The Sarutobi residence is on elevated ground in one of Konohagakure's more prestigious districts, its traditional architecture speaking of generations of shinobi history. The afternoon sun cast long shadows across the well-maintained gardens as Naruto bounded through the gates, still clutching his basket of tomatoes and adjusting his new hat with his free hand. The compound guards smiled at his approach, offering respectful nods that he returned with enthusiastic waves.
"Grandpa's home, right?" Naruto called out to one of them.
"In his study, young lord. He's been reviewing reports all afternoon."
Naruto made a face at the word 'reports'—they sounded almost as boring as meetings—but his excitement couldn't be dampened. He had so much to tell his grandfather! He burst through the main entrance, nearly colliding with one of the household staff who was carrying a tea tray.
"Naruto-kun! Please be careful!"
"Sorry, Miss Hana!" he called over his shoulder, already racing toward the stairs.
The Sarutobi residence was large but not ostentatious, filled with the warmth of a lived-in home rather than the cold formality of a clan estate. Weapons and scrolls lined some walls, but family photographs and children's drawings occupied just as much space. Naruto's own artwork—crude but enthusiastic depictions of his grandfather wearing the Hokage hat, of Asuma teaching him to throw kunai, of the village itself—hung in several prominent places, displayed with the same care as centuries-old clan artifacts.
Naruto took the stairs two at a time, his sandals slapping against the polished wood. The gifts cover placed in the basket bounced against his side, and he had to grab his hat twice to keep it from flying off. His energy seemed boundless, filling the quiet house with life and noise in a way that had become comforting to those who lived there.
He reached the second floor and made a sharp turn toward Hiruzen's private study. The door was partially open, and through it, Naruto could see his grandfather's hunched figure silhouetted against the afternoon light streaming through the window. For a moment—just a moment—something about the scene made Naruto pause. There was a heaviness to the way Hiruzen sat, a weariness in the set of his shoulders that the boy couldn't quite name but could somehow feel.
But then his excitement rushed back, drowning out that brief flicker of concern. He had news! Important news! Hero news!
"Grandpa!" Naruto announced his presence loudly, bursting through the door with all the subtlety of a summer storm.
Hiruzen looked up from the document he'd been studying—a report marked with the red seal of the Intelligence Division, its contents grave enough to have kept him frowning for the better part of an hour. But before he could set it aside or even speak, Naruto was already in motion.
The boy deposited his basket of tomatoes and his previous purchases on the low table near the door with a clatter, then charged forward. His small body became a missile of pure enthusiasm, and before Hiruzen could brace himself, Naruto launched into the air.
"Naruto, wait—!"
Too late. The boy's head connected squarely with Hiruzen's stomach with all the force of a six-year-old's full-speed tackle. The impact drove the air from the old Hokage's lungs in a whoosh, and he let out an involuntary groan that was half pain, half exasperation.
"Oof! Oh, you brat!" Hiruzen wheezed, one hand automatically coming up to steady Naruto while the other clutched his abused midsection. "You're going to hurt this old man if you jump that hard onto me!"
Naruto, completely unbothered by his grandfather's discomfort, had already made himself comfortable in Hiruzen's lap, grinning up at him with those impossibly blue eyes. "But Grandpa, you're the Hokage! You should be strong! What if someone punches you harder than my head smash? That's why I'm training your stomach for it—to have the strength to absorb the impact!"
Hiruzen stared at his adopted grandson, momentarily speechless. The logic was so absurd, yet delivered with such earnest conviction, that he didn't know whether to laugh or groan again. "Training my stomach?" he repeated slowly. "You brat, where did you learn that nonsense from?"
"Well," Naruto said, drawing out the word as he settled more comfortably against Hiruzen's chest, "Uncle Asuma told me that you're getting weak and that I should help you train by doing head smashes whenever I see you! He said it's good for building resistance or something. He uses really big words sometimes."
Hiruzen's eye twitched. "Asuma," he said, his voice dropping to a dangerous register that would have made seasoned jōnin nervous. "That son of mine refuses to listen to what I'm saying, and now he's sending you—sending you!—to assault me under the guise of 'training.' Using you as his proxy for his rebellious streak. The next time I see him, I am going to—"
"Grandpa! Grandpa, look!" Naruto interrupted, suddenly remembering his most important treasure of the day. He scrambled off Hiruzen's lap and rushed back to the table, snatching up the small hat he'd purchased. He placed it carefully on his head—still too large, still sitting at that endearing angle—and spun around with his arms outstretched. "How is my hat? Isn't it cool?"
Hiruzen's threat toward Asuma died on his lips as he looked at his grandson. The boy stood there beaming, the miniature Hokage hat perched precariously on his blond head, his entire face radiating pride and joy. The sight was so purely, innocently happy that Hiruzen felt his earlier irritation melt away like snow in spring sunshine.
Before he could respond, Naruto was already talking again, words tumbling out in an excited rush. "And today, Grandpa, today I did something really important! I was walking through the streets, right? And everyone was being super nice, and Mrs. Tanaka gave us tomatoes—they're in that basket—and Mr. Hiroshi sold me this hat, and then, and then I heard these kids being mean!"
The boy paced as he talked, his hands gesturing wildly, his hat slipping and being pushed back up repeatedly. "There were three of them, and they were bullying this girl! A Hyūga girl with short hair and these really pale eyes. And they were saying mean things about her being weak and stuff. So you know what I did?"
Hiruzen leaned back in his chair, a small smile playing at his lips despite his fatigue. "What did you do, Naruto?"
"I ran right up to them!" Naruto declared, demonstrating by running in place. "And I stood between them and the girl, and I told them to stop! And this one fat kid wanted to fight me, but then they figured out I was your grandson, and you should have seen their faces, Grandpa! They got so scared! So I told them—" He paused for dramatic effect, his expression becoming comically serious. "I told them that if they ever bullied anyone again, you'd send them to the ANBU for training! And that they wouldn't get any food! Only water! And they'd have to run around the village a thousand times! And do push-ups on one finger! And—"
"Naruto," Hiruzen interjected gently, though his eyes were twinkling with amusement. "Did you perhaps... exaggerate slightly?"
"Maybe a little," Naruto admitted, grinning sheepishly. "But it worked! They ran away! And the girl stopped crying! Well, she started crying a little bit when I was listing the punishments, but then I told her my name and that I'd protect her if they bothered her again!" He puffed out his chest. "I fulfilled my duty as the future Hokage, right? I protected someone!"
He rushed back to Hiruzen, pointing emphatically at his hat. "See? I even got the hat! I will be the Hokage, Grandpa! Just like you! Believe it!"
Hiruzen looked at his grandson—this bright, enthusiastic child who had been burdened with a terrible secret from birth, who carried the Nine-Tails within him, who could have been crushed by fear and hatred. Instead, here he stood, declaring his dream to protect others, to become Hokage, wearing that ridiculous hat and smiling as if the world held nothing but possibilities.
"Yeah, yeah," Hiruzen said, his voice softer than his words suggested. "You sure will be."
Naruto's grin threatened to split his face in two.
"But," Hiruzen continued, holding up one finger, "before that can happen, you have to go to the Academy."
The word hung in the air like a kunai. Naruto's smile faltered. "Academy?"
"Yes, the Academy," Hiruzen confirmed, his tone taking on the patient cadence of a teacher. "You'll need to study there and pass all the tests and evaluations. Only then can you become a full-fledged ninja of Konohagakure. You'll join the school tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?!" Naruto's voice cracked slightly. "But... but why school? I'm training with Uncle Asuma already! He teaches me stuff! Why do I have to go to school and take tests and..." His face scrunched up with worry, the hat sliding forward over his eyes. He pushed it back impatiently.
Hiruzen stood, his old joints protesting slightly, and walked over to Naruto. He knelt down—with some effort—until he was eye level with the boy. "Because, Naruto, to be a shinobi of the Leaf means being part of something greater than yourself. Asuma can teach you some things, yes. But at the Academy, you'll learn with others. You'll train with them, grow with them, understand what it means to be part of a team."
"But I like training with Uncle Asuma," Naruto protested weakly.
"And Asuma won't be there every day," Hiruzen said gently. "He has his own duties, his own missions. You can't rely on just one person, Naruto. A Hokage needs to understand all kinds of people, work with all kinds of ninja. The Academy is where that begins."
He placed both hands on Naruto's small shoulders. "You will join the school as everyone does. You'll study there, train there, make friends there. Every Hokage started at the Academy—your grandfather included. Even Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage, sat in those same classrooms once."
At the mention of the Fourth Hokage, Naruto's eyes widened slightly. Hiruzen rarely spoke directly about Minato to him, and when he did, it always felt important.
"Really?" Naruto asked quietly.
"Really," Hiruzen confirmed. "Being Hokage isn't just about being strong, Naruto. It's about wisdom, strategy, understanding people, knowing history, mastering theory as well as practice. All of that starts at the Academy."
Naruto was quiet for a long moment, processing this. His earlier enthusiasm had dimmed but not disappeared entirely—it never truly disappeared with Naruto. Instead, it was transforming, adapting to this new information.
"Will I make friends there?" he asked, and there was something vulnerable in the question that made Hiruzen's heart ache.
"I believe you will," Hiruzen said honestly. "You already made one today, didn't you? That Hyūga girl?"
"Hinata," Naruto said, and then his expression brightened slightly. "Yeah! Yeah, maybe she'll be at the Academy too! And then I can protect her if those bullies come back!" The enthusiasm was creeping back into his voice. "And maybe I'll meet other kids who want to be Hokage too! And we can train together! And—"
"And you'll need to study hard," Hiruzen reminded him, though he was smiling now. "Tests, remember? Reading, writing, history, chakra theory..."
Naruto's face fell again. "That sounds boring."
"Parts of it will be," Hiruzen admitted with brutal honesty. "But that's part of being a shinobi too—doing the difficult, boring things because they're necessary. Can you do that, Naruto? Can you be patient and work hard, even when it's not exciting?"
Naruto bit his lip, his small hands clenching into fists. Then, with a determination that seemed too large for his small body, he nodded. "If that's what it takes to be Hokage... then yeah! I'll do it! I'll study super hard! I'll pass all the tests! I'll be the best student they ever had!"
"That's my boy," Hiruzen said warmly, ruffling Naruto's bright hair and dislodging the hat in the process. "Tomorrow morning, we'll walk to the Academy together. I'll introduce you to the instructors. You'll get your own forehead protector someday, just like every ninja. But first, you start at the beginning, just like everyone else."
Naruto picked up his fallen hat, looking at it thoughtfully. "Even if I'm your grandson? I still have to start at the beginning?"
"Especially because you're my grandson," Hiruzen said firmly. "I won't have anyone saying you received special treatment or that you didn't earn your place. You'll work for it, Naruto. You'll prove yourself through your own efforts. That's the only way the title of Hokage means anything."
Naruto considered this, then slowly nodded. The logic made sense to him—he wanted to be recognized for being Naruto, not just for being the Hokage's grandson. He wanted to earn it.
"Okay," he said finally, placing the hat back on his head with renewed determination. "Tomorrow, I start my path to becoming Hokage for real! At the Academy!"
"That's right," Hiruzen agreed. "Now, why don't you go wash up? And thank you for the tomatoes—tell Mrs. Tanaka I appreciate them. We'll have them with dinner tonight."
Naruto nodded and turned to leave, but paused at the door. "Grandpa?"
"Yes?"
"Will you still have time to teach me stuff? Even when I'm at the Academy?"
Hiruzen's expression softened. "Of course. Every evening, if I'm not needed for village emergencies, we'll train together. Just like always. The Academy doesn't replace our time together—it adds to it."
Satisfied, Naruto grinned one more time. "Okay! I'm gonna go tell the tomatoes about my day!" He paused. "Wait, that doesn't make sense. I'm gonna go... do something!" And with that eloquent declaration, he bounded out of the room, his footsteps thundering down the stairs.
Hiruzen listened to the sound of his grandson's energy filling the house, then turned back to his desk. The intelligence report still lay there, its contents no less troubling than before. But somehow, the weight felt lighter. He picked up the document again, but not before glancing at the doorway where Naruto had disappeared.
Tomorrow would begin a new chapter for the boy. The Academy would bring new challenges, new relationships, new dangers perhaps. But Hiruzen had faith—faith in the seal, faith in the village's ability to see Naruto as more than his burden, and most of all, faith in Naruto himself.
The boy would be fine. More than fine. He would shine.
And someday, that ridiculous hat would fit perfectly.