Naruto: I Can Upgrade My Techniques Infinitely-Chapter 82: A Different Hiruzen Sarutobi

Nara Kazuki wore a somber expression as he attended the funeral.

Uzumaki Kushina hadn’t made it in the end. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

She broke down in tears.

Minato Namikaze, standing beside her, gently patted her shoulder in silent comfort. The death of Lady Biwako was something no one had foreseen—not even Minato had expected it. Why had Madara Uchiha attacked the village?

Kazuki glanced over at Hiruzen Sarutobi, whose expression was darker than storm clouds. He sighed. There hadn’t been a full Nine-Tails Attack this time—though a few ANBU had still died in battle. At least Kushina had survived. The one who didn’t was Sarutobi Biwako.

Kazuki studied Hiruzen. The man who had once taught him the Fire Dragon Flame Bullet, who had guided him more than once—his back looked even more hunched now, like he’d aged a decade overnight.

On the platform, Minato gave a short speech. The scars on his face had yet to fade.

All present—those who knew Biwako and those who didn’t—stood in respectful silence. She had been the Third Hokage’s wife, after all, and among the fallen in this conflict, her status was the highest.

Minato finished, and it was Hiruzen’s turn to speak.

Kazuki watched him closely.

This man had once buried not only his own wife but also, in another timeline, the Fourth Hokage and his wife as well. In the original history, Hiruzen carried that burden quietly, returning to office in the wake of Minato’s death, the image of Konoha’s unwavering will.

But this time... he looked broken.

"My wife... Biwako... was an ordinary kunoichi," Hiruzen began, his voice weak, almost hoarse. "Her death shocked me. This morning, I even called out to her, asking what she wanted for breakfast..."

He trailed off.

There was no grand proclamation of the Will of Fire.

No stirring rhetoric.

Hiruzen said only a few words and then stepped down, stooped and slow.

Kazuki blinked. That was unexpected. The funeral should’ve been the perfect stage to reinforce Konoha’s ideology—but Hiruzen had simply... walked away.

The ceremony continued.

Biwako hadn’t been the only one lost. Other shinobi had fallen—husbands, sons, fathers. But now, they were all the same:

Souls who died in battle for the Leaf.

When the service ended, Kazuki made his way to a secluded training ground.

Obito hadn’t unleashed Kurama, but there was still work to be done in the village. Kazuki had decided to focus on honing his jutsu.

The timeline had already shifted.

Naruto Uzumaki had been born safely. He wasn’t an orphan this time, nor was he a pariah burdened with the Nine-Tails. He was the son of Minato, the Fourth Hokage—an heir to legacy, not tragedy.

Where that would lead him, Kazuki couldn’t predict.

But at least for now, Kushina was alive, and Minato had not sealed Kurama inside Naruto.

Fate had twisted—subtly, but decisively.

Still, many things remained unchanged.

The Akatsuki would continue to rise under Nagato, bolstered in secret by Obito. Orochimaru had likely already joined their ranks—though who knew how long he’d stay.

"Yo, Kazuki. Here to train?" a familiar voice called.

Kazuki turned.

There, beneath the shade of a tree, stood Hiruzen Sarutobi, watching him.

"Lord Third... my condolences," Kazuki said, struggling for words. In the end, he could only offer the usual.

Hiruzen smiled faintly. He reached out to touch the tree beside him, then gently tapped it with his pipe.

Ash fell softly to the grass below.

"I planted this tree the day Biwako and I were married. Never imagined it would grow this tall," Hiruzen murmured.

His tone was calm, but Kazuki felt a deep, choking heaviness in the air.

This version of Hiruzen... was different from the one in the original timeline. He wasn’t some hidden-hand manipulator, the shadowy figure behind tragic fates. This was a man—flesh, grief, and memory.

"Alright, enough sad talk. How’s your Fire Dragon Flame Bullet coming along?" Hiruzen asked suddenly, hand falling from the bark, a hint of his old grin surfacing. "This old man’s got nothing better to do—mind if I help you out?"

"Actually, Lord Third, when I cast it..." Kazuki began, realizing that Hiruzen was just trying to shift the mood. So he played along, while also asking a question that had been bugging him.

Why was it that infusing the Fire Dragon Jutsu with Fire Release chakra worked perfectly, but trying it with Lightning Release never produced a Lightning Dragon?

Hiruzen gave him a concise and clear explanation of the principle.

And finally, Kazuki understood—his prior assumptions had been too simplistic. But now he grasped the deeper mechanics of jutsu.

Hiruzen spoke with enthusiasm, coaching him all the way until dinnertime. Only then did he stop, waving Kazuki off and saying they’d continue the next day.

Before leaving, he turned once more to that tree and gently brushed its trunk, then departed the training ground.

Kazuki stared at the tree.

He made a mental note: never aim a jutsu at it. Some things were sacred.

But before he could even get home, Kakashi intercepted him.

"The Fourth says he wants to treat you to a meal," Kakashi said flatly.

Kazuki blinked. "Lord Fourth wants to buy me dinner?"

"Yeah. Sensei said if it wasn’t for your jutsu holding off ’Madara Uchiha,’ Kushina-sama might not have made it."

Kazuki scratched his head.

That was true, technically. His Great Fireball had knocked Obito into a full-blown psychotic episode.

Replicating that result again, though? That was going to be a hell of a lot harder.

Especially after Obito’s little meltdown. Kazuki was certain the guy had taken it personally.

Next time, it’d be wise to be prepared.

Maybe even carry a life-size Rin Nohara puppet—just in case things got dire.