Naraku Uzumaki

Year 48 of the Konoha era.

"Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon..."

In a courtyard within Konoha Village, a small figure moved his hands in a blur, diligently practicing his hand seals.

Naraku Uzumaki's youthful face was etched with determination.

"Naraku, take a break. It's almost time to eat," a gentle female voice called out.

As the words faded, Kushina Uzumaki, with her long red hair and a warm smile on her face, stood before him.

"Alright," Naraku nodded, stopping his movements.

However, as his gaze fell upon Kushina's heavily rounded belly, a flicker of anxiety crossed his face.

It's almost time for the birth!

Naraku had originally been an excellent worker in the 21st century, grinding away at a factory job from eight to eight, sometimes nine or ten.

But one day on his way home from work, he had the misfortune of getting into a car accident and met his end on the spot.

He thought he had died, but when he opened his eyes, he found himself in the world of Naruto, inexplicably becoming Kushina's younger brother and Minato's brother-in-law.

It had now been five years since he arrived in this world, and he was exactly five years old.

After a quick wash, Naraku arrived at the dining table, where the food had already been laid out.

Swish!

Suddenly, the space in front of Naraku rippled, and a yellow figure appeared.

With dazzling blonde hair and bright blue eyes, the newcomer offered Naraku a gentle smile. "Naraku."

The man was none other than Naruto's father, Kushina's husband, and the man hailed as the fastest in the ninja world: Minato Namikaze.

"Brother Minato," Naraku's mood seemed poor; he only gave a faint nod and a greeting upon seeing him.

Just as in the original story, Minato had succeeded to the position of Hokage a year ago, becoming the Fourth Hokage.

Although his duties as Hokage were demanding, Minato often returned home to eat with them; after all, with his Flying Thunder God Technique, he could come and go as he pleased.

Lately, perhaps because Kushina was nearing her due date, he had been spending more and more time at home.

The mere thought of this made Naraku's mood plummet, his small face clouded with worry.

In truth, he knew he and Kushina weren't biological siblings, given the age gap—Kushina had arrived in Konoha when she was six or seven.

Neither Minato nor Kushina had ever told him about his origins; only his red hair proved he was indeed a member of the Uzumaki clan.

Naraku had his own theories, but since he didn't exist in the original story, he couldn't piece it together, though he suspected he might be related to the Uchiha.

In his memories, when he was one or two years old, Fugaku Uchiha had secretly come to see him several times.

It had almost made him think he was going to be Itachi's half-brother.

Of course, this was just a suspicion, and he had no evidence to support it.

Though they weren't blood-related, the two treated him like true family, especially Kushina, who had kept him by her side even after marrying Minato.

To Naraku, they had long since become the people closest to his heart.

Precisely because of this, his mood had been worsening lately. Knowing the plot, he understood that once Naruto was born from Kushina's womb, the countdown to Minato and Kushina's deaths would begin.

"I'm finished," Naraku said after the meal, leaving the table to continue practicing his hand seals in the courtyard.

It wasn't that he didn't want to practice other ninjutsu, but Minato and Kushina wouldn't teach him. Despite his repeated requests, they always refused on the grounds that he was too young.

Naraku felt speechless at this excuse. He really wanted to say to Minato, "Your student Kakashi graduated from the Ninja Academy at five; why didn't you say he was too young?"

But he only dared to think it.

He could understand their reluctance to teach him; the Third Shinobi World War had just ended, and the entire world was in a period of peace. There was no need for children like him to go to the battlefield, and the enrollment age for the Ninja Academy had been adjusted accordingly.

Minato and Kushina planned to start his training once he was old enough to enter the Academy.

Although he was now of age, the school term hadn't started yet—he still had over a month to wait.

This left him with nothing but simple taijutsu and hand seal practice.

Naruto will be born in less than a month. No, I have to find a way to do something, Naraku thought to himself.

He felt deeply helpless, much like when he couldn't change his life while tightening screws in the factory in his past life.

"Why has Naraku been acting so strange lately?" Kushina asked, a look of concern on her face.

Minato, standing nearby, had also noticed Naraku's unusual behavior, but to keep Kushina from worrying, he smiled and said, "It's nothing, Kushina. Maybe he's just eager to learn ninjutsu."

Minato cared deeply for Naraku, even though he had once strongly opposed his marriage to Kushina.

At this thought, Minato seemed to make a connection. He carefully recalled Naraku's recent changes, which seemed to start after he and Kushina married, especially after learning of her pregnancy.

Knowing Naraku as he did, Minato didn't believe he was just sulking out of jealousy. Naraku had always been mature in his eyes; he never truly treated his brother-in-law like a mere child.

Usually, he only showed his childish side in front of Kushina.

I need to find time to talk to him, Minato thought, glancing toward the window.

With silver-white hair, a black mask, and a Konoha forehead protector covering his left eye, it was none other than Kakashi Hatake—the very person Naraku had mentioned who graduated from the Academy at five.

Normally, he would be required to wear a mask while out and about due to his position in the Anbu, but he had removed it beforehand since he was visiting Minato's home.

Upon arriving, Kakashi spotted Naraku standing in the courtyard with his brows tightly furrowed. He stepped forward quickly and ruffled the boy's red hair.

Naraku was naturally extremely unwilling, but at only five years old, he had no power to resist a genius like Kakashi.

Naraku was very familiar with Kakashi; he had been a fan of the character in his past life, and with Minato as the connection, they had known each other for a long time.

"Kakashi, you're here," Minato's voice called out as he walked over with Kushina.

"Teacher, Mistress," Kakashi greeted them respectfully.

After a brief conversation, Minato learned that the Third Hokage was looking for him and immediately departed using the Flying Thunder God Technique.

It seems they are already discussing my sister's labor, Naraku thought, having guessed the reason as soon as he heard the Third was looking for Minato.

Although Minato was the current Hokage of Konoha, he had only recently taken office and lacked experience, so the Third often intervened in many matters—let alone the birth of a jinchuriki, which was of the utmost importance to the village.