"This is the first time someone has been so proactive in showing me kindness."
Little Naruto was very wary.
He picked up the grilled fish that Hiruzen Sarutobi had approached and was about to place it in front of himself.
"Thank you~ You're such a good boy~"
Hiruzen Sarutobi, however, mistakenly thought that little Naruto was just not good with words, but deep down, he had a good impression of him, an Old Man who exuded kindness.
"You…!" Little Naruto's eyes widened, and he was about to forcefully pull back.
However, just as Hiruzen Sarutobi bent down to take the grilled fish.
Little Naruto noticed his clothing.
'Fire?'
'Hokage?!'
'Third Hokage-sama?'
A phrase he had heard a few days ago, from a child, suddenly came to mind.
'Grandpa Third Hokage,' this phrase undoubtedly revealed information about the Third Hokage's age.
Ultimately, the undercooked grilled fish was still taken by Hiruzen Sarutobi, who took a bite.
Little Naruto narrowed his eyes slightly, 'So that's it, no wonder the Ninja monitoring me didn't stop him.'
'So this overly familiar Old Man in front of me is the boss of those bastards!'
'Third Hokage… Third Hokage!'
'So it was he who set me up!'
'These people, he sent them to monitor me!'
'If I hadn't resisted the whispers in my mind, I would definitely be living a very hard life… This Old Man appearing in front of me now… and acting so friendly and kind, he's probably trying to gain my trust.'
'Because I am a fox demon, I possess extremely powerful strength, so… everything this dead Old Man is doing is to gain my trust and obtain the power within me?!'
In just a few breaths, thoughts flashed continuously through little Naruto's mind.
Ōnoki: "Indeed, Black-Framed Naruto never disappoints!"
Ōnoki: "I've decided, Naruto, if you are willing to come to Iwagakure, I will personally arrange a marriage for you and Kurotsuchi!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi: "Enough, Ōnoki! Are you saying Konoha has no one?!"
Fourth Raikage: "Ho~ Third Hokage, you Old Man really have thick skin!"
Fourth Raikage: "No wonder you just snatched Black-Framed Naruto's grilled fish, you shameless Old Man, although our Hidden Cloud Village's methods are also dirty, we are openly dirty and dare to admit it, you Old Man are truly nauseating!"
Mei Terumī: "Hehe, Third Hokage, you'd better be honest, some things, you will have to pay back."
Senju Tobirama: Let me state, I, as their teacher, feel deeply ashamed of what the Old Monkey and Danzo have done!
Uchiha Izuna: Give it a rest, you. Earlier, when Hiruzen Sarutobi said he inherited your Will of Fire, didn't you acknowledge it?
Uchiha Izuna: Now that the situation isn't going your way, you want to distance yourself?
Uzumaki Mito: Alright, let's not talk about annoying things. I want to see how Kushina's child will handle this.
The chat room then fell silent.
"Thank you very much, this fish is delicious~" Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a chuckle.
However, because it was undercooked, his mouth was full of fishy taste.
Little Naruto merely glanced at him indifferently.
"I didn't say I was giving it to you, you snatched it yourself."
"This is a fish I caught, and I grilled it myself. One… ten thousand Ryo, otherwise you won't be leaving tonight."
Gah—
The smile on Hiruzen Sarutobi's old face froze.
Little Naruto's reaction was completely beyond his expectation.
Logically, it shouldn't be like this.
'Is it because of fear?'
'Yes, the Anbu couldn't have submitted false information.'
'This child has suffered too many grievances and stimuli recently, and now he is in a state of complete defensiveness.'
'My appearance was a bit abrupt.'
'No matter, I will deliver his living expenses for a while.'
Thinking of this, a smile reappeared on Hiruzen Sarutobi's old face, and he said: "Alright, alright, it's worth it."
"Ten thousand Ryo?"
"That's fine."
Hearing this, little Naruto looked at him suspiciously.
'So readily? Did I ask for too little?'
Uzumaki Kushina: Of course, that's too little!!
Uzumaki Kushina: The inheritance Mom left behind is more than that!
Uzumaki Kushina: Even without counting cash, any of the other Ninjutsu scrolls or sealing Jutsu-related scrolls, if you just take one out, it's worth more than a pitiful ten thousand Ryo!
Uzumaki Kushina: Three thousand Ryo a month… Old Monkey! You're really generous! Where's my inheritance? Don't tell me you don't plan to give it to Naruto!
Beep—
Soon, Kushina was muted again.
Kushina had expected it, but she was still fuming.
Her beautiful long red hair stood upright.
Suddenly, she sensed something and snapped her head back.
Her fierce look made Uchiha Mikoto freeze in place.
"Oh~ What a coincidence, Kushina… I didn't think we'd meet again after death."
The grilled fish was still a bit hot, but Hiruzen Sarutobi ate it with great relish.
For no other reason, a ten thousand Ryo grilled fish had to be delicious, even if it wasn't.
"Are you very short on money?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly asked. Didn't the Anbu report say that no one sold things to him?
Only the near-expired food store that received his orders would accept transactions from him.
'Then, it must be Ichiraku Ramen. Naruto has indeed been going to the Ichiraku Ramen shop frequently during this time.'
Little Naruto glanced at him, "I only get three thousand Ryo a month, is that a lot?"
"After eating ramen a few times, I'm out of money."
Indeed, Hiruzen Sarutobi thought to himself.
He then skipped over this topic.
"Your grilled fish technique is quite good."
Little Naruto frowned slightly.
'Third Hokage… the boss of those bastards… Third Hokage…'
After connecting the pieces of information he had obtained.
Little Naruto found a problem.
Is this Old Man in front of him really the strongest Hokage in this Village?
'Impossible, right?'
'He's probably a subordinate of the Hokage or something.'
Orochimaru's lips curled into a slight smile, "Black-Framed Naruto's insight is very strong, he quickly discovered the truth."
"What truth?!" Hiruzen Sarutobi's face darkened.
"Of course, it's how could an Old Man like you be the Hokage?"
"True, after all, you love that position so much, you'd cling to it even in death."
"Because of that… how many people in Konoha with the potential to be Hokage… hehe."
In contrast, Ōnoki of Iwagakure was having a harder time.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was clinging to the Hokage position.
Ōnoki, on the other hand, was troubled by the lack of a successor. He finally got a disciple with the potential to become the Fourth Tsuchikage.
But… without paying attention, the kid was lured away to research some explosive art.
Before he even had a chance to express his stance on the incident, the kid actually declared himself a rogue Ninja.
Soon, Hiruzen Sarutobi got to the point.
"Look at the stars in the sky."
Hmm?!
Everyone became interested.
"Each of those stars, actually, is just like the sun we see."
Hiruzen Sarutobi felt the time was right, so he pointed at the stars in the sky and said.
Little Naruto ignored him, but still looked up at the sky. It was beautiful, full of stars.
He looked down and another grilled fish was gone.
This Old Man is really shameless, still daring to snatch my grilled fish?
"Twenty thousand Ryo."
Hiruzen Sarutobi: "..."
"Ahem, this world is very big, it seems to have no end."
"Do you know?"
"..."
Little Naruto didn't pay attention to him, and Hiruzen Sarutobi wasn't annoyed, he just kept talking to himself.
Finally, Hiruzen Sarutobi finished speaking.
He finally asked: "You are also a child of Konoha, do you know…"
"Not interested, and also, remember to give me twenty thousand Ryo."
Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head helplessly, 'This child's guard won't be let down anytime soon. Although it will take a lot of time, the trust gained in the future will be greater.'
So, Hiruzen Sarutobi used his ultimate move. He feigned a profound demeanor and said:
"Where the leaves dance, the fire burns on."
....
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