Chapter 31: The Third Hokage's Invitation
"Who else possesses this level of combat power?"
A faint smirk tugged at the corner of Naruto's lips. He could finally say that famous line when facing enemies: "Trash with a power level less than five."
Of course, Naruto hadn't become so arrogant as to dismiss everyone. Uchiha Madara, Obito, the old man Onoki's Dust Release, and various other bizarre ninjutsu could still potentially harm him.
More importantly, the Sage of Six Paths and his mother—the Rabbit Goddess, Kaguya Otsutsuki—lurking somewhere in the shadows remained existences that demanded caution and respect.
Suddenly, Naruto's senses sharpened.
"Son of a—someone's coming."
Under his heightened perception, four presences were observing him from the nearby forest. The thick stench of wariness hung in the air—clearly, they weren't here for a friendly chat.
Just as I expected, Naruto thought coolly.
When he'd been playing around with the Nine-Tails in the sealed space moments ago, he'd known full well that the fox's chakra aura would leak out. Such a disturbance would definitely catch the attention of Konoha's upper echelon.
After all, the Nine-Tails' chakra was saturated with hatred and malice. Anyone who'd sensed it even once would never forget that feeling for the rest of their lives.
The village's elite reconnaissance ninja would detect it immediately—not to mention Kage-level powerhouses like Sarutobi Hiruzen himself. They'd come running to investigate.
So Naruto wasn't surprised in the slightest that ninja were already searching for him. He'd even rehearsed exactly how he'd deceive Sarutobi Hiruzen.
With a carefully neutral expression, Naruto walked toward the shore from the water, his face the perfect picture of innocent confusion—as though he had absolutely no idea what was happening.
Yes. Just act.
As long as I know nothing, everything becomes simple.
What lies could an eight-year-old possibly tell?
He could claim the Nine-Tails had been so stifled in the seal that he'd let it out for a breath of fresh air. That shouldn't be too unreasonable, right?
Wasn't that perfectly believable?
Of course, Naruto would never actually say that.
Any ninja with even basic knowledge understood that when a jinchuriki practiced chakra manipulation, the tailed beast would inevitably cause trouble or try to seduce them into using its power. When the time came, he'd just spin some lies. If that didn't work, he'd invoke the Fourth Hokage's name.
Even if Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't believe him 100%, so what?
Sarutobi Hiruzen had long since been corrupted by political power, transformed into nothing more than a power-hungry hound.
The worst-case scenario? He'd push Naruto toward Danzo?
But the old Hokage would only do that if he'd gone completely insane—especially not during this critical period of unrest in Konoha.
This was the fatal flaw in Sarutobi Hiruzen's gentle manipulation tactics. Once the target treated him like a barking dog, all his psychological games became utterly useless.
That's exactly how Naruto operated now. No matter what Sarutobi Hiruzen said, Naruto would subconsciously think: He's just barking. How simple was that?
Besides, Naruto was no longer a helpless child. If explanations failed, he'd simply accelerate his plans.
"Captain! Look! We finally found the jinchuriki! It doesn't seem like he's transformed into a tailed beast yet!"
An ANBU ninja spoke with barely concealed relief.
Of course he was relieved. Facing a tailed beast transformation meant potentially facing death. As jonin of Konoha, they all knew Naruto's true identity very well.
After exchanging a series of hand signals, the four ANBU closed the distance at incredible speed.
The moment Naruto spotted them, genuine-looking fear flooded his face. A few beads of cold sweat even formed on his forehead.
"W-What do you want?" he stammered.
Seeing no unusual reactions from the four ninja, Naruto thought sarcastically: "It's really not easy pretending to be scared in front of these four trash fish I could kill effortlessly."
The ANBU team examined him carefully. Naruto appeared completely normal—just an ordinary kid. They visibly relaxed. Before this moment, they'd been terrified they might have to confront the Nine-Tails sealed within Naruto's body.
"You're Naruto, correct? The Hokage has requested your presence at the Hokage Building. Please don't resist."
A man who appeared to be the captain stepped forward, addressing Naruto with professional courtesy.
Naruto didn't refuse. Declining now would be genuinely inappropriate. Although Sarutobi Hiruzen was a power-hungry dog, Naruto didn't dare bet everything on his assumptions. Excessive arrogance could get you killed.
The thought of how Orochimaru had suffered in the original story after being touched by the old man's techniques was genuinely frightening. Naruto had no intention of being hit by Sarutobi Hiruzen's jutsu without proper preparation.
Hokage Building - Hokage's Office
Sarutobi Hiruzen sat in his chair, his expression somewhat grave. Seeing Naruto's arrival, he secretly released a breath of relief.
At least nothing catastrophic happened.
He observed Naruto, who'd been escorted inside, with calm eyes before speaking slowly: "Naruto, do you understand what just happened to you? What exactly occurred? I need you to tell me everything, because this concerns your personal safety."
At these words, Naruto stood there with his fingers interlaced, looking every bit like a child who'd just been caught doing something wrong.
His body even trembled slightly.
But internally, he screamed: "What are you barking about? What are you barking about? 'For my safety'? What utter nonsense—how dare you say that?"
This time, Naruto's acting skills had ascended to an entirely new level.
Sarutobi Hiruzen suddenly noticed that Naruto's body was still bare.
"Ahem..."
He immediately ordered the ANBU stationed outside to find clothes and dress Naruto properly.
A warm gesture, superficially.
After a moment of silence, Sarutobi Hiruzen finally couldn't contain the questions burning in his mind. He spoke in a kind, grandfatherly tone: "Naruto, can you tell me now?"
He took several puffs from his pipe as he waited.
Disgusting...
That single word flashed through Naruto's mind.
"Damn it, I should just beat you to death!"
Of course, Naruto's expression revealed no such thoughts. He lowered his head, pretending to think carefully before speaking.
"Well... when I was practicing chakra control, I kept feeling like a voice was calling me. Then suddenly, a powerful surge of energy erupted from my body."
Hearing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen's brow furrowed. His first thought was: "Could there be a problem with the seal?"
Just as he prepared to ask more questions, Naruto interrupted with excited words.
"Oh! And I heard a second voice too! He said... he said he was my father—and the Fourth Hokage! Is that true?"
Naruto looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen with genuine-seeming excitement and joy, like an orphan who'd suddenly discovered his parents.
At those words, shock exploded across Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes. The pipe slipped from his fingers and clattered to the floor unnoticed.
"You... what did you just say? That voice claimed to be the Fourth Hokage? Your father? You... you're not joking with me?"
Indeed, in the Third Hokage's eyes, he'd witnessed Minato's death with his own eyes—watched him be impaled and pass away. How could it be possible that after all this time, he could still...
It was unbelievable!
"Minato... I..."
Watching Sarutobi Hiruzen's guilt-stricken expression, Naruto felt waves of revulsion. So hypocritical!
But he suppressed his nausea and continued: "Yes! And he also told me to protect Konoha, to listen to the Hokage, and to be a good boy!"
The kind of 'good boy' who goes nuclear!
At this moment, Naruto wanted to award himself an acting trophy. This is art. This is performance.
Too perfect!
Hearing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen's thoughts were instantly dragged back to the present.
He found himself immediately drowning in contemplation of Namikaze Minato's greatness.
"Minato... even in death, you're still thinking about Konoha? How magnificent... Your son—although what I'm doing is wrong, I'm sorry to him, I'm sorry to you, I'm sorry to Kushina... but I have no choice. The jinchuriki must..."
"I hope you won't hold a grudge against me. In the end, Naruto will be beneficial to Konoha. Isn't that what you always hoped for, Minato...?"
If Naruto had known what Sarutobi Hiruzen was thinking at that moment, he would have roared again: "What are you barking about? What are you BARKING about?!"
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