Naruto: Wolf of the Hidden Leaf

Me and Umbra quickly separated ourselves just after we entered the shelter. There will be questions from them. Questions I really don't want to answer right now.

From the corner of my eyes, I noticed Itachi sitting together with Sasuke and Izumi. I haven't exactly had a real conversation with him after the first day. I was way too busy with my training to have any spare time for socializing. And neither one of us was exactly 'people person.' 

Besides, knowing him, he probably sends a shadow clone to the academy rather than being there himself. He sensed me looking at me and we made eye contact.

Seeing as it would be impolite to not talk to him, me and Umbra made our way towards the group.

"Hey, Itachi! How's it going?"

Itachi didn't reply just nodded. He seemed to be thinking about something. My eyes went towards baby Sasuke. He was just way too cute than I would've imagined him to be. I shifted my eyes towards their companion.

"Hi. I'm Rei. And who might you be? I don't think I've met you before."

Izumi was clearly scared and traumatized with the whole situation, but didn't show it. She was mentally quite strong. Her eyes met mine and then towards my right wrist.

"You're bleeding. You should go to a medical nin. A few of them are inside the shelter."

Oh, yeah. I totally forgot about that due to all the bullshit that's going on right now.

In reply I gave her a smile as I used basic medical ninjutsu to try and mitigate the fracture before it becomes worse. In Earth, it took a month minimum to fix this injury. But now it took me only a few seconds. And I wasn't even a medical shinobi.

Chakra truly is extraordinary.

"You can perform medical ninjutsu?"

"Just the basic stuffs...Sorry, I don't think I caught your name." I said with a dry smile.

Izumi blushed at that, "How impolite of me. My name is Izumi. Izumi Uchiha."

"Well Izumi, it was nice to meet you. Do you mind if I sit with you for a minute? I don't exactly have many friends here."

Izumi didn't reply, rather looked at Itachi as if she was asking for permission. Itachi, still deep in his thoughts replied absent-mindedly,

"It's okay. You can sit with us."

Getting the confirmation, I sat right in front of Itachi. Umbra was already taking a quick nap. He was tired after all the running around he had to do tonight.

I too sighed in exhaustion. Not physical of any kind, rather mental. Too many thoughts were jumbled up inside my head. And seeing as this was a safe place as any, I decided to properly organize them.

I looked at my left hand. It was shaking.

Not from fear—no, that had long passed. I knew fear. I had drowned in fear tonight. The kind of fear that clings to your bones and whispers to you in every heartbeat. The kind of fear that silences your breath when a godlike monster roars and you realize you're a speck on the map of existence.

But this?

This wasn't fear.

This was the aftermath. The molted skin left behind after fear slithered out of me and made room for something else. Something more dangerous.

First came awe. Pure, unfiltered awe. The Nine-Tailed Fox—Kurama—stood there tonight in all its infernal glory, a calamity shaped like an animal, and yet… he's not the apex predator.

He's not the peak.

Hashirama Senju. He fought Kurama and Madara. At the same time. He didn't just survive—he won.

Now that's power. Real, divine, history-breaking power.

And I want it.

I need it.

I love chakra. I love what it does. I love how it bends to will, how it twists reality, how it makes things possible. Every time I push further, every time I break through a new limit—it's like something inside me howls with delight. It's not joy. It's not pride. It's something darker.

When Kurenai fell to my genjutsu… oh, gods. I almost died to that kunai.

But even then, part of me laughed.

Because I saw what I could do.

What I can become.

Power like that doesn't just excite me—it intoxicates me. It makes everything else seem… smaller. Forget playing ninja. Forget grades, teachers, even missions. This world runs on chakra, and I will learn how to rip it open and reshape it in my image. How much fun will that be!

No more holding back. No more pretending I'm just another student.

Maybe that is why I had used almost so much chakra to create that Rasengan moments ago. I wanted to test myself on how I strong I am. Have I always been like this? Am I lying to myself right now? Or have I always lied to myself?

I don't know. But I do know one thing for sure right now.

This hand shakes not with fear…

It trembles with hunger. Hunger for power is desires to taste. Hunger for power that can reshape the entire world.

Me eyes met the ones of my companion. He bared his fangs and smiled.

'What do say, Umbra? Let's be serious from now onwards.'

'I thought you'd never ask.'

From this point onward, everything changes.

I'll master genjutsu. I'll master ninjutsu. I'll master senjutsu. I'll learn everything this world has to offer. I'll bend chakra until it snaps beneath my will. I'll claw my way into the ranks of legends.

Not because I want to protect the world.

Not because I want to destroy it.

But just because I can.

——————————————————————

Danzo POV:

1 month after the nine-tailed fox's attack

Danzo Shimura didn't smile—he never did—but if he were the kind of man to indulge in such frivolity, today would've warranted one.

The Nine-Tailed Fox had torn through Konoha like a god of wrath, leaving devastation in its wake. Entire clans were crippled, and most importantly, the Fourth Hokage—Minato Namikaze—and his wife Kushina Uzumaki were dead. A tragedy for the village. An opportunity for him.

Despite the loss, the political landscape had shifted in his favor. The ever-idealistic Hiruzen Sarutobi had stepped out of retirement and resumed his mantle as Hokage. A temporary setback, perhaps—but Danzo preferred Hiruzen's predictable pacifism to Minato's keen-eyed vigilance. That man had hidden too much behind his smile. Too clever by half.

But now the playing field was familiar once more.

The Uchiha were already being pushed to the outskirts of the village—marginalized, corralled. He had time to continue what he had started. All he needed now was talent.

"Bring me the orphan dossiers," he commanded without looking up.

Tatsuma Aburame, as silent as the insects in his body, placed the file on his desk. Danzo flipped through the pages with a practiced eye. The usual mix—parentless children from the Third Shinobi War or the recent fox attack. Trauma bred loyalty when guided correctly. Most would be molded into weapons. Others discarded.

He sorted them by potential: core, pawns, disposables.

Then he paused.

Two names. Separated from the rest. Attached in the file as an addendum. Annotated. Highlighted.

Itachi Uchiha.

Rei Inuzuka.

Danzo's single visible eye narrowed slightly.

The first—an Uchiha prodigy with photographic ninjutsu recall, emotional detachment, and discipline beyond his years. A perfect shinobi. A dangerous one.

The second—a boy from the Inuzuka clan. Odd. Quiet. His genjutsu aptitude was described as "unnaturally effective for a non-sharingan user." Danzo had never seen that phrase in a file before. His performance during the Nine-Tails incident was... notable.

Neither of them was even out of the Academy yet. And already, they were leaving a trail.

Genius. That was the word. And that was the problem.

Danzo leaned back slightly, fingers steepled. He could already see the paths these boys might take—and the threat they could become if left unguided. Worse, if left unclaimed.

But they came with their own problems. The Uchiha were notoriously prideful and volatile. And the Inuzuka? Loyal. Tribal. Pack-driven. Hard to isolate.

Still… every weapon had a sheath. And every mind had a weak point.

"I want eyes on both of them," he said calmly. "Where they go. Who they speak to. Their routines. Habits. Vulnerabilities."

He paused. Then added, more slowly:

"I want to know what they fear."

Tatsuma gave a silent nod. He had not seen this look on his master's face in some time.

Danzo was a man without joy.

But now… he was hungry.