I am Naruto but where is Kurama!?

Weeks went by as everyone practiced the Transformation Jutsu, and now Tanaka-Sensei went on to the next Jutsu, the Clone Jutsu.

" Okay, class, now that you have gotten used to performing the Transformation Jutsu, it's time for the Clone Jutsu. The hand signs are Ram, Snake, and Tiger, in that order. Unlike the Transformation Jutsu, where you apply Chakra to yourself with a clear mental image, the Clone Jutsu requires you to expel Chakra from your body in controlled amounts while being familiar with your body.

Because the clones are purely illusionary, you only need a small amount of Chakra to create them. First, practice the hand signs for the next hour or so as you are already getting familiar with using your Chakra for Jutsu from the Transformation Jutsu."

I was not looking forward to this Jutsu as the original Naruto always had trouble with this Jutsu for three reasons: his lack of Chakra Control, his immense Chakra, and Kurama being sealed within him, making his Chakra unstable. I have Chakra Control down pat, but the rest, however... Whatever, I'll do the best I can. Plus, I can use the Clone Jutsu to figure out the Shadow Clone Jutsu and start training in earnest, as I can use Shadow Clones to skip class and run errands.

An hour ticked by slowly as everyone practiced the hand signs, and I was getting bored of waiting for the next Jutsu. I briefly considered maybe dabbling into Rasengan training, although one of the things that disappointed me with Naruto was the saturation of Rasengan and its variants. There is no denying it's a useful Jutsu, with it being Chakra Shape Transformation pushed to an extreme with no hand signs.

But limiting myself to the Rasengan would be the peak of idiocy, *cough* Original Naruto *cough*. Thinking about this, a thought came to mind: Chakra is made of Physical Energy (Stamina) and Spiritual Energy (The Soul or Mind?). The body might be Naruto's, but my soul and mind are mine, so does that mean my Chakra Affinities might be different than the Original Naruto's? It's an interesting question: Do I have a different Chakra Affinity than the Original Naruto's pure Wind Affinity?

I need to figure out how to get my hands on some Chakra Paper to test my Elemental Affinities somehow, plus some other Chakra Nature Transformation exercises if my Affinities turn out differently. Although I will train my Wind Nature Transformation regardless, having sharper weapons is always a plus. Maybe I should try my luck with the Third Hokage on getting these.

" Okay, class, now that you're familiar with the hand signs for the Clone Jutsu, the next step is to extract a small amount of Chakra while imagining yourself multiplied. Just one to start with in order to get a feel for the Jutsu."

Well, let's give this a try, Ram, Snake, Tiger! I imagined myself multiplying while extracting the smallest portion of Chakra I could, and I was met with a puff of smoke. I looked to my right and was stunned by what I saw. A perfect Clone, not a failure like I expected. I could control it with my mind, and I reached out to touch it to see if I accidentally created a Shadow Clone, but my hand went through the Clone.

I was alarmed, to say the least, and I could not help but wonder, how did I succeed!? Did my extra Chakra Control Exercises do the trick? I could not help but feel doubtful about that being the case. I may be different from the Original Naruto, but my problems should be at least similar to his. Then why did I succeed so easily at the Clone Jutsu?

I should have massive reserves of Chakra like the Original Naruto and Kurama... It hit me, Kurama! I built up my Chakra as much as possible, then quietly checked my stomach, and still no Sealing Formula. This could only mean three things: One, the Sealing Formula applied to me is even stronger than the Canon. Two, the Original Naruto died from having Kurama extracted from him, and I winded up possessing his recently dead body for some reason. Or three, the Original Naruto died for some reason, and Kurama got out when he died.

" This is bad regardless."

I muttered to myself as if any of my suspicions turned out true, then I might be in deep trouble, especially in the future. First, I need to figure out whether or not Kurama is sealed within me, and if he's not, then I need to figure out what to do next. At least I figured this out now instead of much later, but this is still bad news for me. If the Seal is somehow stronger than in the Canon, then what other changes are there that I am not aware of that drastically changed everything I thought I knew?

I can only play things by ear and try to dig up relevant information on various things. Namely, Kara and Scientific Ninja Tools try to nip a few problems in the bud, if they exist, that is, and gain new strength. I do wonder if the Akatsuki will still come after me if I turn out not to be the Nine Tails Jinchūriki, which would be one less immediate problem for me, at least. For now, I will focus on getting stronger.

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Far from Konoha, within the Land of Rain, it continued to rain as a man in a high-collar black cloak with red clouds adorning it basked in the rain, lost in thought. This was Itachi Uchiha, and he was worried about his siblings and village at the information that just came to light. The Akatsuki already had the Nine Tails sealed within the Gedo Statue; it was an operation from before he joined the organization.

The man posing as Madara Uchiha said it was a spur-of-a-moment decision when the security of the Jinchūriki was nonexistent, and he succeeded in snatching the Jinchūriki without anyone noticing until it was too late. He returned the nearly dead Jinchūriki to Konoha as an insult. However, Madara admitted he was surprised to learn that the former Nine Tails Jinchūriki was still alive after having his Tailed Beast extracted.

Itachi closed his eyes as he thought.

" The Hokage needs to know as soon as possible."

A moment later, the kinslayer heard his partner Juzo call out to him.

" Itachi, we have a mission from the leader."

Itachi recognized a possible chance to get this information back to Konoha and asked with a neutral tone.

" Where are we heading?"

" The Land of Rice Patties, we're checking to see if the rumors of Orchimaru's appearance there are true or not, but I find it doubtful as that Snake is good at escaping if nothing else."

" The information source?"

Itachi asked out of curiosity, and the Hidden Mist Swordman replied casually.

" The Black Market, so the information has some credibility."

As Itachi got ready to leave for his new mission, he was already planning a route that would stop by one of his dead drop locations to let the Hokage know about the extraction of the Nine Tails.

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" This is a disaster..."

The Third Hokage muttered to himself as he learned that the Nine-Tails were extracted from Naruto years ago without anyone being the wiser. Hiruzen then ordered the ANBU guarding him as he burned the report with a simple Fire Style Jutsu.

" This information does not leave this room; this an S-Rank secret under the penalty of life imprisonment."

The Third Hokage then rests his elbows on his desk while lacing his fingers together as he thinks about the consequences of this information getting out.

" Suna will jump at the chance to break their alliance with Konoha and try to take advantage of our weakness. Iwa would start boldly probing our border to read our reaction, and Kumo would even declare war outright on Konoha. Kiri's situation is still a mystery with its isolation, but there is no guarantee that they will stay silent at this information."

Hiruzen grabbed his smoke pipe to try and calm his mind with his usual pastime. After a couple of puffs of smoke, he ordered.

" It seems I cannot give any more allowance to Tsunade or Jiraiya. Send out a message to both of them. They need to return to the village immediately, and I will not tolerate any excuses."

The Third Hokage continued to smoke as he heard his ANBU guards leave to fulfill their orders and thought to himself.

" It seems I can't wait for another Hokage candidate to appear. Well at least I can go back to retirement."

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I am honestly starting to suspect that Kurama is no longer sealed within me, and my reasoning is simple now that I seriously think about it. First off, Minato Namikaze would at least ensure that I had access to some of the Nine Tail's Chakra in order to give me some protection or prevent Konoha from weakening further as his last act as a Father/Hokage. Secondly, the state I woke up in when I first transmigrated into Naruto's body while my memory is still hazy from that time I knew I was in rough shape. Lastly, I did not have the original Naruto's healing factor that would have allowed me to recover insanely fast.

It was no use crying over spilled milk as I could only move on and try to find other ways to improve. Also, Shadow Clones need to be put on hold for now because if I'm not careful, I could kill myself by accident, and I want to live this second chance I got as best as I can. I sighed as I looked at the ceiling of my apartment from my bed and muttered to myself.

" What the hell am I to do now?"

I already wrote down what I could remember from Naruto, Naruto Shippuden, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, and Boruto: Two Blue Vortexes. Heck, I even wrote down the filler arcs and movies for good measure. I did not get a chance to finish the second part of Boruto, but there is no guarantee if any of this information is useful. I need to know about the world at large and then some. Should I become the Hokage?

" Ptth, Hahaha."

Yeah, fuck that thankless job. I could not help but laugh at the idea. If I am going to be the head honcho, it's certainly not going to be for this shitty village. Another thing to consider is whether or not I want to stick to the path of the Shinobi or forgo it for something else to gain power and influence. I wonder if I could figure out how to become an Ōtsutsuki. A long life with vast amounts of power is definitely appealing, not that I would allow a Chakra Fruit to grow on this world as it did have potential for sources of entertainment.

I do regret dying single in my past life, so starting a family also sounds nice, but that is just one regret among many. You know what? I am going to do what I wanted to do in my past life but couldn't for one reason or another. For that, I need hard power and money, plus maybe influence as well, but that's for later. Right now, I need to train because my life literally depends on it.

I got out of my bed and started with squats. I am not giving up this second chance without a fight. Screw the Shinobi System, screw petty nobles and the useless Daimyo, and screw whatever else stands in my way, whether Cultivator Aliens or Dumbass Ninjas.

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A/N

A question for you all, what is you favorite and least favorite filler arcs in the first part of Naruto?