"Tch! Why doesn't that human brat fight back? So weak!"
Kurama had been watching the scene unfold too, but even he couldn't hold back his frustration.
"Yeah… I can't understand why he doesn't fight back either."
Naruto combed through the anime plot in his mind and realized—this was how Rock Lee's childhood went. The only reason Lee ever grew strong was because of Might Guy.
Minato Namikaze hesitated before offering a thought.
"Maybe it's because he just can't win? There are so many people bullying him—if he fought back and still lost…"
"I disagree, Father."
Naruto's voice was calm, but firm.
"Whether someone can win is a matter of ability. But whether they choose to fight back is a matter of attitude."
"And it is attitude that determines a person's fate."
He glanced back toward Lee.
"Look at him. Silent endurance only teaches others that he's weak."
"Silence is the destiny of the bullied. Only by speaking out can you begin to change your fate."
In Konoha, someone like Lee might be lucky enough to earn Might Guy's favor.
But in the world Naruto came from, someone like Lee would be devoured—down to the bone.
With Lee's potential, he could have become a legend even Uchiha Madara would acknowledge.
Yet in the end, he became little more than a "twelve rookies" side character swept along by the story.
Naruto took one last look at the bloodied Rock Lee, still enduring in silence by the training post—then turned and walked away.
Inside the sealed space, Minato was left speechless.
That bullied boy reminded him of Kushina Uzumaki.
She had been bullied constantly at the Academy too. To avoid being looked down upon, she once shouted in class that she would become the first female Hokage.
And she never backed down.
She fought back with everything she had—and beat up every classmate who mocked her.
"…Sigh."
Minato let out a long breath.
He was growing increasingly worried about Naruto's mindset.
And the more he thought about everything his son had endured in the village, the deeper his frown became.
"Fourth Hokage, what's with that face?" Kurama grinned, clearly delighted by Naruto's sharpness. "The brat's right, you know!"
Naruto soon arrived at the entrance of a noodle shop. Seeing the sign, he paused.
Ichiraku Ramen.
The legendary place.
"Father… are you afraid I'll do something to Konoha?"
Naruto asked this softly within the mental realm as he continued walking.
He didn't even like noodles.
Minato forced an awkward smile. "You're not planning to hurt the village, are you, Naruto…?"
After taking two familiar turns toward home, Naruto stopped.
"Seems like you don't really understand me, Father."
"Er… I…"
Minato wanted to say it—he really didn't understand what his son was thinking.
"Relax. As long as they don't bring it upon themselves, I won't do anything to Konoha."
"Besides, I'm not even a genin yet. What are you worried about?"
Naruto's tone stayed light—yet every word was sharp.
"I'm not stupid. Why would I act out and draw attention to myself?"
"That would make them see me as a threat… and make it harder to hide my real intentions."
Naruto's words sent a chill through Minato's heart.
Because Minato understood—the sentence had an unspoken premise.
A cold wind swept by. Heavy snow began to fall again.
Since no one was following him today, Naruto decided it was time to return home and begin training.
Earlier, after Kurama replenished Minato's chakra, Minato had offered to teach Naruto immediately.
But Naruto knew he had limited free time each day—rare hours when he could move without being watched.
He didn't want to waste that freedom.
He cherished the ability to walk openly.
Sometimes, he even felt the urge to run wildly through the streets.
Kurama and Minato didn't fully understand, watching him with puzzled expressions.
But before leaving, Naruto made a point of entering the Mirror World to run a small experiment.
He discovered something important:
While Naruto's physical body remained still, if his mind entered the Mirror World, Kurama could still communicate with him through their chakra-linked connection.
But Minato couldn't.
Even after Naruto granted Minato guest access, Minato couldn't speak to him once Naruto entered the Mirror World.
Kurama was smug about it.
Minato, however, was deeply disappointed.
The thought that his bond with his son wasn't even as strong as a fox's—
That stung.
After lunch, Naruto sat at home in a chair, pretending to read.
Inside the sealed realm, Minato began teaching him.
"Naruto, you need to stop using your current chakra-refining method."
Minato frowned immediately.
"Hm? There's something wrong with it?"
Naruto's eyes sharpened.
"No, no—the method isn't wrong!" Minato waved his hands quickly. "But it's a method meant for civilians. The chakra extraction rate is inefficient…"
"Hah." Naruto's laugh held no warmth. "Our dear Hokage really does think of everything."
Kurama said nothing, but gave Minato a similarly contemptuous look.
Humans really were underhanded.
Minato swallowed his embarrassment and taught Naruto a new method.
Inside, his fury burned.
Even when Hiruzen first began teaching Naruto, Minato had already noticed this problem.
But he was dead—he couldn't interfere.
Now, he was grateful he had met Naruto early.
Without Minato's correction, and with Hiruzen's carefully designed setup, Naruto would have been doomed to remain "talented but forever behind."
Minato's method wasn't complicated.
In fact, it was simpler and far more efficient—a technique passed down from Naruto's mother: an Uzumaki clan method suited to Naruto's physique.
After mastering it, Naruto calmed his mind and began refining chakra.
He immediately felt the difference.
Power surged through his body—far more vigorous than the day before.
With a thought, he entered the Mirror World.
His challenge time had increased to a full 30 minutes.
Since he was already here, he didn't waste it.
A voice inside urged him toward greater strength.
He approached Izumo Kamizuki and initiated another challenge.
This wasn't suffering.
It was growth.
Sure, it drained him mentally—but Naruto wasn't someone who chose comfort when he could fight.
The Next Morning
Naruto woke up slightly fatigued.
Kurama immediately reported something strange.
"Last night, after you fell asleep, the person who usually comes to switch shifts for your surveillance… suddenly ordered all ANBU to withdraw."
Naruto frowned.
He asked Minato, but even he didn't understand.
What was Hiruzen Sarutobi playing at?
First, he removed the daytime tail.Then he even withdrew the 24/7 surveillance.
Naruto didn't dwell on it.
After washing up and eating breakfast, he digested the Mirror World reward from last night—reviewing the early-stage combat experience gained from Izumo Kamizuki.
When he stepped outside disguised again, he realized—
Last night had been anything but peaceful.
He wandered to a newspaper stand and reached for a paper when he overheard hushed voices:
"Hey, did you hear? One of the Cloud heads who came yesterday was killed!"
"What? No way! Weren't they here to sign a peace treaty with Konoha?!"
"It's true. I heard someone from the Hyūga clan did it!"
"Yeah, it was a huge mess last night. The people from the Land of Lightning carried the body and stood outside the Hyūga compound, demanding the killer be handed over—or they'd go to war!"
"What?! War?! But the village doesn't look like it's preparing…"
"It's all thanks to the Hokage. He protected the village's peace. I saw him lead a bunch of high-level ninja to the Hyūga compound and force them to hand over the killer. Otherwise, it would've escalated."
"But the treaty's off. The Cloud people left in the middle of the night."
"Tch! The Hyūga killed someone—why should the village take the blame? They even ruined the alliance—disgraceful."
"Yeah. What a loss."
Naruto understood immediately.
He paid the vendor, took the latest paper, and left without a word.
This was the incident where Hinata Hyūga was nearly kidnapped by Kumogakure (Hidden Cloud Village).
They were never here to sign a treaty.
They came to provoke conflict.
Their goal was obvious:
Steal the power of the Byakugan.
In the end, Hyūga Hizashi—the twin brother of the clan head Hyūga Hiashi—was forced to die in his place to satisfy the Cloud's demands.
The Hyūga's Main Branch vs. Branch Family system was rotten to the core.
The branch family were born into servitude—marked with the Caged Bird Seal.
That seal restricted their Byakugan and allowed the main family to control them—
even destroy their brain tissue at will.
It was slavery.
Hizashi had long wanted to resist this fate.
And perhaps choosing to die that night…
was the only decision he ever truly made for himself.
As the plot replayed in Naruto's mind, one thought surfaced:
What role did the Third Hokage really play this time?
Konoha had fought through three Great Ninja Wars.
Had they ever truly lost?
Would they really fear war?
That was a joke.
(End of Chapter)