After Hiruzen Sarutobi left, Naruto Uzumaki sat on a chair, rethinking the purpose of Hiruzen Sarutobi's visit.
The idea that he was keeping things hidden under the guise of protection was definitely false.
Moreover, from what he had said, it was almost certain that the reason wasn't about him being a Jinchuriki, but rather the fact that he was the son of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze.
Naruto narrowed his eyes slightly. With that in mind, the answer seemed pretty obvious now.
Chinya once said that although many people in Konoha believed Minato Namikaze had died, he hadn't actually died—only fallen into a deep slumber.
Putting together Hiruzen Sarutobi's odd behavior today with Naruto's own analysis...
Naruto sneered, "Is he about to wake up then? But probably not yet, or else he wouldn't have spoken so ambiguously."
Having already guessed the result, Naruto also figured out Hiruzen Sarutobi's intentions.
Telling him not to resent him or Konoha, supposedly for his protection, was just fear of what Minato might learn about his treatment.
Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted to wait until Minato woke up and then use the justification he had just given—claiming everything was done to protect Naruto—to deceive him.
That way, Minato would still willingly dedicate himself to Konoha.
Naruto's expression darkened. He actually hoped Minato would wake up soon.
For the sake of his beloved Konoha, sacrificing him when he had no choice as a newborn, sacrificing his mother too—let's see what that brings.
But since Minato loves Konoha so much, he'll most likely believe exactly what Hiruzen told him.
Naruto really hoped Minato would believe it.
Because no lie lasts forever; eventually, the truth always comes out. When that day comes, how would Minato feel knowing he had been an accomplice aiding a tyrant?
"Then, I can help you destroy Konoha together!"
The Nine-Tails' voice echoed in Naruto's ears.
Back when Chinya met the Nine-Tails, he forced open a small gap in the Eight Trigrams Sealing Style.
Since the Nine-Tails knew Naruto was the Fated Child the tailed beasts had awaited, it had no intention of causing trouble for him anymore—it even wanted to assist him.
However, Naruto was still immature back then and couldn't yet fully control the Nine-Tails' chakra, so the help the beast could offer remained limited.
"If I need your help, I'll let you know. Thanks for all your help, Nine-Tails."
Since Hiruzen Sarutobi kept an eye on him with that crystal ball, Naruto didn't dare to practice the Wind Breathing All Sword Techniques Chinya had taught him—at least not at first.
Thanks to the Nine-Tails helping him sense these checks, whenever Hiruzen Sarutobi observed him, the Nine-Tails would immediately warn him, allowing Naruto to stop training instantly until Hiruzen looked away again before resuming.
At this point, the Nine-Tails had become the only ally Naruto could truly trust.
As for the Nine-Tails, despite Naruto having a high probability of being the Child of the Prophecy, there was still the first half of the prophecy he hadn't fulfilled yet.
That part was calling upon the name of the nine-headed beast.
Naruto Uzumaki didn't yet know its name, nor the names of other tailed beasts. Therefore, Nine-Tails still doubted whether Naruto Uzumaki truly was the Child of the Prophecy.
However, it had practically watched Naruto grow up, witnessed how Naruto lived, and saw how much Naruto trusted him.
Thus, Nine-Tails' feelings toward Naruto Uzumaki were ultimately somewhat different from its feelings toward other jinchuriki.
But Nine-Tails would never admit this—he simply acted cold but cared deep down, what humans would call "tsundere."
Yet whenever Naruto needed help and it could provide that assistance, despite grumbling complaints, it would still lend a hand.
Before they even realized it, Naruto and Nine-Tails had grown surprisingly close.
In the following days, Hiruzen Sarutobi started showing up at Naruto Uzumaki's place more often than usual, which annoyed him to no end.
After all, listening to Hiruzen Sarutobi's endless speeches was simply wasting Naruto's time.
No matter how much Naruto despised this situation, he couldn't change it—he was living under someone else's roof, so he naturally had to follow their lead.
...
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Obito Uchiha and Yoshihiko Uchiha once again arrived in the Land of Fire, though they hadn't entered Konoha.
The two came to a valley.
Yoshihiko Uchiha asked, "Lord Madara, why are we here?"
Obito Uchiha ran his hand over a moss-covered rock and said, "Back then, during the Sengoku Jidai (Warring States period), the Uchiha Clan and Senju Clan were the two most powerful ninja clans.
Back then, the clan leader wasn't me—it was my father, Tajima Uchiha. My father was calm by nature, decisive in action, and willing to use any means necessary to ensure the clan's prosperity.
At that time, there was one Uchiha who awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan during war after both parents died..."
Yoshihiko Uchiha exclaimed in surprise, "Mangekyo Sharingan? So you mean Lord Madara wasn't the first to awaken it?"
Obito Uchiha shook his head, "Though I am the first to awaken the [Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan], there were others before me who had also awakened the Mangekyo.
Back then, one Uchiha awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan during war after losing both parents. She possessed a dojutsu known as the [Eight Thousand Spears]. This ability was extraordinary—as long as she successfully applied an imprint upon an opponent, she could freely control their spirit and chakra across unlimited distances, and even transfer chakra between herself and others.
Once her power was discovered by my father and other clan members, for the sake of countering the Senju Clan, they cultivated her as a weapon to strengthen themselves.
Furthermore, this clan member received transplants of other dojutsu to further enhance her strength.
But such overwhelming power inevitably provoked fear among other clans until eventually she was sealed away through combined efforts by the Senju Clan and the Sarutobi Clan."
Obito Uchiha knew all this because he had learned it from reading the Uchiha Clan's historical records.
And this information had originally been revealed to Obito by Zetsu.
Due to the appearance of Chinya—a new unpredictable variable—Zetsu believed it extremely necessary to provide Obito with additional hidden advantages.
Zetsu, having lived for eons and studied the Uchiha Clan closely, had at least some knowledge of this matter.
On the day Obito Uchiha captured Yoshihiko Uchiha, his goal was clear—he was there to recover the Uchiha Clan's historical records and uncover where that mysterious Uchiha member had been sealed.
Fortunately, by piecing together scattered clues from various historical records, he successfully deduced the location where this Uchiha member had been sealed.
[Fire Release: Great Fireball!]
Obito Uchiha built up chakra in his throat and spewed a torrent of flames at the rock, incinerating the moss that covered its surface.
After the flames died down, a sealing array emerged on the surface of the rock.
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