Naruto: Reborn in His Younger Self

Kakashi never expected to meet the Fourth Hokage here!

Just moments ago, he was preparing to take action to salvage the situation, but unexpectedly—before he could even begin—someone had already intervened. By the time he reacted, he saw the four reanimated versions of Momochi Zabuza and his group being knocked back!

He was still wondering—who could move that fast?

But the moment he landed and saw the familiar figure before him, realization dawned.

Ah… that aura, that presence—it was unmistakable. That familiar feeling, that familiar rhythm. It was his master—Namikaze Minato, the Fourth Hokage.

Underground in the Akatsuki's hideout, a strange glint flashed through Yakushi Kabuto's eyes.

The Fourth Hokage…

The very person he had dreamt of reincarnating, day and night, had been brought back—by someone else.

In this world, besides himself, only Lord Orochimaru had the ability to perform Impure World Reincarnation. But now, even Naruto had taken action?

That meant…

Meanwhile, Might Guy was equally stunned and exclaimed, "Yes, Teacher Minato! No—no, I should say, Lord Fourth Hokage!"

Sakura covered her mouth in shock. "It's really… Lord Fourth Hokage? How is this possible? Could it be… that he was brought back with the Impure World Reincarnation too?"

Hearing that, Kakashi immediately stepped forward, positioning himself in front of Sai, Saji, and Omoi.

"Sensei… I'm sorry. I never imagined… that one day, I might have to fight you."

Seeing Kakashi's reaction, Guy also stepped forward to stand beside him, his expression grave.

But Minato raised both hands with a warm smile. "No, no, you misunderstand. Although I was brought back through Impure World Reincarnation, I'm not being controlled by the enemy. I have my free will, Kakashi."

Kakashi and Guy's eyes widened in disbelief.

Free will?

Was it even possible? Could it be that someone else had performed the reincarnation—someone not aligned with Akatsuki?

On the battlefield, Zabuza and the others had recovered and stood up again. Zabuza narrowed his eyes, glaring ahead.

"Hey! That's Kakashi over there!"

Kakashi turned his gaze toward him, narrowing his eye. "Zabuza… I didn't expect we'd meet again."

Haku offered a gentle smile. "Kakashi-sensei…"

"It's been a while, Haku," Kakashi replied with a hint of nostalgia in his voice.

Zabuza let out a low, mocking laugh. "Heh. I knew that being resurrected meant more fighting. But I didn't think I'd be facing you again, Kakashi… and especially not the Yellow Flash of the Leaf!"

Another of the resurrected ninja, Pakura of the Scorch Style, narrowed her eyes at Minato. "Fourth Hokage… the Yellow Flash… a key figure who ended the Third Great Ninja War. So even he's been brought back by this technique?"

Gari, the Explosion Release user from Iwagakure, grunted. "The way he moved just now—it didn't look like he was with us. Someone else might've performed the jutsu."

Haku nodded softly. "It certainly seems that way…"

Kakashi picked up on the subtle dissonance in their group. They didn't seem to be cooperating with Minato at all. Was his master really free, as he claimed?

He asked directly, "Zabuza, when you were reincarnated, did you appear together with my master, the Fourth Hokage?"

Zabuza shook his head. "No. When I was brought back, I didn't see your precious Fourth Hokage. Last thing I remember was dying on that damn bridge. Thought I'd go straight to hell. Next thing I know—I wake up beside Haku, in this mess. Doesn't feel like hell, doesn't feel like heaven either."

"This is the real world," Kakashi explained. "You've been brought back through Impure World Reincarnation. It was Akatsuki who used this forbidden technique to drag you back from the afterlife."

Zabuza scoffed. "Tch. Figures. Just what kind of twisted people are in this world… Akatsuki, huh? What a bunch of bastards!"

At the rear, the rest of the Allied Shinobi Forces remained still, watching intently. From the looks of it, Captain Kakashi actually knew the enemies.

"What do we do? Captain's still talking with them…"

"Wait for Captain Kakashi's signal. Things look complicated. Even our Fourth Hokage just appeared!"

"Intelligence Division, send word to HQ. Immediately!"

"Yes!"

Sakura took a few steps forward, her expression conflicted. "Zabuza… Haku…"

Both looked at her. Zabuza chuckled. "Oh? That girl from back then… You've grown up, haven't you? One of Kakashi's little brats."

Seeing Sakura reminded Zabuza of that boy—the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, Naruto. If it weren't for him, Kakashi might have fallen on that bridge.

So, naturally, he was curious.

"How's that brat doing now?"

Sakura hesitated for a moment, then slowly nodded.

Haku's eyes widened slightly. Her thoughts drifted to Naruto too.

She remembered their conversation that day in the snow, the herbs they'd gathered together. At the time, she had pretended to be an ordinary village girl, but even then, Naruto had said he wanted to become stronger—to be acknowledged.

And her reply had been: "People become truly strong when they want to protect something important."

Before parting, she had made a promise to Naruto:

"You have to become stronger. I hope we'll meet again one day."

Her chest tightened with emotion at the memory.

Zabuza gave a faint smile. "He beat me, after all. I'm sure both his name and his power have grown."

Kakashi smiled. "Yes. That bridge where you fell… It's now called the Great Naruto Bridge. The villagers regard him as a hero. Thanks to your sacrifice, Naruto found his own path… his own ninja way. But now…"

He trailed off, his tone darkening. Naruto had left the village. While both Lady Tsunade and Lord Jiraiya had supported Naruto's decisions, Kakashi, as his former teacher, still struggled to accept his path.

Minato, hearing everything, smiled with pride.

My son… he really grew up.

He remembered back in the day—how dashing he'd looked the night he saved Kushina from Kumogakure's kidnappers. Just like Naruto, he had always wanted to protect what mattered most.

Haku asked gently, "What's wrong with him now?"

A sudden voice echoed through the forest.

"Long time no see, Zabuza, Haku! I'm just someone the world doesn't understand right now."

Everyone turned in unison.

On the branch of a towering tree stood Naruto Uzumaki, one hand on his hip, the other holding his cloak. Standing beside him were Killer Bee and… Orochimaru.

The Sensing Unit was stunned.

"When—how did they get there?!"

The Konoha shinobi were in uproar.

"It's Naruto! And next to him—damn it—it's Orochimaru?!"

Some of the veteran Leaf ninjas gasped. "That's impossible! Wasn't Orochimaru dead? Could it be… he's been reincarnated too?!"

From the Kumogakure faction, multiple shinobi shouted in joy.

"Lord Killer Bee! You're safe?!"

Killer Bee grinned and looked at Naruto. "Yo, Naruto. Mind if I drop in?"

Naruto nodded silently.

Bee leapt down, landing amidst the crowd.

"Hey! Hidden Cloud peeps, long time no see! Miss me much?"

At first, several nervous shinobi drew their kunai—but the Yunyin forces quickly shouted them down.

"Put your weapons away, you idiots! That's Lord Killer Bee!"

They rushed over, surrounding him like a returning general.

"You're way stronger than ever, my lord!"

"The Raikage knows you're here! He's on his way!"

Bee rolled his eyes. "Tch. Don't bring up my big brother for no reason!"

"Sorry, sir!"

A wave of laughter passed among the Yunyin squad. In Kumogakure, aside from the Raikage, no one commanded as much respect as Killer Bee—the Eighth-Tails Jinchūriki, brother to Raikage A.

Meanwhile, Naruto leapt down calmly. Orochimaru followed right after, his unsettling smile never wavering.

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