Naruto: I, who fooled the ninja world, was hailed as a savior.

Chapter 329 Dragon Veins
Naruto said he didn't care, but in fact, he was clearly still somewhat emotional.

After all, it was a choice made by one's closest relatives in the name of "righteousness."

No matter how noble the reasons used to justify it, it is an unspeakable harm to the child who was "sacrificed".

However, to be fair, Minato Namikaze did leave Naruto with something.

That almost blind "trust" was the most precious, yet also the most burdensome, "legacy" he left to his son.

Unfortunately, this so-called trust was too ethereal and inexplicable, and its origin was unknown.

"If this trust really only stems from Jiraiya's vague prophecy about the 'Child of Prophecy,' then he is indeed as Naruto said, extremely foolish."

"But if it's because he knew the future in advance..."

Yun Shi thought of the "Dragon Vein" that appeared in the movie "Naruto Shippuden: The Lost Tower".

In the original storyline, Tsunade, who later became the Fifth Hokage, sent Naruto, Sakura, Sai, and Yamato to "Roran" on a mission.

Loulan possesses a "dragon vein," a vast energy source powerful enough to distort spacetime.

The rogue ninja "Centipede" from Sunagakure fled here, breaking the seal on the "Dragon Vein" and creating a passage for time reversal.

Naruto and Yamato, who were searching for him, were also accidentally sucked in and traveled back to the time before Minato Namikaze became Hokage.

There, Naruto encountered Minato Namikaze, Choza Akimichi, and Shimi Aburame, who were on a mission. At that time, Minato Namikaze had not yet become Hokage.

Finally, Naruto was about to return to his own time, and Minato Namikaze, in order to prevent disruption of history, sealed and erased everyone's memories.

At that time, Minato Namikaze had already recognized Naruto as his child, and even guessed that he would die in the future from the fact that Naruto did not recognize him.

If this storyline actually happened...

So, it's also possible that Minato recalled some sealed or erased memories, which is why he had a strange trust in the newborn Naruto when he sealed the Nine-Tails.

"A dragon vein?"

Yun Shi thought to himself, a vague plan gradually becoming clear: "If the power to travel through time really exists, perhaps it can be utilized..."

"teacher."

Just then, Naruto's voice pulled Kumoshiki back to reality.

He lowered his head, and Naruto looked up at him, his figure clearly reflected in Naruto's eyes, which were as clear as the blue sky.

“I want to become stronger,” Naruto said, “stronger than the Fourth Hokage.”

"Please teach me, what should I do?"

Upon hearing this, Yun Shi gave him a deep look, her gaze seemingly able to see into his very soul.

He didn't say much, just casually waved his hand.

Swish!
A dark shadow shot out from the sky and stuck in the ground in front of Naruto.

It was a black rod about a foot long, its entire body dark and of unknown material, emanating a cold and strange aura.

"Do you see that chakra?"

Yun Shi's tone was calm: "Besides your parents' chakra, there is an even more powerful chakra that is closely intertwined with your own and inseparable from it."

Upon hearing this, Naruto was taken aback and gazed intently at the night sky once more.

This time, he held his breath and stared intently at the largest expanse of blue chakra that belonged to him.

Finally, he figured it out.

Within that azure expanse, there were indeed two chakras that were extremely similar in color, yet subtly different; one was more ancient, powerful, and full of vitality.

"What you need to do is concentrate your mental energy, like steering a boat, and guide and pour the chakra that doesn't belong to you into the black rod in front of you."

Yun continued, “In this process, feel it with your heart and shape it with your will.”

"When you solidify this power within the black rod and make it as easy to control as your own arm, you will truly master this powerful force that originally did not belong to you."

The so-called powerful force of the Cloud Style is naturally Ashura Chakra.

Although it's said to be a reincarnation of chakra, chakra is formed by the fusion of spiritual and physical energy, naturally including Ashura's spiritual energy, which is his soul. The black rod was the conduit Nagato used to remotely control the Six Paths of Pain, possessing excellent chakra conductivity and malleability.

It is obviously the most suitable vessel to contain Ashura's chakra and then forge it into a "Zanpakuto".

"..."

Looking at the black rod in front of him, Naruto took a deep breath.

He stepped forward, reached out, and grasped the black stick stuck in the ground.

A bone-chilling coldness traveled through his palm, causing him to pause involuntarily.

At that moment, he had a strange feeling.

This is not just about picking up a tool, but about pulling out a key, a key that will open a door to a completely different destiny.

Once pulled out, he will completely deviate from the established path.

but……

In fact, no matter how things change, his fundamental nature remains the same.

He remains the same boy who cherishes his companions, values ​​loyalty and righteousness, is stubborn at heart, and hopes to make the world a better place.

What changed was his approach and perception.

He was acutely aware that he could not achieve his grand ambition with mere impulsive enthusiasm or empty slogans of "bonds".

He is simply more rational and calm, better at suppressing his impulsiveness and recklessness, better at thinking about the root causes of problems, and better at focusing on the future.

Unlike the original character, he no longer shouts "mutual understanding" while doing all sorts of self-centered and willful things.

—Even though he knew that Sasuke had unspeakable hardships and unavoidable reasons for leaving Konoha, he still stubbornly declared that he would bring Sasuke back even if it meant breaking his bones, putting his own ideas above the choices of others.

—Even though they clearly knew the pain and hatred Sasuke's joining Akatsuki and killing Killer Bee had brought to the Fourth Raikage and the entire Hidden Cloud Village, they still wishfully hoped that the other side would let Sasuke go, ignoring the justice that the victim deserved.

Naruto now only realizes that Konoha is not the whole world; it is only a very small part of the ninja world.

Simply making Konoha better is not enough to change this terrible world full of strife and hatred.

He even realized that even if he took the position of "Kage" of Konoha, the changes he could bring would be extremely limited, and he would not be able to eradicate Konoha's own deep-seated problems.

If the Naruto of the past had the so-called "Hokage mindset," then the Naruto of today has a half-"time traveler" mindset.

This means that he is destined not to accept the fatalistic narrative of the Sage of Six Paths that has lasted for thousands of years, and will not choose to stand on the side of maintaining the old order.

All of this was the conclusion Naruto reached and the choice he made after studying, observing, and thinking.

What Yunshi did was simply to provide a different perspective, guiding him to see the vast world and deep contradictions beyond the high walls of Konoha.

“Sometimes, you don’t need to fabricate lies to guide a person,” Yun thought to himself with a smile. “You just need to teach them to think.”

Let him learn to observe with his own eyes and to judge and think with his own mind.

Click.

With a crisp sound, Naruto pulled out the black rod.

Naruto gripped it tightly in his hand, feeling the cold texture emanating from the strange material.

Seeing this, Yun Shi's eyes flickered, and she slightly raised her head to look at the wisps of golden light in the night sky.

That was the chakra left behind by Minato Namikaze, and the chakra contained a portion of spiritual energy.

"You can hear and see, right? So, how are you feeling right now?"

Yun Shi smiled inwardly, "Seeing your child so outstanding, possessing a vision that transcends the times and the ideals and talents to change the ninja world, you should thank me, right?"

"I really look forward to seeing what your attitude and reaction will be when you, as the Hokage, finally meet Naruto."

It might seem a bit morbid, but if the climb to the top consists only of lies, battles, and death, it would be far too boring.

Just like wine tasting, sometimes you take a sip and stop, sometimes you drink it all up. Do whatever makes you happy, that's what makes it more interesting.

(End of this chapter)