Hokage Rock?
Will of Fire?
Naruto knew that Hokage Rock existed in his previous life—it was Konoha's version of Mount Rushmore.
If you think about it carefully, one, two, three, four... they all seem to correspond.
The essence remains the same.
At this moment, the shinobi instructor said:
"Where the leaves dance, the fire burns bright. The fire's shadow will illuminate the village and allow new leaves to sprout."
Naruto scoffed inwardly and summed it up in simple terms: Isn't this so-called Will of Fire just glorified sacrifice?
Even the victim has to enjoy the process of being exploited.
Might as well scream a few times for effect.
Of course, aside from the Will of Fire, there's also the Will of Water, the Will of Lightning, and so on.
Wasn't it this same bloodthirsty, cannibalistic Will of Fire that killed Konoha's White Fang?
You want to brainwash me? Please, your persuasive skills are worse than that insurance salesman from my past life.
Well, my oh-so-legendary father, the Yellow Flash, obediently followed in White Fang's footsteps.
Although I don't want to admit it, my dad did rely on women to get ahead…
"Amazing!"
Naruto's eyes sparkled.
"Well, it's getting late. I should go."
Seeing Naruto's expression, the shinobi instructor knew the seeds had been planted—he just had to wait for them to sprout.
A Fishing Debt
"Wow~ You're amazing!"
Little Tiantian stared at the bucket full of fish, then at Naruto, who was drenched in sweat.
Her eyes gleamed with admiration.
"Big sis, will this be enough to pay off my debt?"
"Of course!"
"If you can catch this many fish every day, hmm... I'll even give you this fishing gear!"
Surprisingly, Tiantian was in a good mood today.
She didn't act like a shrewd merchant at all.
"This is for you."
After saying goodbye to Tiantian, Naruto was about to leave when she suddenly ran over.
She stuffed a small piece of cake into his hand.
"This cake is really good."
She eyed the cake longingly but quickly turned her head away.
"Consider it your reward for catching so many fish."
Then she ran off without waiting to see if Naruto would accept it.
Naruto stood there for a moment, then took the cake home.
Unwrapping it, he took a bite.
"It's sweet, the pancake smells nice... but this is just an illusion. The real deal is holding it in your hands and actually eating it."
Cloud Shadows Over Konoha
In the following weeks, Naruto continued to grow in secret.
Within just half a month, he gained about two centimeters in height and ten kilograms in weight.
No longer did he resemble a malnourished child.
Finally… he looked normal.
But the past half-month crawled by.
Because—it was winter.
The disaster brought by the Nine-Tails' rampage didn't end with the Fourth Hokage's death.
On the contrary, it was just the beginning.
On this day, envoys from Kumogakure arrived, seeking to sign a peace agreement with Konoha.
That night, they attempted to kidnap the Byakugan Princess—Hinata Hyuga.
In response, Hiashi Hyuga crushed the infiltrator to death.
But that was exactly what the Hidden Cloud wanted.
Konoha, weak from the aftermath of the Kyuubi attack, caved in immediately.
To be honest, during this period, Kumogakure was all bark and no bite.
The same could be said for the other villages.
And so, the scapegoat appeared.
Hinata's uncle, Hizashi Hyuga—born mere minutes after his twin brother.
Yet their fates were worlds apart.
Because of the cruelty of the clan system—because of fate's injustice—he lived in submission to his older brother.
He couldn't even think of rebelling.
And when Konoha's leadership arrived, he played the role of the obedient dog…
As if he wanted to die for them.
And he had to act the part.
His sacrifice was meant to protect Neji.
Anyone who's seen it knows why Neji lectured so much during his fight with Naruto.
Interest?
No.
When he fought Hinata, there was an audience.
But when he fought Naruto—there were few outsiders.
And so, Hiashi Hyuga kneeled.
Neji, you saw how many people were watching earlier…
There are only a few members of the Hyuga Main Family.
But the Branch Family?
A field of leeks waiting to be harvested.
The Caged Bird Seal suppresses their bloodline.
At the same time, it exists solely to serve a few.
It was proof of Neji's talent.
Yet in the end, he was nothing but a sacrificial pawn.
He bore the burden of the entire Hyuga Branch Family.
But those who make grand promises rarely keep them.
Naruto watched the snowflakes outside his window, a sneer forming at his lips.
"The Hyuga Clan, huh? So many interesting things."
"As I recall, the Caged Bird Seal isn't an 'X'—it's a 'swastika'."
"And when Neji died, a bird was struck down with a sealing jutsu. How ironic!"
"They called me a genius? Hah!"
"I like you, so I won't make empty promises. As for nonsense speeches…"
Naruto rolled his eyes.
Want to compare whose talk-no-jutsu is better?
Neji was one of the few who actually made sense.
But accepting fate?
That's how pawns get sacrificed.
"By the way, my cheap old man's bodyguard… Shiranui Genma, right?"
Naruto muttered to himself.
"Hmph… If a caged bird is clever enough, it'll use its beak to open the door."
"Because it hasn't given up hope of flying free."
Konoha is full of fools—incompetent, hypocritical, arrogant.
Yet Genma's words resonated with many Konoha shinobi.
Konoha's White Fang was a great man.
Naruto turned his gaze to the window.
"Hizashi Hyuga's corpse… Byakugan?"
"No, I'm not strong enough to act just yet."
Though he was interested in Hizashi's body, all he could do was watch for now.
Shaking his head, he stepped outside.
Night had fallen. A thick layer of snow blanketed the village like armor.
"Uchiha Shisui died when Itachi was around five."
"Before dying, he handed one eye to his 'brother' and then 'committed suicide' by jumping into a river."
"That river… the Naka River, near the Uchiha district. I just need to wait downstream."
"The key to my plan—Shadow Clone Technique, or preferably, Wood Clone."
"Or if my fruit ability develops enough to spread roots through most of Konoha... but that's a pipe dream for now."
"Chakra refining methods will reach me soon enough."
"After all, I am a Jinchūriki."
"That old man Sarutobi probably has a 'live surveillance jutsu' on me. Annoying."
The village was unusually quiet tonight.
After all, the Hyuga Clan had just lost someone for Konoha's sake.
At least the public funeral had to look proper.
Tonight was one of those rare moments when Naruto could walk undisturbed.
And then—
A small figure appeared ahead.
Her head was lowered, hands rubbing at her eyes.
Glittering teardrops fell like pearls.
As if fate had arranged it—
She finally stopped just in front of him.
She crouched, curled into a ball, sobbing softly.
Naruto walked over.
He said nothing.
He just waited.
After a while, the little girl finally stopped sobbing.
She looked up.
Huh? Where is this? How do I get back? What should I do?
Then, she started crying again.
Helpless, Naruto sighed and decided to speak up.
"Haven't you cried enough already?"
The short-haired girl heard a voice beside her.
She immediately turned her head and looked back.
A boy with bright blue eyes stood behind her, gazing at her with mild impatience.
"Don't just sit there crying. Did you get lost?"
Up close, she really was cute.
White eyes, dark blue hair, and a soft, refined presence—it was the perfect look of a proper kunoichi from a noble clan.
Alright, it seems I need to start charming girls from an early age.
In this regard, he truly took after his cheap dad.
"Um..."
Seeing that she was still too overwhelmed to respond properly, Naruto decided to get straight to the point.
"Where's your house?"
Hinata immediately shook her head, tears shaking off with the movement.
Sigh... no choice then. "I'll help you look for it."
"Let's go."
Naruto turned and began walking in the direction she had come from.
After taking a few steps, he noticed she was still squatting in place.
"You're not coming? Well, I'm heading home then."
At his words, Hinata quickly jogged after him.
As for holding hands... they were only three years old!
If it were the original Naruto, that'd be one thing.
If he took the initiative? Ha.
However, Naruto didn't need to. Instead, Hinata grabbed the hem of his sleeve, clinging to it like a lifeline.
Before long, the two arrived at the entrance of the Hyuga compound.
The atmosphere felt heavy, and Naruto had no intention of lingering.
"Go on inside. It's freezing. Don't wander off alone again."
With that, Naruto waved and turned to leave.
Hinata stood there, watching his back, not looking away until he had completely disappeared.
…
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