As the Third Hokage, Hiruzen felt that what he was doing was essentially protecting Naruto.
Otherwise, not to mention his identity as a Jinchuriki, the status of the Fourth Hokage's son alone would be enough to make many of Minato's enemies target him.
By then, even if Hiruzen assigned guards to protect Naruto around the clock, the boy would still be at risk of assassination.
Deep-seated grudges couldn't be erased by just a decade or so of time.
These justifications lingered at the edge of his throat, but in the end, they condensed into nothing more than a brief apology.
Because Hiruzen knew that any words now would sound hollow.
Explaining these reasons would only come across as making excuses for himself.
Sometimes, communication between people had to be meticulously detailed down to every single word, and missing even a single syllable could change the meaning entirely.
But at other times, no words were needed at all… just an expression, a gesture, or even a glance was enough for two people to instantly understand each other.
As he listened to Hiruzen's words, Naruto's Observation Haki was fully activated.
Every emotion in the old man's heart transformed into distinct signals that Naruto perceived with crystal clarity.
For a moment, the silence in the room was deafening.
After a long pause, Naruto finally spoke again, but it was still the same question he had asked before.
"Old man, what do you think is the meaning of being a Ninja?"
Just the slight shift in address was enough to make a flicker of surprise appear on Hiruzen's wrinkled face.
Naruto didn't seem intent on digging deeper into the truth of his origins.
Or perhaps, he already understood that what he could learn from Hiruzen wouldn't be much different from what Kakashi had told him.
Both of them had been firsthand witnesses to the Nine-Tails Rampage over a decade ago.
If he really wanted to avenge his parents, then perhaps his true enemy should be that giant Nine-Tailed Fox-
'…Hm?'
'Giant fox?'
Naruto was slightly stunned when he thought of this, as he felt like he had seen something like that somewhere before.
But before he could dwell on it, Hiruzen's response interrupted his train of thought.
"Ninja…"
"If I had to put it into words, I'd say the meaning of a Ninja is to protect what matters most to them."
Hiruzen lit his pipe and took a slow drag before continuing.
"For me, the most important thing is the peace of the entire Konoha Village. And for you and other Ninja, there are things you must protect as well."
"In times of war, it's because of the Ninja's protection that civilians survive. In times of peace, Ninja become the invisible shield guarding the village and the nation."
"It's like the relationship between the canopy, the trunk, and the roots of a tree."
"Ninjas are merely the roots that draw nutrients for the great tree of the village and country, or the branches that shelter it from the storm."
"And Ninja like me, who have grown old, will eventually become nourishment, allowing new branches to sprout."
As expected of a man who served as Hokage twice, his character was slightly elevated at the end.
Unfortunately, these words didn't seem to convince Naruto at all, as there wasn't even a hint of change on his face.
Under Hiruzen's slightly stunned gaze, Naruto suddenly stood up.
He walked to the center of the room, his back turned to Hiruzen.
"No."
"In my eyes, Ninja, the village, and the Daimyo… none of them have any real meaning."
That single sentence outright rejected one of the fundamental rules of the Ninja World… perhaps even the entire world itself.
"The so-called wars in this world are nothing more than groups of people who know Ninjutsu attacking other groups who also know Ninjutsu."
"Countless Ninjas and civilians become casualties in the process, but if everyone suffers, then who actually benefits?"
"In essence, it is nothing more than a game played by the high-and-mighty Daimyo."
"Ninjas don't contribute to society. They possess extraordinary power but only use it to harm others."
"Protect? Protect what? And from whom? From other Ninja, that's who."
"Take the bridge in the Land of Waves, for example. If Ninja were to help, it could be built in no time at all."
"But as far as I can see, very few Ninja ever choose to do that."
"The world shouldn't be like this."
As he spoke those final words, Naruto turned around, his expression cold as he stared straight at Hiruzen.
In Naruto's opinion, the existence of Daimyo and Ninja was far less meaningful than that of the Marines in the One Piece World.
Setting aside the few corrupt individuals among them, the Marines as a whole had a very clear purpose, which is to protect civilians from pirates and maintain peace.
Whether or not their ideals were truly noble, their presence alone served as a deterrent against the lawless chaos of pirates.
And as for the pirates themselves, a vast majority of the lower-ranked ones were little more than scoundrels who used the banner of 'freedom' to commit atrocities.
As one of the crew members who had sailed under the man who started the Great Pirate Era, Naruto could say with certainty that very few of those so-called pirates truly understood or embodied Roger's ideal of 'freedom'.
That was also why he had never formed his own pirate crew like Shanks or Buggy.
Because he had never truly considered himself a 'pirate'.
Even though the Marines were controlled by the World Government and those despicable Celestial Dragons, and even though they had committed countless atrocities of their own-
The scale of suffering they caused was still far less than the endless wars and conflicts between the Five Great Nations.
On one side, there was the World Government… flawed, oppressive, but at least maintaining some semblance of order.
On the other, there were the Ninja Nations, locked in endless warfare, treating both civilians and Ninja as expendable pawns.
No matter which one, Naruto didn't agree.
After saying his piece, he didn't even glance at the forehead protector he had left on Hiruzen's desk before turning to leave.
"Naruto… what exactly are you trying to do?"
To be honest, by the time Hiruzen asked that question, the unease in his heart had already reached its peak.
He had noticed the changes in Naruto before and had originally hoped that assigning Kakashi as his team leader would help uncover the reason behind them.
Unexpectedly, after returning from this mission, Naruto had outright laid everything bare.
With Hiruzen's wisdom, it wasn't hard to understand Naruto's perspective… but he was still bound by the limitations of his era.
For Hiruzen, the existence of the Daimyo was simply the natural order of things.
But just because something had always been that way… did that make it right?
"Old man Third… maybe I should go out and see what this Ninja World is really like."
"What?"
"Naruto, do you realize what you're saying?"
Hiruzen's face twisted in disbelief. He had thought Naruto just wanted to vent his frustrations… but now, the boy was seriously talking about leaving the village.
In the context of a Ninja Village, such words could very well be considered 'defection'.
But whether as the Hokage or simply as 'old man Third', Hiruzen couldn't bear to let Naruto leave like this.
Not to mention, Naruto was the Jinchuriki. Even if he allowed it, the other high-ranking people in Konoha would demand Naruto's capture.
And then, no matter how unwilling he was, he would have no choice but to act against Naruto.
That would undoubtedly tear his heart apart.
With the Chunin Exams approaching and Ninja from other villages flooding into Konoha Village, if they were to discover Naruto's true identity, it would spell disaster… both for Naruto himself and for the village.
'...Wait.'
'The Chunin Exam?'
A sudden thought flashed through Hiruzen's mind, and he quickly spoke up.
"Wait, Naruto."
Hearing his voice, Naruto turned back, waiting for him to continue.
"The village will soon be hosting the Chunin Exams. At least wait until they're over before you leave."
Hiruzen was also getting anxious and started grasping at straws.
For both personal and political reasons, he didn't want to personally arrest Naruto… nor did he want to give anyone else the excuse to do so.
Right now, all he could do was stall.
However, when mentioning the Chunin Exams, Hiruzen suddenly found his next words flowing more smoothly.
"Yes, Team 7 is also supposed to participate in this exam."
In response, Naruto simply turned around and gave Hiruzen a puzzled look.
'What does that have to do with me leaving.'
"According to the rules of the Chunin Exams, each team must consist of three members. Any team that fails to meet this requirement will be disqualified… and at this point, there's no time to find another qualified Genin to replace you."
At the end of his speech, a smile actually appeared on the old man's face.
Hearing this, Naruto was speechless for a while.
"…Tch."