"Little fox… what are you trying to do this time?"
Arin stood on the fox demon's other paw, watching as it slammed its claw shut.
The fox demon snapped its head toward him.
It was certain—
It had crushed the claw he was standing on.
So why—
Was he standing on the other one?
Before it could think further—
Pain surged through its body again.
It felt like—
It should be able to block out the pain.
But how—
It couldn't remember.
As if that part of its memory—
Had been erased.
"I was wrong! Master!!"
The fox demon screamed, begging for mercy.
It carefully placed Arin onto its head.
Only then—
Did the pain begin to subside.
"…Taming demons really is troublesome."
Arin sat cross-legged atop its head.
Even after erasing its memories—
It still retained a rebellious instinct.
It might submit now—
But the moment it had a chance—
It would resist again.
Still—
No matter how much it resisted—
It could never escape his control.
"Let's go."
Arin said calmly.
"Yes, Master!"
This time—
The fox demon didn't dare make any small moves.
In this world—
It couldn't even trust its own senses.
Its speed—
Was far greater than Hellfire's.
It raced toward Konoha at incredible speed.
Meanwhile—
Arin checked his level.
"Right now, I'm technically still at jōnin level…"
"But in terms of actual strength, I'm already among elite jōnin."
"Probably near the top of that tier."
"As for Kage-level…"
"Hard to say."
He began leveling up.
[Name: Hyuga Arin]
[Class: Hunter]
[Sub-Class: Doctor]
[Level: Lv.53 (0 / 93,500)]
[Chakra / Nen: 33,610 / 21,110 + 10,000 + 1,000 + 500 + 500 + 500]
He jumped ten levels in one go.
His chakra—
Surpassed 30,000.
"…Now I've fully stepped into elite-tier."
He clenched his fist.
His physical strength—
Had also improved significantly.
At this point—
He might even be able to defeat a Kage—
Without external help.
He glanced at his remaining experience:
[Experience: 164,189]
"…Better keep some in reserve."
He sighed.
Leveling now required over 8,000 EXP per level.
And instant full-heal leveling—
Was one of his core combat strategies.
…
With the fox demon's speed—
It took only one day—
To return to Konoha.
Entering through the shadow world—
No one noticed him.
Back home—
"Yo."
A shadow clone sat inside watching TV—
Greeting him casually.
Poof!
The clone dispersed.
A flood of memories poured in.
Konoha—
Was mostly the same.
Nawaki had mysteriously disappeared again—
Probably training somewhere.
Aburame Mushihime still visited often.
Today—
She had gone shopping with Hyuga Natsuna.
And Natsuna—
Was still using Arin's Transformation Technique.
No intention of going home anytime soon.
Root's Second Squad—
Continued training as usual.
Danzo hadn't issued any missions lately.
But—
Their numbers had grown.
From twenty—
To forty members.
Machi had been thriving in Root.
For some reason—
She had caught Danzo's attention.
And now served directly under him.
The biggest news—
Was that Minato Namikaze and Kushina had graduated.
But—
They weren't placed on the same team.
"…So that means…"
"The Kumogakure kidnapping incident is coming."
Arin stroked his chin.
"That's some free EXP right there."
…
Arin carried a gift—
Heading toward Minato's house.
When he became a jōnin—
Minato had given him a present.
Now—
He was returning the favor.
Minato's home—
Was in a rather poor area.
Old buildings.
People in worn, patched clothes.
Konoha—
Wasn't without poverty.
These families had lived here for generations.
Over time—
Various circumstances had left them struggling.
Still—
They refused to leave.
Hoping—
That one day—
A new ninja would emerge from their family—
Restoring their former glory.
But—
Without resources—
Passing the Ninja Academy was extremely difficult.
Arin quickly found Minato's home—
And knocked.
"Coming!"
The door opened.
"Ah—Brother Arin!"
"Hey. Heard you became a ninja."
"Brought you a gift."
Arin lifted what he was holding—
A finely crafted…
Kunai.
Well—
At least it had a ribbon on it.
That counted as a gift, right?
"Thank you, Brother Arin."
Minato scratched his head, smiling.
He stepped aside.
Inside—
Jiraiya waved.
"Yo, kid."
"Looks like I came at the right time."
Arin glanced inside.
There were two unfamiliar faces.
"Sorry for the intrusion."
He stepped in.
Minato closed the door.
The house—
Was small.
Just a living room and one bedroom.
With five people—
It felt cramped.
"Alright, let me introduce my adorable disciples," Jiraiya said, draping his arms over two of them.
"Akimichi Yoshimaru."
"Uchiha Chizuru."
The former looked like a small monk.
The latter—
A tomboyish girl.
"…An Uchiha, huh."
Arin stroked his chin—
Looking her up and down.
In the original story—
She only appeared in a photo.
Didn't expect her to be a girl.
"That stare is rude," Uchiha Chizuru said coldly.
Arin withdrew his gaze, smiling faintly.
"I just didn't expect an Uchiha to be placed in a mixed team."
At this point in time—
Uchiha typically formed their own teams.
This was his first time seeing otherwise.
Just as Chizuru was about to respond—
Jiraiya laughed it off.
"The Uchiha are still part of the village."
He knew the reason.
Konoha was short on manpower.
Hiruzen had no choice—
But to reintegrate the Uchiha into standard team structures.
From now on—
Mixed teams would become more common.
"Don't underestimate this senior," Jiraiya added.
"He's the famous Flame Demon now."
Chizuru's expression changed instantly.
Her eyes lit up.
"You're that Flame Demon jōnin?!"
Arin scratched his head awkwardly.
"…Pretty sure there's only one."
The change in attitude—
Was immediate.
Just moments ago—
She looked ready to draw a kunai.
Now—
Her eyes sparkled with admiration.
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