"Wait, drink your medicine."
Tsunade caught Natsume just as he tried to slip out the door.
"Sis, can I skip it?"
Natsume frowned, looking pained. "I think I'm healthy enough. I really don't need more supplements."
"Maybe you're special, but this medicine helps your chakra grow. You should keep taking it."
Tsunade shook her head, unwilling to relent. Though Natsume's pitiful look tugged at her heartstrings, as his guardian, she had to be firm when needed. Her face hardened.
It was really Uzumaki Hinae's milk and the wood-style potion that helped!
This supplement had nothing to do with it.
But Natsume couldn't explain, so he just drank up, feeling wronged.
Tsunade felt oddly guilty, as if she'd committed some grave sin.
Seeing Natsume looking so pitiful, she wanted to scoop him into a comforting hug.
"Here, have some candy."
Her heart softened. She unwrapped a piece of candy and popped it into his mouth, then patted his head.
Up close, she barely managed to resist the urge to hug him.
Too much closeness would only make things harder for Natsume as he grew up, she reasoned. She had to get used to it in advance.
Natsume smacked his lips. The candy was still warm from her hands.
Not bad.
He suddenly noticed Tsunade's expression.
How to describe it? It looked just like when, in his previous life, he'd see a figure he wanted but hesitated because of the price.
Natsume wasn't sure what was bothering Tsunade, but he was great at comforting people.
Standing on tiptoe, he hugged her neck, pressed his little face to hers, and said, "Don't overwork yourself, sis. I'll worry about you."
He used his kid cuteness to cheer her up—and enjoyed the soft mountains at the same time.
A win-win.
Tsunade's defenses broke. Her rationality sank. She pursed her lips and, unable to resist, hugged Natsume.
Little rascal.
She knew she shouldn't, but she just couldn't help herself.
Her feelings were complicated. She hated her own lack of willpower, but hugging Natsume brought her comfort.
"All right, go on now."
Tsunade quickly pushed him away. She tried to sound stern, but couldn't manage it.
"Bye, sis."
Natsume waved and left.
…
A few minutes later, he arrived at Gunma Casino.
"Boss, Naruto's waiting for you inside."
Masahiro greeted him.
Natsume nodded and went in.
"Big bro."
Uzumaki Naruto clearly wasn't in high spirits.
"What's wrong?" Natsume sat next to him.
"Why does everyone still hate me, even after Hokage grandpa spoke up?" Naruto voiced the question that had troubled him for days.
"Prejudice is like a mountain you can't cross." Natsume sighed. "Years of bias can't be erased with a single word from the Hokage. And you're still suspected of being the demon fox. People need a scapegoat."
The real cause of the Nine-Tails incident was never revealed. The villagers had no outlet for their anger. So when word spread that Naruto was the demon fox's vessel, he naturally became their target—even as a child.
Ultimately, it was Hiruzen Sarutobi's mishandling that was to blame.
"But why me? I didn't do anything wrong!" Naruto puffed up angrily.
"I don't understand either." Natsume acted confused. "But if we could find out who started the rumor about you being the demon fox, maybe those suspicions would go away."
Naruto's eyes widened.
As the Hokage's child, he was mature for his age, and his unique experiences only made him more perceptive. His later mischief was just a way to get noticed.
Natsume's words gave him sudden clarity.
Yeah!
Who started the rumor?
"Big bro, do you know?"
"I don't, but we can deduce it," Natsume mused. "People always have motives. Whoever spread the rumor must have benefited. Who gained the most, or who was the ultimate winner here?"
Naruto fell deep into thought.
Who benefited? He couldn't think of anyone. He was just a child—what was so special about him? The demon fox? What even was the demon fox? What was special about himself?
Naruto's body stiffened.
Everyone treated him badly, except for the Hokage. So naturally, he trusted the Hokage the most.
But what if the Hokage was the one who spread the rumor? As Hokage, he could easily spread news throughout the village. He could have stopped it, but chose not to for three years.
Naruto's face went pale. His emotions were in turmoil. He didn't want to believe it, but it seemed the most likely answer.
The person he trusted most—Hiruzen Sarutobi—was the root of all his suffering.
What was real, what was fake? I can't tell!
Natsume saw Naruto's turmoil and knew he'd planted a seed of doubt about Sarutobi. It would take time, but the suspicion would grow.
"Big bro, I..." Naruto snapped out of it but didn't know what to say.
"You're still young, Naruto. You have plenty of time to test all your theories." Natsume patted his shoulder.
Naruto's confusion faded. As the reincarnation of Asura, son of the Sage of Six Paths, he was naturally optimistic. But optimism didn't mean he was a saint—when he needed to act in the original story, he never hesitated.
Now, though, who he might act against was uncertain.
"Thank you, big bro!" Naruto took a deep breath and decided to watch the Hokage closely from now on.
[Because of your actions, Uzumaki Naruto's fate has changed. You gained 46 fate points.]
Natsume raised an eyebrow. Not bad—his words worked. With 46 more points, he now had 537 in total, getting closer to his goal.
Naruto was only three. Looks like he could still harvest more.
"Bye, big bro."
After their talk, Naruto returned to normal, grabbed a box of milk, and left. He was naturally cheerful, but that didn't mean he was clueless.
Natsume headed to Tanzaku Quarters. He needed to tell Uzumaki Hinae and Karin about a mission in two days, so they wouldn't worry.