As expected of Minato-sensei's child.
Kakashi nodded silently to himself.
Looking at it this way, it was no wonder Hinata had taken the initiative to give Naruto medicine earlier. It seemed those feelings had already been planted back in childhood.
Out of habit, Kakashi reached toward his pants pocket.
But the instant his fingers touched Icha Icha Paradise—
Kushina's words echoed in his mind.
He shook his head helplessly.
Took a deep breath.
As if making a serious decision.
"…I'd better stop reading this kind of thing. I'll look for some other books of the same genre later."
Because of the Hyūga clan incident,
Sarutobi Hiruzen was once again denounced from all sides.
The deeper people dug, the more baffling his past decisions became.
Hiruzen had learned his lesson and started playing dead.
No matter how Orochimaru tried to provoke him, he remained silent, like a deaf-mute.
Jiraiya stepped out to speak up for Hiruzen—
only to be dragged into the scolding along with him.
The Konoha villagers stared wide-eyed.
Clearly, none of them had ever imagined that such matters would be connected to Sarutobi Hiruzen.
The strongest Hokage…
Why did he bow his head to something as trivial as Kumogakure?
So there had been hidden circumstances back then?
So "dying to protect the village" could be interpreted like this?
As time passed, these foolish villagers no longer seemed as firm in their convictions as before.
Meanwhile, in the other four great ninja villages, fear of Konoha continued to fade.
The so-called Number One Village—
perhaps it was nothing special after all.
And so, a group of people began shouting that the Third Hokage had done nothing wrong.
They supported him continuing as Hokage—
preferably forever.
—
A low hum echoed.
Before long, the image on the black-framed giant screen appeared.
["It's getting late. I should be going."]
[Sarutobi Hiruzen slowly stood up.]
[Looking at the admiration in little Naruto's eyes, he smiled in satisfaction.]
[The purpose of this visit was to plant a seed called the Will of Fire in Naruto's heart.]
[Once planted, this seed would take root and never leave.]
[No matter how harsh the environment, it would survive.]
[All it needed was for him to water it from time to time. One day, it would surely grow into a towering tree.]
[At least, that was how Sarutobi Hiruzen saw it—and in his hands, the seed of the Will of Fire truly did have such power.]
[The benevolent Hokage always managed to save children from dire circumstances.]
[As for where those dire circumstances came from—there was no need to ask.]
[Seeing Sarutobi Hiruzen standing with his back turned, hands clasped behind him, striking the pose of a lofty sage—]
[a trace of disdain flashed through little Naruto's azure eyes.]
[But he still suppressed the nausea in his heart, stood up, and waved.]
["Goodbye, Hokage Grandpa."]
["Hehehe." A chrysanthemum-like smile bloomed on Sarutobi Hiruzen's aged face.]
["Don't forget my twenty thousand ryō."]
[Sarutobi Hiruzen: "..."]
[Soon after, Sarutobi Hiruzen left.]
[Little Naruto sat by the campfire, staring at the blazing flames.]
[After he sensed the gaze of the ANBU watching him from behind finally disappear—]
[he murmured softly, "Fox demon… do you live inside me?"]
["If you can hear me, tell me—can you make my power surpass that old man and stand above the entire village?"]
—
A deep vibration spread outward.
[Inside the sealing space.]
[Within a dark, sewer-like passage.]
[Behind the sealed cage.]
[The pitch-black prison suddenly flooded with blinding red light.]
[A pair of enormous fox eyes slowly opened.]
[Like lanterns burning in the night.]
Terumi Mei: "So this is the Nine-Tails?"
Haruno Sakura: "Yes… that feeling… it's terrifying…"
Rock Lee: "This is the monster sealed inside Naruto? It looks incredibly strong!"
Senju Hashirama: "Wait. I've had a question for a while now… can this thing really cause so many deaths and all these events?"
Senju Tobirama: "Big brother!"
Senju Hashirama: "Hahaha~ Sorry, sorry."
Uchiha Madara: "Just a little pet. This shinobi world really hasn't seen much."
Uchiha Izuna: "Brother… you too."
Uchiha Madara: "Hmph. A pet—called when needed, dismissed when not."
Kurama: "Shut up! Uchiha Madara, just you wait! Black-Frame Naruto will beat you to death!"
Yamanaka Ino: "Whoa? A living Nine-Tails? Wait—wasn't Uchiha Madara already dead?"
Nine-Tails: "..."
"Kurama?"
"Pfft—"
Naruto blinked, then couldn't hold back his laughter.
"Stupid brat! Your name is even more ridiculous!" the Nine-Tails snapped irritably.
[The seal had only existed for three years—far too little time for much chakra to seep through.]
[And so, within the sealing space, the Nine-Tails could only close its eyes once more.]
['Sealing me inside a brat like this… damn Fourth Hokage!']
['Still… this kid isn't anything like Mito or Kushina… heh. It won't be long before I break free.']
['Konoha?']
[Countless unpleasant memories surfaced in the Nine-Tails' mind.]
[It slowly exhaled, stirring the water on the ground.]
["Might as well destroy it."]
—
[At the same time.]
[On the back mountain, not far from where little Naruto was.]
[Sarutobi Hiruzen stopped walking.]
["Any abnormalities?"]
["Hokage-sama, no abnormalities. ROOT personnel have also not appeared again."]
["Good. Keep watching him."]
Sarutobi Hiruzen waved his hand. The half-kneeling ANBU responded and vanished in a flicker.
Hiruzen continued toward the village.
["Emotionally stable, but extremely guarded… though when faced with curses and insults, he occasionally enters a state of uncontrollable rage."]
["Perhaps I should teach him chakra extraction earlier."]
["With the Uzumaki physique, even at this age, he can easily replenish the chakra required by the seal."]
[For a jinchūriki, emotional instability is extremely dangerous.]
[Sarutobi Hiruzen could not simply ignore it.]
[Still, allowing Naruto to learn chakra refinement this early made him uneasy.]
["I'll observe him for a while longer."]
With that, Sarutobi Hiruzen disappeared into the night.
—
The fire crackled softly.
Watching the flickering flames, little Naruto stood up.
That familiar feeling of being watched returned.
Not receiving any response from the "fox demon," he wasn't disappointed.
He had tried communicating several times over the past few days.
Every attempt had ended the same way—no response.
He was used to it by now.
Still, most of the time, after confirming no one was watching, he would quietly ask once more.
Books… books record things that happened in the past.
That old man must know a lot—but he won't tell me easily.
Next time I see him, I need to perform well, earn his trust… then find an opportunity to ask.
So how should he gain the Third's trust?
Little Naruto pondered as he walked home.
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