"Yeah, there are still good people left in this world." Inside the Shinigami's belly, Minato's lips curved into a faint, weary smile. For a moment, the harshness of everything on the screen seemed to soften, if only a little.
The Yin Half of the Nine-Tails immediately poured cold water over it. "Heh. This fox doesn't see any of the people you used to know or looked after." The smile on Minato's face froze, and the warmth in his expression dimmed almost at once.
After a brief silence, he shook his head. "Maybe it's because of the Third Hokage. Being watched that closely... it's not a good thing." The Yin Kurama spoke again, voice flat and cutting. "And from a distance? Can he still be watched that way?"
That single question instantly killed the conversation. Even Minato had no answer ready for that one.
In the Pure Land, Kushina's eyes were already a little red. "It's Teuchi-ojisan and little Ayame..." she murmured, voice trembling. "Ayame's grown up so much."
Kushina loved ramen almost as much as life itself. Even during pregnancy, after collecting rent, she would still make time to stop by Ichiraku for a bowl. Seeing that scene now, with little Naruto standing in the rain and being welcomed inside, hit her far harder than she wanted to admit.
Orochimaru's amused voice drifted through the chat room. "Because he didn't pass out, Naruto met Ichiraku Ramen much earlier." Tobirama followed up dryly, "Since he's had ramen tonight, there shouldn't be any leftovers on his table."
On the black-bordered screen, Naruto stepped out of Ichiraku with a smile still lingering on his small face. He turned around, waved, and called out his goodbye before hurrying off through the damp streets. He had gotten soaked in the rain. He needed to hurry home and wash up in hot water.
Because the storm had only just passed, the streets were emptier than usual. No one stepped out to ruin his mood. For once, the road home belonged entirely to him.
He reached the apartment not long after. There was nothing worth stealing in the room, so Naruto hadn't even bothered locking the door when he left. The window had been left open too, and though rainwater had seeped onto the floor by the sill, the heavy rain had also washed away the stale, moldy smell that used to cling to the room like rot.
The moment he shut the door behind him, the smile vanished from his face. "They're still following me," he muttered. "Looks like they're planning to keep watching me for a long time."
He drew a deep breath, closed the window, and began changing out of his wet clothes. Then he carefully took the fishhooks and line out of his pocket. As he did, the smile of the tackle shop owner flashed through his mind, followed by Teuchi and Ayame smiling when he had left Ichiraku.
"Not everyone is like those idiots," Naruto murmured to himself. The words were soft, but there was a strange firmness in them, as if he were nailing them into his own heart one by one.
He stepped into the bathroom and glanced at the water heater. There was hot water. The Naruto world's technology tree might be hopelessly crooked, but basic home appliances still somehow existed. Once he closed the bathroom door, that faint sense of being watched finally disappeared.
Water splashed down from the shower. Naruto adjusted the temperature with clumsy fingers, then stood under the stream, letting the warmth soak into his skin and loosen the cold tension still wound through his body.
"From now on... I have to learn how to survive on my own," he said quietly. "I've got hooks and line. For a rod, I just need a tough branch. The fishing place is on the back hill... I'll go check it out tomorrow morning."
He lifted his chin a little, stubbornness returning to his eyes. "You all want me dead? Fine. I'll keep living anyway. I'll live so well I scare you to death."
In the arena, Ino Yamanaka couldn't help blurting out, "Naruto actually looks kind of adorable like this..." Beside her, Hinata's whole face turned crimson. "Naruto-kun's... Naruto-kun's..." she stammered helplessly, covering her cheeks with both hands.
In reality, the scene was nothing outrageous at all. He was just a little boy taking a shower after getting drenched in the rain. Hanabi tilted her head and stared at her sister in puzzlement. Was her sister... shy? But why?
The Fourth Raikage spoke up in the chat with blunt admiration. "What a waste. He would've been much better off as one of my Cloud shinobi." Then, after a beat, he added, "But gold-frame Naruto isn't bad either. Naruto Uzumaki, you can hear me, right? If you ever want to come to Kumogakure, I'll personally meet you at the village gates."
Onoki snorted immediately. "What's so special about that muscle-headed fool's village?" Then, shameless as ever, he changed targets. "Naruto, come to Iwagakure instead. Didn't you say you wanted to be Hokage? Join my village and I'll personally take you as my disciple. After I retire, you'll be the Fourth Tsuchikage."
Kurotsuchi instantly exploded. "You old geezer! The Fourth Tsuchikage is supposed to be me, okay?!"
The whole ninja world was momentarily speechless. Onoki had just offered the title of Tsuchikage, in front of everyone, as if it were a bag of snacks he could casually hand out. But that was what made it even more shocking: no one doubted he meant it.
Rasa quickly joined the scramble. "Naruto, I think very highly of you. Come to Sunagakure. I have a beautiful daughter." For once, even Onoki was stunned before instantly turning opportunistic again. "Perfect. Naruto, if you come here, I'll even let you help teach Kurotsuchi a lesson."
The Raikage gave a disdainful snort. "Our Cloud doesn't stoop to tricks that cheap. But we have more than enough to offer." Mei Terumi smiled sweetly in the chat. "Naruto, don't listen to those men. I really do like you. How about coming to Kirigakure to find me? Don't worry. I can guarantee you the position of Sixth Mizukage."
That series of brazen invitations left Tobirama completely alarmed. "Hey! Hey! Are you pretending I'm not here?" he barked. Whatever else Naruto was, he was still the Nine-Tails' jinchuriki. The strongest tailed beast in the world was not the kind of bargaining chip any village would ignore.
As far as Tobirama was concerned, there was no real problem with a Nine-Tails jinchuriki becoming Kage. But if people were now casually offering those seats away, what did that say about the balance of the five great nations? Even Gaara's rise to Kazekage had once drawn suspicion from everywhere. And now all of them were trying to lure Naruto away as if Konoha had no claim left at all.
Naruto, meanwhile, was visibly moved. "Grandpa Tsuchikage, Uncle Raikage, Sister Mizukage... and even the deceased Kazekage..." He scratched his cheek awkwardly, eyes wavering. "Everyone..."
Then he shook his head. "But I still just want to become Hokage. I want everyone to acknowledge me..."
Smack. Neji slapped the back of his head again.
Naruto went blank. There was a dangerous silence in his expression, like someone trying very hard not to explode. Neji, however, acted as if nothing had happened.
On the screen, the night deepened. Naruto had been exhausted all day. After lying down for only a little while, he sank into a deep sleep almost at once.
Late at night, outside Naruto's window, a masked ANBU moved soundlessly through the dark. "My shift is over. Go make your report." With a whoosh, a shadow peeled away and disappeared toward the Hokage Tower.
Before long, inside the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi took another drag on his pipe and waved the reporting ANBU away. "Go rest." "Yes, Hokage-sama." The ANBU vanished the moment the order was given.
Left alone, Hiruzen picked up the scroll that had just been delivered and silently read through it. When he finished, he lit another cigarette. Then he turned his chair slightly and gazed out toward the brightly lit village below.
The visible scars left behind by the Nine-Tails' rampage had mostly healed by now. Buildings had been repaired. Streets were busy again. At a glance, Konoha looked whole. But Hiruzen knew the deeper wounds were still there, festering beneath the surface where no one could immediately see them.
"These are turbulent times," he murmured. "For now, this is the only way." In his mind, the matter had already been cleanly arranged. Let Naruto suffer a little longer. Let the villagers vent and gradually calm down. Let the ANBU protect the child from actually dying. If Naruto developed a bit of temper after all this, that was only natural.
After a while... after he had been pushed low enough, lonely enough, desperate enough... that would be the right moment.
The timing of his appearance was important. It had to be when Naruto was at his most helpless, just before he truly broke. Only then could the arrival of a kind old man feel like a miracle. Only then could the Will of Fire sink into the boy's heart as deeply as possible.
Show up in the darkness as the sole ray of light. Become the one person who offered warmth when everyone else offered only hatred. Become the white moonlight in the child's bleak world. If it worked, the villagers' resentment would gradually be soothed, and the jinchuriki's absolute trust would be secured at the same time.
In Hiruzen's eyes, that was killing two birds with one stone.
Thinking that far, he glanced upward. Portraits of the Hokage of every generation hung there in quiet judgment. His gaze eventually settled on Minato Namikaze's photo. Hiruzen smiled bitterly, as if burdened by a noble sorrow only he could understand. "Minato," he said softly, "you should understand. It was all for Konoha."
He exhaled a long plume of smoke, then closed his eyes and silently counted inside his head. Ten... nine... eight... all the way down to one.
Bang!
The office door was flung violently open from the outside.
"Hiruzen!"
The single shout crashed into the room like a blade. The old Hokage's eyes snapped open at once. On the screen, the moment froze with exquisite malice: a guilty old man in his office, caught in the middle of justifying himself to the dead, and a furious intruder bursting through the door.
In the arena, more than a few people straightened unconsciously. Even without seeing who had entered, everyone knew one thing - whatever came next was not going to be gentle. The black-bordered film had peeled away layer after layer of Konoha's ugliness. Now it had reached the heart of the rot itself.
And for Hiruzen Sarutobi, the real danger had only just begun.