As the Third Hokage, Hiruzen felt that his approach was essentially protecting Naruto.
Otherwise, not to mention his identity as a jinchuriki, just the title of the Fourth's son would be enough for many of Minato's enemies to target him.
When that time came, even if Hiruzen Sarutobi assigned people to protect him around the clock, Naruto could still be assassinated.
Life-and-death grudges were definitely not something that could be worn away by just a decade or so.
These difficulties circled around his throat several times but ultimately only became a brief apology.
Because Hiruzen Sarutobi knew that any words would be pale and powerless now.
Speaking these difficulties aloud would also seem like making excuses for himself.
Sometimes, human communication must be detailed and clear down to every word—missing even a little would change the meaning.
But sometimes, no verbal explanation was needed. Just an expression, a gesture, or even a look could immediately convey one person's thoughts to another.
Listening to Hiruzen Sarutobi's words, Naruto's Observation Haki was almost fully activated.
All the emotions in the old man's heart were clearly perceived by him as different signals.
For a moment, the silence in the room was deafening.
After a long while, Naruto slowly spoke, but what he said was still the same question as before.
"Old man, what do you think is the true meaning of ninja?"
Just the switch in address brought a trace of surprise to Hiruzen Sarutobi's wrinkled old face.
Naruto didn't seem to plan on digging deeper into his own background.
Or perhaps he knew that what he could hear from Hiruzen Sarutobi would be about the same as what he heard from Kakashi.
Both were witnesses to the Nine-Tails incident from over a decade ago.
If he really wanted to avenge his parents, then his enemy should perhaps be that big nine-tailed fox...
...Hm?
Big fox?
Naruto paused slightly at this thought—he seemed to have seen something similar somewhere.
On the other side, Hiruzen Sarutobi's answer interrupted Naruto's recollection.
"Ninja..."
"If I had to describe it, the meaning of ninja would be to protect what's most important to oneself."
Hiruzen Sarutobi lit his pipe, took a light puff, and then continued.
"For me, what's most important is the peace of all of Konoha Village. And for you and other ninjas, you also have things you need to protect."
"In war, thanks to ninja protection, civilians can survive. In peacetime, ninja become the invisible shield protecting villages and countries."
"It's like the relationship between tree crown, trunk, and roots."
"Ninjas are just the root system that absorbs nutrients for the great tree of country and village, the branches that shield from wind and rain."
"And aged ninja like myself will become new nutrients, allowing more new branches to grow."
Worthy of being a man who had served as Hokage twice, he even elevated the theme a bit at the end.
Unfortunately, this speech didn't seem to move Naruto at all—there wasn't even a ripple on his face.
Under Hiruzen Sarutobi's somewhat shocked gaze, Naruto suddenly stood up.
He walked to the center of the room, turning his back to the Third Hokage.
"No."
"In my view, ninja, villages, and daimyo have no meaning."
This single sentence directly negated the Hokage, and even certain rules of the entire ninja world.
"The so-called wars in the ninja world are nothing more than a group of people who master ninjutsu attacking another group who also master ninjutsu."
"Countless ninja and civilians become corpses in this, yet everyone suffers harm—so who exactly benefits?"
"In essence, it's just a game between the high-and-mighty daimyo."
"Ninja don't engage in production, possessing special powers but only using them to harm others."
"Protection? Protect what? And protect from whom? Isn't it just protecting from other ninja?"
"Like that bridge in the Land of Waves—if ninja took action, it could be built in a very short time."
"But from what I can see, very few ninja would choose to do such things."
"The world shouldn't be like this."
When he spoke the last sentence, Naruto turned around, looking at Hiruzen Sarutobi with a stern expression.
In Naruto's conception, the existence of daimyo and ninja really wasn't as meaningful as the Marines in the pirate world.
Setting aside individual bad apples among the Marines, the overall existence of the Marines had a very clear meaning: protecting people from pirates and maintaining peace.
Regardless of how righteous this claim actually was, the Marines' existence did indeed deter the chaotic and lawless pirates.
And among pirates, a large portion of low-level pirates were just a bunch of guys who committed evil deeds under the banner of "freedom."
As one of the crew members who helped start the Great Pirate Era, Naruto could responsibly say that among these pirates, there were almost none who truly understood and embodied Captain Roger's spirit of "freedom."
This was also why he hadn't formed his own pirate crew like Shanks and Buggy.
Because he didn't see himself as a "pirate."
Although the Marines were under the World Government, along with those foul-smelling "Celestial Dragon" nobles.
They had also done many cruel things.
But such casualties were still far fewer compared to the friction wars between the Five Great Nations.
On one side was the World Government that maintained order but hid certain fundamental problems; on the other were the ninja world's great nations that warred against each other, using civilians and ninja as expendable chess pieces.
Naruto agreed with neither.
After saying this, he didn't look at the headband he'd left on Hiruzen Sarutobi's desk and was about to turn and leave.
"Naruto, what do you want to do?"
Honestly, when the Third asked this question, his unease had reached its peak.
He had originally noticed the changes in Naruto and thought that having Kakashi lead the team might help find the cause.
He hadn't expected that after returning from this mission, Naruto would simply lay all his cards on the table.
With the Third's wisdom, it wasn't hard to understand these things—he was just limited by his perspective and era.
For the Third, the existence of daimyo was indeed natural and had always been so.
But was "always been so" necessarily right?
"Third Grandpa, perhaps I should go out and walk around, see what this ninja world is really like."
"What?"
"Naruto, do you know what you're saying?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked incredulous. He thought the other party just planned to vent, not actually leave the village.
In ninja villages, this could seriously be considered "defection."
But whether as Hiruzen Sarutobi or as "Grandpa Third," he didn't want Naruto to leave like this.
Not to mention Naruto was a jinchuriki—even if he agreed, other Konoha higher-ups would demand Naruto's pursuit.
Then, even if he was unwilling, he would have to take action against Naruto.
This would undoubtedly tear at his heart.
With the Chunin Exams approaching and ninja from other villages flooding into Konoha, if they discovered Naruto's true identity, it would be dangerous for both Naruto and Konoha.
...Wait, the Chunin Exams?
Like a flash of inspiration, Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly spoke.
"Wait, Naruto."
Hearing the voice, Naruto turned around, waiting for what came next.
"Next, the village will hold exams for Genin to advance to Chunin. It won't be too late to leave after the exams end."
The Third was desperate, saying whatever came to mind.
Both publicly and privately, he didn't want to personally arrest Naruto or give others that excuse—he could only delay for now.
But mentioning the Chunin Exams, Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly felt his words flowing more smoothly, so he continued.
"Right, your Team 7 will also participate in these exams."
To this, Naruto just gave the Third Hokage a puzzled look.
As if to say, what does this have to do with whether I leave or not?
"According to Chunin Exam rules, each team must consist of three members. Teams that don't meet the numbers requirement lose qualification—there's no time now to find a qualified Genin to replace you."
By the end, this old man actually had a slight smile on his face.
Naruto was speechless.
"...Really now."
[Chapter Complete]
***
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