Late at night, the Hokage's office was still lit.
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind his desk, moving through reports at a pace slower than he remembered from years past. Smoke curled upward from his pipe, thinning as his thoughts drifted.
Age weighed on him more heavily these days.
A measured knock sounded at the door.
"Come in."
The door opened, and a short, elderly man stepped inside. He wore a tight yellow outfit, square-framed dark glasses, and carried himself with the unassuming posture of someone long past the front lines.
If Naruto had been there, he would have frozen on the spot.
This was the man he had sworn he'd seen eating rice balls at a grave.The so-called "dead" creator of the Konoha Dragon God.
"Baojun," the Third said, mildly surprised. "What brings you here? Don't tell me you've decided to come out of retirement and help cover the manpower shortage."
Chen Baojun shook his head with a wry smile. "You're teasing me, Hokage-sama. The village has plenty of capable young shinobi now. I'd only get in their way."
Hiruzen chuckled. "Easy for you to say. You old veterans all have successors. I'm the one still clinging to this chair."
"You're still in good health," Baojun replied calmly. "And the village trusts you. That's not something easily replaced."
Hiruzen waved it off. "This position was never meant to be permanent. Once the next generation matures, I'll gladly step aside and spend time with my grandson."
He tapped his pipe against the ashtray.
"So. What did you come to tell me?"
Baojun's expression turned serious. "It's about Naruto. He found me."
Hiruzen paused.
"Found you?"
Baojun nodded. "He came across an old scroll I left in the library. It mentioned a grave location. He followed it." After a beat, he added, "I may have… tested him a little. With taijutsu."
"I see," Hiruzen said quietly. "And then?"
"He's been coming to me every day since," Baojun replied. "Asking me to teach him."
Baojun hesitated before continuing. "Because of that child's… circumstances, I thought it best to consult you first."
Hiruzen didn't answer immediately. Instead, he asked, "Baojun. What kind of child do you think Naruto is?"
Baojun rubbed his temple. "Loud. Reckless. No sense of manners. Gives me a headache."
The Hokage listened without interruption.
"But," Baojun continued, his tone firming, "he's lonely. Deeply so. He hides it behind jokes and bravado. That smile of his isn't carelessness. It's armor."
Hiruzen's pipe burned quietly.
"He's persistent," Baojun said. "Once he decides on something, he throws everything he has at it. That kind of resolve doesn't come from nowhere."
He exhaled.
"That boy will become a fine shinobi. Someone who can carry the village's future."
Hiruzen laughed, the sound warm and genuine. "High praise, coming from you."
Then his expression hardened.
"Tell me this, Baojun. Do you believe Naruto is the demon fox the villagers whisper about?"
"No," Baojun answered immediately.
"He's a hero," he said. "A child who bears the Nine-Tails so the village can live. Just like his parents."
Hiruzen's gaze lowered.
Baojun had known at a glance. The blond hair. The Uzumaki name. The resemblance that time couldn't erase. Anyone who understood the past could connect the dots.
Hiruzen extinguished his pipe.
"Naruto should have grown up as a hero's son," he said quietly. "But instead…"
He didn't finish the sentence.
The truth was simple. The plan had failed.
What should have been hidden became common rumor.What should have been known was buried.
Hiruzen closed the file on his desk.
And in the silence of the office, a single name surfaced in his thoughts.
Danzo.