“I know how important the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki is to Konoha, but this treatment absolutely cannot be considered good.”
ShihōinNaraku knew that Sarutobi Hiruzen didn’t like what he was saying, but he said it anyway.
Back when ShihōinNaraku had still been outside the Naruto world, he had often wondered about something.
If Jiraiya spent most of his time traveling outside the village and didn’t know about Naruto’s life, that could be excused.
But Hatake Kakashi was right here in Konoha.
Why had he never shown any concern for the son of his teacher and his teacher’s wife?
After arriving in the Naruto world, however, ShihōinNaraku finally understood.
It was because Sarutobi Hiruzen himself had ordered Naruto’s identity to be concealed and had strictly forbidden anyone from getting too close to him.
And Kakashi had suffered one blow after another, leaving both his mind and body scarred.
Combined with the Hokage’s orders, there was naturally no way for him to take care of Naruto.
Only this could explain why none of Minato Namikaze’s comrades or friends had appeared.
Forget raising Naruto—they hadn’t even extended a hand to help him from time to time.
Yet ShihōinNaraku still couldn’t understand one thing.
Why had Sarutobi Hiruzen sealed away the information that Uzumaki Naruto was the son of the Fourth Hokage, while allowing rumors that he was the Demon Fox to spread unchecked?
Faced with ShihōinNaraku’s question, Sarutobi Hiruzen didn’t offer much of an explanation.
He merely gave Naraku a deep look.
“I am the Hokage.
These decisions are simply how things are.”
Hatake Kakashi opened his mouth from the side, but ultimately said nothing.
After Sarutobi Hiruzen left, Kakashi sighed with a troubled expression.
“What you said just now…”
“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it.
It’s simply the truth!”
ShihōinNaraku pointed at Kakashi and looked at him somewhat mischievously.
“Just wait until Naruto grows up.
These things can’t stay hidden forever.”
“When that time comes, let’s see how you’re going to face him.”
If the Blood Red Habanero were still alive, who knew whether Kushina Uzumaki would have whipped you to death with her Adamantine Sealing Chains!
Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki had treated you and Obito so well, yet you two fools went all out to screw over their son.
“Face him?”
Hatake Kakashi gave a bitter smile.
“I can barely manage my own life as it is.”
ShihōinNaraku gave Kakashi a look of disdain.
The two of them took one last look at Naruto’s room before leaving.
Before long, they found Uzumaki Naruto in the rear mountains of Konoha.
“He must have just gone fishing.”
“Yeah.
He’s soaked, and his clothes are hanging on a tree nearby.”
Looking at Naruto, who was bare-chested and had already gathered a pile of firewood in preparation for starting a fire, ShihōinNaraku thought for a moment before stepping out from his hiding place.
“He doesn’t actually like eating instant ramen that much.
It’s just convenient and cheap, so that’s what he eats.
Naraku, don’t you think…”
As Kakashi spoke, he turned his head toward Naraku.
To his surprise, ShihōinNaraku, who had been standing beside him just moments ago, was gone.
Kakashi looked back.
To his horror, he discovered that ShihōinNaraku was walking openly toward Uzumaki Naruto.
This time, not only Kakashi but even Tenzō and the shinobi squad hiding nearby were stunned.
What were they supposed to do?
Should they stop him?
But ShihōinNaraku and Hatake Kakashi had been assigned a separate task.
And yet…
“Seriously…”
Kakashi scratched his head in frustration.
After thinking for a while, he sighed and stepped out from hiding as well.
Inside the Hokage’s office, Sarutobi Hiruzen had just returned.
He silently puffed on his pipe as he watched the scene displayed within the crystal ball.
“Eh?
Why won’t it light?”
Uzumaki Naruto scratched his short blond hair, looking somewhat dejected.
But in the next moment, he continued blowing desperately at the pile of firewood.
Trying to start a fire had left Naruto looking rather miserable.
His entire face had become covered in soot, making him look like a little stray cat.
Perhaps because he was completely focused on starting the fire, he didn’t notice that ShihōinNaraku had already walked up to him.
“You need to leave some space underneath the firewood.
Otherwise, it won’t catch.”
“Who’s there?”
The blond boy was startled by the sudden voice.
He immediately jumped three feet into the air and looked around frantically.
Then Uzumaki Naruto saw a black-haired young man sitting on a nearby rock.
The man was holding a tree branch.
And skewered on the end of that branch was none other than the fish Naruto had just worked so hard to catch!
“Ah!
That’s my fish!”
“This?”
ShihōinNaraku shook the branch in his hand, gesturing toward Naruto.
“Yeah!
I caught that just now.”
Naruto stretched out his soot-covered hands, proving that the fish really had been caught by him.
As he spoke, Naruto cautiously approached Naraku.
He had keenly noticed that this person was different from everyone else.
There was no hatred or disgust toward him.
That made Naruto very happy.
Apart from Teacher Iruka, the Hokage Grandpa, and a handful of others, this was another person who didn’t hate him!
“D-do you want to eat it?”
“If you want, I can give it to you.
I can catch another one.”
“I’m really good at it.
I catch big fish all the time.”
Naruto pretended not to care.
But the expression on his soot-covered face betrayed his thoughts completely.
He was worried that this person would reject his fish.
Looking at Naruto striking a pose as though he were incredibly impressive, ShihōinNaraku smiled smugly.
“I wasn’t planning to give it back anyway.
I’m hungry too.”
With that, ShihōinNaraku placed the branch with the fish skewered on it beside the rock, clearly declaring that the fish was now his.
No one was taking it away.
“Ah~ So grown-ups really are sneaky!”
Naruto pretended to be angry, but the happiness on his face was impossible to hide.
“Oh?
Who told you grown-ups are sneaky?”
ShihōinNaraku snapped his fingers.
A small flame landed on the pile of firewood, and the fire immediately surged upward, beginning to burn.
“Shikamaru told me.
He said all grown-ups are sneaky and troublesome…”
Naruto casually explained.
At this moment, his eyes were shining as he watched ShihōinNaraku place the skewered fish over the fire and begin roasting it.
He had seen what Naraku had just done.
That was something only a shinobi could do.
It had to be!
“That really does sound like something someone from the Nara clan would say…”
“Do you know Shikamaru too, mister?”
“No.
I know Shikamaru’s father.”
“Wait.
What did you just call me?”
ShihōinNaraku suddenly raised his head and glared fiercely at Naruto.
He pointed at his own face for emphasis.
“Take a good look at me.
Do I look like some old man?”
“Hehe…”
Naruto wasn’t frightened in the slightest.
He continued inching closer.
He was exceptionally good at reading people’s emotions.
Although ShihōinNaraku’s tone sounded harsh, there wasn’t even the slightest hint of malice in it.
It was more like he was deliberately trying to scare a child.
“Why are you getting so close…”
ShihōinNaraku curled his lips and turned his attention back to the roasting fish.
“Hehe.
Big… big brother, were you using a jutsu just now?”
“Are you a shinobi from the village?”
Naruto blinked, his eyes filled with anticipation as he stared at ShihōinNaraku.
His face was still pitch-black with soot, making his expression somewhat comical.
“Big brother?”
“Fine.
I’ll reluctantly accept that.”
“You mean this when you say jutsu?”
ShihōinNaraku opened his palm toward Naruto.
With a puff, flames suddenly ignited in his palm.
The dancing firelight illuminated Naruto’s soot-blackened face.
“Wow!!!”
Naruto instantly cried out in delight.
He excitedly stared at the crimson flames burning in ShihōinNaraku’s palm.
His expression was filled with longing.
The flames weren’t dazzling.
They were warm.
And at this moment, they drove away the gloom lingering in the depths of Uzumaki Naruto’s eyes…
◇ THE STORY DOESN’T END HERE…
◇
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Read ahead.