Night.
Inside Naruto's small bedroom.
Moonlight filtered through the window, spilling gently over the narrow bed. The blond boy lay sprawled across it in an utterly unguarded posture, limbs flung wide, a thin line of drool trailing from the corner of his mouth.
From time to time, he mumbled incoherently in his sleep—
"Ramen… one more bowl…"
From the shadows of the room, an aged figure emerged soundlessly.
The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, draped in his Hokage robes, stood quietly with an unlit pipe pinched between his fingers. His gaze rested on the sleeping child—complex, heavy, and conflicted.
"So… someone is teaching him after all."
Kakashi's report from earlier that day echoed clearly in his mind.
Naruto's shuriken handling.
His combat instincts.
Even certain taijutsu movements.
None of it belonged to a child of this age.
These were not things taught at the Academy—nor techniques an orphan, unguided and alone, could ever comprehend on his own.
The Third Hokage stepped closer to the bed and slowly extended his hand, intending to probe the chakra fluctuations within Naruto's body.
"Touch him—and I'll burn that old hand of yours to ash."
A frigid voice exploded through the room!
Hiruzen's pupils shrank violently. He retreated two full steps in an instant, the pipe nearly slipping from his grasp.
He snapped his head up.
Naruto was still asleep.
His eyes remained closed.
Yet the corner of his mouth had curled into a cold, unfamiliar smile—one that absolutely did not belong to a child.
"Hmph. The dignified Hokage sneaking into a child's room in the dead of night…"
The voice was low, oppressive.
"Has Konoha truly fallen this far?"
It sounded as though it came from within Naruto's body—yet it resonated clearly throughout the air itself.
The Third Hokage steadied his breathing and spoke in a deep, controlled voice:
"Who are you? And why are you hiding inside Naruto?"
"Hiding?"
The voice scoffed softly.
"I have no interest in skulking around in the shadows."
Then, its tone sharpened—aimed directly at him.
"But you, Third Hokage… if you already suspect someone is guiding Naruto, why not simply ask him directly?"
Hiruzen fell silent for a moment before answering slowly:
"Because I cannot be certain whether that person means him harm."
Naruto's eyelids trembled.
Then—
His right eye snapped open.
A blood-red Sharingan gleamed in the darkness, three tomoe rotating slowly, radiating an eerie, unnatural light.
Hiruzen's heart clenched.
"Uchiha…?!"
"Relax, old man."
Naruto's lips split into a wild, arrogant grin that clearly wasn't his.
"I have no interest in your Konoha, nor do I care about the Uchiha clan. I'm nothing more than a wandering ronin with no one to follow."
The Third Hokage stared unblinkingly at that Sharingan, his mind racing.
The relationship between the Uchiha clan and Konoha had indeed deteriorated—but not to the point where they would dare harm the village's jinchūriki.
And this looked like genjutsu.
Yet even with ANBU surveillance in place, this control had been established silently, without triggering any alarms.
Such mastery…
Only Uchiha Shisui or Uchiha Itachi possessed genjutsu of this caliber.
And those two were the people Hiruzen trusted most.
There was no way they would do this.
Yet aside from them, no other Uchiha should possess such terrifying proficiency.
"Who are you?!" Hiruzen demanded.
"Names are meaningless."
Naruto—Madara—rolled onto his side lazily, propping his cheek up with one hand. His crimson right eye remained locked onto the Third Hokage.
"You only need to know one thing."
"This brat belongs to me now."
Hiruzen narrowed his eyes.
"You're teaching Naruto. What is your objective?"
"Objective?"
The other party laughed coldly, as though hearing a ridiculous joke.
"If I must give one…"
"…he was too useless to look at. It offended my eyes."
Hiruzen: "..."
Silence fell over the room.
After a long while, the Third Hokage suddenly sighed, the tension in his posture easing slightly.
"…You care about Naruto, don't you?"
Naruto's body snapped upright. The Sharingan widened violently.
"You senile old man—has smoke finally rotted your brain?!"
But Hiruzen smiled.
His gaze was gentle.
"Your words are harsh," he said calmly, "yet every sentence protects him."
"If he truly were nothing more than 'an eyesore,' you could have ignored him entirely. Why go through the trouble of teaching him?"
Naruto froze.
Even the tomoe in the Sharingan halted for a split second.
Damn it.
He'd forgotten about that.
Too long since he'd negotiated with anyone—he'd nearly forgotten how dangerous an old fox like this could be.
Hiruzen continued:
"And you clearly could have remained hidden… yet you chose to reveal yourself to warn me."
"You were afraid that a reckless probe might harm Naruto—weren't you?"
"Enough!"
Naruto—Madara—snatched at his hair irritably.
"Stop pretending you're clever, Hokage!"
Hiruzen didn't argue.
Instead, he calmly sat down beside the bed, tapping the pipe lightly against his palm.
"Whoever you are… since you bear no ill will toward Naruto, I will not interfere."
"Hmph. At least you're sensible."
"But—"
Hiruzen's tone shifted instantly, his eyes turning razor-sharp.
"If one day your existence threatens Naruto… or Konoha—"
The Sharingan shrank violently.
A terrifying chakra pressure erupted in an instant!
The room trembled. Furniture rattled violently. The windowpanes screeched under the strain!
Hiruzen's entire body tensed, his hands instinctively forming defensive seals.
Then—
The pressure vanished.
Naruto—Madara—regarded him coldly, a mocking curve tugging at his lips.
"Save it, old man. If I wanted to harm Konoha…"
"You'd already be dead."
Hiruzen knew it was true.
That chakra—
It was powerful enough to make one tremble from the soul.
For a brief moment, he had seen the shadow of the First Hokage—Senju Hashirama.
Strong.
Shamelessly strong.
"Relax."
Naruto closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, the Sharingan was gone—replaced by his original, brilliant blue.
His tone remained impatient, but the hostility had faded.
"This brat… I'll keep watch over him."
Hiruzen studied him for a long time.
Then, slowly, he nodded.
"Then… Naruto is in your care."
"Hmph. Like I needed you to say it."
The Third Hokage stood, casting one final glance at Naruto as he curled back up under the blanket. He turned toward the window.
The night wind stirred his Hokage robes.
He paused—but did not look back.
"One more thing… if Naruto asks about tonight—"
"I know. I won't say a word."
Naruto—Madara—waved dismissively.
"Now get lost. Don't disturb his sleep."
Hiruzen smiled faintly.
He stepped through the window and vanished into the night.
Silence returned to the room.
Naruto rolled over, half-asleep, muttering indistinctly:
"Dad… stop stealing my blanket…"
Madara: "..."
Within the sealed space, the Nine-Tails lay sprawled on the ground, baring its fangs in laughter.
"Tsk tsk. The Hokage saw right through you, Madara."
Madara crossed his arms and snorted.
"Shut up, you mangy fox."
The Nine-Tails propped its chin up with one claw.
"You clearly care about the kid, yet you keep putting on an act. You Uchiha are really twisted."
Madara shot it a murderous glare.
The Nine-Tails wisely shrank back—though it was still barely holding in its laughter.
Madara ignored it, his gaze piercing through the seal, resting on Naruto in the outside world.
"…Troublesome brat."
His voice was soft.
So soft it was almost inaudible.
Outside the window, moonlight continued to bathe Konoha in quiet warmth.