The villagers of Konoha stood frozen, staring at the blond-haired boy before them.
Though they had seen those blue eyes countless times before, today… they felt something else—something chilling.
"This kid…"
The murmurs died down. The villagers' eyes now held a trace of unmistakable fear.
"Monster, w-what are you staring at!?"
One villager tried to bluff, raising his voice against the golden-haired boy.
"Hah?" Naruto turned his icy gaze toward him, a faint trace of killing intent in his eyes. "Oji-san… were you just talking to me?"
The villager's pupils shrank. A frigid chill ran down his spine.
Thud!
He fell backward, propping himself up on trembling arms. His voice shook in terror.
"D-don't look at me! Don't kill me! Aaaagh! The monster's going to kill someone!"
Screaming in panic, he scrambled away on all fours, not even daring to look back.
The rest of the villagers panicked too, fleeing toward the shelters.
None of them could explain what scared them. Naruto hadn't moved a muscle—he had only looked at them.
But Naruto knew why.
He gently touched the corner of his eye and muttered thoughtfully:
"Is it… the killing intent I built up after fighting all those pirates and Marines in the pirate world?"
He didn't consider it to be Haōshoku Haki (Conqueror's Haki)—the signs of that were too obvious.
No, this fear was simpler. It was the natural aura of someone who had survived too many deadly battles.
Just like in the original story, Momochi Zabuza—nicknamed the Demon of the Mist—was so steeped in killing intent that even Naruto and Sasuke were paralyzed by his presence.
"…Interesting."
Naruto smirked, hands in his pockets, and strolled leisurely back to his run-down apartment.
Far away, three masked Anbu hiding on rooftops widened their eyes in shock.
"Did… did any of you see that kid leave his house last night!?"
The other Anbu shook their heads hurriedly.
Naruto had returned home the previous day—and no one had seen him leave again.
Their brows furrowed as they reflected on their surveillance lapses. After a moment, they pinpointed it:
"It must've been during the chaos last night. The alarm sounded, and we lost focus. That's when he left…"
…
"Three shinobi… Konoha's Anbu, huh?"
Inside the room, Naruto leaned by the window and casually glanced toward the rooftops.
With his improved physique, his five senses had sharpened enough to easily spot the ones watching him.
"Tch. If only I'd awakened Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki), this would be much easier…"
Shaking his head, Naruto sat on his bed and began reflecting on his current state.
"I've got a lot of abilities now. Physically, I'm stronger. I've unlocked Busōshoku Haki (Armament Haki), learned Chidori, and mastered Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu…"
"But none of these are at their peak yet. My body still can't keep up."
"If I want to fight Aokiji and Akainu again, I'll need to focus on one power—refine it to the extreme."
After careful consideration, Naruto chose one path:
"It has to be… Hachimon Tonkō (Eight Gates Released Formation)!"
As one of the strongest forms of taijutsu in the ninja world, the Eight Gates offered terrifying power.
If all eight were opened, strength would multiply exponentially—even a child could fight with the power of a monster.
Now that Naruto had the body of a pirate world warrior and wielded Haki, he could maximize the Gates' potential.
He didn't hesitate.
He created a shadow clone to remain behind as a decoy, while his true self activated the Door-Door Fruit and stepped through a dimensional portal.
After passing through much of Konoha, Naruto emerged at a secluded mountain villa.
"This should be it…" he stepped out and grinned as he looked around. "If I remember right… this is Satomi Hill Villa."
…
"Still no sign of intruders!?"
Hokage Office, Hokage Tower.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression was grim as he stared down the shinobi kneeling before him.
Today, the room was packed—not just with Anbu, but with the heads of Konoha's major clans.
The Anbu shinobi knelt in shame, heads lowered.
Behind them stood Uchiha Fugaku, Hyūga Hiashi, Yamanaka Inoichi, Akimichi Chōza, Nara Shikaku, and Aburame Shibi—clan leaders all.
In the corner were Shimura Danzō, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu.
At Hiruzen's question, the Anbu leader looked up with shame.
"Hokage-sama, we've searched the entire village. No suspicious individuals were found."
Then he bowed his head again.
Hiruzen's scowl deepened. He turned toward the clan heads.
They exchanged uneasy glances. Finally, Uchiha Fugaku spoke:
"Our Police Force also searched thoroughly. There were no signs of intruders."
Yamanaka Inoichi added, "Our detection ninjutsu picked up nothing. No trace of residual chakra at all."
Inuzuka Tsume spoke next, "My clan searched the Hokage Tower, but the intruder left no scent behind."
Aburame Shibi confirmed, "Even our kikaichū insects found no traces of foreign chakra. No strong outsiders are present within Konoha."
One by one, the clan heads reported—yet not a single lead emerged.
Hyūga Hiashi sighed and stepped forward.
"It was one of our clan members who initially saw the intruder. But all he could make out… was a pair of hands."
"I suspect… the enemy used legendary space-time ninjutsu."
The moment he said it, all present shinobi felt their pupils contract in shock.
Space-time ninjutsu—known as the most powerful branch of jutsu in the shinobi world.
No other ninjutsu type could match its versatility or sheer threat level.
Konoha's Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, was famed as the Yellow Flash precisely because of his mastery over it.
"Space-time ninjutsu…"
Hiruzen frowned deeply, repeating the words.
After a long silence, his expression turned cold as he gave his orders:
"From this day forth, Konoha will post a reward for any information—intelligence only."
"In addition, we'll tighten internal patrols. Uchiha, Hyūga, Aburame, Inuzuka, Yamanaka…"
"Each of your clans must assign shinobi to watch over the Hokage Tower day and night."
(End of Chapter)
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