And even he himself had yet to sort out his thoughts. He couldn't see a way forward.
Just as the silence between the two threatened to freeze solid, a faint set of footsteps—deliberately restrained—approached from behind.
Naruto and Neji both looked up at the same time, instantly alert.
They exchanged a glance, reading the caution in each other's eyes, before turning toward the figure emerging from the shadows of the ruins—
A man in dark robes, leaning on a cane. A stern, shadowed face. One eye concealed beneath bandages.
Danzō Shimura.
Danzō seemed not to notice Neji at all. His single visible eye locked onto Naruto like a venomous serpent fixing on its prey.
"Naruto," he rasped, his voice dry and hoarse, laced with condescension.
"Something you need?" Naruto replied evenly. There was no respect, no fear—barely even basic courtesy. He spoke as though addressing an inconsequential passerby.
Danzō's brow twitched faintly. Clearly, he found Naruto's tone displeasing.
Given his status and seniority, even a Hokage would show him a measure of respect—let alone a mere Genin.
Still, he suppressed his irritation.
"Regarding your earlier proposal… it has been temporarily accepted. We've decided to choose an acting leader through a vote."
"And?" Naruto tilted his head, an undisguised trace of mockery curling at the corner of his lips. "You're not about to ask me to vote for you, are you?"
The bluntness of the remark—even its sheer lack of restraint—made Neji glance at Naruto in shock.
He hadn't expected Naruto's attitude toward Danzō to be this openly hostile.
Danzō's expression darkened instantly. A cold gleam flashed through his lone eye.
But he seemed prepared for this. Or rather—this wasn't his true objective.
"Hmph."
He let out a low snort, lowering his voice further. When he spoke again, it carried a tone both seductive and coercive.
"Uzumaki Naruto… let us make a deal."
"Oh? So that's it?" Naruto pressed on mercilessly. "With your reputation in the village, I doubt many people would vote for you. Honestly, I'd say Kakashi-sensei stands a better chance."
The remark was salt in an open wound.
Everyone knew Danzō had long operated from the shadows with Root, earning the distrust of numerous clans. His standing among the village elites was abysmal.
Danzō's breathing grew heavier for a moment. Still, he forced himself to remain composed and finally revealed his true bargaining chip.
"I can tell you everything."
His voice dropped to a near whisper—like a devil's temptation.
"Why you were called the 'demon fox.'"
"Who your parents really were."
"And what… truly happened to them."
Boom.
The words exploded like a detonation in the still waters of Naruto's heart.
Neji's face changed immediately.
He understood at once—Danzō was leveraging Naruto's deepest wound and greatest longing as currency.
"Naruto! Don't believe him!" Neji shouted sharply. "If you want answers, ask Kakashi-sensei! Ask the Third Hokage! Even—ask Iruka-sensei! They might tell you! But you must not trust this man!"
His warning was urgent and sincere.
He knew Danzō's reputation for manipulation and secrecy. Information like this would never come without hidden motives—and traps.
But Naruto didn't seem to hear him.
Because he no longer trusted those people the way he once had.
Even Jiraiya hadn't told him the truth. And if anyone had known, it would have been Jiraiya.
At the word parents, Naruto's body stiffened almost imperceptibly.
He slowly turned his head toward Danzō. The mockery and detachment in his blue eyes vanished, replaced by a frigid intensity that could freeze the air itself.
"You know about my parents?" His voice was quiet—yet heavy with pressure.
"Naruto!!" Neji shouted again, desperate to pull him back.
Naruto only cast him a brief glance.
There was no hesitation in it.
Only cold resolve.
Then he returned his full attention to Danzō, ignoring Neji's objections entirely.
Danzō seemed unsurprised by either reaction. In fact, a faint, nearly imperceptible curve touched his lips.
"Of course," he said calmly, as if holding all the cards. "And I suspect no one else will tell you the truth. At least… not while certain individuals are still alive—and still seated in that position."
The implication was obvious.
He was suggesting that the very people currently in power in Konoha—perhaps even the Third Hokage—were the ones preventing Naruto from learning the truth.
Naruto fell silent again.
His head lowered slightly. His fingers curled and relaxed unconsciously. Even the air seemed to grow heavier around him.
Is that why Jiraiya-sensei never said anything?
After several seconds, Naruto suddenly laughed.
The sound wasn't loud—but it carried recklessness. A hint of something unhinged.
He lifted his head and wiped his face firmly, as if erasing all hesitation and weakness. When he looked up again, only a resolute sharpness remained in his blue eyes.
"After hearing that…" Naruto said with a self-mocking tone, studying Danzō carefully, "I'm even more curious about who my parents were. Sounds like they weren't ordinary shinobi."
"For the village's top figures to be this cautious… hah."
He leaned forward slightly, locking eyes with Danzō.
"I accept."
Danzō's expression almost shifted—
"But—" Naruto cut in immediately, his tone firm and unyielding. "I don't trust you."
"I want the full truth first."
"Once I confirm that what you've told me is complete and genuine… then we can discuss the next step of this 'deal.'"
It was obvious what Naruto was doing.
He intended to take the information first—then decide whether to honor any promise.
For someone like Danzō—who thrived on control and calculation—this was an enormous concession to demand.
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