On the square,
Everyone was deeply moved by Kushina and Minato's selfless love for Naruto.
But the more they empathized, the more guilt they felt.
Because they had treated the baby that Kushina and Minato cherished like worn-out shoes, even wanting to trample him underfoot.
All the adults who had scolded Naruto and the children who had bullied him lowered their heads.
They asked themselves, what right did they have to mock Naruto?
Naruto lost his parents at a young age for the sake of the village and lived such a miserable childhood, enduring everyone's contempt and ridicule.
How strong was his spirit to endure such bullying and still persevere, striving for recognition and aiming to become Hokage through his own efforts as an adult?
(T/N: Ptui--- I Really want this screen to show Menma Uzumaki)
Frankly speaking,
Did those who slandered Naruto even deserve to acknowledge him?
Did Naruto truly need their approval?
At this time,
All of Naruto's close friends, the elders, and the younger generation showed expressions of relief and joy.
Naruto,
He had finally shed the identity of the demon fox.
He wasn't the reincarnation of the Nine Tails at all!
He was the son of the Fourth Hokage and the prince of Konoha Village!
Iruka secretly wiped his tears from the side, saying with emotion, "Being able to see this day for Naruto... I don't know why, but it makes me even happier than receiving recognition myself!"
"Naruto, as your teacher, I am truly happy for you from the bottom of my heart. I hope you won't become arrogant because of this and will continue to work hard to improve your strength and become as powerful as you are on the screen!"
Sakura: "Naruto's birth was so difficult, yet I... I still looked down on him before. Because he had no parents, I thought he was uncultured. Now that I think about it, I am the one who was uncultured."
Ino: "Naruto is still a promising prospect, and being the son of the Hokage isn't bad! Unfortunately, I can't compete with Hinata, hehe."
Hinata: "Naruto-kun, I like you, regardless of your status."
.............
Because the revelation of Naruto's true identity caused such a significant reaction, discussions arose.
"According to the truth, Lord Third Hokage knew Naruto's true identity, so why didn't he tell everyone?"
"Lord Third Hokage, what exactly was going on?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen, standing on the high platform, knew that the inevitable had arrived.
He couldn't avoid the issue by playing dumb.
He gestured for silence, then looked at everyone solemnly and said, "Everyone, I did know Naruto's true identity."
"However, the lack of disclosure was something I carefully considered."
"As we all know, Minato is the hero who ended the Third Great Ninja War, but that's from our perspective in Konoha Village."
"For other villages, Minato was a terrifyingly strong enemy who killed many of their comrades."
"This means Minato had many enemies, and many people would want revenge. If I revealed Naruto's identity as Minato's son, whether Naruto could have survived until now would have been uncertain. Therefore, for Naruto's safety, I could only let him hide his identity and live in the village."
Following the Third Hokage's explanation, most people in Konoha Village deeply agreed and even praised him for thinking more deeply and further ahead than they had, truly considering Naruto's well-being.
"Lord Third Hokage is still the Hokage who considers everyone. I was wrong to blame him just now!"
"Lord Third Hokage, your intentions for Naruto were truly for his own good!"
Soon, the villagers' opinions shifted, all praising the Third Hokage's caution and thoughtfulness.
But,
People like Nara Shikaku and Kakashi, considered the smartest in Konoha Village, shook their heads slightly.
Because logically,
This explanation was completely unreasonable; it didn't truly explain how his actions were for Naruto's benefit!
At this time,
Minato asked coldly, "Lord Third Hokage, since you truly wanted Naruto to live safely in the village, why did you make Naruto known as the Nine Tails Jinchūriki?"
"Or, in your eyes, do other villages not care about the Nine Tails Jinchūriki at all? Would no one try to assassinate the Nine Tails Jinchūriki?"
As soon as the words were spoken, the entire Hokage Square fell silent.
They were all carefully considering Minato's words, and the more they thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed.
Both Naruto's identity as the son of the Hokage and his identity as the Nine Tails Jinchūriki were only known by the Third Hokage. If he hadn't revealed that Naruto was a demon fox, how would anyone else have known?
"Yes, who was the first to reveal that Naruto was the Nine Tails demon fox?"
"I can't remember; after all, so much time has passed."
"I seem to recall it was someone from the Sarutobi clan, or perhaps the Shimura clan said it!"
The entire Konoha Village began searching for an internal mole,
But upon investigation,
The source pointed back to the Third Hokage.
When everyone's eyes turned to Sarutobi Hiruzen,
Even he, who had experienced many trials and tribulations,
Felt layers of sweat break out on his back, soaking his Hokage robe.
He steeled himself, met everyone's gaze, and said, "I told the three advisors about Naruto's identity as the Nine Tails Jinchūriki, but I truly don't know who leaked it."
At this time,
Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura hurriedly explained, "Neither of us revealed it."
Now,
The matter was very clear, and ultimately, all the blame fell back on Shimura Danzo.
Danzo looked at Hiruzen, Koharu, and Homura, sneered, but didn't refute.
To him,
The three of them were already united, ready to place the blame on him. No matter what he said, it was pointless.
"It's Danzo again!"
"How many bad things has he done?"
"Danzo should be made to pay for the suffering Naruto has endured since childhood!"
"Yes, we were all innocent, and we didn't know the truth!"
At this time, most of them focused on Minato, wondering what he planned to do with Shimura Danzo, the man who had given Naruto such a miserable childhood.
Suddenly, Danzo laughed loudly, "Even if I did expose Naruto's identity as the Nine Tails, so be it. But you people who scolded and despised Naruto—was it because Danzo forced you to do it? That's a joke."
"I can carry Sarutobi Hiruzen's burden for him, but what right do you people have to make me, Danzo, carry your burden!"
Minato first gave Danzo a cold look.
But then he stared at the group of Konoha villagers who were shirking responsibility.
He truly had no positive feelings for this group of villagers.Was it so difficult for them to admit their mistakes?
......
__________________________________________
T/N: +1 Extra Chapter per 100 power stones.
Visit my p@treon for advance chapters.
https://patreon.com/Supreme_1_Raushan