I Hope You Can Change the Future

The night in Konoha was relatively quiet. At this time, the Third Shinobi World War had only recently concluded, and even the mighty Konoha had yet to recover its former prosperity.

Thus, the Shadow Clone of Ensei Uchiha did not attract anyone's attention.

It was truly a location he had spent months searching for; the foot traffic here was minimal, allowing him to minimize the possibility of exposure as much as possible.

Walking along the somewhat desolate streets, Ensei Uchiha felt a slight sense of relief in his heart.

In truth, he had already prepared himself for exposure. Rather than dying in obscurity during the clan annihilation a few years from now, he would rather take a gamble.

However, somewhat unexpectedly, he reached the doorstep of Minato Namikaze's home without a single person crossing his path.

Had the Anbu been watching all along? Or had they failed to notice him entirely?

Several thoughts crossed his mind, but Ensei Uchiha knocked on the door without hesitation.

In Konoha, the Hokage's residence was easy enough to find. At the very least, for the villagers living in Konoha, this was not a particularly well-kept secret.

The door was opened the moment he knocked.

Minato Namikaze stared at the visitor with an expressionless face; clearly, he had been prepared for this situation for some time.

"As expected, my movements are easily discovered."

"I just don't know if you have figured out my true identity yet."

"A piece of advice: even if you do know, it would be best to pretend you don't."

Ensei Uchiha's voice was somewhat hoarse; altering his vocal cords to this degree was no easy task for him.

"A Shadow Clone? And a high-level one at that!"

Minato Namikaze spoke with a calm expression, as if he already knew everything.

But in reality, he had only just learned that a mysterious person had arrived at his doorstep, and he had no idea if the person was a Shadow Clone—that was merely a guess.

As Hokage, the number of Anbu guarding his vicinity was not small, and there were many others patrolling the village to guard against spies.

But Konoha was vast; no matter how many Anbu there were, it was impossible to monitor every corner at every moment.

Therefore, when Ensei Uchiha's Shadow Clone was discovered, it had seemed to the patrolling Anbu as if he had appeared out of thin air.

"I see. It seems my luck is quite good; you haven't discovered my identity yet."

"Yes, I am indeed just a Shadow Clone right now."

"Let's keep this brief!"

"First, I possess the ability to foresee the future... and second, I wish to change some of the futures I have seen."

Without further explanation, Ensei Uchiha pulled an envelope from his robes and handed it to Minato Namikaze.

Upon hearing these words, Minato Namikaze couldn't help but think of his master, the man who had spent his entire life searching for the Child of Prophecy.

He analyzed the intelligence on the opponent as best he could, but on the surface, Minato Namikaze spoke calmly:

"Is that so? Regarding the future, then?"

"If you don't mind, why don't you come inside so we can talk in detail?"

The events of today were somewhat beyond Minato Namikaze's expectations, but as Hokage, he had the duty and the necessity to obtain more information.

As for safety...

Having mastered the Flying Thunder God, he feared no one; even if this were a trap, he was willing to step into it.

"Very well. I truly hope to change your future."

"After all, if your future is not a good one, then my future will also face some trouble."

Hearing this, Minato Namikaze gave a subtle gesture toward the outside, signaling the nearby Anbu to withdraw.

However, this process should have been noticed by the other party, yet the masked figure before him showed no reaction at all.

If you like this book, please remember to add it to your bookshelf so you don't lose it next time.

Did he not notice? Or did he know everything and simply not care?

His instincts as a shinobi led Minato Namikaze to begin analyzing the available intelligence.

Upon entering the room, Ensei Uchiha did not see Kushina Uzumaki; it was as if Minato Namikaze lived here entirely alone.

"Read the letter first. Once you finish, you should have many questions you want to ask me."

At night, Ensei Uchiha, alone at home, felt no sleepiness.

The appointed time had arrived, but the feedback from his Shadow Clone had not returned as expected.

This made Ensei Uchiha somewhat anxious. The familiar door now seemed to have become somewhat strange, as if a large group of Anbu might burst in at any moment to apprehend him.

If he were exposed, given the value of his ability to see the future, was there still any hope?

There were ninjutsu in Konoha capable of probing memories; if...

Shadow Clones were not invincible; it was highly likely they could be controlled by sealing techniques.

With Konoha's resources, it would not be difficult to control or completely extinguish the chakra of a Shadow Clone.

Yes, that was it. If a Shadow Clone's chakra were completely exhausted, no information would be transmitted back.

Only when a Shadow Clone is dispelled and its remaining chakra returns to the original body does the user receive the clone's memories.

In fact, if one were to employ certain methods, it might even be possible to influence the original body in reverse through the Shadow Clone.

After all, if Shadow Clones were truly that perfect, the ninjas of Konoha would have long since attempted to use them to infiltrate other ninja villages and gather intelligence without restriction.

Imagine it: immortal, indestructible, and capable of starting over every so often...

Wouldn't that be the quintessential Fourth Calamity?

Therefore, Shadow Clones actually have quite a few flaws.

Under normal circumstances, no one would use Shadow Clones the way Ensei Uchiha is doing; this is already a challenge to the entire foundation of the village.

Having placed all his hopes on his Shadow Clone, Ensei Uchiha was naturally in no mood to sleep, his mind already racing as he contemplated how he would face Konoha's scrutiny once his identity was exposed.

Several hours later, as the sky began to brighten, a surge of chakra returned, and a sharp, piercing pain shot through Ensei Uchiha's mind.

Along with that pain, the memories of the Shadow Clone finally flooded back into Ensei Uchiha.

Before Ensei Uchiha could even begin to process the clone's memories, the sheer pressure of the dispelled clone caused him to pass out instantly.

Of course, from the outside, it looked as though Ensei Uchiha had simply had a nightmare; it appeared perfectly ordinary.

The next morning, Ensei Uchiha gradually regained consciousness under the sound of a very familiar urging.

In an instant, everything from before he lost consciousness rushed back to him, and a flicker of fanaticism flashed through his previously calm eyes.

He had succeeded!

Regardless of anything else, as long as Minato Namikaze did not die, it would be very difficult for the Uchiha clan to end up being wiped out.

"Ensei, stop dreaming and come eat. I happen to have some time today, so I can take you out for some training this morning."

Hearing the urging of Uchiha Inaho, Ensei Uchiha finally snapped out of his daze, sprang from his bed with crisp, decisive movements, and made his way to the dining table.

The food, naturally, had been brought over by Uchiha Inaho.

The two were cousins, and they were quite close within the Uchiha clan.

Of course, being close wasn't enough on its own.

Although the Uchiha clan treated orphans reasonably well, they couldn't provide dedicated, full-time care. The real reason Ensei Uchiha received such attention was, naturally, his aptitude.

Only if you are outstanding enough can you obtain more privileges.