Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't help but look Senju Haruto up and down, as if his entire understanding of the world was crumbling piece by piece.
If he didn't know for certain that the Nine-Tails was sealed inside Naruto, he might have suspected that Haruto himself harbored one within his body.
No…
Just from the sheer amount of chakra Haruto had displayed tonight, it was clear — the reserves he possessed were even more staggering than the Nine-Tails itself.
What stunned Hiruzen most of all…
Haruto wasn't someone born with a legendary aura from the start. This change had only happened recently.
"Haruto… just how many secrets do you carry?"
Hiruzen's eyes narrowed slightly, though in his heart he couldn't help but mutter the thought.
But…
As the Third Hokage, he also understood there were some things you didn't dig into just because you were curious.
If Haruto wanted to tell him, one day he would.
Right now, the matter they needed to deal with was the Uchiha clan.
Even though Haruto had restrained them with his Deep Forest Emergence, they couldn't simply be left at the Naka Shrine forever.
"And Uchiha Itachi?"
Only after sending out both ANBU and Root operatives did Hiruzen finally bring up the question.
"Hmm…"
Haruto thought for a moment, deciding there was no need to hide it.
"Itachi originally intended to help me stop the Nine-Tails… but along the way, a mysterious man took him."
"A mysterious man?"
Hiruzen frowned. Around the village, powerful barrier seals had been set up. If an outsider entered or left, there was no way he wouldn't know.
A bad feeling rose in his chest.
"What did this man look like?"
Hiruzen asked in a tense voice.
"Black cloak. Wearing a mask," Haruto answered without hesitation, adding that because it was nighttime, he hadn't gotten a clear look at the man's features or details. As for the man's identity, he had no idea.
"Hm…"
Hiruzen nodded grimly, but his mind couldn't help linking Naruto's rampage to that night years ago — the night of the Nine-Tails' attack.
He'd noticed something odd:
When Naruto lost control, there had been no sign of Uchiha chakra nearby.
And during his fight with Naruto, he had left several clear openings.
If it really had been members of the Uchiha clan behind it, they wouldn't have missed the chance to kill him.
After all, their goal was to stage a coup and seize power — not to unleash the Nine-Tails and destroy Konoha, earning the hatred of every villager.
The Uchiha clan… had been used.
Even so, not even Hiruzen could guess what the masked man's true plan was.
"What do you think is the best way to deal with the Uchiha?" Hiruzen asked seriously.
After Haruto had repeatedly proven both his overwhelming strength and his sharp thinking, Hiruzen's attitude toward him had shifted dramatically.
If before tonight he had only intended to cultivate Haruto into someone like Danzō — a shadowy protector of the village — now, he instead hoped Haruto might one day succeed him as Hokage.
"Lock them up first… then go to war with the Hidden Cloud."
Haruto thought briefly before answering. "One way or another, the village needs fighting strength right now."
In truth, his words carried another meaning.
In war, casualties were inevitable.
Sending the Uchiha clan to the battlefield would be the most effective way to weaken their power as a family.
"And if they refuse?" Hiruzen pressed.
"They won't."
Haruto shook his head, his gaze shifting toward the Uchiha compound.
This time, it wasn't some small dispute — the clan had launched a full-blown coup.
And Naruto's rampage was no longer a trumped-up charge — there was now concrete evidence that could be pinned on them.
Such a crime… even wiping out their entire clan would not be unjustified.
However, the Uchiha also possessed a love deeper than anyone else's.
If they used the women and children who hadn't taken part in the coup as leverage…
The Uchiha would know exactly what choice to make.
If they faltered on the battlefield, or tried to flee, the consequences would be the same.
"Let the Uchiha clan serve as the main strike force against the Hidden Cloud's shinobi," Haruto said firmly.
Seeing Haruto's stance, Hiruzen nodded in agreement.
Such a troublesome problem could not be solved simply by releasing them or locking them away.
Most importantly, slaughtering them all within the village would only deepen the hatred the surviving Uchiha felt toward Konoha.
What he wanted was to erase the rift between the clan and the village.
"I know what to do."
"I'll speak to Fugaku. As a bargaining chip, I'll suppress the news about the coup and the Nine-Tails incident."
"But if I do that…"
Hiruzen sucked in a sharp breath. If he went through with it, Naruto would have to take the blame.
"What is it?" Haruto noticed the change in his expression.
He couldn't shake the feeling — maybe it was just his imagination — that this wasn't the first time Hiruzen had done something like this.
"That was… a long time ago. In any case…" Hiruzen said, his tone heavy with unspoken meaning, "Haruto, you are already Konoha's hero."
And at that moment, Haruto recalled Itachi's words:
Only when you have the recognition of the people can you become Hokage.
Just as Haruto was preparing to leave the rest of the matters to Hiruzen and depart…
A familiar, clear voice rang in his ears:
Host, you have three days to sign in at Mount Myōboku. Completing the sign-in will grant a reward!
Haruto immediately frowned.
Another sign-in mission — and this time, a limited-time one.
That could only mean the reward would be extraordinary.
But…
The difficulty was also extremely high.
In the original story, Mount Myōboku had only appeared once — and Naruto had been reverse-summoned there.
In other words, while Haruto knew the place existed, he had no idea how to get there.
And this time, the mission had a strict three-day limit.
That meant waiting for an opportunity to go with Naruto was out of the question.
"Three days…"
Haruto even doubted that, even if he managed to learn the route to Mount Myōboku, he could reach it in time.
"Lord Third."
Thinking quickly, Haruto turned back.
"Hm?" Hiruzen met his gaze. "What is it?"
"Although I don't know what the masked man's true aim is… we can't protect Naruto forever. Which is why I think… we should give him the power to protect himself."