My Name Is Naruto Namikaze

CHAPTER WORDS:- 1167

Chapter 12: Beginnings

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He was Still the same awkward situation.

Even Iruka, who had watched Naruto perform Bunshin no Jutsu in person, was baffled. Kawarimi no Jutsu and Henge no Jutsu worked just fine.

So why not Bunshin no Jutsu?

Iruka, not being particularly well-versed in advanced jutsu theory, couldn't give a satisfactory answer.

All he could do was reassure Naruto to keep trying.

"After all, you're only in your second year," Iruka said. "There's still more than four years until the graduation exam. No need to rush."

"Well, at least it's progress. From blobs that didn't even resemble anything to this—something that kinda looks human. That's improvement, I guess?"

Naruto sighed, watching his latest attempt. The clone was a poorly formed, barely humanoid version of himself.

Unable to pinpoint the issue, Naruto could only chalk it up to some sort of bug.

"Whatever. That's enough for today," he said.

Looking at the dimming horizon, Naruto stretched his neck, stood up, and began packing his things. He gathered the tools he had brought along and the wild vegetables and fruits he had collected that day.

"I'll have to adjust my training plan…"

"I can keep practicing Bunshin no Jutsu a bit longer, but I can't waste too much time on it…"

"The focus should still be on improving my physical abilities…"

"I'm almost out of kunai from the last batch. Yeah, tomorrow I'll ask Iruka-sensei for some more…"

"Ugh, I'm so tired…"

As the setting sun cast its final golden rays across the earth, Naruto's shadow stretched long behind him.

That night, after returning home, Naruto ate a simple dinner, rested briefly, and then sat at his desk, flipping open the textbooks he had placed there.

Daytime was for training. Nighttime was for studying.

This had been Naruto's routine for the past year.

He didn't just limit himself to what was taught in class.

Naruto also borrowed books from the academy's library on topics like ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu, working through them one by one. Thanks to Iruka's support, he had easier access to such materials, though Iruka did impose some limitations—not because he wanted to hinder Naruto, but because he didn't want Naruto to bite off more than he could chew.

"You don't want to aim too high too soon," Iruka often said. "Learn the basics first and build from there."

Iruka was thrilled to see Naruto so eager to learn.

And over time, as Iruka spent more time with Naruto, his attitude softened.

Iruka didn't forget the tragic loss of his parents during the Nine-Tails' attack, but he learned to separate Naruto from the beast sealed within him. Naruto was Naruto, not the Nine-Tails.

The more time they spent together, the more Iruka cared about Naruto.

He genuinely hoped Naruto could achieve his dream of becoming a great ninja, someone who would be recognized and respected by everyone.

Because of this, Iruka paid close attention to Naruto's training and studies.

Even though Naruto progressed faster than Iruka expected—grasping concepts almost immediately—Naruto deliberately held back at times.

This led Iruka to underestimate Naruto's capabilities slightly, though Naruto didn't mind. Repetition reinforced memory, after all.

"Ah… Is it this late already?"

Engrossed in his studies, Naruto stretched his stiff neck and glanced at the clock on his desk.

Yawning, he said, "Gotta get up early tomorrow. Time to wash up and sleep."

After closing his books and tidying his desk, Naruto headed to the bathroom. After washing up, he climbed into bed.

Within a minute, exhaustion took over, and he drifted into a deep sleep.

But what should have been another ordinary night took a sudden, dramatic turn.

"BOOM!!!"

A thunderous explosion echoed across the skies of Konoha.

Flames shot high into the air.

The burning inferno lit up the horizon, transforming the night sky into a fiery spectacle.

The normally quiet village was instantly plunged into chaos.

The noise jolted Naruto awake.

The sharp, piercing sounds of explosions and the faint echoes of battle cries reached his ears.

Naruto sprang out of bed and ran to the window.

Looking toward the northwest part of Konoha, where the raging flames illuminated the sky, and where countless Konoha shinobi were rushing toward the scene, Naruto's eyes widened in shock.

"That direction… If I'm not mistaken, that's where the Uchiha Clan's district is located. This level of destruction… Could it be the Uchiha Massacre? The timing matches up."

Naruto nodded to himself, muttering quietly.

Shortly after Sasuke entered the academy, the Uchiha Clan had indeed been wiped out.

"But something's off…"

Naruto frowned. While he couldn't recall every detail of the original story, the unfolding events didn't seem entirely consistent with what he remembered.

However, Naruto still had a general impression of the main storyline, including the events of the Uchiha clan's annihilation night.

In the original story, there wasn't such a commotion. No, to be precise, there was absolutely no commotion at all. The Uchiha clan was wiped out silently overnight. By morning, the once-mighty clan was reduced to just three survivors. The rest were completely eradicated without making any noticeable stir. At least, in that one night, no one in Konoha, except for those directly involved, noticed the massacre of the Uchiha clan.

With the involvement of the higher-ups and an internal traitor, if such an event had caused an uproar, that would have been truly strange.

Thus, in the original story, it was only the following morning that the entire village learned that the Uchiha clan had been destroyed by a single person (other than those directly involved).

The reason, the process, and the outcome—while Naruto could only recall a rough outline, there was one thing he remembered with absolute clarity: On the night of the Uchiha massacre, it was a deal between Uchiha Itachi and the higher-ups of Konoha. In exchange for the lives of the Uchiha clan, peace and the survival of his younger brother were secured. To that end, Uchiha Itachi even killed his own parents.

The actual massacre was carried out almost entirely by Uchiha Itachi.

But Naruto was certain that, prior to Itachi's actions, the entire area surrounding the Uchiha compound would have been heavily monitored by ANBU members, possibly even ROOT operatives. There were likely barriers set up to contain any disturbances. This was essential to ensure that the massacre did not cause widespread alarm and panic. The intent was for the Uchiha clan to disappear quietly, without a trace.

And yet, the scene before him was far beyond Naruto's expectations.

This seemed to deviate significantly from the established plot.

"Could it be that someone in the Uchiha clan discovered the higher-ups' conspiracy and started fighting back?" Naruto's heart trembled as he considered the possibility. After all, this was the most prominent clan in the ninja world. Surely not everyone in the clan could be fools. Some might have pieced together the clues and organized a rebellion in advance. The odds weren't entirely impossible, right?

(end of Chapter)

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