Marvel: Raising — Chapter 135 - Max-Level Naruto Returns to Konoha
Waiting for Wanda to finish class.
Guan Fuyun had Naruto run shadow clones to scrub pots, wash dishes, and rinse vegetables. Had Azu use heat vision to slaughter a pig. Ordered Wanda to feed the fire. Hollered at Galacta to set up the kitchen.
Got the barbecue going, the hot pot bubbling, the beer cold, and threw on the show where Magneto and Professor X spent an hour roasting each other.
He threw a full farm banquet.
At first, Naruto couldn't quite handle it — all the "handsome" this and "little genius" that. The friendliness. The warmth. People just being... nice.
It was nothing like the village. The gap between the two worlds left him deeply unsettled, swinging between hope and dread, never sure what to do with any of it.
As it turned out.
On the farm, the person Naruto actually clicked with was Azu — foul-mouthed, rotten-tempered, always finding an angle to needle him.
Hm.
One from a Japanese manga, one from an American comic. One from a ninja world where everyone's at least a little unhinged, the other from a cape world where everyone's completely off the rails.
Was this just what it looked like when two patients recognized each other?
Guan Fuyun watched the whole thing and could only say: "Six."
...
A full day of it. A good day.
"Goodbye, young and handsome Uncle Guan!"
"I'll bring you something from the village next time!"
Little Naruto was grinning from ear to ear, like Iruka had just Talk-no-Jutsued him, and already halfway to calling Guan Fuyun Pops.
He whooshed back to Konoha on Flying Thunder God.
Just like Uncle Guan said.
He really did have the makings of a "Kizaru." Body Flicker, Flying Thunder God, Shadow Clones, Gold Body, jutsu like that came to him differently than they came to other people. He'd pick one up and have it down, then be proficient before anyone noticed.
Stack that on top of Nine-Tails chakra and his Uzumaki constitution.
His growth wasn't gradual. It was a single vertical leap, and the gap between him and the dead weight had already opened wide.
Naruto was happy about that.
And there was something else.
From Guan Fuyun, he'd learned the truth about himself. That he was the Fourth Hokage's son. A hero's orphan.
"Uncle Guan told me a lot of stories..."
"The Saiyans went extinct because they kept going berserk everywhere."
"That's called retribution."
"The tyrant Frieza, who wiped them out, was beaten to death by a Super Saiyan years later."
"That's called karma."
"A real man should fight hard and live on his own terms. One life, one way. Too lazy to explain, too lazy to listen."
"Works for me. I've always been terrible with words anyway. I'll just follow Uncle Guan's lead and live boldly."
In his room, Naruto turned his attention inward, toward his chakra.
He entered the mental space.
The towering red-barred gate rose in front of him. Behind it, the crimson fox sat with its malice on full display, not even bothering to hide it.
"Nine-Tails. Help me train."
With what Guan Fuyun had taught him, Naruto seized the Nine-Tails' chakra and refined it on the spot.
The next day.
First light.
Naruto was humming to himself as he headed out. He had Uncle Guan and the others at the farm now. Another world. Another kind of life. People who'd actually looked at him and said yes.
He didn't need to run around pulling pranks anymore, clawing for scraps of attention.
He didn't even care about Konoha that much, if he was being honest.
It felt like walking out of prison.
His mood was good. Easy. Light.
But.
"Demon fox!"
"Filthy brat! Cursed monster!"
The moment the villagers on the street saw him, they went red. Every one of them, screaming.
Naruto stopped and frowned.
They grabbed brooms, spatulas, wooden clubs, and started swinging.
The hits didn't land.
Not like they used to, not the kind that left him black and blue, scrambling for cover.
SWISH. Body Flicker. He was gone.
Then CRACK-CRACK-CRACK-CRACK, rapid and sharp as a string of firecrackers. Every single one of them hit the ground.
"I am not a demon fox."
"I am the son of the Fourth Hokage. A hero's child."
"What kind of man the Fourth was, how much he gave to this village, what he believed in — I have no idea. I never met him."
"I'm not asking to be respected because of whose son I am."
"But I will not be insulted."
Naruto was never good with words. Even now, talking wasn't easy. But his face was steady.
He pressed a kunai to each villager's throat, one after the other, and asked, very politely: "Am I right?"
"Right! Completely right! One hundred percent right!" Flattering smiles snapped into place across every face.
Only now did it register.
This Naruto was a ninja.
A person with power that ran far beyond anything ordinary.
How had they been screaming for his blood this whole time?
And wasn't he supposed to be dead last?
How was he this strong?
The ninja academy was a joke.
"Heh."
Naruto gave a cold laugh, watched their faces rearrange themselves, spun his kunai, and walked toward the academy.
The moment he was out of sight.
"Report him! Take it straight to the Hokage's office!"
"This little bastard is completely out of control!"
The villagers were furious again, righteous indignation pouring out of them. Reports were filed.
...
Meanwhile.
The Anbu who had been watching the jinchūriki from the shadows made their way to the Hokage's office.
"Lord Third. That brat Naruto's caused trouble again."
More tattling.
Sarutobi Hiruzen puffed his pipe. He'd heard worse. "Oh? Pranking again? Splashing paint somewhere?"
"No. He assaulted people."
"And the little bastard is claiming he's the Fourth's son."
The Anbu ground his teeth. "As if he's worthy of that. Lord Third, what is he even saying?"
"..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen went still.
He had kept Naruto's origins carefully buried. Very few people knew. How had the boy suddenly found out? Had he just said it at random?
And the assault itself. Naruto had always been a troublemaker, but it had always stayed in prank territory, noise and mess, nothing more. A child doing whatever it took to be noticed.
This was different. He'd put people on the ground. Public outrage was already building.
How had it come to this?
Naruto had always been obedient. Docile. The entire village bullied him, froze him out, pretended he didn't exist, and he'd smiled through all of it.
But now...
Sarutobi Hiruzen exhaled. "What does Danzō say?"
"Danzō-sama says the Nine-Tails jinchūriki should be handed over to Root for training," the Anbu replied.
"Tell him to stay out of it. A disobedient child is mine to handle." Sarutobi Hiruzen drew on his pipe.
"Danzō-sama says you'll regret this."
"I am the Hokage!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice cracked like a whip.
...
➤ Next: Naruto, the Third Hokage, Sasuke