"Naruto! Most of the people in the village are innocent!"
Namikaze Minato's voice carried an uncharacteristic note of pleading.
"I know."
That was Naruto Uzumaki's final response before he withdrew from the sealed space. His tone was calm, indifferent—utterly devoid of emotion.
Remembering that cold, icy gaze, Minato felt a turbulence in his heart he couldn't name.
How… had Naruto become like this?
Scenes from Minato's life in Konoha flashed through his mind—until all that remained was the face of the person he missed most.
Kushina Uzumaki.
"Kushina… do you blame me?" Minato whispered.
"I failed to protect you. I failed to protect Naruto. And now… I can't even protect the village."
His emotions surged like a tidal wave.
Tears slipped free despite his clenched teeth. He refused to sob aloud—but regret crushed him all the same.
He regretted sealing the Nine-Tails inside Naruto.
If he hadn't made that choice back then, perhaps things would never have reached this point.
He had truly made a mistake.
On Naruto's side, he had exited the sealed space because he sensed the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, approaching—with Gekkō Hayate leading the way.
Naruto walked to the window and looked down at the snow-blanketed ground, his thoughts steady.
Why is the Third coming now?
Could it be that Gennō has been exposed?
No.
After carefully sensing chakra signatures, Naruto could still detect Gennō's chakra lingering in the district where he lived.
Even so, a heavy pressure settled in Naruto's chest.
He realized he had overlooked a crucial detail.
Given his status in Konoha, anyone who had direct contact with him was almost certainly under surveillance.
With one exception—
The Ningu Mantendō(Ninja Tool Shop).
When Naruto had purchased the multi-shot kunai launcher, he had confirmed that the shop's owner had deep connections to the Fire Daimyō. Transactions there were sealed under strict confidentiality.
That was why the Third Hokage still hadn't discovered what Naruto had bought.
But people weren't afforded the same protection.
I'll need to be more cautious from now on.
A faint irritation surfaced.
Naruto's expression darkened.
Eventually, he closed the window and turned back, his gaze deep and cold.
The Third Hokage would arrive soon.
Whatever the reason—
I'll know in a moment.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
"Naruto! Are you home?"
The firm voice of Hiruzen Sarutobi echoed from below.
Naruto descended the stairs, a cold smirk hidden beneath his calm exterior. By the time he opened the door, his expression was perfectly surprised.
"Lord Hokage? What brings you here?"
"Hehe," Hiruzen chuckled kindly. "I had some free time and decided to walk around the village. I thought I'd check on you."
Naruto's face lit up with just the right amount of gratitude.
"Thank you, Lord Hokage."
"There's no need to be so formal," Hiruzen said as he entered, glancing around before sitting down.
Almost immediately, he asked,
"Didn't you say before that you made a friend from the Nara Clan?"
Last time I said that, huh?
You really are good at pretending you're not watching me constantly.
Suppressing the sarcasm, Naruto nodded.
"His name is Nara Shikamaru. He even introduced me to another friend recently."
The Hokage's eyes flashed briefly with surprise before he smiled again.
"Oh? Have you been spending time together lately?"
You came all this way just to ask that?
As if you don't already know—Gekkō Hayate has been tailing me nonstop.
Naruto's mind raced.
Then his expression shifted subtly—into disappointment.
"They're both from large clans," he said quietly.
"After a while, I felt like we couldn't really connect. I didn't want to bother them anymore."
A glimmer passed through Hiruzen's eyes.
"Why do you feel that way, Naruto?"
"They know powerful jutsu," Naruto replied, envy carefully woven into his voice.
"And when they fight together, they're incredibly coordinated."
"Haha," the Hokage laughed. "But Naruto knows ninjutsu too, doesn't he?"
Naruto shook his head.
"What I know is useless. The Transformation Jutsu doesn't help in a real fight. I can barely keep up with taijutsu—and only because they go easy on me."
"If I had a jutsu that created real clones, not illusions… I could take them both on!"
The Third Hokage nodded slowly.
Just as Shikamaru's reports had indicated—Naruto's emotional distance stemmed from the gap in strength.
And Hiruzen had come prepared.
"Creating physical clones isn't difficult," he said, pulling out a scroll.
"This is the Shadow Clone Jutsu (Kage Bunshin no Jutsu). The clones are real—they can fight just like you."
Naruto's eyes widened with excitement.
"There's really a jutsu like that?!"
"They're real… and they can fight?"
Hiruzen was extremely pleased.
Smiling, he handed over the scroll.
"I'll be traveling to the capital of the Land of Fire next month to report to the Fire Daimyō. I'll be gone for about two months."
"Practice while I'm away. If you don't understand something, you can ask me when I return."
Naruto bowed deeply.
"Thank you, Lord Hokage!"
"Hehe. Do your best."
As he reached the door, Hiruzen paused.
"Naruto, don't stay cooped up at home. Training with friends is much more enjoyable."
"Yes, sir!"
The Hokage waved and left.
Moments later, Naruto sensed that Hiruzen had gone far—though Gekkō Hayate still lingered on the balcony.
Naruto shut the door and stared at the scroll in his hands.
A faint smirk curved his lips.
So… he really gave me the Shadow Clone Jutsu.
And he'll be gone for two months.
Perfect timing.
He had already planned to master the Flying Thunder God Technique.
And once he did, Shadow Clones would be ideal for investigating Gennō's explosive tags.
A pillow delivered just as I was falling asleep.
Naruto sat down, reviewing the situation.
Apparently, his performance in front of Hayate had been convincing enough.
Convincing enough that the Third now believed the Five Elements Seal (Gogyō Fūin) had severely weakened Naruto's chakra.
That explained the words:
"If you can't learn it now, ask me when I return."
In truth, the Five Elements Seal only interfered with Nine-Tails chakra leakage.
Now that Kurama had voluntarily sealed its chakra completely, the seal was nothing more than an irritation—loud, but harmless.
"Father," Naruto said, entering the sealed space,
"you've been inside me for years. What kind of man do you think the Third Hokage really is?"
Minato hesitated.
Once, he would've said without doubt: a good man.
Gentle. Tolerant.
The Light of Konoha.
Minato had once idolized him.
But now…
"I'll tell you," Naruto said coldly.
"The Third Hokage is a good man."
Minato and Kurama spoke at the same time.
"What?"
Naruto waved his hand.
"He preaches the Will of Fire. Talks about peace, comrades, sacrifice."
"He builds the village, protects it, smiles warmly."
"In Konoha, everyone is moved by him—especially children."
"They dream of becoming Hokage because of that light."
"Am I wrong?"
Minato shook his head silently.
That dream had once been his own.
Naruto's eyes sharpened.
"But tell me this—have you noticed?"
"The Third Hokage has never shown any darkness."
"His image is always bathed in light."
"So where did the darkness go?"
"Forget how he treated me as a jinchūriki. As an adult—answer me this:"
"Can someone with no dark side truly be trusted?"
Minato was silent.
"I don't know," he admitted at last. "But… I understand what you're saying."
"I only hope you'll reconsider what you said earlier—about detonating the explosive tags."
"The villagers are innocent."
Naruto smiled faintly, Gennō's image surfacing in his mind.
"I have considered it."
"And that's exactly why I'll detonate them—at the right time."
"Otherwise, how do you think I'll destroy the crystal ball in the Hokage's office?"
"I know everyone has the right to happiness."
"But do they have the capacity for it?"
"Whether they survive or not…"
"…depends on fate."
(End of Chapter)
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/FinalArcHero789