Naruto: Boundless Potential

After spending quite a bit of time in the Land of Waves, Team 7 finally returned to Konoha.

"Finally back at the village… I was really missing my miso ramen," Naruto muttered, eyes practically sparkling at the thought of his favorite meal.

As they approached the village gates, Kakashi gave a lazy wave.

"Alright, that's it for now. Take the next three days to rest. You're free to do whatever you want," he said, before turning and heading toward the Hokage Tower. He still had a full report to deliver.

Hokage Tower

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind his desk, his expression grave as he listened to Kakashi's report. His brow furrowed deeper with every passing moment.

He hadn't expected the first mission assigned to Team 7 to turn into such a dangerous disaster.

The fact that Naruto—the village's Jinchūriki—had been kidnapped and nearly killed was a terrifying thought.

If Naruto had died… the consequences would've been catastrophic.

"Kakashi," Hiruzen finally said, taking a slow puff from his pipe, "no more C-rank missions for now. Train them thoroughly. Only when you're confident in their growth should you accept another."

"And another thing—the Chūnin Exams are approaching. I'd prefer if you stay in the village and help prepare them."

"Yes, Hokage-sama," Kakashi replied with a bow. "I'll train them personally for the upcoming exams."

There was one part of the mission Kakashi chose not to report.

The money.

He had already seen Naruto's pitiful living conditions—barely enough support from the village, no stable income.

Now that the boy had come into wealth from an outside source, Kakashi wasn't about to let that end up in the Hokage's hands.

After Kakashi left the room, Hiruzen breathed a deep sigh of relief.

He was getting old. And the burden of choosing the next Hokage weighed heavily on his mind.

Jiraiya was an excellent candidate—strong, wise, and well-respected—but he had no interest in becoming Hokage.

For years, he had been wandering the world in search of the Child of Destiny.

Tsunade was another good option. As the granddaughter of the First Hokage and the grandniece of the Second, her bloodline and strength made her a prime choice.

But she too was absent from the village, with no signs of returning anytime soon.

And then there was his favorite student… Orochimaru.

A bitter pang ran through Hiruzen as he remembered how Orochimaru had betrayed the village and become a rogue ninja. The wound from that betrayal had never fully healed.

Lately, Hiruzen had been considering passing on the position to his own son, Asuma, in a few years.

Despite his rebellious nature, Asuma held the village close to his heart—that alone was enough for Hiruzen.

His first choice would still be Kakashi. But after Asuma's recent return, the changes in him were undeniable.

He had matured. He had become more stable. That's why Hiruzen had deliberately assigned the Ino-Shika-Cho trio to him—future clan heads, all of them.

It was a move to help Asuma build deeper ties with the next generation of the village.

He had done something similar with Kurenai Yuhi, hoping to strengthen her bonds within the village structure.

Still… it was too soon to make a decision. He had sent word to Jiraiya once more, hoping the old toad sage might finally accept the Hokage position.

If not, Hiruzen would have to choose between Kakashi and Asuma.

"Sigh… I'm getting old," he muttered, taking another puff from his pipe.

Then his eyes narrowed slightly.

He also needed to keep an eye on his dear friend Danzo—who had recently shown an unusual interest in Naruto. Especially after the incident where a portion of the Nine-Tails' chakra had leaked out.

Thinking of Naruto, Hiruzen sighed again. He knew the boy well.

He knew Naruto was an airhead, loud and brash—but harmless, and full of spirit.

Yet, despite knowing this, he had allowed the village to treat the boy with cold indifference. That guilt never left him.

When the Fourth Hokage sacrificed himself to seal the Nine-Tails, Hiruzen had stepped back into the Hokage's office to maintain stability.

At that time, Danzo had proposed pinning the blame for the disaster on Naruto.

Hiruzen had disagreed.

But Danzo had acted anyway—and the village soon began to scorn and isolate Naruto. Hiruzen had done nothing to stop it.

Years passed, and Naruto eventually graduated from the Academy. As a small form of redemption, Hiruzen had decided to gift him a powerful jutsu—Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu.

He had even considered giving Naruto something more—The Flying Thunder God Technique, Minato Namikaze's signature jutsu.

After all, Minato had entrusted his son to Hiruzen. He had promised to look after Naruto, and yet… he hadn't.

At the last moment, however, he hesitated.

The Flying Thunder God was too dangerous. If Naruto ever turned against the village—or fell into enemy hands—it could become a threat beyond control.

So, instead, he offered a sealed scroll containing some basic fuinjutsu theory and spatial principles.

He told Naruto it was the Flying Thunder God Technique, but in truth, it wasn't the real thing.

Still, he hoped Naruto might learn something valuable from it.

After all, with Uzumaki blood running through his veins, fuinjutsu was his clan's legacy.

Even if Naruto couldn't master Flying Thunder God, perhaps it would spark a greater understanding of sealing arts—and open doors to new paths.

Meanwhile, on the streets of Konoha, Naruto could be seen walking in a strange, waddling manner.

"Uhh… did I eat too much today?" he muttered, glancing down at his bulging belly.

"I guess twenty bowls of miso ramen really was overdoing it…"

After returning to Konoha, Naruto hadn't gone home. Instead, he'd made a direct trip to the bank to withdraw money—his first goal: to eat miso ramen to his heart's content.

To his surprise, the bank staff didn't even question him.

One look at his account, and they quietly handed over an entire suitcase full of cash.

As Naruto headed home, blissfully unaware, he was being watched.

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From behind a street corner, three dogs peered at him with gleaming eyes and hushed whispers.

They were none other than the notorious trio from the Pookie Gang—Princess, Cupcake, and Arnold.

The fierce-looking dog at the front was Princess—the gang's self-proclaimed leader.

The one with a pair of cracked glasses and an annoyed expression was Cupcake.

And finally, the adorably clueless husky at the back was Arnold.

"Je je je je je je… I finally found that brat again," Princess whispered menacingly. "This time, he won't escape. I'll definitely get my revenge!"

"Boss… can you not laugh like that? It's creepy," Cupcake muttered, adjusting his glasses.

"Shut up, Arnold," Princess growled—despite the fact Arnold hadn't said anything. "Our mission today is to capture that brat!"

Naruto, still walking slowly suddenly paused.

His eyelids fluttered, and his vision dimmed for a moment—not because of exhaustion, but something else.

For just a brief second… the world around him shifted.

It was as if his eyes were closed—but he could still see.

Not with sight, but with something deeper—chakra perception.

He could feel the surroundings: the faint energy of villagers chatting, the distant warmth of chakra signatures in shops, birds flying above…

…and three small, fast-approaching chakra blobs, coming straight toward him.

But it wasn't just the chakra.

The leading signature pulsed with something strange—an odd mix of aggression… and excitement?

'What… is this feeling?' Naruto thought.

A tingling sensation spread across his forehead, and his senses expanded rapidly, like ripples across a pond.

He opened his eyes with a sharp gasp and quickly turned to look behind him—toward the direction where he had sensed the chakra blobs rushing toward him.

And what he saw made his heart sink.

"...Oh crap."

Three dogs were barreling toward him like furry missiles.

"WOOF! (Dang it! How'd the brat notice us this time?!)" barked Princess, charging ahead with mad determination.

"Not again!" Naruto shouted, and without another word, bolted down the street, suitcase in hand.

Behind him, the infamous Pookie Gang gave chase, barking wildly.