Chapter 30: What Naruto Has Learned
Four hours later... At least, that was how time flowed for this sealed space in the depths of the mind.
"Alright, kid. Did you understand?"
Three-year-old Naruto nodded seriously, an uncompromising determination shining in his blue eyes. Altay lightly tapped the pointer in his hand against his palm, showing his satisfaction with the situation. The large board standing right behind him was overflowing with various notes, symbols, and photographs, the result of hours of work. Altay spoke calmly, without breaking his measured expression.
"Let's see what you've learned then."
Altay drew an invisible circle around three different photographs on the board with his pointer.
"Introduce them to me in order."
Naruto answered with a seriousness uncharacteristic of his age.
"The biggest villains of the village and the enemies of my family."
Altay nodded in approval and pointed the tip of the stick at the sour-faced photo of Utatane Koharu. Naruto's voice was calm, but the anger building up behind his childish eyes was plainly visible.
"Utatane Koharu, also known as the ugly-faced witch. The head of the Konoha medical ninjas, meaning the doctors, and one of the three most influential people in the village after the Hokage. She is one of those who insulted and cursed at my mother, and threatened her friends."
Altay nodded silently and asked his question.
"And her punishment?"
Clenching his fists, Naruto spoke with determination.
"Normally, her punishment would be to blacken both her eyes, knock out her teeth, and put her in the hospital. Even though I would be gentle because she is an old woman, I will do this when I get stronger!"
Altay nodded again and this time shifted the pointer to the picture of Mitokado Homura. Naruto answered instantly, without a moment's hesitation.
"Mitokado Homura, also known as the sour-faced hyena. He handles Konoha's finances, is responsible for trading and building houses, and is also in charge of communicating with those outside Konoha. He is someone who supports the witch that insulted my mother, and also speaks ill behind my father's back."
Satisfied with what he heard, Altay nodded and asked again.
"What is his punishment?"
Naruto answered by making a fist with his right hand and slamming it hard into his left palm.
"I'm going to knock him out by breaking all his bones! Dattebayo!"
Keeping the same pace, Altay nodded and tapped the stick on the last photo, the shadowed face of Shimura Danzo. Naruto began to speak with unshakable determination.
"Shimura Danzo! Also known as the one-eyed dog. The most dangerous of the three and the strongest person after Grandpa Hokage. He is very dangerous, so I will stay away from him until I get stronger and you tell me I am ready. He is sneaky, cautious, and walks around with a hundred guards all the time like a coward. He is a child-eating cannibal, a monster who loves kidnapping children. He is the worst person in the world and wants to steal Grandpa's title of Hokage. Everyone in the village is afraid of him, and he has spies everywhere. In the outside world, he is someone whose name I must absolutely not mention and whose attention I must not attract. He is someone who betrayed my mother and father and hurt them a lot."
Altay asked with a slight nod.
"His punishment?"
Naruto quickly replied.
"His punishment will be dealt by you, big brother. I will stay away from him and will not communicate with him. If he approaches me or tries to take me with him, I will use Kurama's chakra and run away, and I will go to Grandpa Hokage. If he is not there, I will go to the police force and hide in the Uchiha clan."
Altay smiled proudly at this flawless plan he just heard.
"Well done. You've memorized these well. Don't ever forget, you will stay away from the one-eyed dog."
Naruto nodded seriously. Right after, Altay moved on to the other papers in a different corner of the board. Each paper he pointed to with his stick bore the symbol of a different clan. Every time Altay moved the stick, Naruto recited the names he had memorized one by one.
"The clan symbols, respectively: Shimura, Utatane, Mitokado."
Altay nodded in satisfaction.
"Good, now tell me the last symbol."
This time, Altay's pointer stopped on a fan-shaped symbol composed of red and white colors. Naruto answered without any hesitation.
"The Uchiha Clan. The strongest clan in the village and also one of its founding clans. The clan of a very close friend of my mother. The three bad men don't like this clan and want to kick them out of the village."
After nodding one last time, Altay rested the wooden stick casually on his shoulder and asked.
"What are we going to do today?"
Naruto took a deep breath and spoke with determination.
"We are going to buy the things I need from the Uchiha clan."
The pleased expression on Altay's face became slightly more pronounced.
"Good job. We can make our move now."
After receiving this approval, Naruto curiously voiced the question that had been lingering in his mind.
"Brother, will you tell me who my mother's friend is?"
Altay paused for a moment, looked at the boy slightly thoughtfully, and then smiled warmly as he roughly ruffled Naruto's blonde hair.
"No can do~ you have to find that out for yourself. Let's see if you can figure it out from the way people look at you. When we go shopping, if we enter the clan, you'll pay attention to those who look at you and to your surroundings. If we can't get in, we'll figure out what to do then."
As Naruto nodded to show he understood, Altay began to detail the route they would follow outside and what he needed to do. While all this was happening, a completely different atmosphere prevailed in the back of the sealed space. Kurama was, on one hand, questioning life and glancing at the manga in his hand, and on the other, he had pricked up one of his pointed ears, listening to Altay with rapt attention. Witnessing this cunning, he was at a loss for what to think.
'... look at this guy... he's sending Naruto to the Uchiha just to drive the Konoha higher-ups crazy. On top of that, he's explaining the biggest culprits responsible for Naruto's ostracization from the village in a way his childish mind can grasp, psychologically preparing Naruto against them... he's made me ashamed to be a fox...'
The great Nine-Tailed Fox let out a deep sigh, grabbed a handful of spicy chips from the giant bag next to him, and noisily shoved them into his mouth.
'Still, going to the Uchiha seems a bit risky... after all, there are two Mangekyo Sharingans there... especially Shisui's Mangekyo is dangerous... but the brainwashed fool probably won't act until Hiruzen tells him to... he won't act on his own, plus we don't know if he's awakened his Mangekyo yet... If Naruto gets close to the Uchihas, he'll be out in the open at any moment, and a Mangekyo user could come and put me under a genjutsu... but...'
Snapping out of his thoughts, Kurama gave a sidelong glance at Altay's confident back standing in the front.
'This guy thought of that too. With Kushina and Minato supported by my chakra here, anyone who tries to show up here, let alone open my seal, will get a severe beating...'
Just as Kurama relaxed with this sense of security and took a large gulp from the giant can of soda in his hand, Altay's voice echoed in the sealed space.
"...also, soon Kurama will give you lessons about your clan, the Uzumaki clan, and talk about the other clans!"
At this unexpected sentence, Kurama choked on the soda he was drinking. Gasping for breath, he went into a coughing fit and sprayed the soda in his mouth everywhere.
"PFFFT! COUGH COUGH COUGH COUGH!"
The other subject of this situation, Naruto, instantly sulked at the task he just heard.
"Brother, do I really have to work with him... you know what he did to my family."
Altay sighed patiently.
"Unfortunately, you have to, Naruto. I need to train too. Instead of Kurama lying around idly and growing a belly, it's better for him to give you theoretical lessons. Besides, Kurama is your greatest support in getting stronger. Give him a chance, kid; plus, this is a perfect opportunity for you to see whether he really is a monster or not."
Even though three-year-old Naruto couldn't fully grasp the depth of the connection Altay was building in the background, he trusted his big brother. After all, he was getting information about his family from him, learning about his enemies, and most importantly, he felt truly valued by him. Albeit reluctantly, he sighed and nodded.
"Alright, big brother. I'll try."
Altay nodded with an encouraging smile.
"Good. Now get to work."
When Naruto closed his eyes and left the inner world after a brief confirmation, the surroundings suddenly fell silent. Having just survived the choking hazard, Kurama barely recovered and turned to Altay with eyes full of disbelief.
"What the hell are you doing!"
Altay shrugged casually, as if he had done something completely ordinary.
"I'm setting things up between you and Naruto. This will be a good start, Kurama."
Hearing these words, Kurama slowly closed the mouth he had opened to object. Even though being suddenly declared an instructor without his consent annoyed him, he instantly realized the long-term bridge of trust Altay was trying to build.
"So you've prepared the groundwork for me to get closer to him, huh..."
As Altay nodded silently in confirmation, Kurama set this bizarre teaching matter aside for now and asked the question that was truly bugging his mind.
"Isn't it risky to send Naruto to the Uchiha clan?"
Altay chuckled lightly, brimming with confidence.
"Don't worry, I've thought of everything. I carefully analyzed what Kishimoto told us and the story that takes place in the original work. If this were the Uchiha of 3-4 years from now, it would be risky, because by then, the Uchiha truly were at the limit of their patience and under the threat of annihilation. But right now? They've only just started being ostracized. They still hold a certain prestige in the village. Besides..."
As Kurama narrowed his giant eyes and looked at him in curiosity, Altay continued to reveal the foundations of his plan.
"As long as Mikoto and Fugaku are around, no one from the Uchiha will act directly; even Shisui and Itachi wouldn't allow it. Meaning, unless the people in the Uchiha clan want to take a severe beating and get kicked out of the clan, they won't do anything. Furthermore, they can't put you under a genjutsu without a Mangekyo. Additionally, whether they be ninja or civilians, there are friends and admirers of Kushina and Minato in the Uchiha clan. Out of the countless ninjas Minato saved during the war, a few are bound to be Uchiha."
Kurama crossed his massive arms over his chest as he weighed and measured this political equation in his mind. Altay chuckled as he watched his thoughtful state and continued his words.
"Don't forget, the Uchiha experience their emotions to the extreme. So, out of respect for Minato and Kushina, the Uchiha clan won't ostracize Naruto easily, though they will act distant for political reasons. Remember, it was upon Minato's request that the Uchiha clan didn't take back Kakashi's Sharingan. Even though Hatake Sakumo, who was Kagami's student, had an influence on this, do not underestimate Minato's charisma and sociability. Kushina also had an impact on that matter. The Uchihas don't leave the Sharingan with just anyone that easily."
Kurama grunted slightly, replying in a mocking tone.
"So, Kakashi of the Sharingan owes his fame to his teacher, his father, and the tolerance of the Uchiha clan."
Altay nodded, confirming this observation, and concluded his speech with clear reassurance.
"Trust me, I would never put you or Naruto in danger. I've thought of everything. The effort is ours; the outcome is up to God."
Kurama nodded slowly, seemingly convinced. As Altay now began to focus entirely on Naruto in the outside world, he requested a thick book containing the history of the Uzumaki clan down to the finest detail from his mental system for Kurama. Kurama's face fell as he looked at the massive, encyclopedia-thick book that appeared beside him in seconds. Just looking at the weight of its cover exhausted him spiritually; however, he knew he had to endure this tedious task in order to build a bond with the little one.