Having run into the protagonist of the original story, Kazama Shin couldn't help but feel curious as he sized up Uzumaki Naruto.
Naruto also looked back at him. They were about the same age, and their height difference wasn't noticeable.
Kazama Shin wore a black short-sleeved high-collar T-shirt, paired with black knee-length athletic shorts, and wooden sandals on his feet. His appearance was clean and neat.
Though his face was still youthful, there was already a hint of sharpness in his expression.
"Are you okay?" Kazama Shin asked.
"Ah! I'm fine. Thanks for helping me…"
Naruto quickly brushed the dust off his body, pretending not to care.
Then his expression suddenly changed. With both hands behind his head, he rocked side to side, grinning foolishly.
"Don't think I'm scared of them just because there were a lot of them! I've chased them off by myself plenty of times before, hahaha!"
Looking at Naruto laughing loudly on his own, carefree and careless, Kazama Shin sighed inwardly.
The son of the Fourth Hokage… yet living a life even more miserable than his, an ordinary orphan.
"The Third Hokage… really handled this poorly…"
"Aren't they afraid he'll end up resenting Konoha?"
But Kazama Shin only muttered these thoughts to himself.
Even though he couldn't sense anyone nearby, he knew there were definitely ANBU ninjas watching from the shadows.
…
"Hey, what's your name? I'm Uzumaki Naruto!"
Perhaps because Kazama Shin didn't look at him with disgust like the others, Naruto happily started chatting with him.
"I'm Kazama Shin."
"Haha, what a coincidence! Both our names have 'jin' in them!"
"…"
Kazama Shin's lips twitched slightly.
Was that really something to laugh about?
He could only sigh—growing up in such an environment and still maintaining a kind heart… without this almost foolish level of optimism, it probably wouldn't be possible.
…
Not receiving a response, Naruto didn't mind and continued talking on his own.
For him, just having someone willing to listen was already a blessing.
"Wait…"
Kazama Shin, who had been deep in thought, suddenly stopped in his tracks.
Naruto, still talking as he walked ahead, continued, "I'm telling you, there's this ramen shop that must be really good, but I haven't had the chance to try it yet… huh? What's wrong?"
Naruto finally noticed Kazama Shin had fallen behind.
Kazama Shin's expression had changed noticeably—first excitement and anticipation, then a hint of disappointment.
"Huh? Nothing…"
He replied casually, then glanced at the sky. It was already getting late.
"By the way, Naruto, right? I should head back now."
"Ah… o-okay! See you next time!"
Naruto looked a little disappointed, but soon broke into his signature grin, rubbing the goggles on his forehead.
"Yeah. See you next time."
Kazama Shin nodded.
"Haha! Then it's a promise—see you next time!"
Naruto suddenly shouted happily.
Kazama Shin didn't turn back. He simply waved his hand behind him and walked toward his home.
"Asura's chakra… I must get it next time."
A sharp glint flashed in his eyes.
…
The reason for his reaction—
He had just remembered that Uzumaki Naruto was the reincarnation of Asura, carrying Asura's chakra.
That realization had made his heart race.
After all, Asura was the second son of the Sage of Six Paths, inheriting a powerful body and immense vitality.
There was even a theory that both the Uzumaki Clan and the Senju Clan were descendants of Asura.
From this alone, one could imagine how terrifying Asura's bloodline talent was.
"Ding. Copy failed!"
"Ding. Copy failed!"
"Ding. Copy—"
These were the results of his three attempts to use the Copy Technique on Naruto.
All failed.
"As expected… talents and Kekkei Genkai are the hardest to copy…"
"I'll have to rely on repeated attempts to increase the probability!"
"Or maybe… it's because Naruto hasn't learned anything yet, so there aren't even basic abilities to copy…"
Kazama Shin analyzed as he continued to familiarize himself with his ability.
At this stage, Naruto was just a clueless child.
Even the Sexy Technique wouldn't be created until after he entered the Ninja Academy and learned chakra.
So when trying to copy from him, there weren't even basic ninjutsu to obtain.
Walking down the road, Kazama Shin made up his mind—
He had to obtain Asura's chakra.
Right now, he didn't even care about Naruto's Uzumaki clan talent.
…
High above Konoha, on the Hokage Rock where the faces of past Hokage were carved—
An old man wearing a hat marked with the kanji for "Fire" stood overlooking the entire village, a pipe in his mouth.
"Hokage-sama, here is that child's information."
With a soft whoosh, an ANBU operative appeared behind him, respectfully handing over a few documents.
The old man was none other than Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage of Konoha.
Puffing twice on his pipe, he took the report and glanced through it.
Then, the wrinkles on his face softened into a gentle smile.
"A clean background… another orphan of the village…"
"Looks like… another hardworking child."