Before Hiruzen could even begin to think of a response to Jirō's words, Uchiha Keizumi spoke—his voice calm and dispassionate: "Uzumaki Naruto, choose what you truly want in your heart. Don't worry about anything else. Even if your choice goes against my expectations, I won't kill you."
"But if your choice matches what I foresee… they won't be able to take you away."
That remark made Koharu's eyes fly open. Her fists clenched tight as she ground out each word: "Uchiha Keizumi… do you even realize what you're doing right now!?"
It was Koharu's first time facing Uchiha Keizumi at such close range.
And it was also the first time she truly understood just how unyielding this man was—how utterly he disregarded Konoha's top leadership.
Only now did she grasp the full extent of what Hiruzen had been silently enduring all this time—the frustration, the helplessness.
And she could begin to understand… why Danzō wanted him dead.
Sure, the Uchiha Clan had always been full of unruly thorns.
But someone who dared to say that—right in front of ANBU, in front of the Hokage, and in front of her, one of the highest advisors in the village?
Uchiha Keizumi was the first of his kind.
A sharp impulse surged within her—an urge to give the order: have both the ANBU and the Root agents take Keizumi down right here and now.
"Uchiha Keizumi, you—" Koharu began, ready to declare that he had no right to force Naruto to choose.
But then, Sarutobi Hiruzen suddenly spoke: "Naruto. I know your dream is to be acknowledged by everyone in the village. You want to become the future Hokage of Konoha.
To achieve that… you must make the right choice.
Because if you make the wrong one… it will be very difficult for the people of this village to ever accept you."
"And Keizumi…" Hiruzen said, his voice calm but firm, "even though he has done much for Konoha, his methods are far too extreme—too absolute. He's never had the approval of most people, not from the beginning."
"Naruto, his path runs directly counter to your dream."
For the first time, Hiruzen no longer held back.
He belittled Uchiha Keizumi—right to his face, right in front of Naruto.
Hearing this, Izumi's brows immediately knit together.
She mumbled angrily under her breath, scribbling Hiruzen's name over and over into her little notebook.
She pressed so hard that the pen tore clean through the paper.
"But…"
To Hiruzen's shock, he saw Naruto's eyes gradually turning red—
Not from rage, but from tears.
"Hokage-ojiichan…"
Naruto wiped furiously at his face, trying to stop the flow, but the tears just kept coming.
His small head bowed low, his voice choked and trembling.
"You… you never really believed I could be accepted by the village either…"
Hiruzen froze.
"The whole village calls me the demon fox's incarnation. When they run into me, they act like it's the worst luck of their lives. That's all because of that guy—Shimura Danzō, right? He's the one spreading those rumors."
Hiruzen's pupils contracted.
"You knew about all of this… You knew exactly who was behind making everyone hate me. But Hokage-ojiichan… Why did you protect that man?"
"Hokage-ojiichan won't let anyone know the truth… isn't that just making everyone in the village believe even more that I'm the demon fox incarnate?"
"Why can't they be told—that the Nine-Tails was sealed inside me without my knowledge?"
The moment those words left Naruto's mouth—
It wasn't just Hiruzen whose expression shifted subtly. Even Koharu stared at Naruto in disbelief.
Uzumaki Naruto...
How did he know the Nine-Tails was sealed inside him?
Who told him?
Uchiha Keizumi?
"That night—the Nine-Tails rampaged, and Konoha suffered so much… but none of it had anything to do with me! So why do the people in the village hate me because of those rumors? Why do they isolate me? Why can't Hokage-ojiichan explain it for me? Why let the misunderstanding grow worse and worse?"
"Hokage-ojiichan…"
"I don't understand."
Naruto's tears fell, drip—drop, hitting the ground.
At seven years old, he couldn't organize his words well.
He could only rely on his sense of deep injustice, and keep asking Hiruzen over and over again.
He wasn't angry at Hiruzen—he knew Hokage-ojiichan had always been good to him.
But he just felt so wronged, so lost… and overwhelmed with confusion.
"Hokage-ojiichan… I'm sorry…"
"I… I just wanted to do something right. I can't go back with you yet. Not until I find the one who killed that family. Not until their souls can rest in peace. Only then… will I return with you."
Naruto had made his choice.
And he had given his answer.
Staring at Naruto, tears streaming down his face, Hiruzen found himself at a complete loss for words.
Naruto knew the truth. That could only mean… Keizumi had told him.
By all logic, Hiruzen knew he should feel furious—furious at Uchiha Keizumi.
Didn't Keizumi understand what kind of shock this truth would bring to a child like Naruto?
Of course he did.
And yet, he still told him.
Was this all part of his plan—to make Naruto believe in his so-called Absolute Justice?
And yet...
Watching Naruto wipe at his tears over and over again, Hiruzen didn't know why—
But that anger… it wouldn't come.
It just sat there in his chest, stuck.
He opened his mouth, wanting to say something to this child.
Something to ease the disappointment in Naruto's eyes.
But no words came.
He didn't know what he could say—
That would make Naruto believe in 'Hokage-ojiichan' again.
"Uzumaki Naruto, that's enough!"
Hiruzen remained silent—but Koharu stepped forward, face dark with displeasure.
"You don't have the right to make this decision," she said coldly. "This is a matter for the Police Force. It's not something you can get involved in. Even if Uchiha Keizumi forced you to make a choice, it's meaningless. Isn't that right, Fugaku?"
"…Yes."
Uchiha Fugaku took a deep breath, then spoke up as well.
"Uzumaki Naruto, you may not know me. I'm Uchiha Fugaku, Commander of the Uchiha Police Force. If you want to get involved in any investigation the Police Force is handling, you need my approval."
"My answer is no. I don't approve of you and Keizumi playing around like this. At your age, you should be focusing on your studies at the Academy."
Naruto froze in place.
Koharu's expression finally eased a little.
At least for now, she could confirm that Uchiha Fugaku stood on Konoha's side.
She quickly shot a look toward a nearby Root shinobi.
After Danzō's removal, Koharu had temporarily taken over his duties.
Root was now officially under her command.
But Root itself was a shadow of its former self—
Most of its operatives had already died at the hands of Uchiha Keizumi.
As a result, Koharu had no choice but to draw ninja from the Utatane clan to fill the gaps left in Root's ranks.
The Root operative caught her glance instantly and nodded in silent understanding.
He stepped forward at once, attempting to seize Naruto by force.
Naruto instinctively flinched back a step, startled.
Then—he suddenly bared his teeth at the man with an animal-like reflex.
A strange surge of violent agitation swelled within him.
Even Naruto himself didn't understand why it came.
The very next second—
A hand shot out and grabbed the Root shinobi's wrist.
Koharu was just about to erupt in anger—
But she froze.
So did Fugaku.
Uchiha Keizumi, however, reacted completely differently.
He didn't even glance at the hand that had suddenly intervened—
Instead, he kept his eyes fixed on Naruto's small back.
He narrowed his eyes slightly—
And noticed something peculiar.
The hair on the back of Naruto's head…
was gently stirring—despite the absence of any wind.
Uchiha Keizumi's gaze deepened, thoughtful.
"…Hokage-ojiichan?"
Naruto, thinking he was about to be dragged away, looked up through his tears—and blinked in shock.
"…Hiruzen?!"
Koharu's surprise was written all over her face—she hadn't expected this at all.
"Hokage-sama?"
Fugaku was just as stunned, because he clearly saw it—
The hand gripping the Root operative's wrist… was the right hand of the Hokage.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone present, Hiruzen remained silent for a moment.
Then, he let go of the Root shinobi's wrist, lowered himself into a half-squat, and reached a hand gently toward Naruto.
Naruto hesitated—
But he didn't back away.
Hiruzen softly ruffled Naruto's hair.
He forced a faint smile and spoke slowly: "Naruto, today I can set aside some of my official duties—for now—and accompany you to seek justice for those innocent lives taken by that murderer."
"Hokage-ojiichan…"
Naruto felt the strange wave of agitation and hostility in his chest… start to fade.
"Hiruzen, what are you doing?!"
Koharu couldn't make sense of Hiruzen's thinking. She stepped forward urgently.
"But Uzumaki Naruto, he—"
Her words were cut off before she could finish.
Hiruzen cut her off firmly: "If Naruto wants to be acknowledged by the people of this village through his actions, then that's a good thing. Koharu… let's put this matter on hold for now. You can take your Root operatives and head back."
Koharu: "???"
As her brain scrambled to catch up, Hiruzen slowly rose to his feet.
And for some reason—Koharu noticed—he looked as if he'd just let out a breath of relief.
Then she saw Hiruzen turn his head to face her, his lips moving in silence.
Koharu's pupils contracted.
She could read his lips clearly:
'Naruto nearly lost control!!!'
Koharu sucked in a sharp breath.
She stared at Naruto, now quiet and obedient once again, in disbelief.
Then, unable to help herself, she cast a stunned glance at Uchiha Keizumi.
If the jinchūriki almost went berserk, that meant Naruto's emotional state just moments ago had reached its peak.
But earlier, when Naruto was crying and pouring his heart out, even though he was upset, there were no signs of a loss of control.
So why—why was it only when they tried to drag him away that he nearly snapped?
What exactly did Uchiha Keizumi say to Naruto?
Could a belief as extreme as his Absolute Justice really have that much power over someone?
They had only been together for barely half a day—
And Naruto was already clinging to this idea of justice so desperately?
Koharu couldn't understand!!!
But it wasn't just her.
Hiruzen didn't understand either.
He even briefly wondered—
Had Naruto been caught in a genjutsu?
Had Keizumi used his Mangekyō to control the jinchūriki?
…No. That doubt lasted less than a second before it was dismissed.
Even though Hiruzen's views on Uchiha Keizumi had changed drastically over time—
There was one thing he still believed without question.
Keizumi had never been one for mind games or subtle maneuvering.
If he had truly used his Mangekyō to cast genjutsu on Naruto, he would've admitted it outright.
And now, faced with a jinchūriki who was on the verge of losing control, Sarutobi Hiruzen had no choice but to yield—to Naruto.
But deep in his heart, there was a truth he didn't want to admit:
This was also a concession… to Uchiha Keizumi.
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