"I'm home." said Mikoto, opening the door to her house.
"..."
Mikoto could only sigh. Today, she was alone again.
But when she remembered her "date" earlier, her cheeks flushed.
She dropped her groceries and held her cheeks.
"Ugh... Why? What's happening to me?" She didn't understand what was happening to her at all.
Not even Fugaku had ever made her feel this way.
"No way. Could this be...love?" Mikoto thought in disbelief.
She doubted her own feelings. Didn't she already have a husband? Didn't she love him? If so, then what was she feeling right now?
Did she not love her husband?
"..."
Mikoto wasn't someone who believed in love too much. She thought love grew over time.
Even when she first met Fugaku, she admired his ninja skills, believing that love would grow between them despite their initial lack of romantic feelings for each other.
However, the feeling she was experiencing right now, grew suddenly thanks to someone she had just met.
It was a strange feeling that made her mind hazy, a pleasant sensation, like eating sweets. It all felt so foreign, yet she wanted it more and more.
All of this made Mikoto's heart waver. Doubt gnawed at her.
Had her love for her husband not grown at all over the years?
She thought of her husband, who was cold and always appeared indifferent. But that was just an act, he was gentle and truly cared about the people around him.
Mikoto liked that side of her husband. But when she thought of Souji again, Thoughts of her husband slowly faded and a warm feeling spread through her chest.
"..."
She tried to put her feelings aside by thinking about her two children, but that made her feelings and thoughts uncontrollable.
Moreover, Souji was still very young. In fact, he looked the same age as her son, Sasuke.
She thought of someone younger than herself who was passionate about her, an old woman. Somehow, she liked it.
But that made her feel like a bad wife and mother.
"Ah, Souji-kun, what have you done to me?"
"..."
"..."
———————————————————
"Achoo!" Souji rubbed his itchy nose.
"Someone seems to be thinking about me." Souji said.
Naruto, who was washing the dishes, responded, "Eh? Really? I wonder who's thinking about you, Dad."
"..."
[Uchiha Mikoto: Heart: 70%
Mood: Confused by her feelings, but happy.
Thoughts: Ah... Souji-kun... Souji-kun... Souji-kun...
Lust: 75%
Satisfaction: 0%]
"..."
"Your future mother." Souji said.
"..."
"Huh?"
"..."
While they washed the dishes, they talked about light things and how awkward Naruto was when calling Souji "Dad.", But then, It slowly disappeared.
As he became more comfortable and relaxed, he became the usual Naruto.
No.
He became the real Naruto, not the Naruto who covered his sadness and loneliness with the spirit and cheerfulness he showed to people.
He stopped pretending. If he was sad, he would be sad. If he was happy, he would be happy. He no longer covered his true feelings.
Knock knock knock
They heard a knock on the door. "Naruto, can you see who's knocking on the door while I clean all this up?"
"Of course." Naruto answered happily.
"..."
Souji had thought about this before and could guess who was coming.
Was it an Anbu or Hiruzen?
Hiruzen. No doubt.
Souji wanted to know how Hiruzen would handle the situation. Would he try to separate Souji from Naruto? Or did he have another plan?
"..."
After finishing the dishes and tidying up the cooking utensils, Souji went to the living room where he found Naruto talking to an old man dressed in white and red. Naruto, realizing Souji had arrived, greeted him, "Dad! This is the old man Hokage I told you about."
Twitch
Hiruzen's face twitched when Naruto called Souji "Dad."
"Oh?" Souji raised his eyebrows. Then he greeted Hiruzen and introduced himself "I am Souji, Naruto's father."
Twitch
Hiruzen's face twitched again upon hearing that from Souji.
Hiruzen tried to put aside his annoyance. "Hm, nice to meet you, Souji."
"So, Souji, why do you call yourself Naruto's father?" Hiruzen asked, curious about the reason behind it. He had also heard about it from Kakashi and Naruto, and now he wanted to know what was on the mind of the boy in front of him.
"Why... huh?" Souji continued. "Both of us don't have parents."
"I don't really mind, but Naruto is different. Whenever we talk about parents, he looks sad."
Souji smiled at Naruto. "That's why I want Naruto to have a father. I'm happy to be a father to him so he can be more cheerful and stop thinking about sad things."
Hiruzen nodded, satisfied with Souji's reasoning. His impression of Souji was now very good.
Naruto, who had heard this, couldn't say anything, he could only give his best smile.
"But Souji, Do you know that people call Naruto the incarnation of the demon fox? What do you think about that?"
"I don't care what they say. For me, Naruto is Naruto."
"... "
Naruto remained silent and smiled, but his smile faded when he heard Hiruzen's words.
"Do you know, Souji? Your parents died because of the demon fox that attacked Konoha."
"..."
This was, new to Souji. He had never thought his parents died because of the Kyubi because he didn't remember his life in this world. This information was important to him. But he didn't overreact.
He only acted surprised when he heard it from Hiruzen.
But Naruto?
His gaze was empty.
'Me...? Who killed Souji's parents?' Naruto thought.
He didn't expect to be the cause of Souji becoming an orphan or the source of his problems and difficulties.
Hiruzen waited to see what Souji would say. He had done it on purpose to see how Souji would react. Would he stay away from Naruto? Or would he still accept him?
Souji looked at the silent Naruto. Naruto, who felt Souji was looking at him, didn't want to look back.
However, Naruto forced himself to look at Souji, knowing it might be the last time.
Naruto looked at Souji and smiled bitterly.
"..."
"Naruto is not a nine-tailed fox. He is a resident of Konoha Village." Souji continued, smiling at Naruto. "And he is my son. His name is Uzumaki Naruto."
Naruto, upon hearing this, could no longer hold back his tears and began to sob.
Souji approached him, hugged him and said, "Yosh, yosh, it's okay." Souji said, gently patting Naruto's back.
Hiruzen pulled his Hokage hat down over his eyes.
'An extraordinary fire. At his young age, he understands what a bond is. He didn't fall into the abyss of hatred.'
Hiruzen acknowledged Souji as someone with the Will of Fire.
"..."
"..."
Naruto fell asleep from mental exhaustion. He had cried for a long time.
This left Souji and Hiruzen looking at Naruto.
"Even as Hokage, I can't adopt Naruto or make him happy." Hiruzen said.
"Why not? Aren't you the Hokage? Isn't the Hokage the most powerful person in Konoha?"
Hiruzen was curious about Souji's thoughts, so he tested him.
"Unfortunately, it's not like that." Hiruzen shook his head and continued, "There is something called the Ninja Council. There, ninjas with jōnin rank are given the opportunity to vote and share their opinions."
"Not only the jōnin, but also the clan leaders."
"..."
Souji didn't know where the conversation was going, so he decided to give his opinion anyway. He chose the Hokage's side based on Konoha, not Hiruzen as a person. He wanted to make a good impression on Hiruzen, at least.
"What's the problem?" Souji asked.
Hiruzen sighed. "The jōnin voice their opinions based on Konoha, but the clan leaders? Sometimes they make decisions or voice opinions based on what's best for their clan, not the village." He added, "Moreover, Jonin who come from the same clan usually support their clan leader's decisions."
"... "
"Is Naruto's situation that complicated?" Souji asked.
Hiruzen wondered whether he should tell Souji.
"Do you believe that Naruto is the incarnation of the demon fox?"
"No." Souji answered with certainty.
Hiruzen smiled at Souji's answer.
"Souji, which is more important to you, the village or the clan?" Hiruzen asked.
Souji fell silent for a moment. He thought about the nonsense he would throw at Hiruzen.
"Village or clan?" Souji continued. "In history lessons, we learned that Konoha was formed by the Senju and Uchiha clans, along with their allied clans."
"The village is rooted in the clan, so the clan is the root that helps the village grow."
Hiruzen nodded in agreement as he heard Souji's explanation.
"What makes it important is not the village or the clan, but the intention."
"Oh?" Hiruzen was interested in Souji's answer. He had asked this question of many people. Even young, genius ninjas like Shisui and Itachi chose the village.
As for Souji? He considered them both the same.
"The clan can protest the village's policies if they are harmed, whether in the short or long term." He continued, "But the village can force the clan to comply with its policies if it has a strong reason and provides compensation for the clan's losses."
Hiruzen stroked his chin. "That makes sense, but what if they still don't want to? Even if the village has a good reason."
Souji nodded. "If that's the case, we just need to force their roots back into the ground."
Hiruzen raised his eyebrows. "Not cut or burned?"
Souji shook his head. "A tree that has some of its roots cut or burned will not be the same tree as before. And that's in a negative sense."
"So, we're going to force their roots back into the ground?" Hiruzen asked.
"Beat them." Souji replied.
"..."
Twitch
Hiruzen's face twitched again when he heard what Souji said.
"If I were Hokage, I would beat them until they realized who I am to them." Souji explained.
"Who?" Hiruzen asked.
"I am the Hokage." Souji replied.
"..."
Twitch
Hiruzen's face twitched again.
"..."
"..."
Meanwhile, Danzo, who was reviewing reports from his subordinates, suddenly became annoyed. For some reason, he really wanted to slam a door.
"..."
"..."
But, upon further thought, he realized that what Souji said was true.
"I am the Hokage." Hiruzen thought.
"..."
"..."
Bang!
The sound of a door slamming echoed through the ROOT headquarters.
"Hiruzen! You'll regret this!"
After Danzo did it, he calmed down again and his annoyance instantly vanished.
"..."
"..."
Hiruzen sighed.
He was too old for this.
"Souji, do you want to be Hokage?" Hiruzen asked.
Souji blinked.
He didn't expect Hiruzen to ask that.
But, upon further thought, was he interested in becoming Hokage?
No, he wasn't.
In fact, he wanted the daimyo position more.
However, if he had the opportunity to become Hokage, he would try it. If he became bored with the position, he could give it to someone else or to Naruto.
'Good idea.'
"If it's for the people I love, then I will become Hokage."
"Hm?" Hiruzen nodded his head. 'Not because of personal desire, but if he is needed, then he is ready to be Hokage.'
'Interesting, truly interesting.'
Hiruzen decided to tell Souji about Naruto's status as a Jinchūriki. He also decided that Souji would be the next Hokage candidate. Of course, to do so, he had to know if Souji was talented. Even if he wasn't, it wouldn't matter because his relationship with Naruto alone would give him significant value. Plus, his sharp thinking could make him one of the pillars of Konoha.
However, Hiruzen hoped that, if Souji had talent, he would be worthy of becoming a Hokage candidate.
What about Asuma, his son?
Hiruzen sighed. He had also considered Asuma as a candidate, but he lacked the necessary qualities.
It's a shame.
"..."
"Naruto... He is not the incarnation of the demon fox, but a jinchūriki."
"Jinchuriki?" Souji asked.
"Yes. A Jinchuriki is a container for a Tailed Beast. Naruto is the container for Kyubi."
"So his name is Kyubi, huh? Wait, container? Was Kyuubi put into Naruto's body? But how?" Souji asked. Of course he knew about it, but pretending not to know wouldn't hurt.
"Haven't you studied seals in school?"
"Seals... hand seals?"
Hiruzen chuckled. "No, the technique used to seal a tailed beast in humans is fuinjutsu."
"Woah... Is fuinjutsu that great?"
"Yes, fuinjutsu is that great."
"..."
"The Jinchuriki itself is a weapon for the village. So, if I were Hokage and trying to adopt Naruto..." Hiruzen said.
"Then they would think the Hokage has a dangerous weapon that could be directed at them." Souji continued.
"Correct." Hiruzen said in agreement.
"I see..." Souji continued, "In that case, I will become Hokage so that Naruto doesn't become a weapon for the village. He can become whatever he wants."
Before meeting Souji, Hiruzen had prejudiced thoughts about him. However, after meeting him, Hiruzen felt ashamed.
"Souji, I'm going to transfer you to Naruto's class. Do you mind?" Hiruzen asked.
"No, I don't mind," Souji replied. Hiruzen nodded in satisfaction.
"All right, then. Give my regards to Naruto if he wakes up." Then, Hiruzen took something out of his pocket and said, "Here's some money for you and Naruto. Use it wisely."
"Oh?" Souji took it. "Thank you, old man."
Hiruzen just chuckled softly upon hearing that.
'Konoha's future is clearly visible.'
"..."
"..."