Chapter 33
Late at night, Naruto lay on his bed, arms tucked under his head, staring blankly at the ceiling.
Even now, the fact that he'd been reborn as a teenager—after everything—still felt unreal, like a strange, extended dream. He needed the quiet of the night to realign himself, to let his body and spirit settle into this second chance at life.
In the silence, the soft hiss of a shower echoed faintly from the room next door.
Naruto's expression shifted. He reached under his pillow, pulling his left hand down to his abdomen.
Sizzle—
The spiral seal of the Eight Trigrams glowed to life.
"Yo, Kurama," Naruto murmured. "Finished going through those memories I brought back?"
It was nearly a century's worth of experience—countless moments, decisions, regrets. Even for a being like the Nine Tails, it would take time to absorb it all.
The response came, low and cold. "Hmph. So what?"
Naruto remained calm. "So, now you know why I'm doing all this."
Kyuubi snorted, just as proud and difficult as ever. "So?"
"How about we talk again like before?" Naruto asked, voice hopeful.
But Kurama snapped, his tone bristling with denial. "Before? Don't kid yourself. I don't remember having any kind of friendship with you! That guy in your memories wasn't me."
Naruto sat up straight. "Come on, that was definitely you!"
"SHUT UP!!" Kurama's roar echoed inside Naruto's mindscape, his massive tails lashing furiously. The sheer force of his rage surged through the seal—
BOOM!
Naruto's head slammed into the headboard behind him.
"Damn... that hurt," he muttered, rubbing the back of his head.
"Even if it was me in those memories, I don't care!" Kurama barked. "I don't like you now, I don't like you one bit! I can't stand you! I hate you!"
"Kurama, I—"
"I SAID SHUT UP!!" the Nine Tails howled, cutting him off. "I don't care what your reasons are! You're not Uzumaki Naruto! Get out of his body! I'll never acknowledge you—not now, not ever!!"
Snap—
The seal dimmed, the chakra link slammed shut.
Naruto sighed and shook his head. He couldn't really blame the fox. Not yet.
Tailed beasts weren't just masses of chakra—they had emotions, memories, scars. And just like people, they needed time to grow, to heal.
In his past life, Kurama had gone through that journey step by step. He'd opened his heart little by little, and in the end... he'd even given his life for Naruto.
But this version of Kurama hadn't reached that point. Not yet. Even after seeing all of Naruto's memories—feeling that pain, that sorrow—he couldn't accept it. Not so easily.
That kind of change didn't happen overnight.
Naruto whispered, more to himself than anyone, "Still… I believe. One day, we'll see eye to eye again."
From the other side of the wall, Konan's voice called out, "Naruto? Are you alright? It sounded like you were arguing with someone."
"I'm fine, Senior Sister. Just… catching up with an old friend."
There was a pause, then a soft reply. "I see."
But Naruto couldn't stop the question tugging at his mind. "Konan-senpai… all this support you've given me… Is it really just because I showed you those memories?"
There was a long silence, then Konan's voice returned, calm and honest. "We're all Jiraiya's disciples. But from beginning to end, you were the only one who truly lived by the ninja path he believed in. Even when you died… I could see Yahiko in you."
She paused again, then continued, "The memories played a big part, yes… but they weren't everything."
Naruto smiled faintly, relief washing over him. "Thank you. That's all I needed to hear."
"Now get some sleep," she said gently. "The road ahead is long. You'll need your strength."
"Yeah. Goodnight, Konan-senpai."
The night passed without another word.
The next morning, Naruto rose refreshed. After a quick breakfast, he and the others gathered on the ninth floor of the tower.
This was where they'd begin their planning.
The room was shaped for strategy: seats facing north, south, east, and west. Naruto sat facing north at the round table, a wooden box resting in front of him. From here, he could see the endless drizzle and clouds outside the tower window.
Konan stood quietly behind him.
Orochimaru leaned lazily in the eastern seat, arms crossed, that familiar intellectual smirk playing on his lips.
Kisame sat to the west, posture calm and measured, Samehada resting at his side like a loyal dog.
Naruto leaned forward, lacing his fingers beneath his chin, his gaze steady.
"Let's begin."
With a wave of her hand, Konan unfurled a large parchment map against the back wall—a detailed map of the shinobi world.
Thunder rumbled behind her, lightning illuminating her sharp features and cold expression. The piercing metal lip-piercing on the corner of her mouth gleamed.
Naruto began speaking, his voice even and authoritative.
"Leaf, Sand, Cloud, Mist, and Stone. Backed by the great nations and steeped in generational power, they've dominated the shinobi world for decades."
"Our first goal is to collect the secret jutsu and kekkei genkai from the major villages."
"But since bloodline limits require bloodline support, we'll start with secret techniques."
"Lightning Release from Kumo. Rock and Lightness techniques from Iwa. Assassination techniques from the Hidden Mist. Puppet jutsu from Suna. And of course, the Ino-Shika-Cho techniques from Konoha."
In his past life, Naruto had been the backbone of the Allied Shinobi Forces, the hero of the Five Kage Summit. If he had wanted to, he could have learned these secret arts easily.
But he hadn't cared. Back then, he believed his own arsenal was enough.
That arrogance… had cost him.
Now, he wasn't making that mistake again.
Orochimaru brushed his fingers through his long hair, resting his chin on one hand, his eyes narrowing as he studied the map.
"Rain borders the Land of Wind, Earth, and Fire. Strategically, those three villages—Suna, Iwa, and Konoha—should be our first targets."
"Of the three, Konoha already has your Flying Thunder God marker. Suna is militarily the weakest, but the desert makes it hard to operate in. Iwa, led by Ōnoki, is a seasoned powerhouse—not ideal."
"Besides," Orochimaru added, "attacking any of our neighbors might provoke a rapid retaliation. And right now, we're not strong enough to handle a direct war."
Naruto rose, stepped to the map, and circled the Land of Lightning. He drew a sharp arrow from Amegakure to Kumogakure.
"Then we hit Kumogakure first."
He thought quietly to himself: And while I'm at it… I'll draw the Raikage's attention away from Sasuke and toward me instead.
Orochimaru gave a low chuckle. "So you really are after the Lightning Chakra Mode, hmm?"
Naruto nodded, eyes sharp. "With it, my speed, reaction time, and defense will all rise to a new level. If I combine it with Sage Mode… or even Kurama's chakra in the future… I might become untouchable."
Kisame finally spoke, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "By the way, do we even have a name? Are we moving under the Yuyin banner?"
He looked unconvinced. "Doesn't really strike fear into people."
Naruto glanced at Konan, still dressed in her Akatsuki cloak.
Then he looked forward, voice firm.
"We'll still be called Akatsuki. But this time, it's a new dawn."
"Our hearts are in the light, even if we move through the shadows. To mark that difference, we add one word—'Ming.'"
"From today forward, we are—Mingxiao."
A rare smile broke across Konan's lips.
From this moment on… Akatsuki would no longer just mean "dawn."
It would mean two sides of the same shadow—one dark, one light.
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