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Chapter 1: Scrap Metal and Attitude Problems
(12 Years Before Kyuubi Attack – Minato's Generation)
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The explosion that shattered the Academy's east wing sent shockwaves through Konoha proper, rattling tea cups in merchant stalls three blocks away. Through the billowing smoke, a wiry twelve-year-old with wild black hair and cracked goggles emerged, coughing violently as he patted out smoldering patches on his Uchiha-patterned jacket.
"Okay... note to self," Tony Uchiha muttered, examining the twisted metal remains of what had been a chakra capacitor prototype, "when combining fire-release stabilization matrices with Lightning Country spark-powder, maybe don't use a sealed iron casing."
The damage radius told an impressive story—the classroom wall had been vaporized, six training dummies were embedded in the opposite building's facade, and Academy Instructor Chōza Akimichi's prized ceremonial headband now decorated a distant tree branch, still smoking.
From the settling dust cloud, a mountain of muscle and righteous fury emerged.
"Uchiha," boomed Chōza, rice cracker crumbs still decorating his chin from his interrupted lunch, "I believe we had an agreement after last month's... incident."
Tony blinked innocently. "That I'd stop testing prototypes during class hours?"
"That you'd stop testing prototypes period,"** Chōza corrected, seizing Tony by the collar with one meaty hand. "Hokage's office. Now."
As Tony dangled like a misbehaving kitten, he couldn't help but notice the crowd of younger students gathering. A tiny redhead with Uzumaki markings—couldn't be older than six—stared wide-eyed at the destruction before breaking into awed applause. Tony gave him a thumbs-up with his free hand.
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Hokage's Office – Twenty Minutes Later
The Third Hokage stared at the damage report, then at Tony, then back at the report. The cycle repeated three times before he spoke.
"Let me understand this," Hiruzen said slowly, pipe smoke curling around his weathered face. "You took a standard explosive tag formula, replaced the chakra ignition system with..." he squinted at Tony's notes, "'spark-powder enhanced by wind-release diffusion channels', and thought testing it in a wooden classroom was sound scientific practice?"
Tony leaned forward eagerly, ignoring how his singed sleeves left soot marks on the Hokage's desk.
"See, that's where everyone's missing the breakthrough! The spark-powder isn't the innovation—it's the diffusion channels that allow for precise directional—"
A snort came from the corner where Jiraiya—barely twenty but already cultivating his signature wild white mane—lounged with a half-written scroll.
"Kid's got balls, I'll give him that. Last time I blew up a classroom, Sensei had me cleaning toilets for a month."
Hiruzen's eye twitched. "You're not helping."
The door burst open with enough force to crack the frame.
"WHICH MORONIC, SELF-IMPORTANT, SABOTAGE-LOVING IDIOT BLEW UP MY LITTLE COUSIN'S ACADEMY WING?!"
Kushina Uzumaki stormed in like a natural disaster given human form, her crimson hair lashing about as if alive. Close behind, a sheepish Minato Namikaze—golden hair already defying gravity—made apologetic gestures to the ANBU guards.
Tony blinked. "You have a cousin in the Academy?"
Kushina's hands found Tony's collar with terrifying precision.
"HE WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF HIS HISTORY EXAM!"
"Okay, first," Tony wheezed as Kushina shook him, "if your cousin can't handle a little structural collapse during his test, how's he gonna handle real combat? Second—"
Minato intervened with surprising strength, prying Kushina's fingers loose.
"Maybe we should focus on the important part—nobody was hurt, right?"
Tony adjusted his cracked goggles.
"Exactly! My safety protocols worked perfectly. The blast was contained to only one wing, the fire suppression seals activated within thirty seconds, and—"
Hiruzen's fist hit the desk with a thud that silenced the room.
"Enough. Tony Uchiha, your... experiments have officially crossed from nuisance to hazard. Effective immediately, you're being reassigned to Team Jiraiya for specialized training and supervision."
Jiraiya groaned dramatically. "Why me?"
"Because," Hiruzen said with the air of a man who'd made this calculation carefully, "you're the only instructor who both understands his brand of insanity and is durable enough to survive it."
Tony looked between his new teammates—Kushina vibrating with barely-contained violence, Minato offering a nervous but genuine smile, Jiraiya already muttering about needing sake—and grinned.
"This is gonna be fun."**
Kushina's eye twitched.
"Define 'fun,' Iron Idiot."
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Roof of the Hokage Tower
Danzo Shimura observed the proceedings through the window with palpable disdain.
"An Uchiha... squandering his bloodline potential on gadgets."**
Beside him, a young Orochimaru—still years from his defection but already radiating unsettling energy—licked his lips.
"Fascinating gadgets, though. That directional explosive principle could be... adapted."
Neither noticed the mechanical spider the size of a coin skittering along the eaves, its eight lensed eyes recording every word before vanishing into the shadows.
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Training Ground 3 – Next Morning
Tony arrived to find his new team mid-argument.
"—absolutely NOT letting him near another explosive tag!" Kushina shouted, red hair whipping about like angry serpents.
"We can't just ban him from his specialty. Maybe if we establish some ground rules—" Minato rubbed his temples.
"Kid's gonna blow things up whether we like it or not. Better we teach him how to do it without taking out city blocks," Jiraiya said, already halfway through a sake gourd despite the early hour.
Tony cleared his throat.
"For the record, it was half a city block at most."
Three heads turned in unison.
Kushina's smile was terrifying.
"Perfect. You're up first for sparring, Iron Idiot."**
As Tony scrambled to activate his prototype forearm repulsors, he made another mental note:
Uzumaki grudge-holding capabilities severely underestimated.
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To be continued
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