"Did you all know?"
Kiyosuke's eyes brimmed with "tears" as he looked down at the shocked crowd.
"I saw the Fourth Hokage die right in front of me, and there was nothing I could do. He entrusted his child to me—that's a responsibility as heavy as a mountain! Everyone, Minato-sama gave everything for Konoha, pouring his heart and soul into it until the very end!"
"Minato-sama..."
"Minato-sama, may you rest in peace!"
"Waaah... Minato-sama must have been in so much pain... That was his own child!"
The villagers below all broke into sobs. Minato's death was a tragedy none of them wanted to accept.
He had only served as Hokage for less than two years, yet he had fulfilled his duties faithfully. Konoha was steadily improving under his leadership, and his reputation was on the rise.
I mean, who wouldn't like a Hokage who was handsome, capable, and strong?
Unfortunately, due to the Nine-Tails attack, Minato died fighting to protect the village.
"It's all the Nine-Tails' fault!!!"
Someone suddenly shouted from the crowd.
Like a switch had been flipped, more and more people showed expressions of anger and disgust.
"That's right, it's the Nine-Tails' fault! If it hadn't been for the Nine-Tails, we wouldn't have lost Minato-sama!"
"That damn Nine-Tails!"
"Curse that monster!"
Kiyosuke looked at them and said,
"The Nine-Tails going on a rampage was an accident. Right now, it's sealed inside this child. I want everyone to remember—Kurama is Kurama, and this child is just a child. I hope he can grow up in a peaceful environment. Please don't direct your hatred toward him."
"I know many of you lost family or friends because of the Nine-Tails, and your hatred is understandable. But I beg you, don't take it out on this child. He was just born, and already he's lost his parents. Must he also bear your hatred?"
"We..."
Everyone lowered their heads.
It was true—this child had lost just as much, if not more, than they had.
He never even got to see his parents' faces, and now he would grow up without them. Wasn't that enough pain already?
Kiyosuke only wanted Naruto to have a happy childhood—at the very least, for someone to be willing to play with him.
He couldn't understand the "protection" that Sarutobi Hiruzen had offered in the original story.
Keeping Naruto's identity as the Fourth Hokage's son a secret, raising him under the "Uzumaki" name, and letting him endure the hatred and cold stares of the villagers...
If it hadn't been for Iruka, Ichiraku, and the fact that he was Asura's reincarnation with a naturally sunny personality, he'd have gone dark long ago.
Why should anyone stay in a village that resents them so much?
Protection?
Any spy in Konoha could've seen the way the villagers treated Naruto. Even a blind man could've figured it out.
That kind of treatment was reserved only for Jinchūriki—what, like the other villages didn't have any?
Did the other Four Great Nations look like idiots? That kind of tactic was laughable.
So, Kiyosuke had decided to make Naruto's identity public.
He was the son of the Fourth Hokage, the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki, and under Kiyosuke's protection.
Unless you were Kage-level, come at him with a thousand and a thousand would die!
"Everyone!"
Kiyosuke raised Naruto up for all to see and said,
"This is Namikaze Naruto, son of the Fourth Hokage Namikaze Minato!
Within this small body lies the responsibility of protecting the village.
He is also... a hero of Konoha!!!"
"Naruto!!"
"Naruto!!!"
"NARUTO!!!!"
The crowd raised their hands, shouting and crying out his name.
"Waaaaaaah!"
Naruto, woken up by the noise, burst into tears.
Kiyosuke immediately panicked and tried to comfort him.
Just then, a black-haired man spoke up,
"Isn't he too young? What if the Nine-Tails breaks free again? That monster could hurt us all over again!"
That comment snapped everyone out of their emotional daze.
The villagers looked at the crying child with renewed concern.
Kiyosuke looked at the man and sneered.
"That outfit... You're from the Shimura clan, aren't you? A relative of Konoha elder Shimura Danzō?"
"The seal Minato-sama created with his life wouldn't break even if the Nine-Tails doubled in strength. But you?!"
He glared coldly at the man.
"Shimura clan... Hmph! While we were defending Konoha that night, Elder Danzō was hiding underground, not daring to make a sound!"
"Tch! 'Elder,' my ass! That useless old thing! The Hokage died in battle, and what does Danzō do? He jumps out first, trying to take this child away and raise him as a tool!"
"He's the Hokage's son! And some elder thinks he has the right to take him? What kind of power trip is that?!"
"Y-You..."
The man's face turned red as everyone turned to look at him with disgust.
Some began whispering.
"Danzō? We've still got someone like that in the village?"
"Yeah, he's supposed to be from the same generation as the Third. I think he's an elder or something? But what exactly he does... no one knows."
"Kiyosuke-sama said he just sits around doing nothing!"
"Huh? He's useless? Then why do we need him? And he wants to use Minato-sama's son as a tool? People like that shouldn't be elders!"
"Yeah! Exactly! People like that don't deserve to be elders!"
Then someone suddenly shouted,
"Remove Danzō from office!"
"Remove Danzō!"
"Remove Danzō!!"
"REMOVE DANZŌ!!!"
The chants grew louder and louder.
Kiyosuke chuckled—
The people's will could be used.
The Konoha Military Police looked over.
Things seemed to be spiraling out of control.
They turned to Kiyosuke, but he just gave them a look.
One of them shouted perfunctorily,
"Alright, alright, calm down! This isn't the place to argue!"
"Yeah! This is a shopping street! Let's go to the Hokage's Office! Let the Third Hokage give us an explanation!"
"We want justice for Minato-sama! We won't let his family bleed and suffer any longer!"
"To the Hokage's Office!"
More and more people joined in, heading there on their own.
"This place doesn't need us anymore."
Kiyosuke stepped down from the platform, holding Naruto in his arms.
Uchiha Fugaku walked up and asked,
"Kiyosuke-san, are you sure about this?"
"What do you mean? I didn't tell them to riot. I only asked them not to direct their hatred toward Naruto."
"I just said a few things about Danzō."
"But those people just now..."
"Relax. This time, I intend to get Danzō removed from his elder position."
"Or do you want to sit back and watch as he crushes the Uchiha clan?"
Sure, he'd used the goodwill of the people,
But it wasn't like anything bad would come of it.
It's not like Danzō ever did anything good anyway.
All his "Root" training amounted to nothing more than turning them on their own people.
Didn't accomplish anything worth mentioning.
Trained spies?
What, is the Hokage's Anbu just for show?
"I understand now."
Uchiha Fugaku was filled with admiration.
With just a few words, Kiyosuke had mobilized the people and backed Danzō into a corner.
This man... was terrifying.
Still—
It was Danzō, after all.
Serves him right!
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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