In the blink of an eye, a month had passed since Naruto transmigrated into this world.
or rather, since he was born.
The panic caused by the Nine-Tails’ attack that night had finally subsided.
Now, Konoha’s priority was rebuilding the destroyed parts of the village.
Many people had died during the disaster.
The list of casualties had already been finalized.
More than half a month earlier, the dead had been laid to rest in a collective funeral, and compensation had been distributed to their surviving families.
After all, they had either died protecting the village.
Or had been innocent victims caught in the Nine-Tails’ rampage.
Naturally, Naruto’s parents were among them.
The Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato.
And his wife, Uzumaki Kushina.
Their deaths had truly come far too early.
The sudden loss of the Fourth Hokage had also thrown Konoha into turmoil.
The Third Great Ninja War still hadn’t officially ended.
Although it had entered its final stages, mishandling the aftermath could easily reignite the conflict.
In fact, the war itself had originally begun after the mysterious disappearance of Sunagakure’s Third Kazekage.
So the Third Hokage stepped forward once again.
He resumed office as Hokage.
Only then did the situation gradually stabilize.
Unfortunately that decision infuriated one particular man.
Shimura Danzō.
He had believed that since the Third Hokage had already retired once, he shouldn’t be allowed to return.
Instead.
A new Fifth Hokage should have been chosen.
Danzō had even made preparations for that outcome.
Who could have expected that shameless old man to simply reclaim the position himself?
Had he forgotten why he’d stepped down in the first place?
During the war, Hiruzen had made several questionable strategic decisions.
He had signed peace agreements that many considered disadvantageous to Konoha.
His treatment of Sunagakure had especially drawn criticism.
Despite Suna’s effective surrender, Konoha had accepted it with almost no demands in return.
Those decisions had been among the reasons Hiruzen retired and handed authority to his successor.
Or perhaps.
Some had intentionally pushed him into taking responsibility, hoping to force him out of office.
Danzō had certainly thought so.
Yet he never imagined that after Hiruzen stepped down.
The Fourth Hokage wouldn’t be him.
Instead.
It became Namikaze Minato.
At the time, Minato’s reputation was unparalleled.
He had become a legend on the battlefield.
His popularity even surpassed that of the Legendary Sannin.
Even veterans like Danzō had no choice but to step aside.
The tremendous achievements Minato earned during the Third Great Ninja War paved a clear path for him to become the Fourth Hokage.
Sadly his reign proved tragically short.
After Minato’s death, Danzō naturally assumed it would finally be his chance to compete for the position of Fifth Hokage.
Faced with the collapse of his ambitions, Danzō finally chose to gamble.
For the first time.
He openly turned against Hiruzen.
Quietly, he had already persuaded nearly half of the ANBU to follow him.
Then, while Hiruzen traveled to the Land of Fire’s capital for his reinstatement ceremony.
Danzō launched an assassination attempt.
An assassination against Konoha’s own Hokage.
Within Konoha, the Hokage’s authority surpassed even that of the Fire Daimyō.
Such an act was nothing short of treason.
Fortunately.
Hatake Kakashi happened to be serving under Danzō at the time.
At the critical moment, he protected the Third Hokage, allowing Hiruzen to safely return to the village.
Oddly enough despite everything, Hiruzen chose restraint.
He merely stripped Danzō of his position as Hokage Advisor.
At the same time, the ANBU who had already sided with Danzō were separated from the regular ANBU and reorganized into a new force under his direct command.
Root.
Thus, while everyone focused on the aftermath of the Nine-Tails’ attack.
The upper levels of Konoha were quietly engaged in another struggle.
There were no open battles.
No armies clashing in the streets.
Yet the political conflict was every bit as dangerous as fighting with blades.
In the end.
The experienced Hiruzen prevailed.
He firmly reestablished himself as Hokage and once again suppressed Danzō.
The turmoil had shaken Konoha’s leadership.
Fortunately, the conflict never escalated into outright civil war.
The remaining two Hokage Advisors, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, longtime companions of both Hiruzen and Danzō, were undoubtedly relieved.
Of course.
Naruto had no opportunity to involve himself in any of those events.
Even though he possessed knowledge of the future he was still only a baby.
There was nothing he could do.
Well not quite nothing.
He could still train.
It was difficult to believe but a baby only one month old had already begun serious physical training.
He had started with push-ups.
Later, he added sit-ups.
Then squats.
Nothing particularly complicated.
Just basic muscle-building exercises he could perform in his current condition.
Besides there was little else he could do.
Although he retained an adult’s mind his infant body imposed severe limitations.
So this was the best use of his time.
He also understood the importance of hiding his abnormal behavior.
The instant someone approached the room.
He immediately stopped training.
Unexpectedly, that habit brought two additional benefits.
First his mastery over sensory perception steadily improved.
He could use it more naturally than before.
Its effective range also expanded at an astonishing pace.
Second because sensory perception relied upon Ashura’s chakra.
Which has now become Naruto’s own chakra.
Its constant use gradually deepened his understanding of chakra itself.
Combined with the Uzumaki Clan’s inherited Sage’s Body and the awakening of Ashura’s chakra.
Naruto’s total chakra reserves began increasing rapidly.
That actually puzzled him.
As he remembered it, chakra had originally been explained as energy produced by combining physical energy from the body’s cells with spiritual energy from the mind.
Furthermore.
It supposedly had to be refined whenever it was needed.
But Kakashi had once stated that even as a genin, Naruto possessed several times more chakra than he did.
How could someone know another person’s total chakra reserves.
If chakra was supposedly created only when used?
Then there was Sage Mode.
If chakra truly only existed after being refined how could Sage Chakra remain active as an ongoing state?
By that logic, Sage Mode should disappear the instant the prepared chakra was consumed.
Clearly there was still a great deal he needed to learn.
After quietly training for more than a month.
Naruto’s physical condition had already surpassed what any one-month-old infant should possess.
Even his first baby teeth had begun emerging.
He felt confident that if he fought a five-year-old now.
He definitely wouldn’t lose.
Well.
Forgive him.
That was about the extent of his ambition at the moment.
After all he himself was only one month old.
Throughout the entire month, Naruto had also continued trying to contact the Nine-Tails.
He constantly searched for a way to communicate with the beast sealed inside him.
The reason was simple.
He knew Kurama would eventually become one of his greatest sources of strength.
Especially if he intended to leave Konoha as soon as possible.
Kurama’s power would be indispensable.
Yet for some unknown reason.
Kurama never responded.
Whether something had happened.
Or whether the sealing process had left him in poor condition.
Naruto couldn’t tell.
No matter how many times he called out even using Kurama’s true name.
There was no answer.
“You can’t ignore me forever.”
“I refuse to believe I can’t talk you over eventually.”