"Mmm, I just finished taking care of some work, so I thought I’d stop by and see how you were doing. Naruto, why did you go to bed so early tonight?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled kindly, looking every bit like a gentle, caring grandfather.
"I was a little tired today, so I went to bed early."
"If I’d known Grandpa Third was coming, I would’ve stayed awake."
"It was a last-minute decision."
"You don’t need to worry about it."
"Oh, right!"
Naruto suddenly remembered something and climbed out of bed.
"Grandpa Third, wait a moment. I’ll get you a glass of water."
Hiruzen chuckled and gently patted Naruto’s head.
"There’s no need."
"I’ll only be staying for a little while."
He was extremely satisfied with Naruto’s behavior.
After sitting beside the bed and asking about Naruto’s daily life, offering a few words of concern, and naturally slipping in another lesson about the Will of Fire...
Hiruzen reached into his robes, took out an envelope, and handed it to him.
"Naruto."
"This is your living allowance for next month."
"Keep it safe, and don’t spend it carelessly, understand?"
"Hehe, I know!"
"Thank you, Grandpa Third!"
Naruto accepted the envelope with an innocent smile.
"...Hm?"
His fingers paused.
The envelope felt thicker than usual.
He opened it and counted the money inside.
Three thousand...
Three thousand five hundred ryō.
Five hundred more than usual.
"Grandpa Third..."
"Why is there extra money?"
"You forgot?"
Hiruzen smiled warmly.
"Tomorrow is your third birthday."
"I’ve been very busy lately, so I may not have time to celebrate it with you."
"The extra five hundred ryō is for buying yourself something nice to eat."
"Alright?"
Naruto nodded.
"That’s okay."
"Thank you, Grandpa Third."
Although Naruto smiled...
A faint trace of disappointment lingered deep within his eyes.
Seeing it, a flicker of guilt crossed Hiruzen’s heart.
After a brief hesitation, he asked,
"Oh, right."
"Since it’s your birthday..."
"Is there any present you’d like?"
"A present?"
Naruto’s eyes immediately lit up.
"I can really ask for anything?"
"Of course."
"As long as it isn’t something unreasonable."
Naruto hesitated for a moment.
"...Grandpa Third."
"Could you teach me ninjutsu?"
Hiruzen’s gentle smile stiffened ever so slightly.
He clearly hadn’t expected that request.
After a moment’s thought, he asked softly,
"Why do you want to learn ninjutsu?"
Naruto lowered his head.
"The people in the village don’t like me."
"They all call me a demon fox."
"If I learn the Transformation Jutsu..."
"They won’t recognize me anymore."
Seeing Naruto’s lonely expression...
Hiruzen’s heart trembled.
But...
A capable politician could not allow emotion to dictate his decisions.
Until the Jinchūriki truly embraced the Will of Fire...
He could not be allowed to wield significant power.
Besides...
Naruto was still too young to begin formal ninjutsu training.
As Hokage...
The village always came first.
With that thought, the guilt in Hiruzen’s heart quietly faded.
Naruto slowly looked up.
"Grandpa Third..."
"Am I really a demon fox?"
His eyes were filled with confusion.
"No."
Hiruzen answered without hesitation.
"Of course you’re not."
"The villagers simply don’t know the truth."
"They’ve misunderstood you."
"You have to learn to forgive them."
"Alright?"
Naruto remained silent for a moment before speaking again.
"Everyone else has parents."
"So why don’t I?"
"You know who my parents are, don’t you, Grandpa Third?"
"If I knew who they were..."
"I could tell everyone I have parents too."
"Then they wouldn’t call me a demon fox anymore."
Hiruzen let out a quiet sigh.
"Naruto..."
"When you’re older..."
"I’ll tell you."
"But the time isn’t right yet."
"Do you understand?"
"..."
Naruto lowered his head without another word.
Hiruzen gently ruffled his hair.
"Alright."
"As for ninjutsu..."
"You’ll learn it after you enter the Ninja Academy."
"You’re still too young."
"Even as Hokage, I can’t teach you privately."
After a brief pause, he reached into his robes and pulled out a kunai.
He handed it to Naruto.
"How about this?"
"Kunai throwing is one of the fundamental skills every shinobi must master."
"Take this as your birthday present."
"Practice your basics well."
"Build a solid foundation."
"So that one day, you’ll become an outstanding shinobi."
"Understood?"
"I understand."
"Thank you, Grandpa Third."
Naruto happily played with the kunai like any ordinary child receiving a brand-new toy.
His earlier disappointment seemed to vanish completely.
Hiruzen nodded in satisfaction.
After chatting with Naruto for a little while longer, he finally stood up to leave.
"Goodbye, Grandpa Third!"
Naruto followed him all the way to the door, waving reluctantly.
The moment the door closed...
Every trace of reluctance disappeared from his face.
He lowered his gaze to the kunai in his hand.
A mocking smile slowly curled at the corner of his lips.
With a casual flick of his wrist—
Thunk!
The kunai buried itself deep into the solid wooden wall.
A tiny insect had been mercilessly pinned in place.
...
Inside the seal...
The moment Hiruzen left, Minato emerged once more.
His face was as dark as a storm.
Three thousand ryō.
That was Naruto’s entire monthly living allowance.
A five-hundred-ryō birthday bonus.
And for his birthday present...
A single kunai.
That treatment...
Was barely better than what an orphanage could provide.
Minato himself had grown up in an ordinary civilian family.
Yet he still remembered...
The allowance his parents had given him each month as a child had been more than three thousand ryō.
And that had been...
Twenty years ago.
Now...
His own son...
Was expected to survive an entire month on the same amount.
What does Naruto eat every day?
Does he ever get enough to eat?
Is he getting proper nutrition?
Winter is almost here.
Does he even have warm clothes?
Do the other children laugh at the way he dresses?
Has he managed to make a single friend?
Does he own even one toy?
And another thing—
Why wasn’t Naruto living in the home that he and Kushina had left behind?
Could this tiny apartment really be called a home?
Most importantly...
Why was Naruto’s identity still being kept secret?
Why did the entire village call him a demon fox?
Had he become nothing more than a target?
A scapegoat to absorb the villagers’ fear, hatred, and resentment?
Was the Third Hokage deliberately making himself the only light in Naruto’s dark world...
So that he could gradually shape and influence him?
How could he?
How could Hiruzen do something like this?
How could he treat Naruto this way?
He and Kushina had sacrificed their lives to protect Konoha.
Was this...
The reward their son received?
Was the village truly incapable of showing even the slightest kindness to the only child they had left behind?
Rage.
An overwhelming fury erupted from the depths of Minato Namikaze’s heart.