Naruto: I Am Uzumaki Naruto!?

After Sarutobi Hiruzen and Kakashi finally left, Naruto exhaled and relaxed.

He turned toward the small pile of bills on his bed—30,000 ryo.

"How generous," he muttered sarcastically, staring at the money with disinterest.

If Hiruzen really cared, why not just increase his monthly allowance instead of throwing him a one-time bribe? He wasn't stupid—he knew exactly what this was. The old man wanted to keep him desperate enough to be grateful but never enough to truly be independent.

A textbook case of manipulation.

Naruto clicked his tongue. "Typical."

With a sigh, he cleaned up the "biochemical disaster" at his doorway before sitting down cross-legged on his bed. Closing his eyes, he directed his consciousness inward, plunging into the depths of his mindscape.

The familiar sewer-like space stretched before him, the distant echoes of dripping water filling the silence. In the dim light, a massive iron gate loomed ahead, sealed shut with a single strip of paper bearing the kanji for "seal."

Behind it, twin crimson eyes snapped open.

A rumbling growl filled the space as the Nine-Tailed Fox raised its head, its massive fangs gleaming. "What do you want, brat?"

Naruto smirked. "Kurama, you're looking well today. You prefer fish or mice? Maybe I'll bring you some next time."

The massive fox twitched.

Then its face darkened.

"Naruto," Kurama growled, its tails lashing behind it. "I am a tailed beast. Not some common fox scavenging for scraps!"

Naruto stroked his chin in mock thought. "Hmmm… so snakes? Or maybe rabbits?"

"Brat, the first thing I'll do when I get out is rip that smart mouth off your face."

Naruto chuckled.

In this entire village, only Hinata gave him warmth.

And only Kurama, as bitter and caged as he was, could banter with him like this.

He leaned against the iron bars, staring up at the massive beast. "Don't worry, partner. I'll get stronger, and one day, we'll both walk out of here together."

Kurama narrowed his eyes but didn't respond.

Naruto grinned. "Catch you later."

Then he was gone.

Back in reality, Naruto stretched, letting out a yawn. His gaze flickered to the stack of paper on his desk.

Anger and frustration wouldn't change anything.

For now, he'd stick to his plan.

Hokage's Office

Hiruzen steepled his fingers, his expression unreadable. "You're sure?"

Kakashi nodded. "Positive. There are no signs of Adamantine Sealing Chains awakening."

Hiruzen sighed in relief. "And the increased strength?"

Kakashi hesitated, then said, "It's likely just the Uzumaki blood. Kushina-san was incredibly strong even without specialized techniques. Naruto may have inherited that from her."

Hiruzen leaned back in his chair. That made sense.

Still, something about Naruto's rapid development made him uneasy.

For now, he'd keep an eye on him.

The Next Day

Dark circles under his eyes, Naruto strode into the bookstore, a stack of papers tucked under his arm.

The shopkeeper wrinkled his nose in mild disgust at the sight of him. "What do you want?"

Naruto ignored the look and slapped the papers onto the counter. "I wrote a book. I want to publish it."

The shopkeeper sighed, clearly about to brush him off—until his gaze drifted down to the manuscript.

A few pages in, his eyes widened.

A few more pages… his hands trembled.

Then—

"Puah!"

Blood spurted from the man's nostrils as he staggered back, slamming into the shelf behind him.

He collapsed to the ground, gasping. "Th-this… This is a masterpiece…!"

Naruto blinked. "Uh, you okay?"

The shopkeeper didn't answer. He was too busy clutching the papers like they were made of gold. His entire body was shaking.

"This will sell—no, this will explode! The entire ninja world will be talking about it!"

Naruto barely kept himself from rolling his eyes. "That's nice and all, but let's talk business. How much are you paying me?"

The shopkeeper hesitated.

"Well, normally, new authors don't get advances…"

Naruto grabbed the papers. "Cool. I'll find another publisher, then."

"Wait! Wait, wait, wait!" The shopkeeper practically threw himself over the counter, gripping the papers like his life depended on it. "One million ryo! I'll give you an advance of one million!"

Naruto raised an eyebrow.

That was… actually a good deal.

He crossed his arms. "Fine. But keep my identity secret."

The shopkeeper nodded quickly. "Of course, of course! Many authors prefer anonymity!"

Naruto thought for a moment. A pseudonym…

He smirked.

"Call me… Menma."

The shopkeeper didn't question it.

Shortly after, a thick stack of bills was placed into Naruto's hands. He flipped through it, double-checking the amount.

"One million, just right."

Tucking the money into his pocket, he grinned.

Now, time to get stronger.

And maybe buy something nice for Hinata while he was at it.

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