“Grandpa, this is my home.”
Pretending not to know who Hiruzen Sarutobi was, Naruto led the Third Hokage back to his apartment.
“Grandpa, this is the kitchen. I’ll leave the rest to you.”
Naruto set the bucket down in the kitchen and grinned.
“Let me see what seasonings you have… Hmm, you’re pretty well stocked.”
Hiruzen Sarutobi opened the drawer where Naruto kept his cooking seasonings.
No kidding.
You prepared all of this yourself.
How could you not know what’s here?
Naruto scoffed inwardly, but on the surface he merely gave a foolish smile.
“I don’t really understand this stuff. I only fry some meat and vegetables at home. I don’t even know what a lot of these seasonings are, so I’ve never used them.”
“Hehe, is that so? Then you’re in for a treat today. I’m quite good at making fish soup. Bring me the biggest one,” Hiruzen Sarutobi said.
Naruto immediately grabbed the largest fish and handed it to him.
Smack!
Hiruzen Sarutobi killed the fish with a single blow.
“Grandpa, aren’t you going to cook the rest of the fish?” Naruto asked.
“This one weighs more than four Jin . It’s enough for the two of us. Keep the others for tomorrow. Just remember to add more water to the bucket and they’ll survive until then,” Hiruzen Sarutobi said.
“Mm. Thank you, Grandpa.”
Naruto smiled foolishly and went to add water.
The two of them looked just like a real grandfather and grandson, the atmosphere warm and harmonious.
Outside, the ANBU monitoring them silently turned their heads away.
Two hours later—
“All right! It’s finally done! Konoha’s secret steamed miso fresh-fish soup!”
Hiruzen Sarutobi carried a large pot into the room.
“It smells amazing! It looks delicious!”
Naruto immediately began to drool.
In the dozen or so days since transmigrating here, Naruto had thoroughly cleansed himself of all the food fatigue accumulated in his previous life.
On top of that, he had eaten instant noodles for more than ten days straight and had long since grown sick of them.
So the moment the aroma of freshly cooked fish soup reached him, his mouth immediately began watering uncontrollably.
“Hahaha! If you think it smells good, just wait until you taste it. Hurry and bring over the bowls and chopsticks,” Hiruzen Sarutobi laughed happily.
Naruto immediately fetched them.
He first served Hiruzen a bowl, then filled one for himself.
After that, he deliberately put on a polite expression.
“Thanks for the food!”
Then he immediately began eating.
The warm fish soup instantly soothed Naruto’s stomach, while the tender fish opened up his appetite at once.
“I want more.”
In what seemed like no time at all, Naruto had finished his first bowl and started serving himself another.
“Hehe, slow down. Be careful not to get pricked by a fish bone,” Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a smile.
He began eating as well.
Naruto genuinely had not expected Hiruzen Sarutobi to be capable of making such a delicious bowl of fish soup.
“Thanks for the meal.”
After three bowls, Naruto was finally full.
He was still a small child, after all.
No matter how large his appetite might be, there was only so much he could eat.
“Thanks for the meal.”
Seeing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi politely said the same, indicating that he too had eaten his fill.
The room immediately fell silent.
Naruto was afraid that if the silence continued, he might accidentally reveal something, so he hurriedly tried to cover it up.
“Grandpa, are you going home now?”
“Mm. I’m full, so of course I’m getting ready to head home,” Hiruzen Sarutobi replied with a smile.
“I see…”
Naruto had never been particularly talkative in his previous life.
Even though he knew he ought to find something to talk about until Hiruzen left, he opened his mouth several times and ultimately had no idea what to say.
“Hehe, what’s wrong? Can’t bear to see this old grandpa leave?” Hiruzen Sarutobi asked with an incomparably kind smile.
Clearly, Hiruzen interpreted Naruto’s reaction as reluctance to part with him.
To Hiruzen, this meant he was gradually entering the lonely Naruto’s heart and becoming someone Naruto depended on.
That pleased him greatly.
“Mm. Ever since I can remember, you’re the only person who’s ever treated me this well and been willing to stay with me.”
Naruto was not particularly clever, but he was no fool either.
Inspiration struck him instantly, and he seized the emotion perfectly.
Although he had only moved out a dozen or so days ago, Naruto was not lying in the slightest.
In order to isolate Naruto, he had been kept isolated even while living in the Sarutobi residence.
Aside from the people who absolutely had to help him—such as those responsible for providing his meals—practically no one paid him any attention.
His caretaker had been much like the ANBU currently monitoring him.
Their responsibilities were merely to prevent Naruto from doing anything dangerous and to help him bathe, change his clothes, and so on.
Once Naruto learned to do those things himself, they stopped helping with even that.
When Naruto played, no one played with him.
When he spoke, no one talked with him.
Even in the Sarutobi residence, he had been little more than a living puppet on strings.
After moving out, at least he possessed a certain degree of freedom.
At the very least, Naruto could grow vegetables however he pleased.
“Hehe. Naruto, come with me.”
Hiruzen Sarutobi beckoned to him and led Naruto outside the apartment.
By now, night had fallen.
However, the Hokage Rock, illuminated by lights, was still clearly visible.
“Hehe, Naruto, do you see that over there?” Hiruzen Sarutobi asked.
“Huh? That stone face looks a lot like you, Grandpa!”
Naruto pointed at the Third Hokage’s face in surprise.
“Hehe. Do you know what it represents?” Hiruzen Sarutobi asked with another smile.
Naruto deliberately shook his head in confusion.
“It represents the acknowledgment of everyone in the village. It also means that all of you are my family. I would give everything I have to protect you.”
Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke with an incomparably firm conviction.
“I don’t understand.”
Naruto continued shaking his head blankly.
“Hehe. You may not understand now, but someday you will,” Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a chuckle.
Naruto continued wearing a completely confused expression.
Inside, however, he was sneering.
“Naruto, do you know what a ninja is?” Hiruzen Sarutobi asked again.
Naruto once again shook his head blankly.
“A ninja is someone who possesses the strength to protect the village. They are protecting us at all times. It is precisely because of their protection that the village can remain so peaceful and tranquil.”
Hiruzen Sarutobi gazed at the brilliantly lit Konoha and sighed with deep emotion.
“War is incomparably cruel and painful. Ninja are the ones who shoulder that cruelty and pain, offering happiness, beauty, and peace to all the villagers of Konoha.”
“Our village is peaceful and happy? Hasn’t it always been like this?”
Naruto continued pretending not to understand.
“Hehe. You’re still young. Someday you’ll understand just how difficult it was to obtain this wonderful peace,” Hiruzen Sarutobi said kindly.
“Mm.”
Naruto nodded.
“And at the very pinnacle of ninja stands the Hokage. That over there is called the Hokage Rock.”
Hiruzen Sarutobi pointed toward the monument.
“Huh? Does that mean everyone with a face carved up there was a Hokage?”
Naruto widened his eyes, fully committing himself to the act.
“That’s right,” Hiruzen Sarutobi replied.
“So there are three other people as amazing as you, Grandpa!”
Naruto looked even more astonished.
“Hehe. Right now, this old grandpa is still the strongest one,” Hiruzen Sarutobi said.
“All right. I’ve told you quite a lot, and it’s about time I went home. For the sake of the village, and to protect everyone in it—every member of my family—I need to work even harder.”
Hiruzen Sarutobi stretched lazily.
“Mm! Do your best, Grandpa!”
Naruto nodded vigorously and cheered him on.
“Of course I will. But Naruto, you need to do your best too. At the very least, don’t get so angry like you did today and knock over someone’s mask display again,” Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly said.
“Huh? Grandpa, how did you know about that?”
Naruto cried out in surprise.
“Did you forget what I just told you? I’m the Hokage! Of course I knew.”
Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled proudly.
“Amazing!”
Naruto’s eyes widened.
“Hehe. Like I said, the Hokage stands at the very pinnacle of the shinobi world,” Hiruzen Sarutobi continued with a smile.
“Mm-hmm! So amazing!”
Naruto continued staring at him with wide eyes.
Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head and laughed.
“You really don’t understand anything, do you?”
With that, the smile on his face faded slightly.
“All right. It’s time for me to go. Goodbye, Naruto.”
“Mm. Goodbye, Grandpa,” Naruto replied.
Before long, the Third Hokage left.
Naruto watched until his figure disappeared into the distance.
Then he returned home.
By the time the door closed behind him, the expression on his face had already become completely indifferent.