Naruto: I Am Uzumaki Naruto!?

Kakashi narrowed his visible eye as he scanned the crowd, his gaze settling on one particular individual.

Uzumaki Naruto... Why are you here?

A flicker of suspicion crossed his mind. This was a bookstore, yet Naruto was here—again.

Was he sneaking in to buy Icha Icha Paradise?

No way. The owner would never let a kid get his hands on that.

Still, something felt off. Kakashi didn't immediately connect the fire to Naruto, but the boy's presence here was unusual.

Meanwhile, Naruto kept his expression neutral, but his mind was racing.

Kakashi... sharp as ever.

The man had nothing concrete, just intuition. But even that was dangerous.

Naruto quickly put on a clueless smile, waving his arms exaggeratedly.

"I'm here to buy Icha Icha Paradise and Taimanin! Hokage-jiji loves reading them, right?" He puffed out his chest. "There must be something important in those books, so if I wanna be Hokage, I gotta read them too!"

His voice carried through the crowd, firm and full of conviction—completely devoid of guilt.

For a moment, there was silence.

Then—

"Hah! This little fox thinks he can be Hokage?"

"Stay away from him. If you listen to his nonsense, you might catch his stupidity."

"Monster or not, the idea of him as the Fifth Hokage is laughable."

"...Wait, does the Third Hokage really like reading that kind of stuff?"

Laughter rippled through the villagers, some sneering, others whispering.

Kakashi's eye twitched.

Damn it, Naruto!

The copy of Icha Icha in his pouch suddenly felt heavier.

And what the hell was Taimanin? A new installment?

His brief suspicion faded, replaced by exasperation.

With a sigh, he rubbed the back of his head. "Alright, alright. Did you see how the fire started?"

Naruto shook his head, looking serious. "Nope. I just saw flames getting bigger near the bookshelves, and then—whoosh! The whole store went up in smoke."

Then, as if suddenly remembering something, Naruto grinned.

"Oh yeah, Kakashi-senpai, the flames started right where they kept your favorite Icha Icha Paradise collection."

Kakashi choked.

"Cough—cough—!"

He almost coughed up a lung.

Excuse me—WHAT!?

The villagers' gazes sharpened with interest.

Kakashi's face darkened.

Why the hell was his name being dragged into this?

"Ahem! Okay, got it," he cut in quickly, waving Naruto away before the rumors spread any further. "You can go now."

Naruto grinned. "Later, Kakashi-sensei!"

He turned and walked off, disappearing into the crowd.

Kakashi let out a heavy sigh.

If I let him stay any longer, he'll probably expose everyone's dirty laundry.

---

Back at the Hokage's office, Sarutobi Hiruzen took a deep drag from his pipe, frowning at Kakashi's report.

"So... no clues?"

Kakashi shook his head. "Whoever did this was experienced. The body was burned beyond recognition. The Yamanaka Clan can't extract memories from ashes, and the Aburame and Inuzuka clans couldn't pick up a solid scent.

"The only ones who entered the store before the fire were Kotetsu, Izumo, Hayate... and Naruto."

Sarutobi's frown deepened. "Naruto?"

Kakashi hesitated, then sighed.

"...Apparently, he wanted to buy Icha Icha Paradise and Taimanin because he thinks it'll help him become Hokage."

Sarutobi: "..."

The old Hokage's face twitched.

Kakashi coughed. "Do you want me to remind him that those books aren't exactly… educational?"

Sarutobi waved a hand. "Forget it."

He didn't want another embarrassing rumor spreading about him.

Still, he couldn't help but smile faintly.

"Hokage, huh...?"

Brainwashing successful.

As long as Naruto never learned the truth about his parents, Konoha wouldn't lose its most valuable asset.

"Keep an eye on him," Sarutobi ordered. "If he shows promise, I may start teaching him some ninjutsu."

"Understood," Kakashi said.

But deep down, something about this case didn't sit right.

A Monster Awakens

In a dimly lit room, Naruto leaned back on his old, rickety bed.

He absently crushed a cockroach under his foot, lost in thought.

That was reckless.

Killing the shopkeeper had felt good—but it was impulsive.

There were too many ways to track a ninja in this world.

The Inuzuka Clan's hounds, the Aburame Clan's insects, and even Impure World Reincarnation—if someone really wanted to, they could force a dead body to talk.

But even knowing that, Naruto didn't regret it.

Obedience is for the weak.

He had been powerless once, but not anymore.

Naruto sat up, his blue eyes gleaming in the dim light.

"Buy: Adamantine Sealing Chains."

A system notification flashed.

The ethereal golden chains that once existed only as a silhouette in his mind began to solidify.

His chakra surged.

The once soft, sky-blue glow turned into a radiant gold.

Naruto clenched his fists.

This power...

The village had no idea what kind of monster it had created.