Rengoku slowly spoke, "But well, what a pity… because of a moment of negligence on your part, one of your students completely fell into darkness. He not only brutally murdered you and Kushina."
"He also colluded with others and plotted behind the scenes, causing the entire Uchiha clan to be wiped out."
"After your death, all the assets you and Kushina left behind were embezzled by the Third. Naruto was subjected to mental brainwashing by the Third Hokage from a young age."
"Not only was Naruto abused physically, he was also constantly controlled mentally. By now, he's already been raised into a dog by the Third Hokage."
"And later on, that very student of yours even started the Fourth Great Ninja War. That extremely brutal war caused seventy thousand ninjas to die."
"More than ninety percent of the ninjas in the entire ninja world perished, and the ninja world was pushed to the brink of destruction."
"So then…"
"Are you still sure you don't want to know the truth behind all of this?"
"W-what?"
Hearing this, Minato felt as if his mind had gone completely blank, like his brain had instantly crashed.
Even Naruto, standing to the side, was dumbstruck, completely stunned on the spot.
When he heard someone say that he had been raised into a dog by the Third Hokage, the anger in his heart instantly erupted like a volcano.
His face flushed bright red, his hands clenched tightly into fists, and he shouted nonstop, "What kind of nonsense are you talking about! Who's been raised into a dog?"
"Grandpa Third would never do something like that!"
Looking at the furious Naruto, Rengoku let out a snort of laughter. He raised his hand and mercilessly knocked Naruto hard on the head, then said with a hint of mockery, "Hmph! You've already grown this big, yet your brain is still so simple and stupid."
"The village is full of ANBU members. They're everywhere. How could they possibly not know you were being bullied and abused?", Rengoku fixed Naruto with a sharp gaze, his tone playful.
"Have you ever thought about why, every single time after you were beaten up, the Third Hokage would always appear by your side so coincidentally and give you comfort and concern?"
"Do you really think all of that was just a coincidence?"
Rengoku continued pressing him, giving Naruto no chance to catch his breath.
"And also, whenever you were starving, freezing, and at the end of your rope, the Third Hokage would always descend before you like a savior and hand you some money."
"Not only did it keep you from starving to death on the streets, it even made you feel grateful to him."
"But have you ever thought about why the Third Hokage always just happened to appear right next to you every time?", Rengoku's words were like a series of heavy hammers, smashing brutally into Naruto's heart.
Naruto was already sixteen years old. Although his personality was still carefree and rough around the edges, like a clueless oaf.
There was nothing wrong or defective about his intelligence.
Yet faced with Rengoku's merciless exposure of the truth, Naruto instantly froze, completely stunned.
And as the time he spent lost in thought grew longer and longer, it was clear that the thoughts in his mind.
Were becoming utterly chaotic because of the facts now laid bare before him, his logic seeming to completely crash at that very moment, unable to function at all.
"If you still firmly believe the Third Hokage is a kind and good person, then why don't you ask your father."
"Find out just how much property Uzumaki Kushina left behind back then."
"Or do you think the inheritance of a Fourth Hokage wouldn't be enough to support you?"
"That it forced you, the orphaned son of a hero, to go hungry one meal and full the next?"
After pausing slightly, Rengoku added, "Oh, right, I should remind you of something important. Uzumaki Kushina is your biological mother."
"And the reason your surname is Uzumaki comes from her family name."
"Didn't you think the Third Hokage was the best when you were little," Rengoku stared at Naruto with a stern expression.
"If the Third Hokage were still alive, would you be a dog wagging its tail and begging for mercy beneath him?"
Those words made Naruto's heart tremble violently.
Naruto clutched his head tightly with both hands, his face pale as paper. A wave of dizziness hit him, as if the entire world were collapsing in an instant.
Once upon a time, the Third Hokage had been so tall and benevolent in his heart.
But now, those beautiful images were shattered into pieces under the impact of Rengoku's words.
Naruto's heart was filled with pain and confusion. He did not know how to face this cruel reality.
And standing to the side, Minato wore an expression of complete shock.
All along, he had believed that he bore a heavy responsibility, that he would give everything to protect the village and his family.
Yet at this moment, Rengoku's words were like a sharp blade, stabbing straight into his heart.
'Could it be that all my sacrifices led to such a result?'
'Has everything I held onto all this time been wrong?'
Minato steadied himself and forced himself to calm down.
He looked at Rengoku and asked, his mouth feeling dry, "Who exactly are you? Which of my students did all of this?"
"And what gives you the right to prove that everything you've said is true?"
Although Minato was full of doubts toward this mysterious person before him.
The other party could call his name outright, and judging from his tone, it seemed as if they had known each other for a long time.
So Minato could not help but start to speculate whether this person might be a friend from the Uchiha clan that he would meet in the future.
After all, the Uchiha clan had basically chosen to support him as the Fourth Hokage.
Having a close friend among them in the future would be perfectly normal.
Rengoku did not immediately respond to Minato's questions. Instead, he slowly turned his head toward Choza standing to the side.
A teasing look appeared on his face as he mercilessly mocked him, "Wow, this is really unexpected! You're still so young, only in your early twenties, yet you've already gotten this fat?"
After saying that, he even shook his head, seeming rather helpless about Choza's current physique.
Immediately after, Rengoku continued teasing, "Hurry up and take that mask off, Choza. With a body this fat, do you really think wearing a mask can fool anyone?"
From his tone, it was clear that he was extremely familiar with Choza.
After all, not long ago, they had fought side by side on that smoke-filled battlefield.
Shifting his gaze, Rengoku then glanced at Shibi standing next to Choza and could not help but start mocking him as well, "And you too, Shibi! Look at that equipment you're carrying on your back, it's so obvious."
"It's like you're afraid people won't know who you are. The disguises you two are using are way too sloppy."
That was indeed the case. Compared to Minato's rather common physique in the ninja world, Choza and Shibi were simply far too famous-looking.
Trying to hide their identities with such simple disguises was nothing but unnecessary effort.
And Rengoku knew very well that with the future status they would hold as Hokage and as clan heads respectively.
The purpose of them coming together on this mission was self-evident.
Figuring out Minato's identity was actually very easy.
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