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You can now get early access to Chapter 77 of Re: Naruto Uzumaki on my Patreon. You can also read up to Chapter 21 of Naruto: Satoru Senju.
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Satoru walked in silence toward the Third Training Ground, his brow furrowed. He couldn't stop thinking about his mother.
He had gone seven years without seeing her. Not a letter, not a visit, not a single word from her. Only what Shizune would occasionally tell him.
And now, suddenly, on his birthday, a letter arrived. Brief, direct. And with it, a pendant.
Satoru didn't know what to think about it.
He knew the story of this pendant well.
His mother had always considered it a cursed object. His mother's younger brother, Nawaki, had it before he died. Then Dan, the man his mother loved, also died shortly after receiving it.
For Tsunade to give it to him, her son... it was strange. Even surprising. After all this time, after everything that pendant meant to her...
He didn't intend to refuse it, of course. But Satoru still didn't understand why Tsunade had given it to him, to him specifically, of all people.
...
After his training with Tenzō, Satoru let out a long sigh.
It had been a complete waste of time.
At this point, Tenzō didn't master the Wood Style enough to teach him anything new. Everything he showed him, Satoru had already learned on his own.
"Well, that's a shame..." said Kakashi by his side, after hearing a summary of his training.
Kakashi sighed.
He had hoped that, with the help of Yūgao and Tenzō, the three of them would be able to get Satoru to understand the Will of Fire.
Kakashi had never fully committed to the Will of Fire as the Third Hokage thought. For him, following the Will of Fire was simply the most comfortable option. Easier than becoming an enemy of the village.
"As I said before, in the Senju Complex, there are many scrolls with techniques of all kinds. Some were left by Hashirama Senju himself," Satoru added.
Thanks to that, he already surpassed Tenzō in the use of the Wood Style.
Satoru was sure that the Third Hokage, and even Danzō, had raided the library in the Senju Complex after Tsunade left.
That's why he had never bothered to protect it from them.
"I'll inform Hokage-sama so that Tenzō can be freed from his mission," said Kakashi, bluntly.
Kakashi saw no reason for Tenzō and Satoru to continue training together.
Although... for a moment, Kakashi wondered if it would be better to ask Satoru to train Tenzō, to help him improve.
But he immediately held back.
Knowing the boy, he was almost sure Satoru would refuse or, worse, mock the idea. So he didn't even bother bringing it up.
"But before that," Kakashi continued, changing the subject, "let's continue with your training."
"Third and final lesson, Satoru: Understanding."
He pulled out a small box with air-filled balloons from a scroll.
"You've mastered the first lesson, rotation, and the second, power. Now you'll have to do the opposite: channel your chakra into the balloon without breaking it. The goal is to keep the shape of the Chakra as a sphere inside the balloon without making it burst."
Satoru nodded with a grimace. Then, he sat down to practice, focused on controlling the flow of Chakra.
Kakashi, for his part, lay down on the grass, under the shade of a tree.
According to him, he was "resting his eyes."
Satoru, who was "concentrated" on controlling the flow of chakra, suddenly stood up, putting his hands in the pockets of his hoodie.
Satoru walked up to Kakashi and looked at him with an bored expression.
"To be honest, I've been training on my own, Kakashi," Satoru stopped calling him master.
Kakashi, who had already gotten comfortable, opened his eyes and looked at Satoru with a raised eyebrow.
"The only reason I came today was to tell you that I no longer need you to continue training me."
Kakashi frowned deeply when he heard his words.
"You're joking, right? There's no way you've mastered the Rasengan..."
Satoru looked at him with boredom and showed the palm of his hand.
On his palm, Satoru emitted a large flow of Chakra and then made it spin in all directions at high speed, causing it to compress into a spherical shape.
Kakashi watched in surprise as a perfect Rasengan formed in Satoru's palm.
"Is one Rasengan enough, or should I form another one, at the same time, in my other palm?" Satoru asked with a mocking smile.
"You really are a little monster, haven't anyone told you that?" Kakashi asked, completely serious.
"I'm not wasting your time anymore, Kakashi. I don't need you anymore, so..." Satoru turned to leave. "See you around."
Kakashi watched in surprise as Satoru disappeared. It was so fast that even he couldn't see him leave.
Or rather, Satoru hadn't even moved. He had simply disappeared.
Could this be the Second Hokage's Flying Thunder God Technique?
The same technique that his master, the Fourth Hokage, had used in the past?
Kakashi stayed there, silent, for a few seconds, before deciding to head straight to the Hokage Mansion. He was determined to speak with the Third Hokage.
What Kakashi didn't know was that Satoru had never learned the Flying Thunder God Technique.
It was thanks to Satoru's Cursed Technique: Unlimited.
With this technique, although he couldn't teleport long distances without some prior preparations, he could reduce the space between him and his target.
This covered almost the entire Hidden Leaf Village.
In other words, Satoru could instantly move anywhere in the village in the blink of an eye.
...
In the Senju Complex.
"So... are you leaving already?" asked Satoru, in a neutral voice, as he watched Shizune close her bag for the umpteenth time.
She looked up, and for a moment seemed to hesitate. Then she nodded slowly, as if every movement weighed more than it should.
"I've been here longer than I planned, Satoru," she replied, with a soft smile, though her eyes reflected a mixture of affection and concern. "I'd love to stay with you, but without me... who knows how Tsunade-sama will end up."
Satoru sighed and crossed his arms. It wasn't hard to imagine. Without Shizune nearby, his mother would probably end up sleeping on a park bench, broke after losing everything in some bad bet.
Though, come to think of it, for Tsunade, all her bets were bad.
"I don't want to leave you alone, really," added Shizune, "but Tsunade-sama needs me."
Satoru didn't argue. Shizune was right.
Then, suddenly, Shizune snapped her fingers, as if remembering something important.
"Oh, I almost forgot!"
Satoru raised an eyebrow. "What thing?"
"Do you think I'd leave without giving you your birthday gift? You already got Tsunade-sama's gift... but you still don't have mine!"
Satoru rolled his eyes in obvious annoyance.
He hated birthdays.
In his past life, he spent them in an orphanage where that day meant nothing. There were never cakes, songs, or presents. Just another day.
And in this life, it wasn't much different. His mother was never around. Though some villagers would wish him well.
If it weren't for Shizune, his birthday would go completely unnoticed. And, honestly, he'd prefer it that way. Most likely, he would've spent the whole day training, as usual.
"Let's go to your room. I left it there," said Shizune, guiding him with a warm smile.
They climbed the wooden stairs together.
When they opened the door to his room, Satoru stopped dead in his tracks.
On the bed, among the messy sheets, was a small white lump that moved gently.
Satoru frowned. "What's that thing?"
Shizune laughed when she saw his reaction. "Come on, get closer."
Cautiously, Satoru approached the bed. The lump stirred, and when he uncovered it, he found a small kitten. Its fur was completely white, spotless, like freshly fallen snow. And its eyes were a crystal-clear blue, intense and curious.
"I found it by chance while looking for something for you. It was alone, in the rain," Shizune explained softly. "It reminded me of you."
Satoru didn't respond immediately. He just watched the animal, which stared at him from its makeshift bed of sheets. Incredibly, he felt an odd familiarity with it. If he had ever been a cat, he'd probably look exactly like this.
"So?" asked Shizune with a smile. "What will you name it?"
Satoru didn't say anything. He walked over to his nightstand, opened the top drawer, and began rummaging through his things. After a moment, he pulled out a pair of circular, completely black sunglasses.
Shizune looked at him, puzzled. "What are you—?"
Before she could finish the sentence, Satoru carefully picked up the kitten, placed the sunglasses on its head, and held it in front of him, staring at it intently.
The kitten, far from resisting, seemed to accept its fate with a serenity that bordered on ridiculous.
They both stared at each other in silence for a few seconds.
Then, in unison, they turned their heads toward Shizune.
"It will be called Gege Akutami" declared Satoru with all the seriousness in the world.
Gege lifted a paw toward Shizune, as if agreeing with the name.
Shizune looked at it with narrowed eyes, completely confused. "Gege... what?"
"Yes. Gege Akutami. It has style, don't you think?" said Satoru, with an amused smile.
Shizune let out a long sigh, as if she had already lost the battle before it even started.
"You're completely out of your mind," she muttered, though she couldn't help but laugh.
"Who would name their pet Gege Akutami?" Shizune thought, surprised. She had expected Satoru to name it Snowflake, or even Shiro.
"I just hope Gege doesn't spawn a wild Sukuna on the way. I don't want to end up becoming a Sen-Ju," Satoru murmured to himself.
Shizune looked at Satoru, confused by what he had just said, but decided not to ask any questions.