Night, Naruto’s room.
Moonlight streamed through the window onto Naruto’s small bed.
The blond boy was sprawled asleep, drool hanging from the corner of his mouth.
Occasionally, he mumbled in his sleep, “Ramen… one more bowl…”
In the shadows of the room, an old figure appeared silently.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, clad in his Kage robes, held an unlit pipe between his fingers, watching the sleeping Naruto with a complex gaze.
“As expected… someone is teaching him.”
Not long ago, Kakashi’s report still echoed in his mind.
Naruto’s shuriken skills, combat awareness, and even some of his taijutsu movements carried the shadow of something beyond his age.
This was not something that could be learned at school, nor something an unguided orphan could comprehend on his own.
The Third Hokage slowly approached Naruto’s bed and reached out, intending to sense the chakra fluctuations within him.
“If you dare touch him, I’ll burn off that old hand of yours.”
A cold voice suddenly rang out in the room!
The Third Hokage’s pupils contracted, and he instantly took two steps back, almost dropping his pipe.
He looked up sharply and saw Naruto still sleeping with his eyes closed, but a cold smile, unbefitting his age, played on his lips.
“Hmph, the great Hokage, sneaking into a child’s room in the middle of the night… Has Konoha fallen this low?”
The voice was deep and oppressive, as if emanating from within Naruto, yet it clearly echoed in the air.
The Third Hokage steadied his mind and said sternly, “Who are you? Why are you lurking within Naruto?”
“Lurking?” The voice scoffed.
“I have no interest in hiding my identity.”
Saying this, he turned his attention to the Third Hokage.
“As for you, Third Hokage, if you suspect someone is teaching Naruto, why don’t you just ask him directly?”
The Third Hokage was silent for a moment, then slowly said, “Because I’m not sure if that person would harm Naruto.”
Naruto’s eyelids trembled slightly, and then, his right eye suddenly snapped open!
The scarlet Sharingan flashed with an eerie light in the darkness, the three tomoe slowly rotating.
The Third Hokage’s heart tightened, and he almost blurted out, “Uchiha…?!”
“Don’t be nervous, kid.”
Naruto’s mouth spread into a proud smile that wasn’t his own.
“I have no interest in your Konoha, nor do I care about the Uchiha clan. I am merely a ronin with no followers.”
The Third Hokage stared intently at the Sharingan, his mind racing.
Although the relationship between the Uchiha clan and Konoha was deteriorating, it was not to the point of harming a village Jinchūriki.
Moreover, this situation seemed to be controlled by genjutsu.
But how could it be controlled so silently under ANBU surveillance?
The only ones with such abilities were Shisui and Itachi, but these two children were the ones the Third Hokage trusted the most, and they wouldn’t do this.
However, besides these two, there should be no one else in the Uchiha with such high genjutsu proficiency.
“Who exactly are you?!”
Naruto (Madara) lazily rolled over, propping his head up with one hand, his scarlet right eye still locked on the Third Hokage.
“You just need to know that this brat is under my care now.”
The Third Hokage narrowed his eyes.
“You are teaching Naruto, what is your purpose?”
“Purpose?” The other party seemed to have heard a joke and sneered.
“If I have to say, it’s that he’s too useless and an eyesore.”
The Third Hokage: “…”
Silence fell in the room for a moment.
After a long while, the Third Hokage suddenly sighed, the wariness on his face slightly relaxing.
“You… care about Naruto a lot, don’t you?”
Naruto’s body suddenly sat upright, his Sharingan widening.
“Kid, has your brain been smoked out?!”
The Third Hokage smiled, his gaze gentle.
“Although your tone is harsh, every word you say is to protect him.”
“If you really just found him ‘useless,’ you could have ignored him. Why bother teaching him?”
Naruto’s expression froze, and the tomoe in his Sharingan stopped for a moment.
How could he forget this point?
He hadn’t negotiated with anyone for so long that he had almost forgotten how to negotiate.
The Third Hokage continued, “Moreover, you could have hidden yourself, but you chose to reveal yourself to warn me… Were you afraid I would rashly investigate and harm Naruto?”
“Stop rambling!” Naruto (Madara) irritably ran his hand through his hair.
“Stop being so clever, Hokage!”
The Third Hokage paid him no mind and instead sat by the bed, lightly tapping his palm with his pipe.
“No matter who you are, since you have no ill intentions towards Naruto, I will not interfere.”
“Hmph, you know what’s good for you.”
“However…” The Third Hokage suddenly changed the subject, his gaze sharp.
“If one day, your existence threatens Naruto, or Konoha—”
Naruto’s Sharingan suddenly contracted, and a terrifying chakra pressure erupted instantly!
The objects in the room vibrated violently, and the windowpanes creaked!
The Third Hokage tensed up, instinctively forming hand seals to defend himself.
However, the next second, the pressure suddenly dissipated.
Naruto (Madara) just looked at him coldly, a mocking arc on his lips.
“Save it, kid. If I wanted to harm Konoha, you would be a corpse right now.”
That chakra…
was terrifyingly powerful.
In that moment, the Third Hokage felt as if he saw the shadow of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju.
Powerful, shamelessly powerful.
“Don’t worry,” Naruto closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, the Sharingan was gone, replaced by his original clear blue eyes.
His tone was still impatient, but with less hostility.
“This brat… I’ll keep an eye on him.”
The Third Hokage gazed at him for a long time, then slowly nodded.
“Then, I entrust Naruto to you.”
“Hmph, no need for you to say it.”
The Third Hokage stood up, took one last look at Naruto, who had already lay back down, and turned towards the window.
The night wind stirred his Kage robes.
He paused, not looking back.
“Oh, right… If Naruto asks about tonight.”
“I know. I won’t say a word,” Naruto (Madara) waved dismissively.
“Hurry up and leave, don’t disturb his sleep.”
The Third Hokage smiled, leaped out the window, and disappeared into the night.
Silence returned to the room.
Naruto rolled over, mumbling drowsily, “Dad… don’t steal my blanket…”
Madara: “…”
In the seal space, the Nine-Tails lay on the ground, grinning widely.
“Tsk tsk, you’ve been seen through by the Hokage, Madara.”
Madara crossed his arms and snorted.
“Shut up, mangy fox.”
The Nine-Tails propped its chin with one paw.
“You clearly care about that brat, yet you pretend not to. You Uchiha are truly awkward.”
Madara glared at the other party fiercely.
The Nine-Tails wisely retracted its neck, but still suppressed a laugh.
Madara ignored it, his gaze passing through the seal space to look at Naruto in the outside world.
“…Troublesome brat.”
His voice was very soft, almost inaudible.
Outside the window, the moonlight still gently enveloped Konoha.
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Update: “Monday to Friday – Update 3 Chapters a Day”
“Saturday and Sunday – Off”