The Third Hokage took a deep breath, closed the scroll, and said, "Iruka, Naruto already knows he's the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki… and he has accepted the demon fox identity."
Iruka froze. Everything suddenly made sense. Naruto's withdrawn, negative attitude, his refusal to talk to anyone outside a few classmates—it all stemmed from knowing the truth about himself.
Thinking further, Iruka realized: if any ordinary kid found out they were the demon fox, they'd probably be even worse off than Naruto.
After a pause, Iruka said seriously, "Sandai-sama… even so, I don't change my view of Naruto. His current state will only harm him… and the village."
The Third Hokage reached for his pipe, a habit when facing headaches—it seemed to paralyze his worries for a moment.
"I'm worried about Naruto too, but I don't have time to watch over him. Too much is happening in the village. Can I trouble you to… help guide him?"
"It's my job as a teacher…" Iruka said, slightly embarrassed. "But education isn't just the teacher's responsibility. I need the village's support… the guidance of the Hokage."
Sandai Hokage exhaled softly. "I will assist you, Iruka, but it seems you've finally stepped out of the shadow yourself."
Iruka scratched his head. "Although Naruto is a Jinchuriki, Kyuubi killed my parents. I hated him at first, but after spending time together… I can see that he's not fully dominated by Nine-Tails."
"I believe, with time, the village will understand Naruto as I do. After all, a good teacher's job is to bring every stray student back on track."
"I hope so," said the Hokage quietly. He didn't expect the villagers to understand Naruto—or Naruto to understand them. But as long as Naruto could trust himself and listen to his own words, that was enough.
Still, the Hokage hadn't visited Naruto in a while, which slowed their mutual understanding.
On the playground, Sasuke escaped the girls' constant attention and found Naruto hiding in a corner.
"Hey, Naruto… how did you manage to interrupt ninjutsu?" he asked directly.
Naruto glanced at him, frowning playfully. "The seal itself is a waste of time. Attack the meridians before chakra flows into ninjutsu, and it'll naturally be interrupted."
"Besides, in a real ninja battle, ninjutsu is mostly a formality. The final winner is always determined by physical skill."
He tilted his head at Sasuke, eyes twinkling. "You don't know this common sense, do you? Our grade genius, Uchiha Sasuke."
Sasuke hesitated but pressed on. "I know I'm not as good as you… but tell me, have you mastered other ninjutsu long ago? Is that why you know how to interrupt them?"
Before Naruto could answer, a whirlwind suddenly whipped across the ground, lifting leaves and swirling toward Sasuke.
Sasuke clenched his fists, studying the regular, controlled movement of the leaves. He understood the gap between him and Naruto… and he was reminded of his brother.
Naruto approached, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "After school, I can teach you quick practice techniques. But in return… I want to learn your shuriken skills. I can never score high in throwing class—it ruins my overall ranking."
Sasuke smirked with pride. "Uchiha throwing techniques are naturally the strongest. But aren't you afraid I'll surpass you if I learn from you?"
Naruto grinned. "Of course not. I'll still grow faster than you anyway. And I'm teaching because you're a new classmate who asked nicely. Friends don't get treated badly."
Sasuke snorted coldly and walked off.
Choji, who had been ignored, frowned repeatedly but went back to munching chips. Shikamaru, however, watched Naruto and Sasuke leave, thoughtful.
He noticed the subtle changes in Naruto these days but didn't know if they were for better or worse—and as an outsider, the best choice for survival was to keep quiet.
After school, Naruto and Sasuke headed to the training grove.
This was their seventh session. The routine was simple: Naruto would demonstrate, Sasuke would be pummeled, and both would gain real combat experience.
True to his word, Naruto taught Sasuke how to use shadow clones for multi-threaded ninjutsu practice. But after exhausting himself, Sasuke could barely summon three clones. His efficiency paled in comparison to Naruto, who had Kyuubi's assistance. By the time the clones dissipated, Sasuke almost collapsed.
Looking at him sprawled like a dead dog, Naruto couldn't help laughing.
Sasuke slowly got up. "Do you really train like this every day?"
Naruto nodded. "Every day. No breaks."
Sasuke looked confused. "Why… your parents? My father is strict, but he never made me train like this. You don't even have time for yourself."
Naruto smiled. "I'm a demon fox. No parents for me right now. When I get bored, I practice. Plus… everywhere I go, people stare at me like I'm a monster. It's boring."
Sasuke was silent for a moment. "Even with parents, I get it. Being Uchiha is pretty similar. The villagers often exclude us… complaints fly both ways. Our clan is almost completely isolated."
Naruto grinned. "Then you can still find friends, like us. This village is huge—someone will understand the Uchiha."
"And if no one does? Doesn't matter. People just need to be themselves."
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