Chapter 6: Current Situation and Future Planning
It was no wonder Naruto thought of people so darkly. Setting aside what kind of person Hiruzen Sarutobi really was, just looking at Naruto's current situation, he couldn't afford to imagine everyone as a good person.
After all, he had an extra 15 years of life experience, and having been carefully taught by Liu Renju, he had long been exposed to various worldly wisdoms and the true nature of humanity.
This was the advantage of elite education, and it was well worth the terrifying cost to cultivate someone.
"There is no need to talk about saving or not saving. I just saw that you, little one, were hurt, so I brought you home." Hiruzen Sarutobi crouched down, raised his hand to touch Naruto's forehead, his tone full of concern. "You were hit on the head by a stone. Although you are awake now, the wound must still be very painful, right?"
"It doesn't hurt... it's just... it's just..." Naruto still remembered how to play the role of a child. As he spoke, he displayed a timid, extremely love-deprived version of himself before Hiruzen Sarutobi. "I'm hungry... I want to eat instant noodles..."
"It's good that your head doesn't hurt. Grandpa will take you for a big meal later!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi ruffled Naruto's hair very gently, which made Naruto's body relax, and he felt a sense of peace from the bottom of his heart.
No!
Naruto was suddenly shocked. He was no longer a three-year-old in Heart-Nature. Although his personality had not fully solidified, it was definitely not something Hiruzen Sarutobi could soothe with a few words and actions.
There was definitely something strange about this!
Without time to think carefully, Naruto switched back to his child mode. With a cheer, he jumped off the bed and threw himself into Hiruzen Sarutobi's arms, saying excitedly with tears in the corners of his eyes.
"Really, Grandpa? Are you really going to take me for a big meal?"
"Yes! I'll take you for a big meal!"
"Yay, that's great! No one has ever been this good to me before, I... I..."
"Alright, Naruto, a real man doesn't cry easily." Hiruzen Sarutobi patiently comforted Naruto. "I will come to see you often in the future, as long as I am not busy."
"Busy? Grandpa, are you very busy?!"
"Of course I'm very busy. I am the Hokage of Konoha Village, and I'm very busy every day..." Hiruzen Sarutobi followed Naruto's lead, taking the opportunity to reveal his identity. "I'm very sorry, Naruto, I can't accompany you every day!"
"Oh... alright..." Naruto looked disappointed on the surface, but deep down, he was shocked beyond measure.
This old man was not as elderly as he looked on the surface; his body contained terrifying power!
When Naruto threw himself into Hiruzen Sarutobi's arms, the force he used was the most fierce technique from the Eight Extremes Fist. Given Naruto's current body, without causing damage, a sudden strike like that would hit even an unprepared adult.
And Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was holding him...
Had no extra movements besides being steady. The force brought by Naruto's entire body was like a clay ox entering the sea, dissipated without a trace.
On the surface, Naruto became even more well-behaved and clung even closer to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
And after a moment of astonishment, Hiruzen Sarutobi naturally attributed all of this to the Nine-Tailed. After all, where would a brat who had never had a childhood get so many little tricks?
It was thanks to the Nine-Tailed inside Naruto that Hiruzen Sarutobi, this political expert, dismissed his suspicions about Naruto's previous actions. And Naruto was very cooperative, following the script provided by Hiruzen Sarutobi, and unfolded their first meeting of "grandfatherly kindness and grandson's filial piety."
This meeting with Hiruzen Sarutobi was calm and uneventful, and the result was very satisfying: Naruto was full, and Hiruzen Sarutobi had also checked in and made his presence felt in front of Naruto.
To be honest, if Naruto hadn't undergone the life experience game, his young self would have easily been drawn into the fairy tale Hiruzen Sarutobi had created.
Even if Naruto didn't immerse himself in it, his favorability towards Hiruzen Sarutobi would definitely skyrocket. In no time, Naruto might even have treated Hiruzen Sarutobi as his real grandfather.
Thinking about this in detail, Naruto felt more and more that Hiruzen Sarutobi had designs on him, because there is no unprovoked hatred or unprovoked love in the world.
Combining the villagers' attitude towards him and the fact that the shadow of the Village himself came personally to win him over, Naruto felt more and more that his background was not simple, and that a huge secret must be hidden within him.
As for this secret or his own background, Narutowould only be able to explore it in the future.
And the most important thing right now was to live healthily!
Yes, it was that simple.
But for Naruto at the current stage, it was basically an impossible task, because there was no soil for his survival in this Village.
If it weren't for some perpetrators who didn't want him to die, Naruto might have died young long ago.
But the fact that the perpetrators didn't want Naruto to die was one key point, and not letting Naruto grow up healthy and happy was another key point; Naruto felt that the relationship between these two could be utilized.
"It doesn't matter if I have money but can't buy things. As long as they don't put me to death, I have a way to survive!"
Naruto was very fortunate that he had learned a large number of survival skills in the Entry-Levellife experience game. As long as no accidents occurred, these skills could sustain him until he gained the power to protect himself.
"There are many forests around the Village, and there should be plenty of game inside. Who knows, there might even be medicinal materials needed for the medicinal bath in the Eight Extremes Fistcultivation method."
Naruto muttered to himself, looking up at the sun gradually setting in the sky. He prepared to go home to tidy up and head to the forests around the Village alone after dark.
But after returning home, Naruto immediately dismissed the idea of going to hunt game to improve his life.
Because a pile of instant food had appeared for no reason on the table in his living quarters!
After returning to his body, Naruto had kept his guard up. After discovering this anomaly, he felt something was wrong. Naruto concluded that there was a nine-out-of-ten chance someone was monitoring him!
"Headache..."
For the first time, Naruto felt powerless. Out in the world, not only did the villagers not like him, but there were also people monitoring him. As long as Naruto did anything slightly inconsistent with his previous personality, it would be a significant hazard.
"However..." Naruto's eyes lit up. "A child's personality is unfixed. As long as I grasp the thoughts of this Hokage today and follow his plan on the surface..."
"I should be able to gain more freedom, and then properly adjust my body's Foundation. After all, I have already fallen far behind my peers..."
Since Naruto had temporarily dismissed the idea of self-sufficiency, he simply lay on the bed and began to plan his next steps while counting on his fingers.
After parting ways with Naruto, Hiruzen Sarutobicame to his Hokage Office and used the crystal ball on his desk to spy on what Naruto was doing now.
"His temperament is a bit more stable than before. Is it because he felt that someone cares about him?"
"This is a good thing. If guided properly, his future achievements will be limitless. After all, the Nine-Tailed is on him..."
"But it is also time to warn Danzo. If he continues to manipulate public opinion like this, shaping Naruto's personality will become even more difficult..."
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