130 The Beginning of Destiny

This day marked the graduation examination at the Konoha Ninja Academy.

Although Kurama had stopped picking up and dropping off the two boys since Sasuke and Naruto’s friendship had solidified and Naruto began treating the Uchiha estate as his own home, he and Hades arrived at the school gates early on this important day. They joined the group of parents, who had become quite familiar after five years of shared school runs, waiting for the results.

Unlike the other parents, who were nervous, expectant, or bursting with excitement, Kurama felt entirely calm. As the indirect mentors of both Sasuke and Naruto, no one knew the extent of the boys’ progress better than he did.

Kurama could not compare their current strength to that of prodigies like Itachi or Kakashi at the same age, but he was one hundred percent certain that both Sasuke and Naruto were far stronger than they were in the original narrative. Sasuke’s Sharingan had not only awakened long ago but had already reached the two-tomoe stage. As for Naruto, not only had he mastered the Multi-Shadow Clone Technique—which in the original story required the Forbidden Scroll—but aside from the unique ocular ninjutsu exclusive to the Uchiha bloodline, his progress in all other areas was neck-and-neck with Sasuke’s. The talent and insight inherited from the Fourth Hokage and Kushina Uzumaki, once guided by proper and compatible training, had blossomed into a brilliance that rivaled Sasuke’s own.

With the Nine-Tails providing assistance from the side, Naruto’s strength was perfectly aligned with his identity as the "protagonist." Together, he and Sasuke were fully capable of contending with an ANBU-level Jonin. While winning might be difficult, the two could easily coordinate an escape if necessary.

Kurama did not dare take full credit for the boys’ achievements, despite his and Hades’ guidance. After all, the fundamental power they cultivated was not chakra. Even with the "gift of the world" paving the way for their understanding of chakra, some things—even when one touches the fundamental laws—cannot be mastered in a short time, let alone provide a perspective high enough to guide others.

Thus, for the past five years, the person who had been tailoring the training plans for Sasuke and Naruto was actually someone else.

Naruto, being thick-headed, had never noticed. He was a good boy who would obediently follow any training plan given to him without asking questions. As for Sasuke... Kurama believed the little Uchiha must have sensed something from those familiar plans, which took every one of his behavioral habits, training preferences, and thought patterns into account. However, since Sasuke never brought it up, Kurama did not reveal anything. As the boy grew older and his mind matured alongside his strength, he became increasingly steady and reserved.

"Kyaaa!!! Sasuke-kun is so cool!!!"
"Look at him sitting there reading quietly! Oh my god, it’s like he’s absorbing the sunlight into his body!"
"Sasuke-kun, marry me!"
"Back off! Sasuke-kun belongs to everyone!"

Watching the little Uchiha—who stood with a blank face while surrounded by a group of girls, his expression identical to a certain Lord of the Underworld—walk toward the school gate with his shoulders linked with a grinning Naruto, the demon fox stroked his chin. He turned to look at the dark-haired sovereign, who seemed to be treated as a role model.

"It seems our little Sasuke is quite popular with the girls."

Hades glanced back at Kurama with a faint expression, his eyes filled with a lingering warmth that made the demon fox’s cheeks flush with discomfort. The witty remark he had prepared—something about how this proved that the "blank-faced ice mountain" archetype was popular and wondering why Hades had scared girls away in the past—died in his throat. The demon fox sulkily turned his head away, ignoring the scorching gaze that had been fixed on him since the moment they met.

"Kurama! Hades-san!"

Seeing them from afar, Naruto—whose personality had become much more cheerful and sunny under Sasuke’s influence compared to the original timeline—dragged his friend over, arriving in a few quick strides.

"Sasuke and I both passed the exam! We’re officially Genin of Konoha now!"

The blonde boy’s eyes crinkled with pride as he leaned in to demand praise. "I don't know what Iruka-sensei was thinking! The exam was too easy. I thought it would be really difficult, so I dragged Sasuke along to practice for half the night without sleeping... uh!"

Realizing he had let something slip in his excitement, Naruto instantly shut his mouth, offering a silly, "Ahaha, the weather is nice today," grin to meet Kurama’s gentle smile.

It was too late. The demon fox placed a hand on the little fox’s shoulder, smiling softly. "Is that so? You practiced for half the night without sleeping? Little Naruto is truly diligent, aren't you?"

"...I'm sorry." The blonde boy’s eyes filled with tears as he quickly surrendered.

Sasuke, standing to the side and "innocently implicated," gave him a cold glance. Though he didn't say the word "idiot," it was written clearly across his handsome, maturing face. Naruto glared back—Damn you, Sasuke! Are we still brothers or not?

The young Uchiha raised an eyebrow—Brothers? Since when did I belong to the same species as an idiot?

Naruto was fuming. As was their custom, they began a silent exchange of glares, which soon devolved into a brief, close-quarters spar—a kick here, an elbow there. The surrounding students were used to it, and even those parents who still harbored a dislike for Naruto couldn't help but look amused.

Kurama exchanged a helpless look with Hades. "I don't remember teaching Sasuke to have this explosive, firecracker temper." He sounded as if he were complaining, but his eyes were filled with indulgent warmth.

The dark-haired god curled the corners of his lips in silence.

The two—or rather, Kurama—nodded in farewell to the familiar parents. Just then, Sasuke and Naruto ended their latest round of sparring. Sensing that Kurama’s expression had shifted from that bone-chillingly excessive gentleness back to his usual, refreshing smile, they stopped in unison. Like they did when they were younger, they sidled up to Kurama on either side. Though they were now too old to be held by the hand, their faces—one blank and indifferent, the other beaming—wore the exact same look of anticipation. Kurama glared at the two brats with a mix of annoyance and amusement before letting the matter drop.

The four walked away together under the complex gazes of the crowd, their long shadows cast by the setting sun intertwining, as if to prove that no matter if the gears of fate were about to start turning, their bond would never change.

***

While the Uchiha estate was holding a family celebration for Sasuke and Naruto’s successful graduation and acquisition of their leaf headbands, a small disturbance was rippling through the village due to the theft of the Forbidden Scroll. However, because Naruto was no longer being tricked into becoming a target to draw attention, the incident was resolved quickly. The commotion didn't even reach the ears of Sasuke and Naruto before it dissipated silently.

What mattered more to the two boys now was the announcement of the squad assignments for the graduating class. While he didn't say it aloud, Sasuke hoped to be in the same squad as Naruto. After all, they had spent years together, and in all of Konoha, Naruto was the only person Sasuke called a "friend."

Kurama, who already knew the outcome, mischievously gave the boys no hints or comfort. He watched them leave with heavy hearts that morning, and when they returned...

Sasuke’s expression was a perfect imitation of his master—unperturbed and unreadable—while Naruto... the poor kid looked happy but conflicted. Kurama was curious about what was bothering the little fox, and upon asking...

"There’s a girl in our squad I don't know at all," the blonde boy complained. "She seems to really like Sasuke and hates me a little. It feels like she’ll be hard to get along with."

Well. Because of the butterfly effect caused by the demon fox’s "Raising a Protagonist" project, Naruto had no inclination to like Sakura, and he had been so busy with training that he never paid attention to who she was. The result was that when the class assignments were announced, neither Sasuke nor Naruto had any impression of their third teammate.

Kurama silently lit a candle in his heart for the poor girl, Sakura.

The two boys, still feeling a bit troubled by the assignments, went to meet their Jonin instructor the next morning. At that same moment, the Uchiha estate welcomed a rather special "guest"...

A black crow, the kind that seemed to be everywhere.