Hokage Building.
Inside the dim conference room, the tension was thick. Sarutobi Hiruzen sat at the head of the table, silently puffing on his pipe. Shimura Danzo, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu sat nearby, all locked in another round of debate over Konoha policies—but today, it didn't take long before the discussion turned to Naruto.
Homura leaned forward, arms crossed. "Hiruzen... is it true? That kid Naruto's been training lately—on his own?"
Hiruzen said nothing. Just another long drag from his pipe.
Koharu narrowed her eyes. "It's not normal. A three-year-old figuring out chakra control by himself? Come on, Hiruzen. He has to be getting help."
Still, silence.
Danzo finally slammed the table, his patience gone. "Enough! You think you can dodge this forever just by staying quiet?! Don't act clueless! This has Minato written all over it. He's teaching the demon fox how to train, and you know it!"
He stood up, voice rising. "We waited too long already. What if Minato holds a grudge? What if he's planning something through that boy? Don't forget the life that brat's lived! No friends. No guidance. We've been lucky so far, you know how minato was, he must have done something to the seal before his death."
All eyes turned to Hiruzen, pushing him for a decision. After a long pause, he exhaled a slow breath and finally spoke. "I... I don't believe Minato would betray the village. He made his choice that night."
But even as he said it, doubt flickered in his voice.
Danzo wasn't done. "Fine. Let's assume Minato has no grudge. What about the boy? You said it yourself—if he makes bonds, we can control him. But look around! No one wants to be his friend! We're failing at this 'bond' plan."
He pointed at the door as if Naruto himself were right outside. "You're seriously letting a Jinchūriki grow up in isolation? He's going to hate this village, Hiruzen. He's going to hate us. Are you going to wait until it's too late?"
Danzo's words hit harder than expected, and for once, no one spoke. The plan had been to shape Naruto slowly. But now, even the Hokage had to admit the boy's loneliness hadn't improved.
The air shifted as Hiruzen stood up, eyes sharp his presence exuding bloodlust. "Enough! I'm still the Hokage. I said I'll handle Naruto. That's final! follow your orders!"
The room went cold. It had been a long time since Hiruzen raised his voice like that.
Danzo and the others backed down reluctantly—for now. But the dissatisfaction lingered. They didn't trust Hiruzen's sentimentality, not when it came to a ticking time bomb like Naruto.
The meeting ended, leaving everyone in a worse mood than when it started.
Later, back in his office, Hiruzen tapped his fingers on the desk in a rhythmic pattern.
Knock, knock-knock, knock…
A few moments passed, and then an Anbu appeared beside him, kneeling.
Hiruzen stared out the window. "What's Naruto been doing these days?"
The Anbu responded quickly. "Training. A strict regimen. Morning runs, swimming, hiking, meditation—every day."
Hiruzen nodded slowly. "And in your opinion… who in the village would make a good friend for him?"
The two exchanged thoughts, weighing potential candidates. After a while, Hiruzen gave a nod. "Very well. I'll leave it to you."
With a small gust of wind, the Anbu vanished.
Left alone, Hiruzen muttered, "Naruto... please don't make me regret this."
Meanwhile, back in the consciousness space, Toji chuckled quietly to himself.
Of all the things he expected from spying on the old man through the crystal orb, this meeting was definitely top-tier entertainment.
He leaned back, arms behind his head.
"Didn't think the Hokage himself would make things easier for me. Guess I owe him one."
It wasn't just entertainment. The conversation confirmed a few lingering doubts Toji had ever since arriving in this world. But more importantly, it gave him a clearer path forward.
Whether it was Danzo's paranoia or Hiruzen's soft heart, either way, it played right into his hands.
A few days passed.
Ever since Toji started training Naruto, the kid's life had taken a turn—into hell.
Every morning before sunrise, Toji yanked him out of bed. Running laps around the village perimeter. Bodyweight training. Breath control.
By noon, Naruto was dragging his feet through swimming drills in a lake and uphill hikes.
Come afternoon, he collapsed onto the floor, only for Toji to bark, "Clean yourself up. No ninja worth anything walks around smelling like a sewer."
After showering and wolfing down a boxed meal, Naruto was forced into meditation—refining chakra until he could barely keep his eyes open.
Only when the sun had long set would Toji finally let him sleep.
At first, Naruto didn't mind. He even thought it was kind of fun, like playing ninja. But after a while, he started to realize…
Wait a minute.
If I gotta train this hard just to get strong enough for people to stop avoiding me… wouldn't that take, like… ten years?!
Wouldn't that mean I'll still be alone until then?!
With growing frustration, he stormed into his mindscape and shouted, "Oi! Toji! This plan of yours sucks!"
Toji raised an eyebrow, not even turning to look. "Oh?"
Naruto stomped up to him, arms flailing. "You said if I got strong like my dad, people would accept me! But that'll take forever! I wanna play with everyone now! Isn't there a faster way?!"
Toji sighed.
"Well, if you want something faster…"
He leaned forward, a glint in his eye.
"…then it's time we got a little creative with your situation."