"Kushina, find an empty seat."
Ishida Yu said once the commotion died down.
There were three empty seats in the classroom—all from students who had transferred to the medical ninja training program.
Uzumaki Kushina walked toward Natsuki without hesitation.
There was an empty seat right next to him. It had previously belonged to Yakushi Nonou.
"Kushina, welcome to Class 2-A."
Natsuki smiled.
"Thank you."
Kushina sat down happily. "Please take care of me."
"If there's anything you don't understand at school, just ask."
Natsuki nodded.
They chatted briefly before class began.
Although they were now second-years, the first lesson was still the Will of Fire.
[You have awakened the Uzumaki Naruto Template.]
Holy—
Natsuki's eyes widened.
Uzumaki Naruto was the male protagonist of the entire series. His bloodline and talent were practically cheats in themselves.
He'd actually awakened the Uzumaki Naruto template?
Was it because he'd defended Kushina from the bullies?
It made sense. In the original story, the character who suffered the most bullying was precisely Uzumaki Naruto.
Someone like Kushina had only been targeted by Onodera's little gang—fewer than ten people.
Naruto, on the other hand, had been ostracized by the entire village. The number of people who'd mistreated him was impossible to count.
Anyone else would have turned to the dark side long ago. If the world won't accept me, I'll just burn it all down.
Natsuki took a deep breath and examined his new template with eager anticipation.
[Name: Uzumaki Naruto]
[Era: Ninja Academy]
[World: Naruto]
[Rank: A-Rank]
[Ability 1: Wind Affinity — Unlocked]
[Effect: Acquire a second chakra nature: Wind.]
[Ability 2: Sexy Jutsu — Locked]
[Effect: Confuse the target by transforming into a beautiful woman or handsome man.]
[Unlock Condition: Master the Transformation Jutsu.]
[Ability 3: Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu — Locked]
[Effect: Create a massive number of physical clones with independent consciousness. Upon dispelling, their memories and experiences return to the original body.]
[Unlock Condition: Prevent Kumogakure from kidnapping Uzumaki Kushina.]
[Ability 4: Chakra Reservoir — Locked]
[Effect: Possess four times the chakra of Hatake Kakashi.]
[Unlock Condition: Dominate the Ninja Academy. Obtain first place in practical combat across all grades.]
After reading the template, only one phrase remained in Natsuki's mind:
Terrifyingly powerful.
Even though this was the Ninja Academy-era Uzumaki Naruto, the A-Rank designation and its four abilities absolutely lived up to the rating.
Especially Abilities 3 and 4.
When Natsuki first saw it was the Ninja Academy period, he'd felt a twinge of disappointment.
He remembered that during those years, Naruto had accomplished practically nothing. The kid couldn't even master the Three Basic Jutsu.
But after reading the details, he realized the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu was something Naruto had learned right before graduation.
Having the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu was already a massive win—but the real surprise was Ability 4.
Four times Hatake Kakashi's chakra. What kind of concept was that?
Kakashi was an elite Jonin.
People joked about his low stamina, but that wasn't actually true. His chakra reserves already exceeded those of an average Jonin.
Natsuki suddenly recalled that in the original story, Kakashi had mentioned Naruto's chakra was four times his own.
He'd also said that if Naruto wasn't suppressing the Nine-Tails, his chakra would be one hundred times greater.
Natsuki didn't feel disappointed at all.
Four times Kakashi's chakra was more than enough for his purposes.
Besides, if it were one hundred times Kakashi's chakra, the unlock condition would probably be impossible.
Natsuki rubbed his face to calm himself down.
He began analyzing his new template.
Ability 1 didn't directly increase his combat power, but it was extremely useful.
He already had an Earth affinity. Adding Wind meant he now possessed two chakra natures.
With enough effort, he might be able to reach Jonin level using Wind Release and Earth Release alone.
Ability 2 needed no explanation. It was Uzumaki Naruto's legendary Sexy Jutsu.
Even the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, had been completely incapacitated by it. The technique was absurdly overpowered—and its advanced version had even worked on Otsutsuki Kaguya.
The unlock condition wasn't difficult. He just needed to learn the Transformation Jutsu.
First-years learned the Substitution Jutsu. Second-years would learn the Transformation Jutsu. He just had to wait.
Abilities 3 and 4 were the real prizes.
The benefits of massive chakra reserves were self-evident.
All ninjutsu and abilities ran on chakra—including the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu.
And the utility of that technique was immense. In the original story, it was essentially Naruto's personal cheat code.
It wasn't just useful for combat. It could be used for training—functioning like an experience multiplier.
The problem was that the unlock conditions for both abilities were troublesome.
Ability 3 required preventing Kumogakure from kidnapping Uzumaki Kushina.
In the original timeline, her unique chakra had attracted the attention of Cloud Village ninjas. They'd kidnapped her and were escorting her toward Kumogakure when Konoha finally noticed.
The village had searched extensively but couldn't find her.
It was Namikaze Minato who discovered the trail of hair Kushina had left behind—and rescued her.
Natsuki recalled that the kidnappers were three Kumogakure Jonin.
With his current strength, he absolutely couldn't handle them.
Fortunately, he still had time.
The original story never specified exactly when the kidnapping occurred, but judging from context, it was roughly around graduation.
Besides, Ability 3 could wait.
Even if he unlocked the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu now, he wouldn't have enough chakra to use it.
The key was Ability 4.
Once he obtained that massive chakra pool, his strength would skyrocket.
The unlock condition was dominating the Ninja Academy—first place in practical combat across all grades.
It wasn't simple. But it was far more achievable than fighting three Jonin.
Namikaze Minato had previously mentioned the seven geniuses enrolled at the academy.
Akimichi Choza, Nara Shikaku, Yamanaka Inoichi, Nawaki, Uchiha Mikoto, Hyuga Hiashi, and Hyuga Hizashi.
A year had passed since then. The sixth-years—Hyuga Hiashi and Hyuga Hizashi—had already graduated. He wasn't sure if they still counted.
Regardless, he'd focus on defeating the other five first.
No rush.
Natsuki's current priority was still integrating the Shiba Tatsuya template.
"Hello. I'm Namikaze Minato."
After class ended, Minato turned around from the front row and looked at Natsuki and Kushina.
"Mm."
Kushina's response was distinctly cool.
Minato hadn't spoken up when she was being mocked. Her impression of him was thoroughly mediocre.
In the original timeline, it had been the same.
Before Minato risked his life to save her, Kushina hadn't liked him. She'd even looked down on him.
Minato felt the awkwardness immediately.
But he was genuinely in the wrong.
A twinge of regret surfaced. If I'd known, I would have stood up to Onodera and the others—just like Natsuki did.
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