Naruto: In the future world

The next day.

"Hah... hah... hah..."

The sound of heavy breathing echoed inside an abandoned warehouse, where someone was running away at great speed.

"Shisui, how long do you think you can keep running? First Obito, and you're next."

Shisui opened his eyes in terror, glanced behind him as he ran, only to see his older brother's body lying there, blood pooling beneath it.

"My brother... I'm sorry!"

He continued to flee, but the faint sound of a gunshot echoed—a small pistol fitted with a silencer.

"Ahhh!"

The bullet pierced his thigh, causing him to lose balance and fall to the ground.

Shisui crawled away desperately, but the footsteps chasing him drew nearer and nearer—just a few meters away.

He turned to face the man pointing the gun at him, desperation in his voice.

"Why? Why are you doing this?"

Shisui shouted at the figure holding the pistol.

"Sorry, but you must die, Shisui."

The man, whose face was hidden by shadows, spoke softly, though his wandering eyes and the tears streaming down his left cheek betrayed his torment.

He slowly squeezed the trigger.

Shisui tried to close his eyes, as if anticipating the bullet's path, but the shot pierced through one of his eyes.

"Haah!!"

Shisui awoke, drenched in sweat, his eye burning in agony as if reliving the pain from that day in his nightmare.

He pressed his hand to his eye, swearing he felt the same torment invading his dream only moments ago.

"God, it was just a nightmare..."

He whispered, exhaling deeply. Lately, such dreams plagued him frequently, causing insomnia and limiting his sleep to barely three or four hours a night.

He left his bed neglected, a tired smile on his face. "I should check on her first."

She was the priority in his life at this moment.

He left his room and headed to the adjoining chamber.

Gently knocking, he whispered, "Izumi, are you awake?"

He waited a few moments but heard no response from behind the door.

"Izumi?"

He knocked again, and this time heard footsteps approaching.

The door opened to reveal a girl wearing purple pajamas. Her black hair was disheveled, and dark circles surrounded her eyes.

"How are you feeling today?"

"I'm fine."

She turned to close the door behind her, but Shisui caught her hand, causing her to pause and listen.

"You won't do anything reckless, right, Izumi?"

"And can I?"

She looked at him coldly, prompting Shisui to avert his gaze and stare into her room.

Pure white.

That was the perfect description of the empty room dominated by stark whiteness.

There was only a small mattress and a bedsheet.

Beyond that, it was just four cold, hard walls.

A cold prison.

"We did this for you, to stop you from hurting yourself!"

"The only thing I want now is to become nothing. Why don't you just let me die? What's the point of living without him?"

Shisui was taken aback, unable to find an answer.

"The irony is, when he was here, no one wanted me. Everyone wished me dead, yet he protected me."

Izumi smiled, her lips trembling with sorrow.

"Now that he's gone, all of you care about me, keeping me alive just to keep him tied up."

She shouted at Shisui angrily, pulling her hand away from his firm grip, while Shisui lowered his head, eyes hidden beneath his hair's shadow.

"Am I just a hostage to you? A hostage who keeps that monster from shedding your blood forever?"

She grabbed the door and closed it, ending her words: "I wish his kind heart were a little harsher... I truly want you all to die...!!"

Shisui clenched his fist so tightly it bled.

"He's not the only one who loves you that much, but don't fill your eyes with only him," he whispered, though she did not hear him.

He lifted his head, tears filling his eyelids, pained to see the woman he loved suffering so deeply.

Shisui smiled softly, whispering, "I won't allow the death of the woman I love, no matter what happens. Until the day he regains his senses and returns to you, I will be the wall that protects you from this family, Izumi...!!"

---

Meanwhile, in another place—a small, dilapidated house revealing the poor state of its occupants.

Calling it an apartment would be more realistic than calling it a small house.

Inside the small room of that house, a boy with sky-blue hair slept soundly on his bed.

His bed was small, and it seemed he shared his sleeping space with someone else.

"Wake up, Suigetsu, your study appointment is coming soon."

A young man in his twenties appeared at the door, wearing a black apron and holding a ladle, speaking calmly.

"Give me ten more minutes, brother. I'm tired from basketball practice."

"Don't be lazy this morning. Hurry up or I'll leave you without lunch."

"Huh? Don't be so harsh on your little brother."

Suigetsu smiled, staring at his older brother, but the ladle struck his face, causing him to cry out in pain.

"Fine then, no lunch for you today!"

"Wait, wait, Moyagetsu!! I was just joking, okay??"

Suigetsu jumped out of bed quickly and headed to the bathroom to wash up.

"Now you're a good boy."

Moyagetsu smiled as he returned to the kitchen to finish preparing the food.

"Hey, where's the shampoo?"

"Ah, forgot to tell you—it's all gone..."

"What??"

---

"Young master, wake up — it's almost time for school."

A beautiful dark-skinned maid stood near the bed of a blond boy.

"Huh? Mina… good morning."

"Good morning, young master."

The blond yawned, still showing signs of sleepiness, then got up from his bed, trying to gather his energy.

"It's been a while since I last saw you, Mina. How was your vacation?"

Naruto smiled as he spoke softly to his personal maid.

"Oh yes, I had a wonderful time."

Naruto gazed at her lovely face, smiling, then teased lightly, "Was it that fun? I hope you found the right man on that trip."

"..."

Naruto's eyes were closed as he spoke, surprised by her silence. When he opened them, he saw her looking away, cheeks flushed and eyes tightly shut in embarrassment.

"Eh… really??"

Mina nodded slowly in agreement, making Naruto open his mouth in shock.

"Really???"

"Ahem, young master, you'll be late for breakfast…"

Mina turned to the other side, changing the subject before Naruto could dig deeper.

"Huh? Ah... okay."

Naruto didn't know how to respond and headed to his bathroom, a look of surprise still on his face.

"Oh my, why does he look so shocked?"

Mina put her hand over her mouth, whispering embarrassedly before starting to make Naruto's bed.

After a few minutes, the family gathered in the room for breakfast. The servants set the table and chairs, laying out the dishes.

As usual, Grandma Mito Uzumaki sat in the family's head chair, fatigue and signs of illness gradually wearing her down.

To her right sat her eldest son, Uzumaki Oshino.

Beside him, his middle brother Mikael.

Then the youngest brother, Yukiteru.

Finally, Naruto sat in the spot his mother Kushina once occupied.

Opposite Oshino sat his daughter, Tera.

In front of Mikael sat his daughter, Yoha.

By Yukiteru's chair sat his wife, Yuna, with their eldest daughter Ella beside her. On the last chair facing Grandma sat Rebecca, Yukiteru's youngest daughter.

This was the usual family gathering during breakfast.

Silence ruled the room, and it seemed the family's bonds hadn't grown any stronger than before.

This atmosphere made Naruto feel a bit sad.

"How are things with our company, Oshino?"

"Yes, everything is going well, Mother. One of the M&H branches is trying to compete with us, but they haven't made any major moves yet."

"Which branch is this?"

"The third branch — it's new and works in entertainment. However, there aren't any good rumors about it. Some say its contracts with clients are like master and slave."

Naruto listened closely, imprinting the details in his mind. He would soon become the company's head and needed to understand the business world better.

"A new branch attacking the Uzumaki company... Have they lost their minds?"

"I already sent some men to investigate, and I'm waiting for news."

"Hmm, well done."

Grandma turned to Yukiteru and asked, "What about internal affairs?"

"Yes, the branch families are fine with no problems. We've already built several homes for new families, so everything is going smoothly."

"Good. And the treasury?"

This time, she looked at Mikael, who appeared somewhat uneasy before standing and saying, "Regarding the treasury, there have been some discrepancies in recent accounts. Our debts to the Namikazi were supposed to be decreasing, but they keep rising. At this rate, they might consume a large part of the company before the debts are fully paid."

"How did this happen? Didn't you tell me years ago that by now we'd be free of our debts to them? How can we announce Naruto's existence without being attacked by them now?"

Mikael remained silent, unsure how to respond to Grandma Mito's words.

In fact, Naruto's survival until now was not part of the plan that he and Oshino had made years ago.

Due to the massive sums paid to keep his existence secret, the Namikazi family exploited this opportunity to drain the Uzumaki treasury repeatedly, milking their money like demons.

"I'll try to act quickly, Mother."

"Hmm, you better."

Mikael nodded and then sat down quietly.

"On that note, Ella, this evening you will accompany Naruto to our company to take a tour with Oshino."

"Huh?"

Ella, distracted, whispered in surprise, staring at Grandma Mito, clearly not comprehending.

"It's true Naruto will soon run the company, but he needs someone reliable by his side. That will be you, since you currently have nothing else to do."

Ella opened her mouth to speak but clenched her fists and lowered her head, saying, "I..."

"I don't think it's appropriate for Ella to take such a position," Naruto's voice cut in quickly.

Ella looked at him in surprise, then smiled gratefully.

"Why do you think so, Naruto?"

Grandma Mito stared at Naruto disapprovingly.

"Because she's not the type who can handle such matters. Also, there's Uncle Oshino and Yoha, who's studying business management and will be a great help to me in the future."

Both Oshino and Yoha looked at Naruto in shock.

Oshino had never expected Naruto to give them any influence in the company, yet now he openly stated they could be the number two after him!

Was he a fool? Giving such power to those who once hated and even planned to kill him.

These were some of the questions running through Oshino's astonished mind.

"Maybe you have many questions, Grandma Mito," Naruto lowered his head then slowly raised it with a smile, "But if I don't trust my family, then who else can I trust?"

His words silenced the others. They were one family: three brothers and their children. But now, could they even call themselves a family?

"Naruto is right. I also support the decision to have Yoha assist him in the future. In the end, she's the most suitable for the position."

Yukiteru spoke as well, backing Naruto's words.

"Uncle Yukiteru."

Naruto smiled gratefully.

Grandma Mito sighed and said, "You're a kind-hearted boy, my little one."

She shifted her gaze to Oshino. "You heard the family head's words, right? I hope you'll take care of him and the company in the future."

Oshino stood awkwardly and bowed to Grandma, saying, "I understand and will not let you down, Mother."

"Hmm, good. Let's stop here; I'm feeling tired from talking."

"Understood..."

And so, the Uzumaki family breakfast ended this way.

Naruto headed to his school.

---

#The previous day.

At Naruto's command, Rock Lee, Shino, and Lily and Carol, who came from another path, gathered.

The five stood in front of the hospital for a moment, then entered.

At the reception desk, Naruto approached the receptionist with a gentle smile that made her heart flutter a few times.

(He's handsome! Is he a model?) she thought to herself before Naruto cut through her daydream.

"Hello, miss. We came to visit a friend here, his name is Kojiro, and he's our age."

She snapped out of her fantasy and quickly replied, cheeks flushing, "Ah yes, please wait a moment."

After searching for a few seconds, she said, "Ah, he's the boy who was a victim of a chase incident. He's recovering slowly now. You can find him in room 156."

"Yes, thank you, miss."

Naruto gave her a final smile and left, followed by the others.

"Ah, maybe I should have asked for his number, but he's a minor… kyaah, such a risky relationship might be good too."

The receptionist remained lost in her dangerous fantasies.

---

"Here is room 156."

Rock Lee spoke first as he walked to the door and knocked.

"Please, come in."

After receiving permission, Rock Lee opened the door and entered, followed by the others.

The boy with green hair lay on the bed; his left leg was in a cast, as was his right hand. The bandages made him look like a zombie.

"I see. You must be the leader of the Hasuno gang, Lily, and you, leader of the Kasron gang, Naruto."

"Yes, that's right."

Lily smiled as she responded to Kojiro.

The five stood before him while Carol brought a chair for Naruto to sit.

"How are your injuries?"

Naruto asked somewhat grimly, seeing Kojiro's poor condition.

"As you see, exactly like that. But despite the fractures, I'll be fine for now."

"What a dangerous situation—those two got to you first!"

"It was a treacherous attack! I didn't expect them to set an ambush there to finish me off," Kojiro said sadly, lowering his head. "I might be able to fight Jin evenly or even defeat him at best, but Tiger was something else."

"What do you mean? Isn't Jin the second strongest fighter?"

Lily asked excitedly.

"That's what it was supposed to be. But Tiger was a real beast."

"What do you know about his fighting style? What techniques does he use?"

"I couldn't figure out all his methods, but he's a free boxer, each punch weighing as much as a truck!"

Kojiro recalled his fight against Tiger in brief flashes — Tiger was a brutal fighter.

"Free boxer? Isn't that the problem with boxers? Their strikes are extremely fast," Rock Lee said.

"I agree. I could keep up with Jin before because he used Taekwondo, and I kept my distance," Naruto said quietly, his face darkening.

"So how will we deal with him?"

Carol spoke calmly, folding her arms.

"Leave him to me. I'll handle it one way or another," Naruto looked forward as he spoke.

"Then leave Jin to me. If he uses Taekwondo, he's my nemesis!" Lily smiled wickedly.

"Decision made then. How many days until the fight?"

"Four days."

Naruto stood and said, "Alright then, it's not much time, but let's prepare. We're about to expand our influence over the Shaikin gang and devour them!"

"I like you, Naruto! Haha, let's crush them!" Lily patted Naruto's back with a big smile.

The others smiled as well, while Shino put his hands in his pockets coolly.

"Be careful, Naruto, and Lily too," Kojiro said seriously, staring at them.

"Yes!"

"Definitely!"

---

Back to the present.

Sasuke walked coldly with his hands in his pockets.

He reached the school gate, then sensed a towering presence glaring at him like prey.

He opened his eyes coldly and stared at the figure — Naruto — standing and staring back.

He walked slowly to the gate where Naruto stood and stopped beside him.

Both stood facing each other.

Gazing into each other's eyes.

. . .

#To_Be_Continued.