Wasn't what just happened the best proof?
His na was Uzumaki nma, not Uzumaki Naruto.
He was a boy with crimson hair and gray eyes — not blond-haired and blue-eyed like the child in the original tiline.
Before this mont, nma truly worried he might not be allowed to enter the Academy at the proper age. If he failed to take the first step toward becoming a shinobi, how miserable would his life be? How tragic?
So when he heard the words of Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, the joy that surfaced on his numb face ca from the bottom of his heart.
Of course, Hiruzen had no idea what nma was truly thinking. He only saw a happy smile and believed he was gradually winning the boy's trust. The Hokage thought their bond was growing closer, and his own benevolence toward nma deepened.
"Of course," Hiruzen said gently, "your age already ets the standards. But before you can enter the Academy, there's a small test. You may only attend if you complete it."
"Eh? What kind of test is it, Jiji? I'll definitely complete it!" nma replied with confidence.
"Haha, it's chakra refinent. You should know, nma, that for a shinobi, the most important first step is learning how to mold chakra. Only by mastering that can you enter the shinobi path."
Hiruzen ruffled his hair affectionately, then pulled a small scroll from his robes, placing it on the table with a smile.
"Chakra refining…?"
nma stared at the scroll, and the light in his gray eyes shimred. This was what he had desired most for the past five years. Now that it was finally within reach, his excitent overflowed and spread across his face.
"Yes! Don't worry, Jiji, I'll master it before the Academy begins next year!" nma declared, thumping his small chest with determination.
"Haha, I believe in you, nma," the Third Hokage encouraged warmly.
Planting seeds of trust early, then strengthening bonds step by step — that was Hiruzen's thod. He believed this boy would one day beco his strongest supporter, another heir to the Will of Fire.
First Hokage, Second Hokage… please rest assured. I will protect Konoha. And Minato, Kushina… I will take care of both Naruto and nma.
Hiruzen's thoughts lingered silently as the winter wind rattled outside.
Even on New Year's Eve, the Hokage's ti was precious. Yet he remained with nma longer than usual, only leaving when dusk finally arrived.
nma had worn a joyful mask throughout the visit, but once Hiruzen departed, the smile slowly faded.
The Academy… I've finally reached this mont.
He tightened his grip on the scroll, already restructuring his training plans in his mind.
Chakra.
The official explanation: it is the product of perfectly combining physical energy and spiritual energy, drawn from the trillions of cells within the human body.
The original records contradicted one another — so claid chakra was innate to humans, taught to be molded by the Sage of Six Paths. Others claid humans only received chakra when Hagoromo distributed his own, originally belonging to Kaguya Ōtsutsuki and the God Tree's fruit.
Which version was the truth? Humanity no longer knew.
But in the end, it didn't matter.
What mattered was that shinobi had already mastered the art of chakra extraction: fusing body and spirit into one flow of power. Yet only a fraction of people were capable of this. Each year, countless civilian children failed the Academy's entrance tests because they couldn't refine chakra.
As for the great shinobi clans, their heirs always learned molding before entering the Academy. Failure wasn't tolerated.
For nma, this problem barely existed.
He was an Uzumaki by blood.
He carried the imnse vitality of that clan.
And he bore the chakra of the Nine-Tails sealed within him.
Failure to extract chakra would have been nothing short of absurd.
Still, the Nine-Tails' presence made his refinent more unstable. nma had to endure interference, but after a full day of concentration and effort—
"…This is chakra!?"
On the early morning of January 1, Year 54 of Konoha, nma finally succeeded in drawing out his chakra for the first ti.
As the warm, thrumming energy pulsed through his body, joy erupted across his face. Even if it was just a small amount, he could already sense the imnse power within himself.
This was only the beginning.
A ninja's chakra capacity was determined at birth — an individual limit they could never exceed. But to reach that limit required years of training and growth.
The key was nurturing both body and mind.
nma had no concerns about physical energy. His Uzumaki blood gave him vitality far beyond the ordinary. What he needed was ntal discipline — to sharpen focus, to hone his will, to resist despair.
And he had one more advantage: the Nine-Tails' chakra sleeping within him, the greatest power of all.
This is the first true step. The next must co quickly.
Exhaling, nma clenched his fists, his eyes narrowing with renewed determination.
His path forward was set.
In the days that followed, nma devoted every waking hour to refining chakra and practicing control. He didn't need mastery yet — only stability, only enough to wield it.
Ti was short.
It was now the first month of Year 54.
Only six years remained before the events of the original story.
He had to build the strength to protect himself before then. He couldn't afford to drift through these years as Naruto had once done.
This was no longer the sa world.
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