"This isn't a coincidence… it's probably intentional."
In his small, sparsely furnished apartment, Shigen Hidezawa sat cross-legged on the tatami, staring at the scroll in his hand.
The faint glow of a lamp flickered across his face as he exhaled and muttered, "That old man really planned this."
Recalling Uzumaki Naruto's bright expression and Uzuki Yugao's slightly amused smile, Hidezawa couldn't help but shake his head.
Meeting the Third Hokage that evening had felt strange from the start. The timing, the place, even Naruto's sudden appearance — none of it seemed random.
He was convinced that Naruto's presence had been an accident, but Sarutobi Hiruzen's? Definitely not.
It was as if the Hokage had been waiting there intentionally, scroll in hand, to deliver it at just the right dramatic moment — using Naruto as a prop and Hidezawa himself as an "extra".
Although he didn't mind being used as a prop if it meant gaining something in return, he still found it absurd.
"But if I'm the extra," he grumbled, "then fine — as long as the reward's good, I'll play the part."
His eyes dropped to the scroll in his hands again. He turned it over carefully, glancing around the modest room.
His current residence, provided by the Anbu, was small but quiet — the first real personal space he'd had since leaving Root.
Root had no such "benefits". Food, rest, training, and missions all happened within the same suffocating underground corridors. The moment you entered, your name vanished — you were just a weapon in Danzo's hand.
Anbu, however, was different. They were still shadows, but at least they were human shadows.
The pay was good, the lodging was decent, and the freedom — even if limited — was something he cherished deeply.
He leaned back slightly, letting out a breath. "Much better than sleeping on the damn stone floors in Root…"
Thinking of Yugao, who'd treated everyone to dinner earlier and even bought Naruto food afterward, he concluded that the Anbu's compensation must be generous. Otherwise, even someone like her — careful and pragmatic — wouldn't have spent so freely.
He smiled faintly. "Alright then. Let's take a look at this Flying Thunder God Technique."
The moment he spoke, a faint sense of excitement rippled through him.
Carefully, he unrolled the scroll. He knew such things often carried automatic seals — open it, and a timer began. Within a few hours, it would self-burn and vanish to prevent leaks.
He had to study fast.
The intricate diagrams and annotations spread before him in neat, ancient calligraphy. Each mark, each curve of ink represented layers of complex theory: spatial distortion, chakra vector alignment, seal matrices, dimensional folding.
'So this is it.' he thought, eyes narrowing. 'The legend of Konoha — the technique that made Namikaze Minato the Yellow Flash.'
He couldn't help but grin.
In his previous world's knowledge, there were few space-time ninjutsu. Most belonged to the Ōtsutsuki — powers born of divine bloodlines, not mortal learning.
Among humans, only Uchiha Obito's eye technique truly transcended space. The rest — like Kumogakure's Heavenly Transfer Technique or simple Summoning Jutsu — were nowhere near combat-viable.
Only the Flying Thunder God Technique had achieved the perfect union of spatial control and battle application — true instantaneous movement, pure teleportation through marked seals.
"So the Flying Thunder God Technique works like this…"
An hour later, the scroll in his hands began to smolder with faint smoke. Hidezawa didn't panic — it meant the time limit was up.
He closed his eyes, mentally tracing every seal and chakra formula he had memorized.
'Not that complex in structure,' he thought, 'but in practice, it's absurdly difficult.'
He muttered aloud, "Physical conditioning, sealing mastery, summoning calibration… and chakra control on top of it. No wonder so few have managed it."
He ticked them off in his head.
First was physical fitness — space traversal puts enormous strain on the body's equilibrium, and the nausea from displacement could kill a weak shinobi instantly.
Next was Sealing Technique, the heart of the Flying Thunder God. The technique's "formula" — a variation of a sealing array — acted as a beacon in folded space.
At the basic level, you engraved this mark beforehand on kunai or surfaces. But the advanced form required generating and imprinting seals instantly in battle — a feat demanding perfect chakra control and theoretical precision.
Then there was Summoning Technique, the foundation of space traversal itself. At its core, Flying Thunder God used the same principle as summoning creatures across distance, except the target was oneself.
Lastly came chakra — immense amounts, and delicate precision in output.
He slowly smiled. "I already have everything… except the summoning part."
His body was reinforced by his Overall Physical Attributes Lv7, his chakra reserves and control were superior to most Jōnin, and his sealing skill — Fūinjutsu Lv5 — was already well-developed.
No doubt, this jutsu was practically calling his name.
Suddenly, the faint hum of energy buzzed inside his head.
[New technique detected. Theory complete and reasonable.]
[Skill activated: Ninja World Dr. Do you wish to proceed?]
A grin spread across Hidezawa's face. "Heh. Looks like even the system agrees."
He closed his eyes. 'Activate.'
…
Meanwhile, deep underground in the Root base, Shimura Danzo's furious voice echoed through the stone corridors.
"You worthless lot! Train harder! Do you call yourselves Root shinobi?!"
His cane slammed against the ground. The air trembled with tension.
The assembled Root members, already drenched in sweat, flinched under his cold gaze.
The events earlier that day had hit Danzo like a hammer to the skull.
Root had been completely surrounded by Anbu. His personal operative beaten and humiliated by Hidezawa — his own subordinate!
The thought alone made his teeth grind.
He hadn't even waited for morning; immediately after returning, he ordered all Root operatives into emergency training. "Until you collapse, you train!"
Only after watching them struggle to exhaustion did his anger begin to subside.
Turning, he strode toward his office.
Aburame Tatsuma was waiting at the door, scroll in hand. The cautious bug-user bowed quickly. "Danzo-sama, today's report."
"Hmm."
Danzo took it without much interest, his mind still elsewhere. He didn't unroll it immediately.
"Shigen Hidezawa…" he muttered.
Even with no solid proof, he couldn't ignore the chaos that boy had caused in Sunagakure.
The official report mentioned nothing suspicious — but Danzo could tell. Hidezawa had deliberately hidden key details of his talk with Ebizo.
Still, the end result was beneficial to Konoha. Sunagakure weakened, alliances disrupted, Konoha's position strengthened — exactly what he wanted.
That was what irritated him most.
If the boy's methods served Konoha and pleased Sarutobi Hiruzen, then he risked losing control over Hidezawa altogether.
The thought made his single visible eye narrow dangerously.
'Hiruzen's setting an example,' Danzo thought bitterly. 'He's showing that even Root members like Kinoe must ultimately obey him, not me.'
His fingers clenched around the cane. "Damn it… why am I not Hokage?"
The words slipped through his teeth like venom.
For a brief moment, the old war hawk's composure cracked — anger, regret, and jealousy flooding together.
Then he took a deep breath and forced himself calm again. Still his old friend's softness had saved him many times.
Still, his pride burned. He needed to strike back — without crossing the line that would turn the entire village against him.
Maybe… if he could turn Hiruzen's attention away from Hidezawa.
He tapped the table, eyes sharp as blades. "How can I make the Hokage himself lose interest in that boy?"
Finally, he opened the scroll Tatsuma had delivered.
"Hm?"
His expression changed. A name caught his eye.
"Uchiha Itachi…"
Ah yes, Konoha's little prodigy — the so-called genius who had defeated Root operatives at only eight years old.
That humiliation still lingered in Danzo's mind.
The report continued: "Currently preparing for the upcoming Chūnin Exams."
"So… he's entering the Exams already?"
Danzo's fingers drummed against the desk.
'Hiruzen values this one highly. A prodigy who awakened his Sharingan early, praised for having the 'thinking of a Hokage'.'
He sneered faintly. "And now he's close to Uchiha Shisui — another troublesome genius. Two of them, side by side…"
For a man like Danzo, that was an unacceptable concentration of power.
Then, a thought occurred to him.
'But Hidezawa is also a rising talent — loyal, ambitious, and still bound by Root ties. If he were to discipline Uchiha Itachi… perhaps that would be interesting.'
Slowly, the shadow of a plan formed in his mind.
…
And elsewhere, far beyond the walls of Konoha, in the dimensional void above the village, a single masked figure observed the night.
Uchiha Obito watched silently, his Mangekyō gleaming faintly beneath the mask.
Behind the mask, his expression was unreadable — but in his mind, a plan formed too.
*****
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✓ Killed For 100 Years in Hueco Mundo, Aizen Invited Me To Soul Society!
✓ Naruto: Senmei Asahi
✓ Naruto: Uchiha's Intelligence Dealer
✓ Naruto: The Fifth Hokage Is Naruto's Uncle
✓ Naruto: Who Made Him a Ninja?
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✓ To Love-Ru: Spoiler Route [R-18]
✓ Naruto: The Accidental Incubus [R-18]
✓ The Academy's Saint Is Too Popular, But He's Not the Protagonist [R-18]