Cinnabar Mark

"Damn, this is so frustrating. I really want to take out those rats."

Being watched felt awful. It wouldn't have been so bad if he hadn't known, but with Naruto's current abilities, he could clearly sense the people keeping an eye on him.

The thought of living every moment under someone else's gaze made him feel terrible.

But there was nothing he could do. If this were an ordinary world, Naruto would have simply rebelled, confident in his ability to protect himself. Unfortunately, this world was a little unusual.

In this world, all ninjutsu was garbage. The only thing Naruto truly feared was Sealing Jutsu.

The whole system seemed completely unreasonable.

At the lower end, it could seal water and fire; at the upper end, it could seal even the Sages.

And Naruto knew his own situation very well.

At least in the eyes of those old geezers in Konoha, the Nine-Tails was far more important than Minato's son.

So if he really turned against them, they might well extract the Nine-Tails and put it in another Jinchūriki.

That sort of thing had happened in other villages.

People in the Ninja World cared more about benefits than anything else.

So without overwhelming strength, it was better to be a well-behaved little boy.

He bent down and picked up a stone.

Then he threw it.

To anyone watching, it looked like a little kid had picked up a stone and tossed it awkwardly.

The stone traced a graceful arc through the air and splashed into the water.

It just happened to hit a big fish.

The fish's pale belly flashed above the water.

"Hm? What great luck."

Kakashi thought it was a little strange, but didn't dwell on it.

Naruto's little face lit up, and he hurried over.

He grabbed a club and whacked the fish a few more times before gutting it.

Before long, he had cleaned the big fish thoroughly.

"I can finally stop eating instant noodles."

Naruto let out a sigh of relief.

After all, he wasn't really a little kid, and he didn't like instant noodles that much.

With the big fish on his back, Naruto quickly headed home.

There were far fewer people on the streets now, and Naruto hurried home.

With this fish, he wouldn't have to go out again for several days.

At the moment, Naruto was only three, an age when he could live without a care in the world.

From then on, Naruto settled into a regular routine. He kept a low profile and wasn't nearly as mischievous as he had been in the original story, so he gradually faded from people's attention.

Meanwhile, tension was growing in Konoha.

Relations between the Uchiha Clan and the Hokage faction grew increasingly strained.

After Shisui Uchiha's death, the atmosphere grew even worse.

At the same time, the number of people watching Naruto increased from two to six.

Naruto noticed the change almost immediately.

"What's going on? Have I been found out?"

The first thing Naruto thought was that they had discovered him.

But he soon noticed the tense atmosphere throughout the village.

The Uchiha Clan members walking the streets were especially gloomy.

Naruto immediately realized that the Uchiha Clan was about to be wiped out.

"No, that's not right. In the original story, the Uchiha Clan Massacre happened three years later."

He didn't know about the others, but Naruto and Sasuke's classmates had all started school at six.

Sasuke had become an orphan at that time, too.

Naruto was only three and a half now.

He and Hinata had met when they were three.

So there were still three years to go.

But none of that mattered.

"Too bad. I hope I can draw Twin Palms before then."

After all, once the Uchiha Clan was wiped out, only Sasuke Uchiha would be left.

Twin Palms could alter both the body and the soul.

And what mattered most in the Ninja World?

Bloodlines.

And the Uchiha Clan's eyes.

Thinking about it, he still seemed to have a chance.

His heart itched at the thought.

The tense atmosphere in the village was obvious even to ordinary people.

But both sides were holding back for now. Fugaku Uchiha, head of the Uchiha Clan, didn't want to start a rebellion.

After considering the situation from all sides, he had suppressed the rebellious voices within the clan.

"Everyone, although Konoha is at its weakest right now, the Hokage faction's strength shouldn't be underestimated."

"Clan Head, this is the perfect opportunity."

"That's right. The Third is old and senile."

"If you become Hokage, Konoha will surely return to its former glory."

The Great Elder's faction was the radical one. In fact, everyone with real strength supported rebellion.

"Idiots. If we could succeed, would I be against it?"

Fugaku Uchiha cursed inwardly.

If they had overwhelming strength, he would want to become Hokage, too.

Unfortunately, the Uchiha Clan had made too many enemies.

If they dared to stage a coup, every clan would unite to wipe them out.

As for Fugaku Uchiha's own Mangekyō Sharingan, he hadn't dared tell anyone about it. He was afraid the clan would grow even more reckless if they found out.

At the time, even the Uchiha Clan itself didn't know the difference between the Mangekyō Sharingan and the Eternal Mangekyo.

In a thousand years, Madara Uchiha had been the only one to possess the Eternal Mangekyo.

After Madara Uchiha defected from Konoha, no one knew how to awaken the Eternal Mangekyo.

And when people heard the word Mangekyō, the first person who came to mind was Asura of the Ninja World, Madara Uchiha.

So Fugaku Uchiha hadn't told anyone about his Sharingan.

"Enough. That's enough. Now isn't the right time. I've already had Itachi join the Anbu."

Fugaku Uchiha frowned as he looked at everyone.

They all fell silent.

They understood what he meant.

They all wanted to attack right away, but they weren't completely brainless.

At the same rank, Uchiha Clan members were much stronger than other jōnin thanks to the Sharingan.

But the Uchiha Clan's fatal weakness was its numbers. Few members awakened the Sharingan, and even fewer reached the Three-Tomoe stage.

The other clans had more people, so staging a successful coup with such a small force was practically impossible.

Fugaku Uchiha understood this very well.

So he didn't want to rebel until the very last moment.

What no one expected was that the next head of the Uchiha Clan would betray them and side with the Hokage faction.

Influenced by Shisui and brainwashed by the Hokage, Itachi Uchiha had successfully turned traitor, becoming a double agent.

He reported the situation here to the Hokage's side. After learning that the Uchiha Clan didn't intend to stage a coup, the Third felt much more at ease.

Once he had relaxed, the Third thought of Naruto again.

He calculated the date. It was time to take Naruto some money again.

Putting on his Hokage hat, the Third strolled toward Naruto's home.

Everyone he met along the way greeted him politely.

"Lord Third."

"Lord Hokage."

The Third smiled and nodded.

To ordinary villagers, the Hokage was like the village chief. They respected and appreciated him, but they weren't afraid of him.

The Third strolled over to Naruto's house.

As soon as he got close, he caught a distinctive aroma.

Inside, Naruto was grilling food on a stone slab.

Just as he was about to eat, he raised an eyebrow.

"Damn it, that old man's here again."

Naruto was speechless. Honestly, the thing he hated most was putting on a show.

He composed himself and put on an innocent smile.

A moment later, he heard a knock at the door.

Naruto hurried over and opened it.

"Grandpa Third."

"Mm. Little Naruto, are you having dinner?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi put on a kind expression.

"Yeah, I just finished cooking. Grandpa Third, would you like to join me?"

Naruto smiled.

"Mm, sure."

The Third thought it over, then agreed.

Naruto cursed him inwardly for being shameless.

He could only bring him over to the table.

They sat down to eat and chat.

The Third asked a few harmless questions and told Naruto to go out more often.

"..."

"Go out and get yelled at? Do I look like I enjoy that?"

Naruto was speechless.

But he nodded and agreed.

The Third didn't think much of it. At least on the surface, he was still quite satisfied with Naruto.

After the meal, the Third left, leaving behind that month's living expenses.

Naruto was speechless. He couldn't be bothered to give it so much as a glance.

To Naruto, money was the most useless thing in the world.

He already knew what it felt like to have money but be unable to buy anything.

Half a year passed in the blink of an eye.

Naruto was now four years old.

At that moment, Naruto stared excitedly at the number on the panel.

When the number on the panel reached zero,

Naruto's eyes lit up.

"System, start drawing cards."

In an instant, nine cards appeared in midair.

Naruto thought for a moment, then tapped the second card.

The card spun and enlarged.

Skill Card: Fire Style

Naruto stared at it, stunned.

For a moment, his mind went blank.

And since he was in the world of Naruto,

he instinctively thought it meant breathing fire.

But when the card's information entered his mind,

Naruto immediately understood.

Fire Style from the Fire Virtue Sect.

It was a type of spatial ability.

It allowed the user to travel through space by means of flames.

"Damn it, have I used up all my luck?"

Naruto was speechless. The ability was strong, but it wasn't what he had expected.

Name: Uzumaki Naruto.

Bloodline: Uzumaki Bloodline.

Cultivation Art: Triple Inversion

Skill: Fire Style

Lottery Attempts: 0

Naruto opened the panel. Sure enough, another skill had appeared.

He didn't know what to make of it.

Still, at least he had a way to protect himself now.

He just didn't know whether the barrier could seal him in.

He was a little disappointed. The system was powerful, but it didn't seem very reliable.

It looked like he would still have to work hard at cultivating on his own.

Naruto wasn't in a hurry, though. For the time being, he cultivated Triple Inversion and went fishing whenever he got bored.

In Konoha, Naruto knew no one besides the Third.

When he had nothing to do, he went out to play or fish.

His fishing gear was simple: a bamboo pole, a line, and a hook he'd made himself.

The sky was clear and the air was fresh. It was another beautiful day.

Naruto was four now, and, bored as ever, he planned to go fishing again.

He went to the river with his fishing pole and headed for his usual spot.

A girl was sitting there.

Naruto's brow instinctively furrowed.

At the same time, the girl noticed him.

"Hello."

Naruto was about to turn and leave when the girl greeted him first.

He paused, surprised.

He looked at her.

"You don't know who I am?"

Naruto was a little surprised by the look in her eyes.

Practically everyone in Konoha knew who Naruto was.

The girl was Yakumo Kurama. She gave him a curious look.

Then she shook her head.

Ordinary people feared Naruto, but to the clan members, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki was no secret.

Seeing that she didn't know who he was and had no hostility in her eyes, Naruto paid her no more attention and went to his usual fishing spot.

It wasn't that he didn't want to change spots. This place was simply better for cultivation.

The shinobi world prized destructive power. That made its techniques seem formidable, but they had many fatal flaws: frail bodies, short lifespans, and no way to achieve immortality.

The cultivation system of the Outsiders was different. They sought to cultivate both body and spirit.

So strength alone wasn't enough. One also had to temper one's character, and that was something Naruto would have to do himself.

As for fishing, it was a way to keep others from guessing what he was really doing.

Naruto's true purpose was to attune himself to nature.

Naruto paid no attention to the girl, though she kept glancing at him curiously.

Naruto sat on the ground with his eyes closed, the fishing pole in his hand perfectly still.

Yet he could sense everything within a hundred meters.

The instant a fish took the bait, Naruto lifted his pole.

A big fish leaped out of the water.

"Wow! That's amazing!"

Yakumo's eyes lit up.

Naruto ignored her and kept fishing.

By evening, he had caught several fish.

He stood, cleaned up, and prepared to leave.

"What's your name?" Yakumo couldn't help asking.

After spending the afternoon together, she felt that he was like her. There was a certain quality about him that they shared.

Naruto stopped and frowned at her.

She had glossy black hair and an ordinary face. Since she wasn't anyone important, Naruto couldn't place her.

Besides, Naruto didn't want to be friends with ordinary people. He had no intention of replying and turned to leave.

"Stingy!"

Seeing his attitude, Yakumo puffed out her cheeks.

The days that followed passed uneventfully for Naruto.

He didn't use his ability even once.

Another year passed.

His lottery attempts were restored.

Naruto's eyes lit up. He could hardly wait.

Every draw brought the chance to change his life.

He couldn't wait to try his luck.

The cards spun.

This time, Naruto hesitated.

He stared at the nine cards, unsure which one to choose.

"Maybe I should go wash my hands first?"

Feeling a little nervous, Naruto immediately rushed into the bathroom. He washed his hands and face, then came back out.

He clasped his hands together and prayed to every great figure he could think of.

Nervously, he stretched out his index finger and tapped the card in the middle.

The card enlarged and spun.

Restriction: Cinnabar Mark.

The moment he saw those three words, Naruto's vision went black.

"What the hell is this? This is fucking ridiculous!"

"What is this nonsense? They even have something like this? Damn it, I don't want it!"

When Naruto saw what was written on the card, he could no longer hold back and began cursing.

At the same time, he instinctively started backing away.

But it was no use. Once a card was selected, he was bound to receive it.

The card turned into a golden beam and shot toward Naruto.

"Damn it! Go away, go away! I don't want it!"

Naruto staggered backward in fright.

Having a weapon but not using it was one thing. Not being able to use it at all was another.

Naruto wasn't particularly lustful, but he didn't want to be left without a dick, either.

Besides, he already had a wife picked out for this life.

If he really got stuck with this thing, how could he face her?

The commotion Naruto was making caught the attention of the Anbu outside.

But after sensing what was going on, they paid it no mind.

Naruto watched in despair as the golden beam entered his body.

His face went ashen.

He pulled down his pants and circulated his inner energy slightly. Intricate markings appeared on his little bird.

The Cinnabar Mark.

For the first time, Naruto completely lost it.

He lay on the ground, staring blankly.

Damn it!!!

For a moment, he felt like he wanted to die.

He even wondered if he should cut it off and use Triple Inversion to create another one.