"It's Grandpa!"
At the sound of the aged voice, Naruto's face lit up with joy, though he glanced hesitantly at Uchiha Hikari. "Big Sis, this is the grandpa I was talking about. He…"
"This is your house, don't mind me. Go open the door."
Hikari lifted her cup, sipping water casually as she waved him off.
With her permission, Naruto scampered to the door.
Standing in the hallway was an elderly figure clad in a ceremonial robe and a conical hat. He ruffled Naruto's hair before chuckling and stepping inside. To an outsider, he might seem like any old traveler, but he was the village's highest authority—the very person Hikari had come to see.
The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"Oh? Naruto's got a guest?"
Hiruzen chatted warmly with Naruto for a bit before turning to Hikari, as if just noticing her, his eyes crinkling with a smile. "Is this a new friend of Naruto's?"
"Yup! She's the big sis who brought me home. Her name's…"
Naruto started to introduce her but froze, realizing he didn't know her name.
Hikari spoke up smoothly. "Hikari. Uchiha Hikari."
"Oh? So you're Hikari-san of the Uchiha clan… Funny, I know most of the Uchihas, but I've never seen you before…"
Hiruzen played dumb.
Hikari wasn't in the mood for his games. "Of course you haven't. I only arrived in the village last night… I'm sure your subordinates can fill you in on where I came from."
Naruto, young and naive, might think the Third Hokage's visit was a coincidence, but Hikari wasn't fooled. The faint chakra signatures lurking outside the house had already betrayed Hiruzen's true intentions.
But Hikari wasn't fazed.
Setting aside whether an aging Hiruzen could even match her strength, as long as he had any sense, he wouldn't dare start a fight in front of Naruto, the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki. If anything went wrong, it could trigger a repeat of the disaster from four years ago. Konoha was already stretched thin—reeling from Orochimaru's defection and a shortage of new talent. Another Nine-Tails incident might push the village to the brink of collapse.
"…"
Hiruzen's eyes narrowed, studying Hikari as his expression shifted subtly.
On his way from the Hokage Tower, he'd reviewed the Anbu's reports. Both Morino Ibiki's testimony and the Senju clan's ancient records confirmed the existence of such a figure. Yet, even now, with Hikari's own admission, it still felt surreal.
A teenage Uchiha from the Warring States era, unsealed after over a century in a coffin…
"What do you want?"
Hiruzen glanced at Naruto beside him, lowering his voice. "I don't know if your story is true, but even if it is, this isn't the Warring States era you knew. A hundred years have passed. Your allies and enemies are long gone. Even the Uchiha and Senju, once bitter rivals, have made peace. Konoha's hard-won stability won't be disrupted by anyone."
"And Naruto," he continued, "I don't know why you approached him or brought him here, but he's a vital part of this village. We won't let anyone with ulterior motives get close to him or manipulate him."
"Oh."
Hikari nodded. "So, being hated, bullied, and insulted by the entire village, pointed at wherever he goes, drinking expired milk, eating cheap instant noodles, and unable to buy what he wants even with triple the money… that's the treatment a 'vital part' of the village deserves?"
"…Is that true?"
Hiruzen's face stiffened with embarrassment in front of Naruto. Feigning ignorance, he turned to the boy. "Naruto, is what this… big sister said true? You're growing, you need proper food like milk and vegetables. Just tell Grandpa, and I'll have them sent over."
"…It's fine! Grandpa's so busy, and you already visit me every month. I can figure out the rest myself!"
Naruto replied softly, then glanced nervously between Hiruzen and Hikari. "Um, I don't really get what you guys are talking about, but Big Sis Hikari's a good person. She wouldn't hurt me!"
Meanwhile, Hikari let out a snort of laughter.
"Lord Third, your knack for dodging the real issue is honestly impressive… Fine, I'll be straight with you. An old friend asked me to come talk to you about his last wishes. That's why I'm here."
"Old friend?"
"Someone who died in that battle four years ago. You should know him well—he was your top pick to succeed you."
"?!"
Because of her agreement with Namikaze Minato, Hikari didn't say his name in front of Naruto. But the hint was clear enough for Hiruzen to catch.
"You mean the Fourth… That's impossible! He's already…"
"Used the Dead Demon Consuming Seal and was swallowed by the Shinigami, right?"
Hikari pressed on. "But the truth is, I've not only met him, I've heard from him directly. He and his wife entrusted you to look after their child when they gave their lives for the village. From what I see, you haven't exactly kept that promise. Or maybe in your mind, 'looking after' just means keeping him alive?"
"…"
Hiruzen's face flickered between emotions, unreadable.
The *Naruto* world did have concepts of souls and related techniques—like his teacher Senju Tobirama's Impure World Reincarnation or the Kato clan's Spirit Transformation Technique. But to believe that Minato, who used the Dead Demon Consuming Seal and died four years ago, had entrusted a Warring States-era Uchiha to care for his son…
"Utter nonsense!"
"Even if you *did* meet Minato, there's no way he'd say something like that to you! And the affairs of Konoha are none of an outsider's business!"
"I figured…"
Hikari sighed.
"Talking to a sly old fox like you is such a hassle. Fine, let's take this somewhere else… *Tsukuyomi!*"
*(End of Chapter)*