Changing Fate As Naruto

With the Uchiha and Hyuga clans joining forces in the assault, and the Nine-Tails*1 eyeing them menacingly from behind, even the Root's spiritual backbone—Danzo Shimura—was brutally slain right before their eyes by a mere child...

Blow after blow, crisis upon crisis, left the surviving Root members—those not already brainwashed into diehard loyalty by Danzo—completely broken in spirit. One by one, they surrendered, dropping to their knees without resistance.

Some even scrambled to bind their own limbs and crawl forward, desperate to be taken away—anything to get away from Naruto. The mop-up went far smoother than Naruto had initially expected.

When Uchiha Fugaku later interrogated the survivors and encountered any who were stubbornly tight-lipped, he would simply call Naruto over.

Even if Naruto did nothing but stand there silently, his mere presence would shatter their will. Afraid Fugaku might hand them over to Naruto for "interrogation," these seasoned shinobi—once elite members of Root—spilled everything, practically falling over themselves to confess.

Their twitchy, battle-hardened demeanors crumbling at the sight of Naruto never failed to leave Naruto both baffled and slightly exasperated, but it allowed him to extract a wealth of intelligence with ease. Root's remnants were swiftly rounded up and absorbed.

And so, Root was thoroughly dismantled. Out of consideration for their former role in training new Anbu operatives, they weren't entirely wiped out.

Instead, each had a lethal curse seal implanted within them and were repurposed into a new training unit, dedicated solely to preparing the next generation.

Ironically, the main motivator behind their fierce diligence—and the resulting boost in Anbu trainee performance—was the twisted amusement Third Hokage took upon reading Jiraiya's detailed report.

Officially, the Third Hokage announced that he would personally oversee this unit. But only the ex-Root members knew the truth: the real power had been handed over to Naruto, despite his many protests.

Haunted by their trauma, these pitiful shinobi threw themselves into their duties, eager to earn Naruto's favor. They feared retribution for Danzo's sins and had no home to return to—Root was gone. With no room for resistance or scheming, laziness wasn't even a possibility.

Unintentionally, Naruto ended up with his first—and most loyal—personal guard unit, shaped by fear and circumstance.

Not only did they fill the gap in Naruto's intelligence-gathering abilities, but their infiltration and assassination skills would prove invaluable in the future. In the end, what began as a simple operation to eliminate Danzo turned into an unexpected windfall.

…

Only after witnessing Naruto return unscathed did the Third Hokage finally relax. Though he did mourn the loss of his old comrade Danzo, he was also deeply impressed by Naruto's overwhelming potential.

Sensing that the time was right, he invited Hyuga Hiashi and Uchiha Fugaku to stay behind for a private meeting. There, he not only shared detailed intel about the mission but also revealed Naruto's true parentage.

Once the meeting concluded—leaving the Third Hokage to stay behind and deal with the political aftermath while Jiraiya ran off on a spontaneous quest to find the long-missing Tsunade (thanks to some reckless provoking by Naruto and Gamabunta)—Fugaku, Hiashi, and Naruto stepped out of the Hokage office together. The sky was just beginning to lighten, greeting them with the year's first sunrise.

'Finally, it's over. Hah, so much for Root's terrifying reputation—they gave up before the fight even began. What a letdown.'

Breathing in the crisp morning air, Uchiha Fugaku stretched out his stiff limbs from sitting too long during the meeting. After a pause, he suddenly scooped Naruto into a tight bear hug, one hand vigorously ruffling the boy's golden hair.

"Tch, Naruto, you little rascal... Are you trying to give people heart attacks? Charging into Root's base all by yourself without a word! If Jiraiya hadn't insisted on tailing you, you'd have met your parents before I did! Then what was I supposed to tell them, huh?"

As per Naruto's instructions, Jiraiya had kept silent about two crucial trump cards: the Flying Thunder God Technique and Naruto's perfect Tailed Beast transformation. The story told to Fugaku and Hiashi was that Naruto had managed to slay Danzo—who had exhausted his Izanagi techniques under Jiraiya's pressure—during a lucky outburst in a berserk Tailed Beast state. They even fabricated a tale where Jiraiya appeared in the nick of time to save the day, downplaying Naruto's own strength.

It wasn't that Naruto didn't trust Hiashi and Fugaku—it was simply safer if fewer people knew the truth. The less attention he drew from organizations like Akatsuki or Uchiha Obito, the better his chances of surviving to adulthood.

"Owowowow! Fugaku-ojisan, it hurts! I-I-I get it, I was wrong!"

"Oh? Now you realize it hurts? Where was that sense of pain when you ran off with Danzo like that?"

Faced with Fugaku's concern, Naruto couldn't argue. He lowered his head and shot Hiashi a pitiful, pleading look.

'Dear lord… I thought the kid was only favored by the Third Hokage because he's a Jinchūriki. Who would've thought he's the Fourth Hokage's son?! And if what the old man said is true, Naruto's set to become Hokage himself… Wait, I left him out in the snow for hours after scolding him?! I—I just pushed the future Hokage away with my own hands!'

Since learning of Naruto's heritage, Hiashi had been in a daze. Now remembering how he'd once lashed out over his daughter's closeness with Naruto, he felt utterly defeated. Not until Naruto gave him that look did he snap out of it. Coughing awkwardly, he tried to defuse the tension:

"Alright, alright, Fugaku-san. Naruto's fine now, isn't he? You weren't actually going to hurt him. And besides, if he hadn't taken the risk to get close to Danzo, we wouldn't have found Root's base so easily. Let's just say his actions balanced out, okay?"

Of course, Hiashi had no idea that if Naruto ever found out what he was thinking, the boy would be rolling on the ground laughing. After all, Naruto had already made up his mind—Hinata was his future wife. There was no "pushing away" a son-in-law who had basically set up camp.

"Tch, consider yourself lucky… but only because Hiashi's here to speak up for you!"

Knowing the clever boy had probably realized his anger was spent, Fugaku let Naruto down gently while muttering darkly,

"If you ever pull something like that again, I'll break your legs myself!"

"Y-Yes! Got it!"

Naruto let out a sigh of relief and glanced gratefully at Hiashi. But hearing Fugaku's parting threat, he shivered and muttered under his breath,

'Oh crap… Looks like he's going to break my legs more than once… I'd better start learning medical ninjutsu.'

"Hmm? Naruto, what are you whispering about with your head down? Want to tell Uncle Fugaku?"

Fugaku leaned in with a fake smile, eyes gleaming. He could tell the boy hadn't learned his lesson. Naruto was too much like his father—ready to put himself in danger for the village. So Fugaku decided to lean into the villain role, cracking his knuckles as he stepped forward:

"Don't tell me… You're trying to figure out how to recover after your legs get broken? Want me to help you test it right now?"

"Ack?! N-No! I wasn't saying anything! You misheard me! Hahaha—Ah! No good! I promised Sasuke I'd train with him at the field today! I'm late! I gotta go! Bye, Fugaku-ojisan! Bye, Hiashi-ojisan!"

Panicking, Naruto bolted like a startled rabbit, even pulling out a fan to use as a shield. He took off in a full sprint, terrified Fugaku might actually pummel him.

"Wha—?! Fugaku-san, you're scaring him! That's the Fourth Hokage's son! Aren't you afraid the Third Hokage or Jiraiya will come after you?"

Hiashi stared at Fugaku, stunned. He was about to say more when something clicked:

"Wait a second… Sasuke? Isn't that your son? Does that mean—"

"Tch, that brat runs fast… The sun's just coming up. Sasuke's probably not even awake. Late? Yeah, right."

Watching Naruto's figure disappear into the distance, Fugaku let out a proud chuckle. He folded his arms and gave Hiashi a sidelong glance:

"Sorry for the scare, Hiashi. Naruto's been personally mentoring Sasuke every day. Like I'd believe he forgot their training schedule. That excuse couldn't be flimsier. But hey, kids bonding isn't a bad thing. With Naruto guiding him, I'll soon be able to pass the Uchiha Clan to Sasuke and retire with my wife!"

"Fugaku-san… That's not fair. You already knew about Naruto's identity and didn't say a word. I had no clue! Now it's clear—your son is destined to be the right-hand man of the next Hokage. Congratulations, truly…"

Hiashi's suspicions were confirmed. No wonder Sasuke had been growing so quickly—he had Naruto at his side all along. Regret welled up in his chest, but he quickly masked it with a smile:

"It's just a shame… You've got two sons, but no daughter."

"Hahaha! We'll all grow old one day. Then the world will belong to the youth!"

Fugaku was clearly in a great mood—until Hiashi added that final remark, causing him to frown:

"Yes, I have two sons. What's so shameful about that? I, Uchiha Fugaku, swear they'll grow into true men and pillars of the village!"

"Now, now… I didn't mean they lack potential. I meant it's a shame that with all your children… none are daughters."

Hiashi gave a wry smile. Seeing Fugaku get defensive, he found it oddly comforting to realize that even the aloof Uchiha patriarch was just a doting dad at heart. With a chuckle, he continued:

"Meanwhile, I don't have a son, but my sweet little Hinata gets along wonderfully with Naruto. He's saved her multiple times, and well… she's clearly smitten. These feelings need to be nurtured young, you know? I think Naruto likes her too. Give it some time and my little girl might end up with the Uzumaki name~"

"Huh? Changing her surname to Uzumaki?!"

Hearing Hiashi openly offer up his daughter for political alliance made Fugaku's triumphant expression freeze. Then he burst out:

"You're really going all in to win Naruto over, huh?! Even throwing your own daughter into the mix?!"

"Hmph, pot calling the kettle black! Aren't you using your son to cozy up to Naruto too? I'm just returning the favor~"

Once bitter rivals, the two clan heads now found themselves bantering like old friends. Hiashi raised a finger and smirked:

"Besides, as her father, I know what my daughter's heart wants. They're two peas in a pod. Mutual affection like that can't be called 'selling out.' It's just natural romance."

"Ghhh… Fine! Don't get too cocky! Naruto's still a kid, you know! If it comes to that… I'll just have Mikoto and I try for a daughter! If she's born in the next year or two, she'll be just the right age to marry Naruto!"

"You're serious?! Never mind whether your wife even agrees—what if it's another boy?"

"Y-You—Shut up! Hiashi, you big-mouthed jinx! Can't you just be quiet for once?!"

"Hey, I'm just stating facts~"

No hidden insults, no schemes—just pure verbal sparring. But somehow, it brought genuine joy to these long-standing rivals. Shoulder to shoulder, they strolled off toward the tavern for a celebratory drink. Compared to their past hostility, things had changed dramatically…

And just as their figures faded into the distance, a golden flash appeared at the Hokage office door. Naruto.

"Oho~ Came back on a whim, and what a surprise I got…"

Covering his mouth to stifle laughter, Naruto glanced toward the direction the two elders had gone. Behind him, Kurama's*2 chakra tails swayed happily, and in his free hand he played with a tiny recording device.

"I'll be sure to remember your words about letting Hinata take the Uzumaki name, my dearest father-in-law~"