Inside the seal space, Madara stood on the Nine-Tails’ head, looking down at the reflection of the outside hospital room on the water.
At this moment, medical ninjas were carefully examining Naruto’s body.
The Nine-Tails aimlessly stirred the water surface with its claws, trying to get the attention of the black-haired hedgehog on its head.
But unfortunately, the latter completely ignored it.
With no other choice, the Nine-Tails spoke.
“Hey, old Madara. How long are you going to pretend to be asleep? That brat’s body can’t handle you messing with it like this.”
Madara’s spirit body continued to gaze outside, the reflection of the ANBU entering and exiting the hospital room in his Sharingan.
“What’s the rush? The old geezer Third Hokage is having a secret meeting with Fugaku. Once they discover ‘Danzō’s’ secret…”
The Nine-Tails flicked its tail.
“You’ve calculated everything clearly. But…”
It suddenly lowered its voice.
“Aren’t you afraid that brat will come looking for you for answers when he wakes up? He hates deceiving his friends the most.”
Madara’s expression froze for a rare moment, but he quickly regained his indifferent demeanor.
“This is a growth he must experience.”
The Nine-Tails stood up and looked down at its reflection in the water.
“Oh? Then why did you deliberately avoid all Konoha ninjas when you controlled his body? You didn’t even hurt a single Uchiha dog?”
“…”
Seeing Madara remain silent, the Nine-Tails’ lips curved slightly.
“Why did the explosions precisely land in open spaces? And why did he deliberately protect the back of his head when he ‘fainted’?”
Seeing the mangy fox getting more and more carried away, the blue Susanoo materialized instantly.
But this time, the Nine-Tails was prepared.
With a flick of its head, it threw the other party out, then dodged the attack with a backward leap.
It grinned triumphantly.
“You were found out, weren’t you? Old Madara, you’re actually…”
“If you don’t shut up, I’ll make you sleep for a month.” Madara’s voice carried a rare hint of exasperation.
— Outside —
In the hallway outside the special hospital room, the Third Hokage stood by the window, gazing at the severed arm in his hand.
The grayish-white arm looked particularly eerie in the lamplight, with writhing cells faintly visible at the severed end.
“Hashirama’s cells…” the Third Hokage’s voice was hoarse.
“Danzō, how many things have you done behind my back?”
Fugaku Uchiha, standing beside him, had a grim expression.
“Hokage-sama, this is no longer just an action against the Uchiha. Conducting human experiments privately, and even stealing the First Hokage’s cells…”
The Third Hokage rubbed his temples wearily.
“But the priority now is to confirm Naruto’s condition. I already owe that child so much, and now… alas!”
The hospital room door suddenly opened, and the head of the medical team hurried out.
“Hokage-sama, the examination results are very strange.”
“Strange how?”
The head of the medical team looked at the report in his hand and said, “Naruto shows no signs of being controlled, but his chakra flow indicates that he did experience a fierce battle.”
The Third Hokage and Fugaku exchanged a confused glance.
But the Nine-Tails did go berserk and attacked indiscriminately.
Then why did the Nine-Tails go berserk?
There were no signs of the seal loosening either.
But all clues pointed to Danzō.
Could it be that Danzō had mastered some special control method?
Meanwhile, in the seal space.
Just as Madara and the Nine-Tails were confronting each other, the water surface suddenly rippled unusually.
“Hm?” Madara turned sharply.
“This is…”
A blurry chakra image slowly emerged, gradually condensing into the form of Shisui Uchiha.
The Nine-Tails immediately bared its fangs.
“When did you…? I’m already having trouble with one Uchiha here, and now another one…”
Shisui’s phantom smiled slightly.
“Don’t be nervous, this is just a little trick of Kotoamatsukami.”
Then Shisui looked at Madara.
“Ancestor, the plan is going smoothly. The Third Hokage has already ordered a full search of Root’s bases.”
Madara crossed his arms and snorted coldly.
“Unnecessary. I already told you it would be easier to just kill Danzō.”
Shisui gave a wry smile.
“But doing so would cause greater chaos. This way, we can eliminate Danzō’s forces and protect the Uchiha’s…”
His words suddenly stopped, and his phantom began to flicker unstably.
“Not enough chakra…” Madara narrowed his eyes.
“Tell Itachi I want results by sunset tomorrow.”
Shisui’s phantom bowed one last time and dissipated into the air.
As the first rays of dawn shone through the water surface, Naruto’s consciousness finally stirred.
He sat up groggily, rubbing his eyes.
“Dad… I dreamed I ate a super big bowl of ramen…”
The Nine-Tails chuckled.
“That wasn’t a dream. You were mumbling about it even when you were unconscious!”
Madara looked at Naruto’s sleepy appearance and suddenly reached out and placed his hand on his head.
“Kid, remember everything that happened today.”
His voice was unusually gentle.
“This is the truth of the ninja world.”
Naruto nodded as if he understood, then his eyes suddenly lit up.
“Then can we go eat ramen now?”
“…”
A black fist and an orange fox claw simultaneously slammed onto Naruto’s head.
“Ouch! Why is even the Nine-Tails hitting me?”
“Because you father and son are equally annoying!”
Madara watched the two figures making a scene, then turned and walked towards the depths.
But from an angle no one could see, the corners of his lips curved upwards.
That night, in the Hokage’s office, moonlight shone on the desk piled high with scrolls.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, stood alone by the window, the ember in his pipe flickering in the darkness.
Recalling Naruto, who was still sleeping in the hospital room, his aged face looked particularly weary in the smoke.
“Fourth Hokage…”
He murmured softly, his fingers unconsciously stroking the glass of the window.
“I have failed your trust once again.”
The image of the golden-haired youth from his memory seemed to be right before his eyes, warmly entrusting the swaddled Naruto to him with a smile.
And now, that child, due to the suspicion and schemes of the higher-ups, was once again caught in a dangerous vortex.
“Danzō…”
The Third Hokage’s fist slammed heavily onto the window frame, shaking off the accumulated ash.
He remembered the grayish-white severed arm.
He remembered the collection of Sharingan found in the laboratory.
Even more so, he remembered the shocking wounds on Naruto’s body.
Although the medical report indicated they were all superficial injuries, each cut felt like a knife to his heart.
“When did it start…” the old man’s voice was terrifyingly hoarse.
“Konoha has to rely on such methods to maintain peace?”
The crystal ball replayed the day’s events— The image of the Four-Tails Naruto roaring in pain eerily overlapped with the scene from the Nine-Tails’ rampage six years ago.
The Third Hokage’s hand trembled slightly.
He suddenly realized a terrifying truth— The decision to conceal Naruto’s identity back then might have been wrong from the start.
“If only I had revealed his identity as the son of a hero earlier…”
“If only I had given him more care instead of surveillance…”
“If only I had firmly stopped Danzō’s human experiments back then…”
Countless “what ifs” swirled in his mind, finally turning into a heavy sigh.
The Third Hokage removed his Kage hat, revealing his white hair.
At this moment, he was no longer the calculating Hokage, but just an old man filled with guilt.
As the east turned to dawn, the Third Hokage finally made a decision.
He unrolled a new scroll, dipping his brush in dark ink:
“Resolution on the Dissolution of Root and the Prosecution of Danzō Shimura for Treason.”
The first drop of ink landed on the paper, spreading like a bloodstain.
A determined light flashed in the old man’s eyes.
“This time, I will not compromise again.”
____________________
Update: “Monday to Friday – Update 3 Chapters a Day”
“Saturday and Sunday – Off”