Seven Years Later
The promise had never been spoken aloud.
Not to the Third Hokage.
Not to the villagers.
Not even to Naruto himself.
It existed only in his memories.
A promise made beneath a blood-red sky.
A promise made beside two dying legends.
A promise witnessed only by shadows.
"Take care of him."
Seven years had passed since that night.
Seven years since the Nine-Tails Attack.
Seven years since Takashima Minoru had arrived in this world.
And seven years was enough time for many things to change.
Konoha had rebuilt itself.
New buildings stood where ruins once lay.
Children played in streets that had once been stained with blood.
Shops had reopened.
Families had recovered.
Life had moved forward.
But some scars never truly disappeared.
One such scar was a seven-year-old blond boy currently hanging upside down from a tree.
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"
THUD!
Naruto crashed face-first into the ground.
A flock of birds immediately flew away from nearby trees.
Silence followed.
Then—
"...Ow."
A small hand rose from the dirt.
"...That hurt."
Minoru sighed.
"...That was your twentieth attempt."
The blond boy immediately sat up.
"Twenty-first!"
"...That isn't something to be proud of."
"It is if I remembered!"
"..."
"..."
Naruto grinned.
Minoru rubbed his forehead.
Some things never changed.
The two currently stood within Training Ground Seven.
The same location where future Team Seven would eventually train.
At the moment, however, the field belonged to only two children.
One was Naruto.
Age seven.
Academy student.
Future jinchūriki.
Current menace to society.
The other was Takashima Minoru.
Age ten.
Chūnin.
Owner of one very unreasonable system.
Commander of shadows.
And unofficial caretaker of Naruto Uzumaki.
Or as the village called him—
The Demon Guardian.
The title had started as an insult.
People had seen a strange child walking around with dark figures.
People had seen a ten-year-old become a Chūnin through battlefield achievements and years of training.
People had seen shadows obey his commands.
Naturally—
Rumors spread.
"Demon Child."
"Shadow Demon."
"Monster."
Eventually—
Those names evolved.
Into one.
Demon Guardian.
A title that ironically became respected.
Because while people feared Minoru—
They trusted him.
Especially after he repeatedly protected villagers during missions and monster attacks near Konoha's borders.
The village had learned an important lesson.
The shadows looked terrifying.
The person controlling them wasn't.
Naruto stood up.
Dust covering his face.
"I'm gonna get it this time!"
"You said that eighteen attempts ago."
"Twenty."
"That doesn't help your argument."
Naruto ignored him.
Which was normal.
Minoru crossed his arms.
Watching.
Observing.
Analyzing.
Seven years of training had changed him drastically.
His body no longer resembled that of a helpless toddler.
He stood noticeably taller.
Stronger.
More athletic.
His black hair reached slightly past his ears.
His dark eyes carried a calm maturity unusual for his age.
Years of missions.
Years of combat.
Years of responsibility.
Had forced him to grow up much faster than normal.
And yet—
The biggest difference wasn't visible.
It stood behind him.
A silent shadow.
The ANBU Captain.
His first shadow.
His oldest companion.
His strongest soldier.
Seven years had transformed it as well.
The shadow's armor looked more refined.
More complete.
The mask now carried glowing violet markings.
Its presence alone was enough to intimidate most genin.
And it wasn't alone anymore.
Over seven years—
Minoru had slowly built an army.
Not large.
Not yet.
But powerful.
Every shadow had been personally earned.
Personally extracted.
Personally trained.
Unlike Sung Jin-Woo.
Minoru's army grew slowly.
Carefully.
Because every shadow mattered.
Naruto suddenly slammed his hands together.
"SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!"
POOF!
A cloud of smoke exploded.
Minoru immediately closed his eyes.
"..."
"..."
Naruto grinned.
"...I got it?"
The smoke cleared.
A clone appeared.
Half-sized.
Cross-eyed.
Upside down.
And somehow drooling.
The clone looked at Naruto.
Naruto looked at the clone.
The clone pointed.
"You suck."
Then disappeared.
POOF!
Silence.
Minoru looked away.
Naruto looked devastated.
"...The clone insulted me."
"It wasn't wrong."
"NII-SAN!"
Minoru chuckled.
A rare sight.
Very few people in Konoha ever saw him laugh.
Naruto did.
Often.
Because Naruto was one of the few people who could bypass every wall Minoru had built around himself.
The blond boy pouted.
"This jutsu is stupid."
"The jutsu isn't the problem."
"Then what is?"
Minoru walked over.
Then lightly flicked Naruto's forehead.
"Your chakra control."
"Owww!"
"You use too much."
Naruto blinked.
"...That's possible?"
"You're basically trying to fill a cup using a waterfall."
"Oh."
A pause.
"...Wait."
Another pause.
"...What's a waterfall?"
Minoru stared.
Naruto stared back.
The ANBU shadow turned away.
Possibly from second-hand embarrassment.
"...We'll work on education later."
"Yay!"
"That wasn't a compliment."
Naruto ignored that too.
Minoru sighed.
Then raised one hand.
The shadow behind him stepped forward.
Naruto's eyes immediately lit up.
"Captain!"
The ANBU shadow nodded.
Over the years—
Naruto had become unusually close to Minoru's first shadow.
Mostly because the shadow had accidentally become Naruto's babysitter.
A fact Minoru never allowed anyone to mention.
The shadow knelt.
Naruto immediately climbed onto its shoulders.
"...Traitor."
Minoru muttered.
The shadow ignored him.
Naruto laughed loudly.
For a moment—
The training ground felt peaceful.
Normal.
Just two brothers training.
Nothing more.
Nothing less.
Minoru watched quietly.
A small smile appearing on his face.
Seven years.
Seven years since that promise.
And Naruto was alive.
Healthy.
Happy.
For now—
That was enough.
But deep inside—
Minoru knew.
The future was approaching.
The Academy.
The Uchiha.
Orochimaru.
Akatsuki.
Every disaster he remembered.
Every tragedy waiting in the shadows.
His gaze slowly lifted toward the sky.
"Don't lose your way."
Minato's final words echoed within his mind.
Minoru looked at Naruto again.
The loud blond idiot currently pretending the ANBU shadow was a horse.
A faint smile appeared.
"I won't."
Because no matter what happened—
No matter how strong his shadow army became—
No matter what enemies appeared—
He would keep his promise.
The promise of the Demon Guardian.
And anyone who threatened Naruto Uzumaki—
Would learn exactly why even shadows feared their king.
The promise of the Demon Guardian.
The title itself had become a strange thing within Konoha.
Some spoke it with respect.
Some with fear.
Some with gratitude.
But everyone knew one thing.
If there was one person in the village who would stand beside Naruto Uzumaki no matter what—
It was Takashima Minoru.
Unfortunately...
Not everyone was smart enough to remember that.
Earlier That Day
The market district bustled with activity.
Merchants shouted.
Children played.
Customers haggled over prices.
A perfectly normal day.
At least until a familiar blond-haired boy appeared.
"Hey! Old man! How much for that fox mask?!"
Naruto pointed excitedly toward one of the display racks.
The merchant's smile immediately disappeared.
"...Not for you."
Naruto blinked.
"Huh?"
The mask seller crossed his arms.
"I said not for you."
The surrounding atmosphere became awkward.
Several villagers glanced over.
Naruto's smile slowly faded.
"...Why?"
The merchant sneered.
"Because pests don't get discounts."
Silence.
The nearby customers immediately looked away.
Nobody intervened.
Nobody spoke.
Some simply pretended not to hear.
Others watched.
Naruto stood there quietly.
For a moment—
He looked very small.
"...Oh."
That was all he said.
Then he turned around.
And walked away.
The excitement in his eyes gone.
The villagers watched him leave.
A few looked guilty.
Most didn't.
The merchant simply scoffed.
"Good riddance."
And life continued.
Or so everyone thought.
Because later that night—
The mask seller vanished.
Completely.
No body.
No evidence.
No witnesses.
Nothing.
The only thing found inside his store was a single shattered wooden mask lying on the floor.
And a strange feeling.
A cold feeling.
Like someone had been watching from the darkness.
Present Day
"...You heard about that, right?"
A civilian lowered his voice while speaking to another merchant.
The two stood near a tea stall.
"The mask seller?"
"Yeah."
"He disappeared."
The second merchant frowned.
"ANBU couldn't find anything."
"Exactly."
A brief silence followed.
Then the first man leaned closer.
"...Some people think it was him."
The second merchant immediately stiffened.
"...Don't say that name."
"Why not?"
The man glanced around cautiously.
Then lowered his voice even further.
"The Demon Guardian."
Silence.
The nearby villagers suddenly became interested in literally anything else.
A bird.
A tree.
The sky.
Anything.
The second merchant immediately shook his head.
"Impossible."
"Is it?"
The first merchant wasn't convinced.
"That seller insulted Naruto."
"So?"
"He vanished three days later."
"..."
"..."
The second merchant slowly sipped his tea.
Then sighed.
"Whether he did it or not..."
He paused.
"...I think everyone learned something."
The first merchant nodded.
Slowly.
"...Don't mess with Naruto."
A brief silence followed.
Then both men looked around.
Just to be safe.
Because Konoha had learned something over the years.
Naruto might be loud.
Annoying.
Prank-loving.
But he wasn't alone.
Not anymore.
And somewhere in the village—
Dark shadows seemed to stretch slightly longer than normal.
As if amused.
Training Ground Seven
Naruto was still riding on the ANBU shadow's shoulders.
"Faster!"
The shadow looked at Minoru.
As if asking permission.
Minoru sighed.
"Go ahead."
The shadow immediately disappeared.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Naruto's laughter echoed throughout the forest.
Minoru shook his head.
"...Spoiled."
Then—
Everything froze.
His body stiffened instantly.
The familiar sound returned.
A sound he hadn't heard in years.
DING.
Minoru's eyes widened.
"...No way."
Seven years.
Seven entire years.
No main quests.
No major missions.
No important objectives.
Only occasional training notifications.
And now—
The system had finally awakened again.
Dark blue screens materialized before him.
One.
Two.
Three.
The interface looked far more elaborate than before.
The letters themselves seemed sharper.
More refined.
Then the quest appeared.
[ Main Quest Issued]Quest: Eyes of Evolution
The world moves toward destiny.
Power gathers within bloodlines.
Shadows seek stronger vessels.
Objective: Obtain 2 Sharingan Eyes
Requirements:
Acquire two intact Sharingan.
Ownership must be secured.
Quest completion will unlock the next phase of system development.
Rewards:
+2 Shadow Extraction Slots
1 S-Rank Scroll
Hidden Reward
Failure Penalty: None ]
Silence.
Minoru stared.
Then stared again.
"..."
"..."
"...Excuse me?"
His eyebrow twitched.
"Sharingan?"
Of all things.
The Uchiha Clan's Sharingan.
One of the most valuable bloodline abilities in existence.
The very thing countless shinobi would kill for.
The system wanted two of them.
Casually.
Like asking him to buy vegetables.
"...You're insane."
The system did not respond.
"...Two Sharingan."
His mind immediately began calculating.
The current timeline.
The Uchiha Clan.
Future events.
His expression slowly changed.
Because unfortunately—
He knew exactly where two Sharingan would eventually become available.
And he absolutely hated that realization.
"...The Uchiha Massacre..."
The words felt heavy.
Years away.
But inevitable.
His gaze darkened slightly.
Because he knew what was coming.
And if the system was issuing this quest now—
Then that future was moving closer.
Much closer.
A distant shout interrupted his thoughts.
"MINORU!"
Naruto came flying through the trees.
Still sitting on the ANBU shadow.
Somehow holding a stick like a sword.
"I'M THE HOKAGE NOW!"
"..."
Minoru looked at him.
Then at the quest.
Then back at Naruto.
A long sigh escaped him.
The future.
The Akatsuki.
The Sharingan.
The massacre.
The wars.
Everything was approaching.
And yet—
Naruto was still busy pretending to be Hokage while riding a shadow soldier.
"...Idiot."
A small smile appeared despite himself.
For now—
He would enjoy this peace.
Because something told him—
The hidden reward wasn't the only thing waiting at the end of this quest.
And the shadows around him seemed unusually excited.
As if they already knew what was coming.