Chapter 20
As expected, just like Naruto predicted—even though their chakra natures were different, chakra was still chakra. And since both were one of the five orthodox elemental natures, there had to be some common ground.
Under Naruto's guidance, Sakyo's chakra control improved rapidly. In just one week, she had already reached the level of forming hand seals with one hand.
Truly terrifying. If this girl were allowed to grow unchecked, wouldn't she soar straight to the heavens?!
Friday after school, Naruto headed straight to the kitchen as usual.
There's an old saying: To capture a woman's heart, first capture her stomach.
Hmm… Naruto had heard that in his previous life and wasn't sure if it was true, but it definitely had some effect.
Sakyo sat alone in the living room. The golden glow of sunset spilled across the courtyard and into the house. Birdsong drifted in through the window, mixing with the clatter of pots and pans as Naruto cooked.
All of it felt unreal to Sakyo.
In just a few days, she had gradually gotten used to Naruto's presence.
Having another person in the house somehow made it feel more like a home.
If she were alone, she'd probably just eat some cold leftovers, train a bit, and go to bed.
But now? She could actually sit here quietly, doing nothing.
Sometimes, doing absolutely nothing brought her an immense sense of satisfaction.
Yet the moment she snapped back to reality, the crushing weight on her shoulders made breathing difficult again.
These past few days, the two of them had developed a kind of unspoken routine.
Naruto cooked. Sakyo washed the dishes. Their teamwork was flawless.
Although Naruto had nothing left to teach her.
Neither of them brought up the topic of Naruto leaving—as if both wanted to pretend it didn't exist.
…
The next day—Saturday. No school.
They got up early. Sakyo went out on her own and bought breakfast to bring back.
Why didn't she let Naruto go?
Well…
If Naruto went, you'd hear things like: "Damn it! I'm buying your breakfast because I'm doing you a favor…"
Also worth noting: a couple of days ago, when Naruto and Sakyo passed by that gift shop, it had already been renovated into a pet store.
Neither of them knew exactly what happened.
But both knew that gift shop probably wasn't in Konoha anymore.
After breakfast, they went to their usual training spot as always.
But… there was an unexpected guest waiting.
Sakyo's brow twitched almost imperceptibly, then smoothed out. Calmly, she said, "Third Hokage-sama."
The moment Naruto saw him, he knew trouble was coming.
So he walked forward proactively, staying silent.
Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled and nodded at Sakyo, then turned his warm, grandfatherly gaze toward Naruto.
"Little Naruto, good morning."
Naruto knew he had to handle this carefully. Otherwise, his actions a few days ago—standing up for Sakura—might cause problems.
So he spoke first: "Grandpa Hokage, let me explain myself first!"
Sakyo: "…"
Hiruzen knew Naruto's personality well. He didn't mind the phrasing and simply asked, "So… why did you do that?"
"You must understand how important the stability of a jinchūriki is to a village."
Right in front of Sakyo, Hiruzen didn't hide anything—he spoke openly about the matter.
Truthfully, Hiruzen was quite pleased to see Naruto living at Sakyo's house.
Others might not know, but as Hokage, how could he not?
The so-called "Sasuke" didn't exist. The truth was Uchiha Sakyo.
Both the Uchiha clan and the Nine-Tails were extremely sensitive topics.
In the past, everyone suspected the Uchiha were behind the Nine-Tails attack.
But now, with only Sakyo left, if Hiruzen played his cards right—what role could she play alongside Naruto?
If Naruto was a nuclear weapon, then Sakyo was the one who could control it.
Together, their combined deterrence would be terrifying.
Other villages' jinchūriki went berserk and killed indiscriminately.
But look at Konoha's: controlled by an Uchiha, able to distinguish friend from foe. Impressive, right? Scary, right?
And if something interesting happened between Naruto and Sakyo—if they became husband and wife—Hiruzen would be even happier.
For Naruto's safety, Sakyo would train even harder, ensuring better control over the tailed beast inside him.
Even Danzō fully supported this plan.
Danzō's whole reason for wanting to control Naruto was simple: Naruto wasn't under the village's thumb.
But if someone in the village could control the Nine-Tails, Danzō would be thrilled.
Then the only thing he'd have to worry about was how to recruit Sakyo into Root~
Well… not out of kindness, of course—just closer to his goals.
Enough about that. No need to dwell on it.
Now, let's see how Naruto handled Hiruzen's question.
He had already prepared a full speech. Like spilling beans, he launched into it:
"Grandpa Hokage, do you know how outrageous this was?"
"Normally, them calling me a monster is whatever—I'm already immune to those villagers' 'friendly greetings.'"
"But that day, they started pointing fingers at Sakura too!"
"What's Konoha's greatest feature? The Will of Fire, of course!"
"Treating everyone in the village as comrades, comrades as family, and protecting family with everything you've got—regardless of age, with mutual understanding. Isn't that the Will of Fire?"
"But them? They threw all that away and spoke coldly to family."
"I'm used to it when it's about me."
"But Sakura is my classmate, my comrade—my family."
"How could I just stand there and watch her get bullied? Especially when the trouble came because of me?"
"As an inheritor of the Will of Fire, how could I let family be harmed?"
"So I stepped up. I helped my family get through it."
"Did I want to do it? No! It was the responsibility of the Will of Fire, responsibility to family, determination to protect comrades—that's what made me act!"
"As family, we naturally understand each other, tolerate each other, grow together, develop together…"
"Blah blah blah…"
"…"
A long string of serious, high-sounding words poured out of Naruto's mouth, leaving Sakyo completely stunned.
Holy crap! Since when was Uzumaki Naruto an inheritor of the Will of Fire??? How did I miss that???
And the Third Hokage's reaction… was only slightly better than Sakyo's.
Right now, Hiruzen seriously suspected that Naruto had been eavesdropping during meetings…
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