Changing Fate As Naruto

Naruto's return marked the end of the secret events that unfolded during the transition from the old year to the new. Aside from the conspicuously large hole in front of the Hokage Office—publicly claimed to be the result of a construction accident and now surrounded by barricades—the Hidden Leaf Village passed a peaceful and uneventful New Year's Eve, as if nothing had happened. And when the morning sun of the new year rose, life continued with the same peace and comfort as always.

Of course, that was only true for the ordinary civilians who had nothing to do with what happened.

With Danzo Shimura's death, it wasn't just Root that collapsed and headed toward destruction, but also the Elders' Council—those high-ranking parasites just like him, who hid behind the scenes and used their power for personal gain. For those pests who once stood alongside Danzo? Their nightmare was only just beginning...

Just as Danzo had underestimated the Third Hokage's resolve to eliminate him, these arrogant old relics had also failed to realize the ruthless revolution hidden behind this operation.

No matter how high and mighty the Elders acted, the truth was their function was only ever meant to be advisory, subordinate to the Hokage. The limited authority they held might have allowed them to suppress and pressure the Third Hokage back when he first returned to office and hadn't yet regained full control—but it clearly had no effect on the current situation, where the Third Hokage had fully reestablished his grip on power.

And so, when the Third Hokage revealed his firm intention to completely wipe out Danzo and Root, those old foxes—who had sworn brotherhood with Danzo and vowed to live and die together—quickly abandoned him. Though they mouthed their support, they frantically distanced themselves from Danzo, terrified that the Third Hokage might turn his wrath on them next. Naively believing this was just a personal grudge between the Hokage and Danzo, they stood by and watched as Danzo was thrown to the wolves. As Root crumbled step by step, none of them shed a tear for Danzo. In fact, they secretly schemed how best to seize the vacant seat among the Three Advisors left in his wake.

But what these seemingly united yet inwardly fractured Elders forgot was this: even when Danzo was alive, his influence over the Third Hokage was negligible. Now that the biggest threat within the Council—Danzo himself—was gone, and the Hokage had gained the full support of both the Uchiha Clan and the Hyuga Clan thanks to Naruto's influence, and held Naruto himself—a political ace born of hero's bloodline—at his side, what chance did these power-hungry schemers have against the Hokage's elite ninja forces?

It was only natural. With the Third Hokage regaining his youthful momentum and carrying out swift and decisive purges, even though the rules laid down by the First Hokage made it impossible to abolish the Council outright, it was clear that—at least during the rest of the Third Hokage's term—the Elders' ability to manipulate things behind the scenes would be reduced to nothing. They would become what they were originally meant to be: harmless advisors to aid the Hokage in decision-making.

This follow-up operation had been proposed by Naruto himself during his strategic discussion with the Third Hokage about how to deal with Danzo and Root.

While the Third Hokage personally oversaw the front lines of the purge, drawing most of the attention, not even in their wildest nightmares would the Elders have guessed that everything was orchestrated by a seemingly insignificant little boy. Using the knowledge from his previous life, Naruto effortlessly played them like pawns in the palm of his hand—and not a single step missed its mark…

…

While the Third Hokage spearheaded the raid on the Council, busy with a full sweep of every last member, Naruto—one of the masterminds behind the plan—was back at Training Ground Three, training as if none of it had anything to do with him.

Physical training. Ninjutsu training. Sparring practice. Apart from a gradual increase in training volume, his schedule hadn't changed much at all. If anything had shifted since Danzo's defeat, it was the fact that Jiraiya, unwilling to leave Naruto unsupervised, had decided to stay in the village long-term.

After temporarily giving up his search for Orochimaru, Jiraiya began lending a hand in the Hokage's purge. He also dropped by frequently to guide and spar with both Naruto and Sasuke, drawing on his wealth of experience as one of the Legendary Sannin to help the two diligent trainees progress steadily without wasting time on detours.

Naruto, of course, welcomed Jiraiya's spontaneous involvement with open arms. It wasn't just because of the special, delicate seniority they shared due to the Fourth Hokage and Kushina Uzumaki, but because Jiraiya truly fulfilled the role of a mentor during training. Naruto and Sasuke both benefited enormously from his guidance.

After all, even with the "cheat" that was the Shadow Clone Technique, which helped Naruto quickly test ideas and accumulate experience, there were still things only a seasoned teacher could explain. Just as Naruto could easily help Sasuke solve tough training issues, the depth of one's personal experience could make or break a learner's progress. Self-teaching could only go so far—being guided by someone like Jiraiya cleared away years of confusion and accelerated both boys' growth tremendously. In just a few short months, their strength had leapt to another level!

It's no exaggeration to say that if Naruto were to face Danzo again now—even a fully empowered version of Danzo who had overcome the side effects of his power—Naruto would still be strong enough to fight him head-on!

Meanwhile, the power shuffle within the village was nearly complete.

Thanks to Naruto's future knowledge and careful planning, the hidden tumors within the village were uprooted one by one. As a result, the Third Hokage's political influence was further solidified, and under the unimpeded leadership of this venerable elder, the Hidden Leaf entered a new era of rapid growth. At this rate, if nothing went wrong, by the time Naruto graduated from the Ninja Academy and entered the Chūnin Exams, the village's overall strength would already be back at its peak—or perhaps even stronger than during the Nine-Tails' rampage!

In other words, as time passed, the Hidden Leaf Village would once again stand atop the Five Great Shinobi Nations, announcing to the entire ninja world that the king had returned!

And when that day came—with the support of titans like the Third Hokage, Uchiha Fugaku, Hyuga Hiashi, and Jiraiya—Naruto would have the Hidden Leaf's immense power and resources backing him.

With the advantage of timing, position, and allies, Naruto would be able to face the drastic events of the Chūnin Exams at age twelve with ease—and perhaps even grasp the power to rewrite his friends' tragic fates far into the future!