Naruto had no clue what the scary guy meant by "seed with potential." All he knew was—he probably wasn't gonna die.
That should've been a relief. But for some reason, he couldn't feel happy about it.
Once he realized that there really was a "Nine-Tailed Fox" sealed inside him—one that nearly destroyed Konoha the year he was born—he started to feel uneasy.
He didn't know if he was afraid the fox might hurt him… or afraid that it might hurt the village.
And now, he was beginning to understand what "vessel" meant.
He wasn't special—just a container. Someone had sealed the Nine-Tails inside him, and now he was what that terrifying man called the "Nine-Tails Jinchūriki."
Even when Teuchi placed a full bowl of hot ramen in front of him, Naruto didn't have the appetite.
His head was spinning with thoughts.
For reasons he couldn't explain, Naruto suddenly worked up the nerve, swallowed hard, and asked the man, "Why did they seal that monster inside me?"
"I—"
He looked down, confusion written all over his face. He bit his lip and said quietly, "Is that why everyone's avoided me all these years? Because of the thing inside me?"
"If I didn't have it… I'd be like the other kids at the Academy, right? Just… normal. Go to school. Go home…"
As he spoke, Naruto sniffled hard, trying to stop his nose from running.
"I could've had a normal life. I wouldn't have to pull stupid pranks just to get people to look at me—just to feel like I exist."
Uchiha Chizumi looked down at Naruto, who was quietly crying.
He finally spoke: "The Fourth Hokage's goal was probably to keep the Nine-Tails out of enemy hands—especially from the masked man who caused the whole incident, Uchiha Obito. And you, Naruto Uzumaki, you have the blood of the Uzumaki clan. Out of everyone present at the time, you were the most compatible candidate to become its host."
Naruto blinked.
"The Fourth"—it sounded familiar, made him think of the Fourth Hokage of Konoha.
He didn't know much about the guy, other than that he died young. The Third Hokage once told him the Fourth was the youngest Hokage in history.
That was all he knew.
Oh—right!
He'd seen the Fourth's face carved into the Hokage Rock. You couldn't miss it, even if you tried.
"In theory, only a few people in the village knew about the Nine-Tails being sealed in you," Chizumi continued. "But after a while, rumors started going around—saying you were the fox itself. Those rumors got out of hand. Eventually, everyone believed it."
Chizumi's tone stayed cold: "The Third Hokage issued an order—no one in the village was allowed to talk about it in front of you. No mention of the Nine-Tails attack. No calling you the fox."
He wasn't trying to stir up hatred. He wasn't trying to traumatize Naruto. He was just telling the truth—plain and direct.
Back then, Chizumi himself had only been eleven.
Naruto froze. "Grandpa…"
Just as he was starting to feel touched, Jujirō, the orange ninja cat, cut in.
"Hey, kid—don't get all misty-eyed just yet, meow."
With a flick of his paw, Jujirō snagged a piece of fish off Naruto's ramen and chomped it down.
"Munch all you want," he said, still chewing. "But don't you want to know who started spreading those rumors about you being the 'fox's'? Don't you want to know if the Third Hokage knew about it?"
He went on, "It was Danzō's people—those old dogs—who spread it. Why? Who knows?"
"Maybe he hated the Fourth. Maybe he wanted to mess with you—push you into snapping, going berserk. Then maybe they could stage another 'heroic Hokage sacrifice' and he'd get to take the throne."
Jujirō swallowed the fish, licked his paw, and narrowed his eyes with satisfaction.
"The Third knew. But all he did was tell people not to talk too much trash about you. That's it."
"And Danzō? The guy who started it all? The Third protected him—twice. When Chizumi tried to kill him? Twice, the Third Hokage stepped in to save his ass."
"Kid—"
"You really think that a guy who shields the mastermind behind your pain is a Hokage worth admiring? That's a little too naive, don't you think? What the Third did—wasn't justice."
Jujirō's words hit Naruto like a truck.
He opened his mouth to say something in defense of Grandpa Hokage.
Because as far as Naruto remembered—
The old man had always been kind.
When Naruto was at his lowest, the Third was always the first to show up, offer comfort, and even treat him to a hot bowl of ramen at Ichiraku.
And when money was tight, the old man made sure Naruto had enough to live on—he just didn't know how to spend wisely, that's all.
But if Grandpa Hokage knew about the rumors…
If he knew who started them…
Why didn't he stop it?
Why didn't he punish Danzō?
And why did this "Shimura Danzō" hate him so much?
Because he hated the Fourth?
Because he wanted to be Hokage?
What did that have to do with Naruto?
He felt lost.
The adult world was too damn complicated.
He couldn't make sense of it.
"Uzumaki Naruto," Chizumi said quietly, "when all the hatred in the world is thrown at you—when you're isolated, shunned, and insulted behind your back—do you feel the despair?"
Naruto couldn't help but nod.
"Do you think what they did to you was right?" Chizumi asked.
Naruto bit his lip. "No. It wasn't."
Bullying and isolating a kid like that—how could that ever be okay?
He knew exactly how that felt.
"Then it means your sense of right and wrong is still intact," Chizumi said. "You haven't been corrupted by this rotten shinobi world. Everything you've suffered… it's all because of that evil. Evil people forcing their worst onto innocent children to get what they want."
Naruto's heart clenched.
He didn't even know those people. A few years ago, he couldn't even talk properly.
So why?
Why target him?
Was it really just like Chizumi said—because of "evil"?
"This world breeds evil," Chizumi said. "It causes endless pain. Traps innocent people in misery. You're just one of many."
"And compared to some… what you've been through is nothing special."
Naruto froze.
"If you want to see what that evil looks like for real—finish your ramen. Come with me. If we're unlucky, you'll see it with your own eyes."
Naruto stared at Chizumi's profile.
This guy looked like someone who'd seen every kind of cruelty.
His voice, his face—so calm, so numb.
But there was something else too.
A flicker of hope.
It reminded Naruto of his own longing—to be accepted by the village.
Not that he thought Chizumi wanted acceptance… but he could tell. Deep down, the guy still had a sliver of hope for this world.
Maybe that was why he kept interfering—why he never turned a blind eye.
Logically, Naruto knew he should stay away.
Gramps even told him not to get close to this guy.
But…
Watching the steam rise from his ramen, Naruto felt something stir in his chest.
Before he could even think about it—he nodded.
Then started slurping down the noodles like crazy.
Just then, someone else walked into Ichiraku.
Izumi noticed him immediately—plain face, ordinary-looking guy.
But her eyes locked onto the mask at his waist.
An Anbu mask.
The Anbu walked in like a normal customer and took a seat in the corner.
But Izumi saw him glance at Naruto.
Then—relief. He looked like he let out a breath.
She got it.
This guy was the Anbu the Hokage assigned to monitor Naruto—the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki.
And she was right.
He'd rushed in the moment Naruto disappeared from his sight—especially after seeing him with Uchiha Chizumi.
What if Chizumi, with his Mangekyō Sharingan, tried to control the Nine-Tails?
What if he decided Naruto was a threat and just—ended him?
What if he filled Naruto's head with dangerous ideas about the Hokage or the village?
In the end, the Anbu had no choice.
He took off the mask and barged into the shop like it was no big deal.
Only he knew how drenched his back was in sweat.
And when Chizumi glanced at him—just once—the Anbu nearly reached for his blade out of instinct.
But—
Nothing happened.
Maybe, to Chizumi, he wasn't "evil"—not past, not future.
Or maybe because he was a Yamanaka, and the clan head got along with Chizumi.
And hey—Naruto was still alive. And clearly hungry.
So probably… nothing bad had happened.
Right?
Then, a black ninja cat slipped inside.
It leapt onto the table and meowed frantically at the orange tabby.
And the orange cat?
Spoke human.
"Chizumi-sama, there's a new case in the village!"
The Anbu let out the rest of his breath.
Great. This Uchiha menace had something else to do now. Maybe he'd finally leave Naruto alone.
Or so he thought.
Chizumi put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth, and stood up slowly.
Then turned to Naruto with a cold voice:
"If you want to see it—come now."
The Anbu: "???"
Wait—what?!
Then he saw Naruto scramble to finish his ramen, cheeks full, blurting, "Coming!"
The Anbu: "???"
What the hell?!
Did he miss something?
As Naruto followed Chizumi out of Ichiraku, the Anbu realized—he'd screwed up.
Big time.
He had to report to the Hokage—now!
"Sir, what kind of ramen would you like?" Teuchi asked.
But the Anbu ignored him.
He bit his thumb.
Slapped the ground.
"Ninja Art—Summoning Jutsu!"
A slightly oversized pigeon appeared.
"Go to the Hokage," the Anbu ordered. "Tell him Naruto Uzumaki was taken by Uchiha Chizumi. This is an emergency!"
The pigeon nodded—and took off.
The Anbu gritted his teeth and followed—but at a distance.
"If Chizumi tries anything… I'll put my life on the line to bring Naruto back."
But… would that even work?
He wasn't sure anymore.
…
At the Hokage Tower—
Hiruzen Sarutobi was deep in discussion with Koharu and Homura, trying to figure out how to fix the latest mess Chizumi had caused.
That's when a ninja pigeon flew through the window.
"What is this…?"
Hiruzen frowned. It was Ryōshin's pigeon. But Ryōshin was supposed to be watching Naruto…
Something about this felt disturbingly familiar.
Then the pigeon spoke.
"Hokage-sama, Naruto Uzumaki has been taken by Uchiha Chizumi! It's urgent! Ryōshin said so!"
Sarutobi: "…"
Before he could even respond, Koharu jumped to her feet, her old face dark with anger.
"You see, Hiruzen?! This is Chizumi's ambition showing. That whole 'Absolute Justice' thing is just a fancy excuse!"
"He's a Uchiha! A Mangekyō wielder! He knows exactly what it means to get close to the Nine-Tails—and he took Naruto anyway!"
She took a breath, trying to calm her rising blood pressure.
"Even if—if—he truly believes in that 'justice,' that's exactly why he's dangerous! His version of justice is too extreme!"
"He killed a daimyo's son! You think he wouldn't use the Nine-Tails to 'cleanse' Konoha? What if he decides wiping the village out is righteous?"
"Hiruzen! The Nine-Tails incident from seven years ago is about to happen again!"
Homura stood up too. "Hiruzen, we need to get the jinchūriki back. Whether or not Chizumi means harm—he can't get too close to Naruto."
"Even if he doesn't, other Uchiha might. And if another Nine-Tails incident happens… we're finished."
Koharu and Homura's voices drove the point home.
Hiruzen made up his mind.
"Kakashi!"
Kakashi stepped in immediately.
"Alert all Anbu. Mobilize now!" Hiruzen said. "We're bringing Naruto back!"
"I'm coming too," Koharu added.
She explained, "If it's just you, you'll go easy on Chizumi. Sure, he's powerful. But you need to think about what he's costing Konoha too."
Hiruzen frowned slightly—
But didn't stop her.
~~~
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