The Uchiha Clan's Bloodline

On the way home, Sasuke kept thinking about it. That blond kid had felt strangely familiar, and there had been some inexplicable pull toward him. It was truly strange.

Itachi Uchiha was thinking as well. He had not expected that taking Sasuke out to buy some tri-colored dango would lead them to encounter the Nine-Tails' jinchuriki, Naruto Uzumaki. There were quite a few ANBU watching nearby, and he had even spotted a familiar figure. It seemed to be Kakashi-senpai.

Itachi Uchiha had also joined the ANBU. Although he had not been there long, he had met Kakashi Hatake in private before, so he was fairly familiar with Kakashi.

As for Naruto, once he returned home, he opened the packaged tri-colored dango and began stuffing himself.

"Mm! It really tastes pretty good, though it's a little too sweet. Sigh, Itachi Uchiha, who loved sweets, spent his whole life suffering. If I get the chance, maybe I can see if I can save Itachi."

Naruto muttered to himself as he ate the tri-colored dango.

Itachi Uchiha's life was indeed difficult to judge. Some said he had been brainwashed by the Will of Fire and thus slaughtered his entire clan. Others said it had all been his own will, that he had sincerely wanted to protect the village.

As well as his beloved younger brother, Sasuke Uchiha. Naruto could not say for sure how Itachi's actions ought to be judged.

But he knew that Itachi Uchiha had certainly been a good older brother. There was no doubt about that. Yet he had spoiled Sasuke too much, allowing Sasuke to develop the habits of looking down on everyone and being blindly arrogant.

However, now that Naruto had come into this life, he would try to make some changes if he had the chance and see whether he could alter the Uchiha Clan's tragic fate.

As a reincarnator, if he could influence and change the course of the Naruto world, steering it in the direction he wanted, what could be more fulfilling than that?

But first, he should check the system rewards.

"Congratulations, host. You have completed the repeatable mission: make Hiruzen Sarutobi pay for the ramen."

"Congratulations, host. You have obtained the B-rank ninjutsu, Shadow Clone Technique!"

"Congratulations, host. You have completed the mission of making Itachi Uchiha treat you to dango."

"Congratulations, host. You have obtained the Uchiha Clan's bloodline!"

"Holy shit! What the hell is this?"

Even Naruto, with all he had seen, was somewhat stunned.

The Shadow Clone Technique was Naruto's signature ninjutsu, one he had used from the beginning of the story all the way to its end.

The next reward was even more absurd: the Uchiha Clan's bloodline.

That meant Naruto could now awaken his own Sharingan through hard work.

In the future, he would have every chance to put a Susanoo on the Nine-Tails himself.

Piloting a Gundam was a man's romance!

A ninjutsu called the Shadow Clone Technique appeared in his mind.

Anything produced by the system was guaranteed to be top quality.

Naruto's proficiency with this technique was already exceptionally high.

As long as he wanted to, he could easily use it successfully. There was no need for any practice at all.

The Uchiha Clan's bloodline had also been delivered.

Naruto could feel something changing within his body.

He already possessed the complete Uzumaki Clan physique. Now that he had gained the Uchiha Clan's bloodline as well, once he gathered the Senju Clan's bloodline too...

He would practically be able to fuse into an Otsutsuki bloodline.

Of course, an Otsutsuki bloodline could not be achieved through simple addition, but if things continued like this, Naruto's bloodline could very well transform toward that of the Otsutsuki Clan.

All at once, he suddenly felt exhausted. Naruto knew that his body was fusing with the Uchiha Clan's bloodline. Kakashi-sensei would probably return later anyway, so he might as well sleep peacefully.

With that thought, Naruto lay down on his bed, tucked himself beneath the covers, and fell asleep with a contented smile.

Meanwhile, in the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi was still dealing with official business. There was no end to official business.

But Hiruzen Sarutobi greatly enjoyed the feeling of holding power, so he never grew tired while handling it.

"Knock, knock, knock!" Someone knocked on the door.

"Come in!" Hiruzen Sarutobi replied.

The person who entered was Kakashi Hatake.

"Lord Hokage!" Kakashi bowed to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Oh, it's Kakashi. What is it? Did something happen? Is Naruto in trouble?"

Upon seeing Kakashi, Hiruzen Sarutobi set aside his beloved paperwork and stared at him anxiously.

"Nothing has happened to Naruto. But earlier, on his way home, Naruto ran into Itachi Uchiha and Sasuke Uchiha."

Kakashi answered truthfully.

"Itachi Uchiha and Sasuke Uchiha..." Hiruzen Sarutobi was an old hand. Kakashi did not need to spell everything out for him.

He pulled a large smoking pipe from beneath the desk and began puffing on it.

"What happened? Be more specific," Hiruzen Sarutobi continued.

"Yes. It was just a coincidence. He met the two of them, then Itachi Uchiha treated Naruto to some dango before leaving."

"I see. Good thing it was you, Kakashi. If it had been those ANBU, they might have stepped in and stopped Itachi Uchiha from approaching Naruto. Naruto might also have discovered that he was being watched, and that would not have been good."

"The Uchiha Clan's position in the village is simply too awkward right now."

The Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, had established the Konoha Police Force and made the Uchiha Clan the main force within it. This allowed the Uchiha Clan to enter the core of Hidden Leaf's authority.

It temporarily eased the Uchiha Clan's dissatisfaction with the Senju Clan's "hegemony."

At the same time, establishing the police force made it easier to "monitor" the Uchiha Clan.

However, over time, the Uchiha Clan's arrogant nature had also led to poor relations between the clan and the villagers.

Especially after the Nine-Tails Rampage.

When fighting the Nine-Tails, Hiruzen Sarutobi had originally intended to deploy the police force.

But Danzo Shimura stopped him. His reasoning was simple: only the Uchiha's Sharingan could control the Nine-Tails.

The Uchiha Clan was the prime suspect. Perhaps the Nine-Tails Rampage had been a precursor to an Uchiha rebellion.

Thus, Hiruzen Sarutobi ultimately assigned the police force to evacuate the civilians.

Yet even after the Nine-Tails Rampage, the suspicion surrounding the Uchiha Clan remained impossible to clear.

Although Hiruzen Sarutobi believed it had not been the Uchiha Clan's doing, the characteristics of the Sharingan were simply too obvious.

The Uchiha Clan denied it, but they truly had no evidence to prove their innocence.

Therefore, when Hidden Leaf was rebuilt afterward, the Uchiha Clan's residence was placed in the most remote area.

The discord between the Uchiha and the village was brought into the open.

"Fortunately, they encountered Itachi. That child has a very deep understanding of the Will of Fire. After joining the ANBU, I believe that, given some time, he will understand the difficulties behind the conflict between us and the Uchiha Clan."

Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed to be speaking to himself, yet he was also speaking to Kakashi.

"That will be all, Kakashi. Continue protecting Naruto. There is still one month until the Ninja Academy opens. Once school begins, you can relax a little. It seems your condition has been improving lately as well."

For once, Hiruzen Sarutobi could sense a trace of a smile from Kakashi. Do not ask how he could tell through the mask.

Kakashi's aura had become gentler too. It appeared that Naruto had influenced all of this.

"Understood, Lord Hokage. Naruto... he truly is a good child. I will take good care of him for my teacher. I'll be leaving now."

After finishing his report, Kakashi hurried back to watch over Naruto.

Looking at the photograph of Minato on his desk, Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep drag from his pipe and muttered, "Minato, Kakashi is slowly moving on too, all thanks to your good son! Naruto will definitely become an outstanding ninja. A Hidden Leaf ninja who inherits the Will of Fire!"

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