On the hastily assembled platform, still creaking under the weight of scorched timber and the will of a shaken village, Hiruzen Sarutobi raised a weary hand.
The crowd, previously murmuring in the afterglow of his speech, fell instantly silent.
Dust particles floated in the golden rays of morning light, making the ruins shimmer with ghostly beauty. All eyes fixed on the ageing Hokage—arm in a sling, eyes moist, but voice steady.
"Konoha has been destroyed by Kaito," Hiruzen declared, sorrow carved into every wrinkle on his face."Countless comrades have perished by his hand. Although our hearts are heavy with grief… we must move forward!"
His voice, though not loud, carried through the square with force—each word carefully measured.
"So—let us rise together. Rebuild our home from the ashes. Let us show the world that Konoha, the largest village in the ninja world, cannot be broken!"
A beat of silence.
Then, the crowd erupted.
Cheers. Cries. Chants. Applause. The fire of unity crackled to life in those who had moments ago been weeping in the dust.
Some pounded their fists to their chests in solidarity. Others raised their headbands high. Children clung to parents who, through tears, smiled for the first time since the explosion.
Hiruzen nodded slowly.
A smile ghosted across his face, tired, but satisfied. As long as the gullible populace still believed in his words, still followed his lead… Konoha would survive.
And with that reassurance, he turned to find Danzo and the rest of the senior council. It was time to discuss next steps.
But then—
A blur. A shadow. Moving too fast.
A flicker of motion caught his eye—rushing toward the platform from the far edge of the square, kicking up loose dirt and fragments of stone.
Instinct seized him.
His eyes sharpened. His chakra flared slightly in defence.
But when the figure came into focus, his breath caught in his throat.
An Anbu. One of the few remaining operatives assigned to a critical task.And not just any task—the protection of Naruto Uzumaki, host of the Nine-Tails.
Hiruzen's stomach dropped.
"Not now. Not him. Not the Jinchūriki…"
The Anbu landed at the base of the platform, visibly rattled, his chest heaving beneath the black mask.
Before Hiruzen could speak, he was already scrambling up the steps.
"Did something happen to Naruto?!" Hiruzen demanded, his voice sharper than before.
The Anbu's mask tilted forward in shame.
"The guards… they failed their duty. Last night, during the chaos..."
He swallowed.
"We encountered Kaito."
A pause.
"He... defeated us. Instantly."
The words struck Hiruzen like ice water down his spine.
He clenched his jaw.
"Damn, Kaito!"
Hiruzen cursed aloud, chakra bristling faintly around his skin, the bandages on his arm tightening from the twitch of strained muscle.
He didn't wait for the rest of the report.
He vanished in a flicker of shunshin, racing toward Naruto's hidden location deep in the forest—his heart pounding.
Meanwhile...
In a small hut hidden deep within the jungle's embrace—where mist still curled around tall mossy trees—Naruto Uzumaki's eyes opened slowly.
His blond hair clung slightly to his forehead, damp with sweat.
His breathing was uneven, as if he had just surfaced from a long, heavy dream.
A faint whisper of chakra shimmered around him, like the last ripple of a vanished ripple in water.
A trace of confusion clouded his gaze—but only for a second.
"That dream… No, not a dream."
His memories sharpened in a flash.
The spiritual plane.Kaito's voice. His eyes. His truths.
Naruto's small hands gripped the edge of his blanket, and he shot upright in bed, heart thudding in his chest.
He whispered low—instinctively, almost nervously.
"...Nine-Tails?"
The word barely left his lips when—
BOOM!
A bellow, thunderous and indignant, shook his inner mindscape like a quake.
"DON'T do such FOOLISH and unnecessary things!"
"You're making yourself look like a complete IDIOT!!"
The force of the voice rattled inside Naruto's skull. His ears rang.
He winced and clutched his temples, blinking through the dizziness.
"Too loud…!"
But after a second, he exhaled and placed a hand over his chest, regaining his breath.
"So… it wasn't a dream."
The weight of reality returned with crushing clarity.
Then—suddenly—he wasn't alone.
A swirl of leaves and the subtle crackle of chakra.
In a flash, a familiar figure materialised inside the hut.
Naruto flinched, startled.
"Grandpa Third?!"
It was Hiruzen Sarutobi, his expression tense, but his mouth curled into a warm, grandfatherly smile.
Naruto's instincts, however, surged like a jolt of lightning through his gut.
That smile—he had seen through it.
Last night, Kaito had pulled back the mask. Torn the illusion apart in the realm of the mind.Showed Naruto the cracks behind the Hokage's kindness.
Beneath that benevolent exterior was a man of calculation. Of blood.
Naruto's pupils shrank slightly. His fingers tensed.
He didn't speak.
From deep within, the Nine-Tails rumbled again—but this time, his tone was colder, sharper, calculating.
"Don't tense up, brat. Let him speak. But don't forget—I'm here. And this old fool isn't worth fearing."
Naruto resisted the urge to roll his eyes.
"Says the one sealed inside me…"
He didn't trust the fox, not fully. But… in that moment, its presence was oddly reassuring.
Even so, Naruto remained outwardly calm, forcing himself to match the stillness he had seen in Kaito—the cold composure of someone playing a game beneath the surface.
Hiruzen's smile held as he stepped closer.
His tone softened.
"Last night, Konoha was attacked. Nearly destroyed. "You didn't… see or hear anyone unusual, did you, Naruto?"
There was a faint edge to his words. Something too carefully phrased.
A test.
Naruto's eyes narrowed the slightest bit. His heartbeat quickened.
But his voice stayed light, feigning innocence.
"Nope. I didn't hear anything. Slept straight through the night. Just woke up now!"
Hiruzen's expression faltered.
A flicker of confusion… followed by a narrowing of his eyes.
"Hmm?"
His smile didn't fade, but his gaze shifted—subtly more piercing.
Like a man trying to decide if he was being lied to.
To any normal person, it would go unnoticed.
But Naruto, now tethered to the Nine-Tails' immense chakra… felt it.
That tiny spike in Hiruzen's spiritual pressure.The faintest chill of suspicion.
A predator evaluates prey.
"He doesn't believe me."
And he was right.
Because while Hiruzen stayed composed outwardly, his trained instincts had picked up the inconsistency.
The Anbu had said Kaito entered the hut. And yet Naruto—the Jinchūriki—claimed to have slept through it?
Impossible.
Naruto's pulse raced. He was only eight years old—his body small, his training incomplete, his voice still soft with childhood.
But for the first time, he was holding a secret too large for his age.
And he had to protect it.