Konoha: Naruto's abnormal life choices

"Chirp, chirp~"

In early December, the magpies were chirping at the main gates of Konoha.

After about a month away, the escort team led by Sarutobi Hazuki finally returned to the village.

They had set out with 110 shinobi.

Only around 60 returned.

After escorting the bodies of the fallen back to Konoha, Hazuki led the survivors straight to the Hokage Building to report. But Tsunade wasn't there. The only one present in the Hokage's office was the long-legged Shizune, currently acting as Tsunade's office manager.

Upon inquiry, Hazuki learned that Tsunade had personally led a large-scale force out of the village.

A super-squad of more than twenty jonin, including Hatake Kakashi and Might Guy, over forty special jonin like Uzuki Yugao and Mitarashi Anko, and five thousand chunin had departed for the Land of Lightning—to negotiate directly with the Raikage.

Furthermore, Konoha had declared a full state of war readiness. All shinobi currently on missions outside the village were ordered to return and prepare to mobilize.

In other words, if the negotiations failed, a full-blown war with the Hidden Cloud could break out at any moment.

When Naruto heard the news, he froze.

This hadn't happened in the original timeline. Either the original manga never covered this event in detail—or the flutter of butterfly wings had changed everything, nudging the world in a new direction.

If it was the latter... then this could be the beginning of a much larger chain reaction.

The plot as Naruto knew it could unravel entirely.

Which meant: his advantage of foresight might soon vanish.

But...

"What's there to be afraid of?" Naruto thought to himself. "We were planning to change the future anyway—this just pushes the pace a little."

He quickly brushed aside the feeling of loss.

The future was fluid. If he panicked over losing one minor edge, he might as well have just stuck to the original timeline and waited for Uchiha Madara to cast Infinite Tsukuyomi.

Now there was simply a new enemy: the Hidden Cloud.

So what?

"We'll fight them too," he muttered calmly.

His mind clear, Naruto let go of any lingering regret.

His eyes swept across the two women in the room—graceful Hazuki and long-legged Shizune. After admiring them quietly for a moment, he sighed to himself.

Still not as good as Lady Tsunade.

He had originally come to the Hokage's office hoping to wash his face—and maybe sneak a glance at Tsunade. But she wasn't here.

Sigh~ So boring.

Outside, the winter wind howled, rattling the glass panes of the office windows.

Inside, Shizune shifted her legs beneath her long skirt, crossing them elegantly, her pale skin exposed to the cold air.

But ninja didn't fear the cold.

Shizune twirled a pen between her fingers and said, "We've finalized the number of ninja who'll stay in the village to defend it. All clans are being treated equally. If war breaks out, at least 40% of chunin and higher-ranked ninja must participate. Madam, when you return, be sure to meet with the elders of the Sarutobi clan to decide who will go to war and who will remain."

Sarutobi Hazuki shook her head firmly. "I can't make that decision. Asuma is the current head of the Sarutobi clan. I can only pledge my personal support to Lady Tsunade. I don't have the authority to speak on his or the clan's behalf."

"That's... a problem." Shizune frowned and bit her lip. "Asuma and Kurenai are on a mission in the Land of Snow. We haven't heard from them in a while."

Tch.

Naruto smirked quietly.

Asuma and Kurenai had already been captured by Haku and Orochimaru. There was no way they'd be returning anytime soon.

Ye Yue looked troubled. After a pause, she said, "Please give me a little time, Lady Shizune. I'll send someone to contact Asuma. If he can't return before war breaks out, I'll meet with the elders on his behalf."

"That's acceptable," Shizune nodded after a moment's thought.

Outside, the snow continued falling, heavier and heavier, piling up on rooftops and tree branches.

Naruto glanced at the gray sky. Judging by the light, it was nearly afternoon.

"Sister Shizune, Madam Hazuki—you two carry on. I'm going to train."

He gave a quick wave and left the Hokage's office.

Since the two women were talking about serious clan matters, no one stopped him.

Snow had begun to blanket the streets. The sunlight brought a little warmth, but the cold still dominated. The streets were nearly deserted, and foot traffic was sparse.

As Naruto passed a few teahouses and restaurants, he heard murmurs of discussion.

The younger men were fired up, eager for battle with the Hidden Cloud Village.

The older ones sat back, sighing and worrying.

It was like watching two separate worlds—one naive and one jaded.

Naruto chuckled to himself.

That was just how people were. The young, who'd never seen war, yearned for it. The old, who'd lived through it, dreaded its return.

He paid them no mind and strode toward the training grounds.

"Instead of wasting time talking, it's better to train. The stronger you are, the better your chances when war comes."

"This is a world ruled by fists, not words."

As the thought passed through his mind, Naruto raised the back of his hand and summoned the "Two" character to contact Sasuke.

The message was brief: "Training Ground No. 28. Meet me there."

Sasuke wasn't a beauty like Haku—there was no point chatting with him longer than necessary.

Fifteen minutes later, Naruto arrived at Training Ground No. 28.

The heavy snow had driven people away, and with Konoha's elite forces deployed by Tsunade, even the chunin presence in the village had thinned out.

The entire training ground was empty—just barren hills, dead trees, and falling snow.

Perfect. No one around. No need to hold back.

With most of Konoha's high-level ninja away and Hazuki no longer following him, it was the perfect opportunity to test something new.

Naruto scanned the surroundings carefully, then slipped into the forest, masking his chakra and treading lightly so as to leave no trace.

Once he reached a secluded area, he stopped.

After rigging a few basic sound traps to alert him of intruders, Naruto shifted his consciousness into his spiritual realm.

The scenery changed.

The weather in his inner world shifted with his emotions, and today, it was a clear, sunny day with a gentle breeze.

He walked through the corridors of a school-like building, ascending to the third floor.

There, in Class 3-A, a large crystalline orb sat on a desk in the middle of the room.

His reward—earned by defeating Kumogakure in his last Selector decision.

A human puppet.

This reward allowed Naruto to summon a servant completely loyal to him.

However, it couldn't be activated within his spiritual space.

That's why he'd waited—until he had a safe, private place in the real world to use it.

He placed his hand above the crystal, focused, and the next moment, the orb materialized in the snowy forest outside.

Snowflakes landed gently on its surface.

[Do you wish to fuse snowflakes into the human puppet? Fusion will grant snow-based abilities.]

"Decline."

Naruto rejected the offer immediately.

He had other plans.

He now possessed a pair of three-tomoe Sharingan. If the puppet could wield that power—or even awaken the Mangekyo—then its potential would surpass any elemental affinity.

Without hesitation, Naruto pulled out the remaining pair of three-tomoe Sharingan from his inventory and placed them atop the crystal.

[Use the Sharingan to fuse with the human puppet? Puppet will gain Sharingan-related abilities.]

"Yes."

The Sharingan dissolved into a red mist and wrapped around the orb, then slowly seeped into it.

Cracks formed along the orb's surface.

A crack! Then another. It looked like something was trying to break free.

[Would you like to select the puppet's gender? If not, it will be genderless.]

"Female!" Naruto replied instantly.

[Would you like to select the puppet's age? Default is 18.]

"Eighteen, perfect!"

[Would you like to customize the puppet's appearance? If not, it will be randomly generated.]

This was too good to pass up.

Naruto grinned. "Fair skin, beautiful face, long legs, delicate features, and... long straight black hair."

[Best-matching soul identified. Please wait.]

Wait—soul?

Naruto blinked.

Was this puppet not created from scratch—but possessed by a real soul?

His suspicion was confirmed a moment later.

A woman's agonized scream rang out from inside the orb, echoing for three full minutes before fading.

Then, the orb shattered.

Standing amid the fragments was a tall, breathtakingly beautiful woman with porcelain skin and flowing black hair. A small teardrop-shaped mole sat beneath her right eye. Her crimson three-tomoe Sharingan darted about curiously.

The moment her eyes locked on Naruto, they sparkled with shyness and affection.

"Master, could you... please get me some clothes?" she said, squatting down to hide her nude body.

Hiss~

She looked familiar.

Where had he seen her before?

Was it just because she was beautiful?

Wait...

The girl turned away, cheeks red with embarrassment. "Master, I am your servant—Uchiha Izumi. Please... some clothes?"

Naruto froze.

What did she say?

Uchiha Izumi?!

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