Hiruzen slammed his staff down, silencing the council. "The Sarutobi are loyal! I will not hear baseless accusations—"
But Danzo stepped closer, his eye glinting with false sorrow.
"Loyalty? Or convenience? They had the access. They had the opportunity. And now, Naruto is gone. Tell me, Hiruzen… how many times will your softness endanger this village?"
The silence in the room was sharp. Even Hiruzen felt the pressure mounting against him.
He wanted to deny it. But the flames in his clan's compound, the perfectly timed disappearance—it all pointed back. Someone wanted him to believe this.
And it was working.
Danzo folded his arms. "If you are too weak to act, then allow Root to handle this. My operatives will scour every nation, every hidden path. We will bring the boy back—no matter the cost."
Hiruzen's staff trembled under his grip. He knew what Danzo truly wanted: control over Naruto. The Nine-Tails in Root's hands would mean the end of balance in Konoha.
But what choice did he have?
The council watched, waiting. The village demanded action.
And Naruto's trail grew colder with every passing breath.
Far beyond the walls of Konoha, I stood in the forest, Naruto asleep against my shoulder. His small breaths were steady, his body warm.
Through the leaves, I could see smoke still rising from the village. The trap had worked perfectly.
The Sarutobi were blamed. Danzo was stirring his schemes. Hiruzen was trapped between fury and despair.
And in the center of it all, the boy everyone wanted—the boy the world would fight over—was mine.
I smiled, turning away from the sight of Konoha's chaos.
"Sleep well, Naruto," I whispered. "While your old world burns, I'll build you a new one."
The forest clearing was quiet, broken only by the crackle of a small fire. I had set Naruto down on a bed of leaves, his small frame curled in sleep.
When his eyes finally fluttered open, they were wide and confused, darting around the unfamiliar trees.
"W-where am I?!" he shouted, sitting up so quickly he toppled backward. "This isn't my room! Hey—HEY! Old man Hokage! Where are you?!"
His voice rang through the trees like a bell, loud enough to wake half the forest. My eye twitched.
Naruto scrambled to his feet, fists clenched. His eyes watered, his nose scrunched up.
"Take me back! I don't wanna be here! Let me go, you bastard!" he yelled at me, stomping like a child throwing a fit. "You can't just kidnap me! I'll tell everyone! The whole village will come for me!"
I stared at him silently, letting his tantrum burn itself out. His voice cracked, tears threatening, but still he kept shouting.
"Take me back right now, or—or I'll—!"
My hand shot out before he could finish.
THWACK!
I rapped him hard on the crown of his head with my knuckles. Not enough to injure, but enough to drop him to his knees clutching his scalp.
"OWWWWWW!" he wailed, rolling on the ground. "That hurt! What the hell was that for?!"
I crouched over him, my Mangekyō glowing faintly in the firelight. My voice was cold, sharp, but steady.
"For being loud. For being foolish. And for forgetting one important thing, boy."
Naruto sniffled, glaring up at me through watery eyes. "W-what thing?!"
I flicked him on the forehead again, lighter this time. "That no one in that village would have come for you."
His eyes widened. His mouth opened to shout back—but no words came.
I sat down beside him, pulling him upright by the scruff like a stray pup.
"Listen well, Naruto. You can scream, you can cry, you can hate me all you like. But you're mine now. My son. And I won't let Konoha use you as their weapon, not ever."
He blinked, still holding his head, confusion swirling in his small blue eyes. "Your… son?"
"Yes." My tone was final, like stone sealing a tomb. "That means I'll raise you, protect you, and yes—discipline you when you act like a fool. Even if that means using the iron fist of love until you learn to listen."
Naruto pouted, rubbing his head. "Tch. Some love that is…"
But the tears had stopped. The shouting had quieted. He stayed close to me, glaring but unwilling to move.
The fire crackled between us, throwing long shadows. Naruto sat cross-legged, sulking, but I saw it—the smallest spark of acceptance.
He didn't trust me. Not yet. But the loneliness in his eyes was something I knew well.
And I would fill that void, even if I had to drag him through tears and tantrums.
I ruffled his messy blond hair roughly, making him yelp. "Get used to it, brat. You're mine now."
For the first time, he didn't argue.