time they were done, there wouldn't be a shred of value left in the Uchiha clan's territory.

"Hiruzen, were you complicit in this?"

Carrying the barely conscious Sasuke in his arms, Naruto made his way to a small river in the distance.

As they left, the captain of the Root squad guarding the Uchiha clan's gate frowned and instructed his subordinate, "Report this to Lord Danzo immediately."

"Yes, sir!"

With a flash of the Body Flicker Technique, the Root member vanished.

About ten minutes after leaving the Uchiha clan's territory, Naruto and Sasuke arrived at a secluded spot along the riverbank.

At this point, Sasuke finally regained some of her strength after the earlier devastating blow. Just as she wriggled free from Naruto's arms, she immediately attempted to rush back, only for Naruto to grab her.

"Let go of me! I'm going to kill them!"

Seeing Sasuke's tear-streaked face, twisted in hysteria, Naruto sighed and shook his head.

"We're too weak right now. The weak must learn to endure and let go selectively. Only when we've gained enough strength can we reclaim what was taken, one piece at a time."

After all, Sasuke was the deuteragonist in the original anime from his past life. Although male Sasuke in the original world had made many extreme decisions, it didn't negate the deep bond he shared with Naruto in that timeline.

To be honest, even though this Sasuke was female in this version of the Naruto world, seeing her beaten down still made Naruto uncomfortable.

Listening to Naruto's calm reasoning, Sasuke lowered her head, her shoulders trembling as tears dripped onto the ground.

"Why… why did my sister kill my parents? Naruto, tell me, what does it mean to have magnanimity? Is it really that important?"

With her back to Naruto, Sasuke choked out these strange questions.

Even though she knew Naruto had no way of understanding what had truly happened in the Uchiha clan last night, she desperately needed someone to answer her.

Naruto, however, knew the full story behind the Uchiha massacre.

Tracing the roots of this conundrum would lead all the way back to the Second Hokage's questionable policies.

Coupled with Hiruzen Sarutobi's lack of competence in handling Konoha's darker sides and his agreement to allow Danzo's Root organization to operate unchecked, the rift between the village and the Uchiha clan had finally torn beyond repair.

After being brainwashed by Hiruzen, Shisui and Itachi willingly became double agents for Konoha and the Uchiha. In the end, both met tragic fates, casualties of this power struggle.

Shisui and Itachi had been like shining stars—geniuses who had always maintained an objective perspective on the relationship between Konoha and the Uchiha clan.

Had the Third Hokage properly guided and nurtured them, the two could have grown into figures comparable to the Sannin or even legends like Sakumo Hatake or the Yellow Flash.

But instead, all those opportunities were squandered.

From the moment the Kumogakure envoy attempted to kidnap Hinata and was killed, the Cloud Village seized the chance to threaten war. In response, the Third Hokage, alongside Danzo, pressured the Hyuga clan's main branch, forcing the head of the branch family to sacrifice himself and effectively hand over the Byakugan to the enemy.

This alone was evidence of Konoha's precarious position at the time—its declining ninja numbers and overall strength had reached a critical low.

"A merciful leader wielding power will inevitably lead to rivers of blood."

Sasuke crouched on the ground, her shoulders shaking as faint sobs escaped her. Naruto could hear it clearly, but there were many things he neither could nor would say—it would threaten his current position.

"I don't know what magnanimity means," Naruto finally replied, "but I do know that if I become Hokage, I can change the current situation!"

Naruto's sudden shift in tone and seemingly insincere words were entirely due to a prompt from the system.

Although Naruto could sense being watched with his innate talents, the system had kindly reminded him of the Third Hokage's "Telescope Jutsu," a sensory support technique capable of surveillance and eavesdropping.

Not wanting to expose himself, Naruto was left with no choice but to keep repeating his Hokage aspirations while under Hiruzen's watch.

Seeing that Sasuke wasn't moved by his words, Naruto sighed. He found a sharp stick by the riverbank, rolled up his sleeves, and stepped into the water.

After exhausting himself during their earlier struggle, and with a diet that often consisted of instant ramen, Naruto's stamina was lacking. Now, he had no choice but to resolve his hunger on the spot.

"If you want to go back and get beaten, I won't stop you. If you're staying, then go gather some firewood."

With that, Naruto, under the starlit sky, gripped the stick tightly and focused intently on the shadows swimming in the water.

After her bout of sobbing, Sasuke seemed to come to terms with reality. Glancing back at Naruto, who was concentrating on catching fish, her stomach growled loudly.

From surviving the massacre last night to being discharged from the hospital this afternoon, she hadn't had a single bite to eat.

Though she disliked taking orders from a dead last like Naruto, she didn't know how to fish, and going back… would only invite more suffering from those ninja.

Weighing her options, Sasuke reluctantly stood up and walked off in search of firewood nearby.

Hokage's Office

Hiruzen Sarutobi, wearing his Hokage hat and puffing on his pipe, was seated with both hands resting on a crystal ball, observing the scene inside.

Hearing Naruto repeat his aspiration to become Hokage once more, Hiruzen frowned and turned to the man beside him—a man with a bandage covering his right eye and forehead.

"Danzo, while I've agreed to let Root take over the Uchiha clan's property, don't you think you should consider Konoha's image?"

Danzo opened his visible eye, glanced at the crystal ball, and said firmly, "The Uchiha clan is all but extinct. Instead of letting their wealth sit idle, why not convert it into resources to protect Konoha? Everything I do is for the sake of the village."

Hiruzen sighed. "I'm asking you to moderate your methods. Was it really appropriate to do this in front of Sasuke? Konoha already owes too much to Itachi and Shisui."

Danzo turned and walked toward the door. As he reached it, he paused and replied emotionlessly, "Hiruzen, you'd best keep a close watch on the jinchūriki. Remember, the Uchiha were adept at controlling the Nine-Tails. If you fail to act, I, as the Root of Konoha, will take emergency measures."

"I'm the Hokage. I warn you not to meddle in Naruto and Sasuke's affairs!"

Danzo remained indifferent. "Have you made some kind of deal with Itachi?"

Leaving that remark behind, Danzo's cane echoed as he walked out of the office.

Back by the riverbank, the crackling fire illuminated Naruto and Sasuke. Watching them through the crystal ball, Hiruzen murmured to himself, "I must pass on the Will of Fire to Naruto as soon as possible."

As the crystal ball's image faded, Hiruzen rose from his seat and departed.

Meanwhile, by the riverbank, Naruto listened to the system's prompt and couldn't help but smile.

"Looks like the Third Hokage is quite satisfied with how often I talk about becoming Hokage, huh?"