Hiruzen Sarutobi told Naruto Uzumaki to seek answers from the Will of Fire, but Naruto had absolutely no idea what that meant.
Hiruzen warned Naruto Uzumaki, "Naruto, don't go spying on Chinya and the others during their training anymore. Even if you watch, you won't be able to learn it—it's not suitable for you. If you deliberately try to imitate them, it will only hinder your cultivation."
Naruto Uzumaki lowered his head unhappily and nodded slightly. "I understand, Grandpa Hiruzen."
"Alright then, I should go now. I'll come visit you again next time, Naruto."
Seeing that his purpose was achieved, Hiruzen turned around and prepared to leave.
Suddenly, Naruto Uzumaki asked sadly, "Grandpa Hiruzen, why do the people in the village hate me so much? You never tell me the truth. You say they're my family, but if they really were my family, they wouldn't bully me or look at me with those eyes.
Grandpa Hiruzen, can you finally tell me why? If I did something wrong, I can change, but I don't know anything at all—I don't even know what I should change."
Hiruzen remained silent for a long time.
He didn't know how to answer Naruto Uzumaki.
Because Naruto Uzumaki hadn't done anything wrong—in fact, he had saved everyone in Konoha.
Letting out a deep sigh, Hiruzen said, "Naruto Uzumaki, you've done nothing wrong. Everyone is just a victim. You must learn to be forgiving."
"Forgiving?" Naruto Uzumaki asked confusedly. "Forgiving for what exactly?"
Hiruzen shook his head and offered no further explanation. "Enough now, Naruto. I have things to take care of. I'll leave first and come see you next time."
Then Hiruzen walked out of Naruto Uzumaki's apartment without hesitation.
Naruto Uzumaki stood there quietly, his little face scrunched up in thought.
Most of what Hiruzen said was beyond Naruto's understanding.
He suddenly remembered what Chinya once told him:
"You need to learn how to think for yourself."
Naruto Uzumaki sat down on a chair, cradling his chin in both hands, deep in thought.
Hiruzen had told him he'd done nothing wrong—that everyone else was also a victim—and yet he expected Naruto to be forgiving.
If he didn't do anything wrong, then why did everyone in the village mistreat him? Why would Hiruzen ask him to forgive those who hurt him?
Could it mean something like this?
He wasn't wrong—the villagers were the ones at fault. So as someone who didn't make any mistakes, Hiruzen wanted him to show forgiveness?
Suddenly, Naruto Uzumaki felt like something clicked in his mind. The more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.
Yet there was still something he couldn't understand.
If that were true, then why did Hiruzen ask him to forgive instead of telling the villagers to stop bullying him?
After all, it wasn't his fault, right?
Naruto Uzumaki clenched his small fists, feeling deeply frustrated.
Chinya had even said that as long as Hiruzen agreed, he would personally train Naruto himself.
Yet Hiruzen had said those thoughts were wrong—again speaking of the Will of Fire.
The Will of Fire... the Will of Fire... Every time Hiruzen visited him, it was always about the Will of Fire—again and again, without answers.
What exactly is the Will of Fire? If it were truly effective, why would he be hated by everyone?
Chinya never spoke to him about the Will of Fire. Instead, she always told him to follow his heart, pursue what he truly wanted, and not be swayed by others. She encouraged him to think for himself, see through appearances, and not be misled by surface-level impressions.
Without Chinya, Naruto Uzumaki might have had the ideology of the Will of Fire forcefully instilled in him by Hiruzen Sarutobi.
But there's no harm without comparison.
Every time Hiruzen came, he only gave him money—but Naruto had absolutely no need for it.
Chinya, on the other hand, brought him various kinds of food—practical solutions that directly met his needs.
Hiruzen kept trying hard to instill an ideology into Naruto.
Chinya encouraged Naruto to stay true to himself and not let others shake his inner beliefs.
One was forced; the other was voluntary.
Everyone has a rebellious streak in them.
At its core, rebellion is all about individuality and free will.
Living freely, being yourself without control or interference—that's what it means to be alive. And when someone tries to interfere? Resistance is natural. That is what rebellion really is.
So, when compared directly, Chinya's words resonated far more deeply with Naruto.
Meanwhile, Hiruzen kept forcing upon him the ideals of the Will of Fire, causing Naruto to grow increasingly resentful of it.
And because of this growing resentment toward the Will of Fire, Naruto also began to doubt Hiruzen himself.
Just earlier, Chinya had told him not to believe everything someone says—you shouldn't trust people easily because no one helps without an underlying motive.
Reflecting carefully on what Chinya said, Naruto concluded that he hadn't done anything wrong at all. Yet others had made mistakes and still expected him to forgive them.
Why?
Why should he accept and forgive those who bullied him?
Naruto felt deeply wronged. Tears streamed continuously down his face as he lay in bed, pulling the blanket over his head.
He had always thought Hiruzen genuinely cared for him—but now, Naruto suddenly realized that perhaps Hiruzen was also one of those who had hurt him.
...
In the days that followed, Naruto Uzumaki no longer sneaked around to watch Chinya training Neji Hyuga and Uzumaki Sōnagi.
Chinya found this completely normal. If Hiruzen had agreed to it, that's when she would've felt suspicious—as if something strange was going on.
Day by day passed.
The training for Neji and Uzumaki Sōnagi went quite smoothly.
Neji had already mastered the breathing technique and had begun learning the Water Breathing Sword Techniques step by step.
As expected from his reputation as a prodigy, while studying Water Breathing Sword Techniques, Neji was also making steady progress in Gentle Fist techniques.
As for Sōnagi's talent, it seemed even more remarkable than Neji's.
When taught the Three Body Techniques, basic elemental jutsu, and fundamental taijutsu movements, once Sōnagi fully understood them, as long as the instruction wasn't too abstract like Kushina Uzumaki's teaching style, he could quickly learn and master them.
Chinya tentatively taught Uzumaki Sōnagi a rather advanced Fire Release Ninjutsu technique—the Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique.
However, this B-rank Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique felt just as simple for Uzumaki Sōnagi as learning the Three Body Techniques.
But instead of teaching any more advanced techniques, Chinya decided to let Uzumaki Sōnagi focus on building a solid foundation first.
After all, Sōnagi was barely three years old and had only been training for about ten months altogether.
Neji Hyuga, on the other hand, had started his cultivation at one and a half years old. Under the instruction of Hizashi Hyuga, his basics were already very strong—so there was no need to worry about Neji.
Time flew by.
Neji turned four, while Sōnagi turned three.
One regular day, Chinya got some shocking news.
Kumo had dispatched a team of ninja to Konoha, seeking to establish an Alliance Pact.
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