"Giving Naruto the power to protect himself?"
The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, frowned, clearly puzzled by Senju Haruto's words.
Hadn't he already arranged for Uzumaki Naruto to attend the Ninja Academy, grow as a shinobi, and eventually gain that very strength?
The only issue was that Naruto was still just a child—he needed time to grow.
"True," Haruto nodded, acknowledging Hiruzen's point, but his tone made it clear he rejected that slow approach.
"Hokage-sama, you should know—Naruto's greatest advantage isn't in learning dozens of powerful jutsu. It's the Nine-Tails sealed inside him."
As he spoke, Haruto deliberately cast a glance toward Yugito Nii.
Right now, she was reeling from having been overwhelmed in direct combat with the Nine-Tails, left in a state of unprecedented weakness, and surrounded by medics tending to her injuries.
Following Haruto's gaze, Hiruzen quickly understood what he was getting at.
Yugito's status as a perfect jinchūriki wasn't a coincidence.
Back during the Third Great Ninja War, Killer B of the Hidden Cloud had already gone to the battlefield as a perfect jinchūriki, earning a fearsome reputation alongside the Raikage.
"I believe the Hidden Cloud has a specific method for turning a jinchūriki into a perfect jinchūriki," Haruto said with emphasis.
Hiruzen stared at him intently, recalling the words of Namikaze Minato.
Minato had once warned him about the masked man's true identity and said that he had sealed the Nine-Tails into Naruto because he believed Naruto could one day harness its power for Konoha's sake.
He had made Naruto the Nine-Tails' vessel deliberately.
Hiruzen even knew that Minato had created a special key to the Nine-Tails' seal and entrusted it to the scroll toad.
In other words, Minato's plan had been set in motion from the very beginning.
But… Naruto was only six or seven years old.
Forcing him to try mastering the Nine-Tails' chakra now might be far too soon.
"I understand your concern," Haruto said, "but this isn't just for Naruto's sake—it's for the village.
After this rampage, the people's fear of the Nine-Tails will only grow stronger.
Even if we suppress the truth about Naruto being its host, the way they look at him—and treat him—will still cause him harm.
"So why not turn that danger into opportunity? We tell Naruto the truth, and then we teach him to control the Nine-Tails' chakra."
Haruto laid out his plan in one breath.
In truth, he had envisioned this for some time.
Inside Naruto were traces of both Minato's chakra and Uzumaki Kushina's chakra—learning to control the Nine-Tails was only a matter of time.
Originally, Haruto had planned to wait until Naruto graduated from the Academy before helping him become a perfect jinchūriki.
But now that he had a limited-time mission, he could merge both goals into one.
Using Naruto's training as an excuse, he could arrange for the toads of Mount Myōboku to take Naruto to the Great Toad Sage to retrieve the seal key.
Haruto would accompany him as guardian.
This was, for now, the most viable plan Haruto could think of to reach Mount Myōboku for his mission.
Hiruzen fell silent for a long while after hearing it.
No matter the situation, Haruto's ideas were always bold—and always surprising.
But if there was a solid method behind it, perhaps this attempt wasn't a bad idea after all.
"Naruto isn't just the Nine-Tails' container," Hiruzen began. "He's also a hero of Konoha—in another form—and his lineage—"
But Haruto cut him off.
"He's the Fourth Hokage's son. That much, I know."
Hiruzen's eyes widened. "How did you find out? That's classified village information."
"I guessed. To most people, the Uzumaki surname might not stand out—but don't forget, I'm from the Senju clan. I know exactly what that name means.
"Before Naruto, the only other Uzumaki in Konoha were Uzumaki Mito and Uzumaki Kushina—wives of the First and Fourth Hokage, respectively. So…" Haruto shrugged. "It wasn't hard to figure out."
He glanced again at Yugito.
"That's why I'd never put Naruto in unnecessary danger. My Wood Release can suppress the Nine-Tails' chakra. If he ever showed signs of losing control, I'd subdue him before it harmed him."
Realization dawned on Hiruzen.
Haruto was right—Wood Release could indeed restrain tailed beasts.
When the First Hokage had founded the ninja villages, he had captured every tailed beast with Wood Release before distributing them.
As the perfect inheritor of that power, Haruto was more than capable of doing the same.
"But how do you intend to get Yugito to reveal the method of becoming a perfect jinchūriki?" Hiruzen asked.
That had always been an exclusive Hidden Cloud secret. Even captured, Yugito would never willingly give it to Konoha.
A true shinobi endured all hardships, and Yugito was not only a perfect jinchūriki but also one of the Cloud's finest.
"For jinchūriki, genjutsu is useless," Hiruzen cautioned.
He suspected Haruto might want to use Uchiha Itachi's skills—after all, Uchiha with Sharingan were masters of illusions.
But against a perfect jinchūriki, it wouldn't work. The two separate chakras inside them could pull the host out of an illusion instantly.
"Don't worry. I have my ways."
Haruto's lips curved into a confident smile. "Hokage-sama, when have I ever bluffed you?"
The truth was… Haruto didn't need to ask Yugito anything.
He had known from the start how to help Naruto become a perfect jinchūriki.
All he needed was to use Yugito's status to lend more credibility to his plan.
In fact, Haruto didn't particularly care whether Naruto succeeded in controlling the Nine-Tails in one go.
His top priority was reaching Mount Myōboku for the mission.
Helping Naruto master the Nine-Tails' chakra was simply a convenient side benefit.
Besides, he had more than Wood Release—using the Sharingan, he could enter Naruto's inner world directly…
and have a little "chat" with the Nine-Tails himself.
Who knew—he might even take a portion of its chakra for his own