Chapter 18: The Truth in the Woods
Minato Namikaze was completely stunned. He never dreamed that the thief Ren Arakawa was talking about would be his own son.
However, he quickly sensed something was wrong. The Forbidden Scroll was a taboo item in the village. With Naruto's abilities, how could he possibly obtain something like that so easily?
[Minato Namikaze: Ren, are you sure you're not mistaken? With Naruto's strength, there's no way he could have gotten the Forbidden Scroll, right?]
Prompted by Minato Namikaze, Hashirama Senju also instantly realized the issue.
[Hashirama Senju: The Fourth Hokage is right. That scroll contains dangerous forbidden techniques created by Tobirama; it's not suitable for children. The village's security around it must be very tight. How could that silly kid possibly steal it?]
Ren Arakawa: "You two are correct. But... what if there's someone else behind Naruto Uzumaki?"
[Minato Namikaze: What did you say? Naruto has someone else behind him? Could it be...? No, impossible, absolutely impossible! You must be mistaken! He is my son, Minato Namikaze's son!]
Minato Namikaze was extremely agitated; he was practically turning in his grave. Based on Ren's words, he had already imagined Naruto Uzumaki colluding with people from other ninja villages to steal the Forbidden Scroll. That would be an act of betrayal against the village. If Naruto really did that, he would become a complete traitor. As both the Hokage and a father, he would be utterly disgraced. His lifelong reputation could be ruined in an instant. This was absolutely unacceptable!
[Hashirama Senju: Fourth Hokage, don't be so anxious. Isn't Ren about to investigate this matter? I believe the truth will come out soon!]
[Minato Namikaze: Yes, thank you, First Hokage. I believe Naruto is innocent!]
"Don't worry, Fourth Hokage. You're my VIP client. I will definitely help you get to the bottom of this!" While they were talking, Ren had already quietly arrived at the forest behind the village.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had only summoned the registered ninjas of the village this time. However, instead of notifying the genin, he had summoned all ninjas of chūnin rank and above. Therefore, as a genin who had just graduated from the Ninja Academy, Ren did not rush to the Hokage's assembly point. Instead, he went directly to the only path leading from the village to the forest and hid inside a patch of bushes.
[Minato Namikaze: Ren, why aren't you going to find Naruto? I'm begging you, you have to find him first!]
Seeing that Ren had hidden in the bushes and stopped moving, Minato Namikaze immediately grew anxious. He was now hoping that Ren could find Naruto Uzumaki before anyone else and see if there was any way to salvage the situation.
Ren Arakawa: "Don't rush. I'm just waiting for the rabbit to run into the tree stump."
[Minato Namikaze: Thank you, Ren. Naruto is truly fortunate to have a friend like you!]
[Uchiha Madara: As the Hokage, it's inappropriate for you to show such blatant favoritism in public. What happened to the 'Will of Fire' you were talking about? Did it vanish so quickly?]
[Hashirama Senju: Madara, this matter hasn't been fully investigated yet. Don't jump to conclusions. What if the Fourth Hokage's son is truly innocent?]
[Kushina Uzumaki: The First Hokage is right. Naruto is still young and can be easily misled by those with ill intentions. He just needs a little guidance; the child's nature is good.]
[Uchiha Madara: Is that so? Then I'll wait and see.]
Ren didn't have to wait here for long. Soon, he saw a group of ninjas dressed in Konoha uniforms leaping over from the direction of the village, using tree branches as footholds.
"Found him!"
Ren glanced over the group and immediately spotted a chūnin with a ponytail. That's right, this chūnin with the ponytail was Iruka Umino. The reason he was waiting here was for this guy. Because only he knew that Iruka would be the first to find Naruto Uzumaki. Even Mizuki, the one who had orchestrated all of this, would be a step behind him. Despite being a "millennial chūnin," Iruka's speed was still quite impressive.
After leaping over Ren's head along with the other Konoha ninjas, Iruka quickly found a direction and broke away from the group. Ren quietly followed him.
[Hashirama Senju: Ren, why are you following this chūnin? Is he involved in this matter too?]
[Uchiha Izuna: Isn't this the teacher I saw at the Ninja Academy yesterday? It seems the school Tobirama built is really something!]
[Minato Namikaze: I knew he wasn't a good person at first glance!]
[Kushina Uzumaki: He must be the one who instigated Naruto!]
[Minato Namikaze: Ren, take him down for me!]
Whenever Naruto Uzumaki was involved, the Minato couple's IQ instantly plummeted to rock bottom. Now, they saw everyone as a villain who had led their son astray.
[Notification: Minato Namikaze has been muted by the host for 10 minutes!]
[Notification: Kushina Uzumaki has been muted by the host for 10 minutes!]
Ren Arakawa: "You two, shut up! He's not the one I'm after today... ahem... I mean, you two are so noisy, you're affecting my focus. Take ten minutes to calm down!"