Chapter 71: Naruto Looks More and More Like the Fourth Hokage
"We're back!"
A playful, energetic voice—clear as a spring—floated in from the doorway, instantly dissolving the heavy atmosphere inside.
Hanabi pushed the door open, her small frame appearing at the entrance. Behind her followed the quiet Hinata and the lively Ino.
Hiashi and Inoichi saw their daughters return and, almost in unison, let out imperceptible sighs of relief, as though deliverance had arrived.
Yet the moment Hanabi, Hinata, and Ino stepped inside, they sensed the oppressive, wrong sort of tension among the three elders; the girls froze at the threshold, hesitant to advance.
"You're back."
Just then, Naruto's voice sounded behind them.
He stood with a dozen beers just bought from the convenience store, sunlight-bright smile dispelling every shadow.
He raised the bag toward the three elders inside and called, "Grandpa Third, uncles, here's the beer you wanted."
But the instant the beer was mentioned, two sharp gazes locked onto Hiashi and Inoichi.
Hanabi (hands on hips, eyes sharp): Stare~
Ino (arms folded, eyes judging): Stare~
Under their daughters' silent scrutiny, the two fathers suddenly felt inexplicably guilty and ill at ease.
On the matter of doting on one's daughters so much that one dares not drink in front of them for fear of a lecture that would undermine paternal dignity.
"Thanks, Naruto."
The gloom on the Third Hokage's face vanished, replaced by a gentle, kindly smile—like the weary Old Man of moments earlier had been an illusion.
His dry yet steady hand reached inside his Hokage robe, drew out a slightly worn wallet, and generously extracted several large bills, offering them toward Naruto with a grin.
"Oh, Grandpa Third, that's... that's too much!"
Naruto waved his hands hurriedly at the thick wad of cash.
"Come now, we three old men just want a drink and a chat; you youngsters would only feel stifled here."
Without letting Naruto refuse, the Third pressed the money on him, tone warm.
"Take it—go out and have fun with your friends!"
Hiashi and Inoichi exchanged startled looks.
How had it suddenly become just the three of them drinking while the kids were sent away?
"I really do have money, Grandpa Third!"
Naruto tried to decline again.
"Grandpa knows our Naruto's grown up and can earn his own keep."
The Third's smile grew even kinder, his resolve unwavering.
"But consider this grandpa's treat—no arguing!"
He paused, glanced at the small figure in the doorway and beckoned. "Come here, little Hanabi, to Grandpa Hokage."
Hanabi walked over obediently.
The Third took out more bills, stacked them, and placed them solemnly in her small hand. "Take this and go play with your big brothers and sister. Be good and listen to them, all right?"
"We couldn't possibly trouble Lord Third with such expense!"
Hiashi rose quickly, speaking even as he drew an exquisite wallet from inside his fine kimono.
Almost simultaneously, Inoichi reacted, likewise pulling out his wallet without hesitation.
"There, there."
Watching the two vie to pay, the Third couldn't help chuckling.
He gently pushed his own stack of bills back, then simply took the bulging wallets of Hiashi and Inoichi and placed both atop the money Hanabi already held.
He winked at Hanabi. "Off you go—enjoy yourselves. Just remember to return the wallets to your dad and Uncle Inoichi later."
Hanabi looked to her father.
Hiashi glanced at the Third and finally nodded.
With permission granted, Hanabi beamed and led Naruto and the others out, arms full of cash.
Once the four youngsters left, only the three men remained.
The Third quietly lifted one of the beers Naruto had bought; with a soft click he pulled the tab.
Gazing at the foam swirling inside, he wore a smile mingling memory and bitterness. "Hah... back when Biwako was alive, she never let me drink—always nagging that it harmed the body."
His gaze turned distant, as if he were staring through time itself. "Back then, I was just a rebellious kid. I used to sneak cigarettes in the Hokage's office, meet old friends for drinks on the sly, and try every trick to get the smell off me so she wouldn't notice..."
His voice dropped, thick with longing. "Twelve years... and the old woman still nags at me from below, complaining about all my faults. Not once has she bothered to visit my dreams."
What sounded like a complaint was soaked in bone-deep loneliness and love.
The Third Hokage paused, raising his cup. "After she passed, I acted like a sulking child and stopped drinking seriously. But this tobacco..."
He shook his head helplessly, fingers brushing the pipe. "We've been together a lifetime—old partners. Can't quit now."
The Old Man handed cans of beer to Hiashi and Inoichi, then raised one himself. Abruptly carefree, almost reckless in the face of death, he said, "Plain truth: at my age, every extra day is a gift."
If I spent every day worrying about what I can't eat, that wouldn't be living at all."
"Come, drink with me!"
"Yes, sir!"
Hiashi and Inoichi answered in unison, moved by the Third's rare honesty.
They lifted their cups respectfully, tapped them against the Third's, and drained the cold, bitter beer.
The Third shook his head, dissatisfied. Beer wasn't strong enough.
He looked at Hiashi and Inoichi, voice turning formal. "Hiashi, Inoichi, go fetch Shikaku and Choza."
Bring some good sake and fresh deer meat. I want to talk properly."
Hiashi and Inoichi stood at once. "Yes, Lord Third!"
They moved swiftly, returning before long.
This time, Nara Shikaku and Akimichi Choza followed them.
Four men who carried Konoha on their shoulders arrived with bottles of sake, a portable grill, and half a butchered deer slung over Choza's shoulder, filling Naruto's small home.
"I asked you here to speak of Naruto."
The Third Hokage poured clear sake; the soft trickle sounded loud in the quiet room.
He stared into space, voice soft and complicated. "He's starting to look exactly like the Fourth."
The words struck like a boulder hurled into still water.
The four men's eyes widened in shock.
Among Konoha's elite, it was an open secret that Naruto might be the Fourth Hokage's son.
But for the Third to say it aloud changed everything.
Was he finally ready to clear Naruto's name and reveal the truth?
Hiashi and the Ino–Shika–Chō trio hoped Naruto would be freed from the "demon fox" stigma and given the respect he deserved.
Yet worry followed close behind.
Villagers had mocked, shunned, and cursed Naruto for years.
Announcing his parentage now would be like slapping the entire Village in the face, proving they had abused a hero's orphan.
It could spark outrage and shake trust in the Village leadership.
After all, why had the Third waited twelve years to speak?
From the Ino–Shika–Chō clans' view, the Fourth had treated them well; they wanted justice for Naruto.
But the Third was known for prizing stability above all.
Would he truly risk everything for Naruto?
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