[The moment he saw Sarutobi Hiruzen, little Naruto immediately put on a bright smile.]
[While suppressing the urge to slap the old thing to death.]
[Little Naruto jogged up to Sarutobi Hiruzen.]
[That cheerful expression swept away the gloom that had been haunting Hiruzen these past days.]
"Naruto~"
"Look what this is."
Sarutobi Hiruzen opened a paper bag.
He bent down, revealing a padded winter coat inside.
A flash of anger crossed little Naruto's eyes.
Snow had been falling for days.
He didn't even have a thick coat.
If he hadn't "inherited" a few from Chōji, he would've been freezing the whole time.
So this old thing had planned to wait until he was near his limit before handing it over—
so he could harvest Naruto's gratitude!
The moment he saw the coat, those thoughts flooded little Naruto's mind.
Senju Tobirama: "Hmph! Shameless, disgraceful trash!"
Uchiha Izuna: "You picked him yourself, idol~!"
Senju Tobirama: "Get lost!"
Shimura Danzō: "I told you, Tobirama-sensei — it's better if you stay quiet."
Shimura Danzō: "Who knows? That petty Hiruzen might dig up your grave the instant this viewing ends!"
Senju Tobirama: "Danzō, I—"
—Beep—
Muted for ten minutes.
["Thank you, Hokage Grandpa~!" little Naruto displayed thick excitement and gratitude.]
[Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled and reached out to pat Naruto's head.]
[Little Naruto's body stiffened for a moment—then returned to normal.]
['Old bastard!']
["And this too, Naruto."]
[Sarutobi Hiruzen pulled a scarf from the bottom of the bag.]
[He personally draped it around little Naruto.]
["Thank you, Hokage Grandpa~!"]
["So this is a scarf?"]
["It's so warm~!"]
[Little Naruto spoke excitedly.]
"It's cold, so I had you come get a few clothes," Hiruzen said kindly.
"And I have one more surprise for you."
Uzumaki Kushina: "YOU OLD BASTARD!!!"
Kushina's voice rang out in the chatroom, soaked in hatred.
Uzumaki Kushina: "Using the scarf I knitted with my own hands to buy Black-Frame Naruto's loyalty, huh?!"
Uzumaki Kushina: "Are you going to keep using the inheritance Naruto should've received to win his affection too?!"
Uzumaki Kushina: "Naruto, tell Mom—did you ever get any of my things?"
Uzumaki Naruto: "Inheritance? I… don't know… I don't think anyone ever said anything."
Uzumaki Kushina: "Then did you ever get a red scarf from that old bastard?"
Uzumaki Kushina: "And the toys I bought when I was pregnant with you?"
She listed a few.
Naruto scratched his head and could only say he didn't remember.
Then—
Sarutobi Konohamaru: "Big Brother Naruto… the things Kushina Auntie mentioned… I think they're in my secret base."
—A sudden buzzing silence—
In an instant, Sarutobi Hiruzen's mind went blank.
The moment he heard Konohamaru's voice, he instinctively knew something was wrong.
But before he could stop it, it was too late.
Konohamaru had already said it.
In that instant, the entire shinobi world fell silent.
Kushina's voice suddenly trembled.
Uzumaki Kushina: "Konohamaru? Your surname is Sarutobi… what is Sarutobi Hiruzen to you?"
Sarutobi Konohamaru: "My grandpa! Everyone knows I have a Hokage grandpa!"
Hearing Kushina's voice was "normal,"
and that she wasn't rushing over to flatter him after realizing who he was—
Konohamaru instantly got even chattier.
Sarutobi Konohamaru: "Grandpa even took me to that secret base! He said if I'm bored, I can go play there, and everything inside is mine~!"
Then, under Kushina's careful "guidance," Konohamaru described the layout and features in detail.
Hiruzen tried to stop it—
but he was scolded at the same time by Senju Tobirama and Senju Hashirama.
Konohamaru felt great inside.
He loved seeing his grandpa take an L.
This was true "grandpa's kindness, grandson's filial piety"—no, grandpa's kindness, grandson's mischief.
Before long, only Konohamaru's voice remained in the chatroom.
Naruto was completely confused.
In the end, Yamanaka Inoichi sighed and told him bluntly what it meant.
Seeing Naruto didn't look angry after hearing it—he even looked like he didn't understand—
Kushina, who had already been muted once again for cursing, couldn't speak.
Yamanaka Inoichi's eyelid twitched.
Smack—
Neji used actions to explain.
Hit first. Don't waste words.
Amid Naruto's pleading,
Neji sighed.
"As long as you can resist even once the chakra-induced whispers in your head, you wouldn't be this calm."
Inside the sealing space, Namikaze Minato sat atop the Yin half of the Nine-Tails' head.
He could tell—
Kushina's resolve to destroy Konoha had never been firmer.
"Kurama… was I wrong?"
The Yin Nine-Tails' instincts screamed: Do not answer questions like this.
["What surprise?" little Naruto asked, full of curiosity.]
[Sarutobi Hiruzen then took out a scroll.]
[A benevolent smile on his face.]
["It's the Chakra Refinement Technique."]
["Congratulations, Naruto."]
["You already possess the qualities of a qualified Konoha shinobi."]
Just then—
[Ding—]
[A Reward Quiz begins!]
[All participants, prepare!]
Instantly, everyone in the shinobi world held their breath.
It's here!
Finally!
After waiting forever, the reward quiz had finally arrived.
In the Pure Land, Uchiha Mikoto hurriedly comforted Kushina, whose eyes glistened with tears.
"It's a reward quiz!"
"Kushina! Hurry—get ready—"
Before Mikoto finished—
Kushina suddenly changed her mind.
"Mikoto… help me."
Kushina looked at Uchiha Mikoto with tear-filled eyes.
Mikoto's heart trembled.
Since meeting Kushina, this "red-hot chili pepper" had never looked this fragile.
Mikoto's lips curved slightly as she pulled Kushina into a hug.
"How do you want me to help?"
"Mikoto, be ready. When the time comes, you must be the first to answer."
"We'll revive together. And with your help, none of those Konoha bastards will escape!"
Kushina gripped Mikoto's hand.
"…Okay." Mikoto agreed almost without hesitation.
At that moment, the comparison viewing system's voice rang out:
[Ding—!]
[Reward Quiz!]
[Question: Regarding Sarutobi Hiruzen's words, how will Uzumaki Naruto react, and what will he think inside?]
[Please choose from the following options!]
[1. Uzumaki Naruto blanks out briefly, then shows happy longing; inner thoughts: Great~! I finally understood the Will of Fire! Once I become a ninja, everyone will definitely acknowledge me!]
A low, oppressive silence spread.
At this point, after everything they'd seen—
even many in Konoha who "grew up eating the Will of Fire" couldn't instantly click this option without hesitation.
But still, the moment this option appeared, quite a few people chose it immediately.
They should be grateful this quiz had no punishments.
For them, it was simply:
No need to say anything—Will of Fire is the best!!
But any normal person, looking carefully, could see it:
That so-called Will of Fire was really just—
page after page of "eat people."
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