A month passed in the blink of an eye.
Today was the day the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, would leave the village.
According to Nara Shikamaru, the Hokage was heading to the capital of the Land of Fire to request development funds for Konoha's next phase of growth.
That morning, the village gates were surrounded by a cheerful crowd. Smiles filled the air as villagers gathered to see the Hokage off.
"Naruto, are you here to see the Third Hokage off too?"
Akimichi Chōji leaned against the wall, stuffing snacks into his mouth as he spoke.
"Yeah," Naruto Uzumaki replied calmly.
"I came just to send off Lord Hokage."
His gaze remained fixed on the Hokage and the ANBU squad escorting him as they walked toward the gates.
"Are we still going to the training field today?"
Shikamaru's voice came from behind.
Naruto turned. His eyes were like still, deep water. He offered a faint smile.
"No. I have something to do at home."
"Oh… okay."
Shikamaru's breath caught when he met Naruto's calm, unreadable gaze. Words rose to his lips—but he swallowed them back.
In the end, he only nodded silently.
Naruto took one last look at the joyful crowd by the gate, then turned and walked in the opposite direction.
What's going on?
The last time Shikamaru had seen that look in Naruto's eyes was in the photograph the Hokage had shown him.
His unease returned.
He had spent months with Naruto, yet the boy always carried a deep, unfathomable air. From the beginning, both he and his father had agreed to report only Naruto's observed behavior—adding light analysis at most.
Now Naruto was gone from sight.
But the unease in Shikamaru's chest refused to fade.
"Naruto, what are you going to do about that shadow that won't leave?"
Kurama's voice echoed from the seal space, referring to Gekkō Hayate, who was still quietly tailing them.
"His mission is to monitor Uzumaki Naruto," Naruto replied calmly, not even glancing back.
"That's his duty. His purpose."
"I'll give him an 'Uzumaki Naruto' to follow soon enough."
He continued walking at a steady pace, completely unaffected by the surveillance.
Outwardly calm and focused—
yet his sensory perception had already mapped every fluctuation of chakra in the area.
The snow had stopped.
Families and children filled the streets, laughing and walking together. The village felt livelier than usual.
Naruto subtly changed direction, heading toward a quieter, more deserted street.
"Haha! You can't catch me!"
"No way! How'd you jump up there?!"
"Heh! Of course I did! I'm going to be the strongest ninja—just like Lord Third Hokage!"
Naruto passed beneath a nearly empty shop and heard children's voices from above.
"I can get up there too! I'll be the best ninja ever!"
"Idiot! Don't climb up with me!"
Two untrained children were playing ninja games on the rooftop.
At that moment, the shopkeeper stormed out, furious.
"Hey! You brats! Get off my roof! Be careful!"
Naruto looked up instinctively.
The two boys—no more than four years old—were huddled together atop a narrow column on the roof, barely half a meter wide.
The shout startled them.
One boy slipped.
The other reached for him—
—and missed.
Both fell.
They screamed in terror as they plummeted.
From that height, they wouldn't die—but they would be crippled for life.
Naruto moved.
In a blink, he caught both children by the backs of their collars and gently lowered them to the ground.
The shopkeeper froze in shock.
"Waaahhh—!!"
Safe, the two boys burst into tears, faces red, snot and tears streaming freely.
"Naruto, they're okay! You saved them!"
Namikaze Minato's voice rang out in relief from the seal.
He hadn't even finished speaking before Naruto had already acted.
But Naruto's expression darkened.
Because Gekkō Hayate, who had been tailing him—
—had made no move to help.
Not even when children's lives were at stake.
Soon, the children's cries drew their parents.
The boys threw themselves into their parents' arms—then pointed at Naruto, crying even harder.
A crowd gathered.
Villagers. Children. Onlookers.
The street became blocked.
"Do you even know what just happened?!"
The furious shopkeeper shouted—then pointed at Naruto.
"If it weren't for him—he… he… the Demon Fox!!"
His voice cut off abruptly.
Only now did he recognize Naruto's face.
Not just him.
The parents.
The crowd.
Everyone.
They all recognized him.
"Damn it! The Demon Fox must've scared those kids!"
"Yeah! Look! They're still pointing at him!"
"It's that cursed freak again—look at his eyes!"
Accusations erupted.
The shopkeeper hesitated—clearly wanting to speak up.
But in the end, he stayed silent.
"Father… is it okay now?"
Naruto murmured into the seal as he began walking straight toward the crowd.
Minato closed his eyes in shame.
When the shopkeeper had called Naruto "Demon Fox," Minato had felt the sting like a blade.
"You! Demon Fox! Stop right there!"
"You're scaring us!"
The villagers shouted in panic.
Children began to cry.
"Move."
Naruto's voice was low and emotionless—
yet it carried clearly through the street.
The crowd parted instinctively.
A path opened.
Naruto walked through.
Gekkō Hayate followed silently behind him.
Inside the seal—
"Naruto… you saved those kids. They shouldn't be accusing you," Minato said softly, sorrow heavy in his chest.
After a pause, he added,
"Why didn't you explain? They didn't mean it. The villagers were hurt once too…"
Naruto's figure turned to face him.
"Are you saying wounded hearts deserve hope by default?"
Minato froze.
"No—that's not what I meant. I just thought… if they understood—maybe they'd see your kindness…"
"That's impossible."
Naruto's eyes sharpened like blades.
"Because once they see that—
they'll expect me to always be kind."
He continued coldly:
"I saved those kids instinctively.
But I also wanted to see whether Gekkō Hayate would break cover and abandon his mission to help."
Minato sighed.
"I understand…"
"Father."
Naruto stepped closer and raised his fist.
"None of that matters anymore."
"What matters is timing."
"And now…"
"…the time has come."
"I need you to show me your Flying Thunder God Technique experience again."
(End of Chapter)
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