They wanted to express their apologies and make amends in this way, yet because of the shame in their hearts, they didn't dare to appear personally before Naruto, afraid to face those blue eyes that might still be clear but had once been hurt by them.
In the night of Konoha, the angry curses outside the Sarutobi clan grounds formed a most ironic yet realistic contrast with the countless mountain-like piles of gifts at Naruto's doorstep.
Jiraiya stood by the window of the Hokage Office, gazing toward the direction of the Sarutobi clan grounds where the faint sounds of clamor could be heard, his expression complex.
He could imagine the scene there: the furious villagers, the tightly shut gates, and the Old Man inside who was once highly respected but now had his reputation in ruins.
"Old Man... this time it's probably going to be really hard for him."
Jiraiya's voice carried a hint of subtle sighing, "A man like him... who always spoke of reputation and the will of fire, is now being blocked at his door and cursed by the villagers he protected... this is more painful than killing him."
Tsunade stood beside him with her arms crossed, her face devoid of any sympathy, showing only a calm that bordered on cold indifference.
She sighed softly and shook her head: "There's no other way."
"Unless he had died earlier, otherwise, from the moment he chose to conceal Naruto's identity, chose to indulge Danzo, and chose to sacrifice specific individuals for the sake of so-called 'stability,' he should have expected that once the truth came out, he would inevitably face such a backlash."
"This isn't revenge; this is karma."
Jiraiya opened his mouth, but in the end, he had nothing to say in response.
He couldn't argue, because every word Tsunade said was a bloody fact.
Tsunade's gaze became sharp; she no longer looked at the distant 'farce,' but instead seemed to be examining the abscesses that had accumulated in Konoha for years: "It's just as well."
"Sarutobi, Shimura, Mitokado, Utatane... these four families have been clinging to the great tree of Konoha and sucking its blood for too long. They enjoyed the dividends brought by power, but transferred the darkness and the cost to others."
Tsunade's voice carried a cold decisiveness:
"However much blood they've sucked, they'll have to spit it out with interest. The nutrients of Konoha are not for the exclusive use of those few families."
She turned and walked back behind the desk, her posture composed as if all the clamor outside the window had nothing to do with her.
"Let them make a scene," she said faintly, her eyes flashing with shrewdness and calculation, "I'm waiting for them... to take the initiative to beg for mercy and talk about compensation."
Tsunade needed this storm; she needed this public grievance as the sharpest knife in her hand to pry open the closed safes of these old powers.
If they didn't cooperate, she had even harsher measures!
She believed these old fogies would be sensible!
"I need these compensations," Tsunade's fingers unconsciously tapped the table as she listed names, each one a soul harmed by the old era:
"Uzumaki Naruto, Kakashi Hatake, Hyuga Neji..."
"And those countless... families of martyrs whose pensions were embezzled, those nameless people who were ruthlessly sacrificed by the 'Root' or used as experimental subjects..."
Tsunade's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an unquestionable power.
She wanted to take these resources stripped from the old powers and reinject them into the body of Konoha, to nourish the corners that had been forgotten and harmed.
Jiraiya stood silently by the window, feeling a trace of pity for his teacher's situation in his heart.
But he knew clearly that Tsunade was right.
Konoha's ailments were deep-seated, and only a strong medicine could cure them.
The bitter fruit planted by Hiruzen Sarutobi and the old powers he represented must be tasted by them.
On the other side, Naruto looked at the mountain of gifts and apology letters piled up at his doorstep once again, scratching his messy blond hair.
He wasn't stupid; he could vaguely guess who these things came from.
Those villagers who once looked at him with eyes of disgust but were now full of guilt.
"Forget it, they're pretty pitiful anyway, being lied to for so long," Naruto muttered, and finally started moving everything into the house.
He might not have decided whether to forgive them yet, but he was naturally not someone who would hold a grudge against food and gifts.
Moreover, he could feel the clumsy intention to make amends behind these things.
The next morning, when Naruto pushed open his door to head to the Ninja Academy, he was surprised to find several exquisite bento boxes neatly placed at the door, still radiating warmth. The surroundings were still empty of people.
He froze for a moment, then understood something, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up slightly.
As he walked on the road to school, an unprecedented experience made him almost a bit uncomfortable.
Those gazes of disdain, fear, and hatred that used to fall on him like needles... were gone.
In their place were the eyes of some villagers filled with apology and kindness.
A few vegetable-selling aunties even plucked up the courage to teach him somewhat awkward but kind smiles, softly greeting him: "Morning, Naruto-kun."
"Ah... G-Good morning!" Naruto responded somewhat clumsily, his cheeks heating up slightly.
This feeling of being treated normally was both strange and novel to him.
But soon, that discomfort was replaced by a massive joy and warmth, like sunlight breaking through dark clouds!
He no longer needed to walk with his head down against the wall; he could straighten his back and walk in the middle of the street!
The surroundings were no longer silent and exclusionary, but instead had subtle, lively greetings!
Although the scars of the past wouldn't disappear immediately, and although there might be twists and turns in the future.
But at this moment, walking on the Konoha streets bathed in morning light, feeling this belated, ordinary kindness, Uzumaki Naruto grinned, showing an incredibly bright, cloudless smile.
Konoha's Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, cleared Uzumaki Naruto's name and announced his identity as the son of the Fourth Hokage. This news was like a mental storm, quickly sweeping through the entire Ninja World!
Initially, the higher-ups and citizens of the major hidden villages were still talking with great interest about Konoha's internal political purge.
Speculating on how Konoha would handle the 'future world destroyer' Uzumaki Naruto, this hot potato.
Would it be strict monitoring?
Would it be early elimination?
Or would they try to guide him?
However, the answer Konoha gave was a shocking reversal that left everyone dumbfounded, their brains almost crashing!
world destroyer = Son of the Fourth Hokage?
The sense of absurdity and impact brought by this equation left the entire Ninja World speechless for a moment.
Immediately afterward, when the spies and intelligence personnel of each village sent back the details of Naruto's specific situation in Konoha over the past years—being isolated, called a 'demon fox,' living in a shabby room, eating expired food, being malnourished, and suffering from bullying—the public opinion of the Ninja World completely exploded!
The initial shock quickly transformed into an extreme sense of speechlessness and absurdity.
"This... the original high-level officials of Konoha, especially that Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi... do they have a problem with their brains? Are they braindead!"