"I'm sorry. I apologize for what I did, Naruto. I hope you can forgive him."
"Also, from now on, any damages Naruto causes will be the responsibility of the village."
Hearing this, the mask shop owner was stunned.
But then he hurriedly bowed.
"Thank you, Hokage-sama!"
"I was wrong in this matter, and I will never make the same mistake again!"
"As for the compensation, it's just a few worthless masks. There's no real loss."
A wise man understands the situation. He already felt guilty—how could he dare to demand compensation?
But soon, the implications sank in.
What?
The village should bear the losses caused by the Kyūbi brat?
Doesn't that mean that if he realizes no one will stop him, he'll just cause trouble everywhere and lead to massive property damage…?
"You can't say that. Let's put things in perspective. I'll still ensure you're compensated fairly."
Sarutobi Hiruzen had a kind smile on his face, appearing as though he had only the village's best interests at heart.
"Okay... Thank you, Hokage-sama. I... I'll head back now."
The mask shop owner sighed inwardly, deciding to discuss this matter with the others when he returned.
After the shopkeeper left, Sarutobi waved his hand, signaling the Anbu to continue monitoring Naruto.
He tapped his desk, brows furrowed.
"It's already started… faster than I expected."
"That's right. He's still just a child, impatient… It's time to meet him."
Almost everyone in the village hated Naruto.
This was when he was at his most vulnerable.
The timing was perfect.
While he was deep in thought, the door to the Hokage's office swung open.
"Hiruzen!"
"Look at what that Jinchūriki has done!"
"I've told you before—if the Jinchūriki isn't handed over to Root, something disastrous will happen!"
"He's already showing signs of losing control, even towards the villagers—"
Before Shimura Danzō could finish, Hiruzen cut him off.
"Danzō, I told you—you don't need to interfere in this matter."
"I am the one sitting here."
"Hiruzen, you'll regret this!"
Well, now that he's confronting me head-on, what more can he do?
—
On the other side, Naruto pulled out his fishing gear, trying fishing for the first time.
At the same time, he searched for edible wild plants near the riverbank.
He wasn't concerned about the Anbu watching him.
After all, he had gone to the market before.
The reasoning was solid. Besides, something this minor wouldn't attract too much attention from the Sandaime.
But Naruto wasn't patient enough to sit still and wait.
Setting the fishing rod aside, he rolled up his pant legs and waded into the river to catch snails.
At the same time, the sand beneath his feet shifted subtly, melding with his chakra.
With the sound of flowing water masking his actions, no one would notice.
'Let's test the Mokuton's ability to absorb nature energy.'
As soon as the thought crossed his mind, roots sprouted from the soles of his feet, burrowing into the earth.
Soon, they spread toward the large trees by the riverbank.
Naruto attempted to link his chakra with the tree's natural energy.
He kept moving his hands, pretending to search for clams.
'Connection established!'
'Absorb!'
Buzz—
In the next moment, Naruto felt warmth spreading through his body.
A stream of energy surged into every cell.
But he only absorbed for a few seconds before stopping.
He had been secretly monitoring the tree's condition—and in just those few seconds, its leaves had begun to wither.
'What a powerful absorption ability!'
'The hunger in my stomach… it's gone.'
"Hm… Is it just my imagination, or does the tree feel like it's begging me to stop?"
Shaking his head, Naruto withdrew the roots.
He continued wading through the river.
Each plant he absorbed energy from filled him with warmth and strength.
Even the bruises on his face faded away.
As a Jinchūriki, his natural healing ability was already strong, but this… this was on another level.
"Did I get a bite?"
Naruto focused on gathering wild vegetables and catching snails, while secretly continuing to absorb chakra from the surrounding forest.
Looking up, he saw his fishing rod bobbing.
"It's a big one."
"First try, and I already caught something. Guess I'm still in the beginner's luck phase."
Naruto stepped forward and reeled in the fishing rod.
Splash—
A large fish, easily over a pound, flopped onto the riverbank.
Whoa!
I'm stronger than I thought!
Should be fine… right?
Even though he rarely fished, Naruto knew a fish this size could put up a serious fight.
But whatever. He was a Jinchūriki. He had the Uzumaki clan's vitality. His father was the Yellow Flash of Konoha. It made sense for him to be a bit stronger than normal.
Sometimes, you just had to sigh.
Some people fished all day and caught nothing.
Some people cast their line once and pulled up a whole bucket.
Naruto's smallest catch was still the size of three fingers.
As he caught more, exhaustion crept in.
He even "accidentally" fell into the river once.
Well, it made sense.
As the sun set, Naruto gathered firewood and prepared his catch.
Sizzle, sizzle—
With proper seasoning, the aroma was incredible.
Naruto acted as if he had gone a full day without eating.
Scooping out a bowl of wild vegetable soup, he took a sip. It was sweet and refreshing.
"HooHoo"
He blew on the grilled fish and took a bite.
Just then, an elderly figure emerged from the shadows.
Naruto "jumped," falling back onto the ground.
Looking at the old man with the goatee, he immediately recognized him.
The famous Professor of Konoha—Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"Who are you?"
A flicker of wariness appeared in Naruto's eyes.
Hiruzen gave a gentle smile.
"Don't panic, I'm just an old man passing through."
He spread his hands, signaling he meant no harm.
His nose twitched as he glanced at the sizzling fish and steaming soup.
"That smells delicious! Did you catch all these yourself?"
He also noticed the water bucket filled with fish and nodded in approval.
Naruto turned over the grilled fish.
"Not all of them are mine. Some were already in the river."
In other words—I'm not giving you any.
I still have to be cautious.
Hiruzen chuckled and sat down.
"Oh, I haven't had grilled fish in ages. Hmm~ this soup smells great."
Go away, old man. There's no room for you here!
"Grandpa, eat this~"
Naruto picked up a grilled fish and grinned innocently.
"Hahaha, really? Thank you."
Hiruzen took the fish and chuckled again.
"Hey, this looks really good."
Naruto smirked. "Of course, I caught it. It has to be delicious."
What exactly counted as a "foolish grin"?
Naruto didn't know. He could only fake looking happy.
This stage was crucial. He had to play his role well.
If nothing unexpected happened, this old man would soon reveal his true identity.
The leader of Konoha's greatest pyramid scheme—the Will of Fire!
The Sandaime Hokage chatted with Naruto about trivial matters, his tone warm and grandfatherly.
Throughout the entire conversation, Naruto kept up a cheerful and energetic act.
Finally, Hiruzen stood up and patted the dust off his robes.
"I'm old, and it's getting late. Let's end things here for today. Thank you for the meal."
"Jiji, you're leaving?"
Hiruzen mentally counted to three and glanced down.
Sure enough, a look of disappointment appeared on the boy's face.
"Hahaha, you don't want Grandpa to leave?"
"Alright, I'll stay with you a little longer."
Naruto's face instantly brightened, his wide grin full of innocence.
"Jiji is the best~"
"No one ever talks to me... except for you, Grandpa."
Hearing this, the Sandaime smiled.
The timing was perfect.
He sat back down next to Naruto, gazing up at the night sky.
"Look at the stars."
Naruto followed his gaze and was momentarily mesmerized.
He couldn't remember the last time he had looked up at the sky like this.
Hiruzen continued speaking, his voice calm.
"Each of those stars is like the sun, burning bright in the vast sky."
"The sun... That's the big, bright thing during the day, right?"
"Yes. This world is vast, stretching far beyond the Land of Fire."
"Whoa, Jiji, you know so much!"
Hiruzen chuckled, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.
He turned his head toward Naruto and said:
"In the face of such a vast world, a single person is insignificant."
"And the burdens we carry... in the grand scheme of things, they are but fleeting troubles."
Naruto squinted at Hiruzen, his head tilting slightly.
"Jiji, you look really familiar. You kinda remind me of someone on the Hokage Rock."
Hiruzen stroked his beard and smiled.
"Do you know who is carved onto those cliffs?"
Naruto shook his head. "No idea."
"That's alright. You're still young."
"Each face on that mountain belongs to a Hokage—leaders chosen to protect this village, recognized by all of Konoha."
"..."
The Sandaime Hokage continued to preach about the Will of Fire, but Naruto only half-listened, his mind drifting.
"Jiji is amazing~"
Hiruzen chuckled and nodded.
"Of course. Among the four, I am the strongest!"
…
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