Naruto: In the future world

It was a day full of activity—

The noise of cars echoing all around did little to comfort the lazy ones unwilling to wake up, forcing them to open their eyes in irritation.

A new day dawned upon the country of Konoha.

Its people remained in a state of cautious anticipation, mildly anxious about the unknown future that awaited them.

At this very moment, they had no new head of state in sight—

Only the current leader remained, and it seemed his time was drawing near.

"I wonder what will happen to us..."

"If this keeps up, we won't be alright for long..."

"I hope he comes back soon... He's the only one who can save this country from ruin..."

Indeed—

The heir to the Senju clan, and the next in line to lead the nation, Senju Tobirama... had vanished.

The news sparked terror and unease in the hearts of Konoha's citizens.

Some feared the end of their nation might be close.

Yet—

Nothing had occurred since that announcement, and life continued quietly.

The people simply waited in suspense for what was to come.

. . .

Scene One

. . .

Konoha Grand High School

. . .

Inside one of the grand and majestic mansions of Konoha, in a certain room where members of the household gathered as usual to discuss matters of their clan...

This was none other than the mighty and fearsome Uzumaki Clan.

At the back of the room sat a young girl of seven—Rebecca, daughter of Yukiteru and younger sister of Ella.

Beside her sat Yuha, daughter of Mikael, thirteen years old.

Next to Yuha were Tera, daughter of Oshino and sixteen years old, and Ella, twenty-two.

Across from them were Yuna, her husband Yukiteru, then Mikael, followed by Naruto and Oshino in order.

At the head chair sat Grandma Mito—

Weary and no longer appearing as healthy as before.

The family understood that she—

Naruto cut off the thought.

He didn't want to get emotional like last time and end up in tears.

He smiled gently and said,

"It brings me happiness to see us all gathered together like this."

"Well, we do this every day..." Oshino replied flatly, seemingly missing the point.

"Hehe, I know... But it makes me happy every single time... being surrounded by family like this."

He lowered his gaze slightly, and his thoughts drifted only to one thing—

His mother and father, living in the Namikaze Clan.

"Naruto–kun..."

Ella recognized his longing—

His yearning for Kushina to be here among them.

She could only whisper his name with quiet sorrow.

"Once you become head of the clan, you must know what is expected of you,"

The grandmother spoke slowly, her eyes fixed on Naruto.

He was the bridge between the Namikaze and Uzumaki clans.

What had nearly escalated into a blood feud had almost ended—

Thanks to the efforts of Kushina and Minato.

Tension still lingered between the two clans.

Naruto Uzumaki was the heir to the Uzumaki,

But also the son of the Namikaze leader.

Ultimately, he was the successor of both.

And now—

Each side struggled to win him over.

Grandma Mito had already endorsed Naruto as her successor—

So he was acting head in her place.

But the Namikaze had not given up,

And sought to bring Naruto back as their future leader.

The pressure weighing on his shoulders was crushing.

He had no idea what to do.

Kushina had hoped to prevent Naruto from becoming an enemy to the Uzumaki by naming him their heir—

But if he turned away from the Namikaze completely, tensions might worsen again, perhaps reigniting the former hostilities.

Naruto sighed and decided to leave the matter for the future.

. . .

"Onii–chan, I'm heading out now..."

Spoke the blonde girl Ino as she put on her shoes by the door, her eyes hidden beneath the shadow of her hair.

The house was silent, like a haunted mansion.

She received no reply from inside.

Standing quietly, she turned off the lights and left.

. . .

In the grand, main estate of the Uchiha clan—

Sasuke was preparing to leave as two figures stood before him.

One was his father, Fugaku Uchiha.

The other—a girl whose fiery red hair was her most distinguishing feature.

"Sasuke–niisan, we need to leave now,"

The red-haired girl said, urging her brother, who didn't seem particularly moved.

"Alright, alright... Just a moment."

Sasuke stood and looked toward Fugaku, who calmly returned their gaze.

"You two were previously enrolled in different schools, but now you'll be attending the same high school.

Take care of your sister," he said.

"Understood, Otou–sama."

Sasuke closed his eyes obediently in reply.

"Very good. And you—take care of Sasuke as well."

The girl nodded slowly,

"Yes, Otou–sama."

The two left the estate at a steady pace.

The school was somewhat distant—

But they'd refused to ride in what would've looked like a royal motorcade if left up to their father.

So—

They chose to walk.

. . .

At a lavish Japanese-style residence—

The home of the Haruno clan.

Sakura stood before her parents, preparing to leave.

"Take good care of yourself, Sakura, and don't go anywhere dangerous, alright?"

Her mother's voice held a touch of concern.

"Of course, Okaa–chan. Don't worry—I'm going with Naruto."

"Good. And don't forget to keep an eye on him.

He might spill some useful information about the Namikaze clan."

"Understood, Otou–sama."

"That's my girl, Sakura.

Don't disappoint me like Sasori did.

Sakura clenched her fist, emotions turbulent and mixed.

She exhaled,

"Yes."

She turned, walking out slowly, her eyes hidden beneath her hair.

"Onii–chan... why...?!!"

She whispered it—

So faintly, one could barely hear it—

And continued walking quietly.

. . .

At another palace in the vast nation of Konoha—

Two figures stood at the entrance.

One was a boy handsome enough to be mistaken for a girl.

He had brown hair and strangely pale eyes.

Hyūga Neji.

In front of him stood a girl with long, beautiful blue hair, like a mermaid who'd chosen to live among humans.

Hinata Hyūga, smiling softly.

"Be safe, Neji–sama."

"Thank you, Hinata–chan."

Neji smiled gently before turning to leave.

Hinata was a year younger than him, still in her final year of middle school.

She wouldn't be attending high school just yet.

As Neji left, he spotted someone waiting for him in the distance.

"Tenten—I'm glad to see you well today."

He approached and spoke with uncharacteristic warmth.

"You're late.

And don't try that charm routine on me—it doesn't work,"

Tenten scolded, lightly tapping Neji's head.

"I figured this would happen," Neji sighed calmly.

"Anyway, let's hurry. You don't want to be the last one there, do you?

I, for one, refuse!"

She sped up, and Neji followed behind.

"We still have an hour left, though..."

"No excuses—move it!"

"Alright, alright..."

. . .

In front of Konoha Grand High School—

Students moved about the courtyard, sharing stories of their holidays and killing time with lively chatter.

"I heard the first-years this year are unbelievably hot—

We're so lucky!"

A girl whispered to her friend.

"Really?? I hadn't heard that!"

"Totally!

I have a cousin who went to middle school with a few of them.

She said they look like anime characters!"

"Heeeh—no way!"

Elsewhere, a group of boys chatted without restraint.

"My cousin said this year's girls are like blooming flowers—

We should definitely shoot our shot!"

"Sweet! Maybe some will even call me Senpai~!"

"Yeah, right—you wouldn't get that even in a thousand years! Hahaha!"

They all laughed, carrying on.

As the chatter continued, a distinct group of students walked toward the main gate—

Steady, composed, and... strangely synchronized.

From all three directions they came—

Some recognizing each other from afar,

Others unfamiliar, strangers for now.

But we, of course, know these characters very well.

To the right:

Naruto, Sakura, and Tera Uzumaki—who was a year older than them.

To the left:

Sasuke with his red-haired sister, and behind them, a blonde girl trailing quietly—Ino.

From the center:

Neji and Tenten.

They all stopped before the gate at the exact same moment.

"Are they... angels?! Or am I just imagining things?!"

"HANDSOME~!"

The girls couldn't help but swoon, hearts in their eyes.

After a few moments, the group entered the school.

Each pair went their separate ways, indifferent to the gazes thrown their way.

Tera Uzumaki parted from Naruto to join her friends,

While Naruto and Sakura approached Sasuke and the red-haired girl.

(No way... That guy's here?!)

Ino blushed intensely—

A memory from years ago surfacing.

Two adults, a young boy, and a pink-haired girl...

The adult woman carrying a blond, wounded boy.

That beautiful boy who once confused her heart and mind now stood before her again.

Unlike Ino, Neji and Tenten were merely surprised by the presence of such striking new students.

But the ones most stunned were Naruto and Sakura—

They saw Sasuke walking beside a girl who seemed... oddly close to him.

"Oi, Sasuke!

You didn't tell us you had a girlfriend!"

Naruto stormed over.

"What? No! That's my sister.

Her name is Karin."

Sasuke seemed taken aback by the assumption and clarified immediately.

"Sister?!"

Naruto was even more shocked.

Sakura watched silently.

Karin stood beside her, puzzled by Naruto's reaction.

"Karin, don't be so cold.

These are Naruto and Sakura—the ones I told you about,"

Sasuke said, glancing toward Karin, who had remained silent.

Karin bowed politely,

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Naruto–dono, Sakura–dono.

I am Uchiha Karin. Honored to make your acquaintance."

"A–Ah, pleasure's ours, Karin..."

Naruto and Sakura bowed in return.

(Karin... Sasuke's sister?!

Wasn't she an Uzumaki in the previous world?!

How is that even possible...?)

Naruto was dumbfounded.

He shook off his thoughts to avoid suspicion and grinned.

"Honestly, that was shocking.

This bastard Sasuke kept quiet about you like you didn't exist!"

Sasuke and Karin fell silent—

Naruto, sharp as ever, sensed something wasn't right.

"Anyway, let's head to our class.

I hope we're not in different sections."

"Don't worry.

They arrange classes by intelligence level.

We're definitely going to be in Class A–1!"

Naruto said excitedly.

Sasuke smiled and nodded,

"Yeah, that would be awesome!"

. . .

Scene One

Konoha Grand High School – END

. . .

In a different part of vast Konoha—

A densely populated residential area that looked like it belonged to the ultra-wealthy, where only nobles lived—

A certain individual stepped out of a luxury black limousine.

He wore a sharply tailored black suit that looked expensive enough to buy a house.

White shirt beneath a black jacket, matching black pants, and sleek sunglasses—

On his neck, a certain symbol: a red cloud crest running from his shoulder to his neck.

If this were a fantasy story, he'd be a mafia boss.

And maybe... he was.

His skin was bronze-tinted.

He entered a building his limo had stopped beside.

He flashed his ID to the guard at the entrance—

The guard flinched in fear and stepped aside immediately.

Inside, he walked toward the elevator.

The lobby was massive, revealing the building's influence and power.

He pressed the button for the 9th floor.

The glass elevator ascended slowly.

From the window, he could see the vast cityscape of Konoha—

Skyscrapers, the great Uchiha walls visible from almost anywhere,

And beyond... the sea, enhancing the city's natural beauty.

Ding.

The elevator arrived.

He stepped out.

A long corridor lay before him, lined with room numbers.

His sharp eyes found the one he was looking for—909.

Without hesitation, he opened the door—

And was immediately met with the barrel of a gun.

"Try it, and I won't hesitate to kill you."

"Hahaha, you're so cold—

I was just joking,"

said the man holding the gun, clearly unrepentant.

"You don't look sorry."

"Not at all.

Why would I be?

You're as good as dead once they lay eyes on you."

The suited man smirked.

"In that case... let them come.

We'll see who ends up in the afterlife first."

"Kakuzu, Hidan—stop making noise, you're both annoying."

The suited man—Kakuzu—

And the gunman—Hidan—glanced at the speaker with slight irritation.

"Anyway, you're here, so I assume we have a new mission?"

"Indeed.

Zero has issued us an order."

Kakuzu replied coolly.

"Then let's move—Number One, Number Two."

The man addressed them both in turn.

. . .

To Be Continued...