Inside the Hokage Tower, in the Hokage's office.
An ANBU member led Natsuhane Uchiha inside.
"Hokage-sama, you wanted to see me..."
"Yes," Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded slightly and signaled the ANBU to leave. "You may go."
"Yes, sir!"
Once the ANBU left, Hiruzen handed a map to Natsuhane.
"This map of the Land of Rice Fields marks three locations. These are places that Jiraiya has identified over years of investigation as Orochimaru's secret bases. I want you to lead the Root division to investigate these locations immediately."
"When you confirm Orochimaru's whereabouts, you should act immediately if there's an opportunity. Jiraiya and Tsunade will be hidden in the shadows to support you."
"Hidden in the shadows?" Natsuhane questioned.
"Yes, Orochimaru is very cunning. If he sees Tsunade and Jiraiya, he will avoid fighting and try to escape. If he manages to get away, all our efforts will be in vain," Hiruzen explained.
"So... I'm the bait?" Natsuhane's eyebrows arched.
"No, you are not bait..." Hiruzen said seriously.
"I don't like this arrangement either, but it's the best strategy I can think of. From what I know about Orochimaru, he is very interested in the Sharingan. If you lead the charge, it will surely draw him out."
"Hiruzen continued, "Natsuhane, I understand your feelings, but this is for the village's safety. Imagine if Orochimaru were to harm the women in our village again, and if your wives were all pregnant at that time. Would that be acceptable?"
"That's not something I want to see, and I believe you don't either. Eliminating Orochimaru is an urgent and critical task. Natsuhane, I trust you won't mind this small sacrifice for the greater good."
"Remember, you are not bait; you are always a part of Konoha. My disciples Jiraiya and Tsunade will ensure your safety."
Listening to Hiruzen's righteous and emotional speech, Natsuhane sneered internally.
"This old man really knows how to talk..."
"If he knew that Orochimaru was carrying my child, I wonder what his reaction would be?"
"And if he knew that all those pregnancies were actually my doing... haha..."
"His expression would be priceless..."
Natsuhane thought to himself, "Soon... very soon... Hiruzen Sarutobi, before I kill you, I will make you feel utterly betrayed..."
After a brief silence...
"Understood! Thank you, Hokage-sama, for your concern. I'll prepare immediately since this is crucial."
"Good, very good..." Hiruzen was very pleased, his eyes narrowing with a smile. He stood up and patted Natsuhane on the shoulder.
"Natsuhane, the future of the village depends on you! If this plan to eliminate Orochimaru's forces succeeds, I will inform the Daimyo of the Land of Fire and recommend you as my successor! I'm getting old, and I don't have many years left. I have high hopes for you..."
Another empty promise...
Natsuhane couldn't help but laugh inwardly.
"Wait for you to die?"
"Heh, everyone knows you're the best at surviving."
"During the First Shinobi World War, you survived by hiding behind the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, while four other Kage died."
"In the Second Shinobi World War, while other Kage fought alongside their ninjas, you sent your three disciples to fight Hanzo in the Hidden Rain Village and dispatched Sakumo Hatake to the Land of Wind to confront the Hidden Sand Village, while you stayed safe in the village..."
"In the Third Shinobi World War, the Third Raikage died after fighting ten thousand Iwa shinobi alone for three days and nights to protect the younger generation. You, however, claimed a shortage of personnel and sent inexperienced young ninjas to the battlefield. During the Battle of Kannabi Bridge, Obito 'died,' and in the Hidden Mist battle, Might Duy fought the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist alone to protect his son, Might Guy, and perished."
"Each great shinobi war produced legends, heroes whose stories are still told. Except you... you've left no such legacy."
"You didn't even show up on the battlefield..."
"You just hid in the village..."
"Ridiculous!"
"Hiding in the village is one thing!"
"But you couldn't even handle things there!"
"During the Nine-Tails' attack, while you were slowly putting on your battle gear, your disciple, the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, had already defeated Obito and was fighting the Nine-Tails."
"When you finally arrived, you just stood there, unable to offer more than moral support."
"And only after everything was over did you say, 'Don't worry, Minato, Kushina, I will take care of your child...'"
"Pathetic!"
"Thankfully, Orochimaru's invasion gave you one chance to shine."
"Just one..."
"Living from the First Shinobi World War to the later years, as the leader of the strongest ninja village, you've left only one memorable battle."
"How laughable..."
Sigh...
The more Natsuhane thought about it, the more angered he became. These memories fueled his hatred for the Third Hokage.
Killing him a thousand times wouldn't be enough.
It wouldn't be enough without breaking his spirit first!
"Hokage-sama, I'll go prepare now..."
"Yes, go. Be safe, and I await your good news, Natsuhane~"
"I will..."
Natsuhane turned and left the room.
"Heh..." Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep drag from his pipe.
"My plan is flawless... after this battle, I will have no threats left!"
...
Meanwhile, at the Ninja Academy.
It was the end of the school day.
An eight-year-old Naruto Uzumaki ran out excitedly, calling to his friends ahead, "Hey! Let's walk together, we're going the same way."
Seeing it was Naruto, his friends quickly moved away, cursing, "Stay away from me, my mom said I'm not allowed to play with you..."
"..." Hearing this, Naruto stopped, feeling a bit down.
But only for a moment, as a smile quickly returned to his face.
Naruto had grown accustomed to how others treated him.
He knew how to cope with their cold stares and harsh words.
By staying cheerful, at least on the outside...
"Hehe! You idiots, I was going to treat you to ramen, but since you missed your chance, don't blame me~"
Naruto's optimism was unwavering.
A white-haired man was watching him from a distance, smiling.
"This kid, he's really grown up..."
Jiraiya had been following Naruto the whole time.
Seeing how everyone avoided Naruto like the plague, sometimes even hurling insults, Jiraiya saw it all.
Though he was angry, he was more helpless.
Because he couldn't blame the villagers.
They didn't know the truth.
They only saw Naruto as a demon fox, not knowing that his father was a hero of the village.
The Third Hokage decided not to reveal this to protect Naruto from other villages' schemes.
Jiraiya agreed with this decision.
He understood it was for Naruto's safety.
"Kid, seeing you so strong makes me happy!"
Jiraiya felt grateful, just as his master had said, he really was looking out for Naruto.
But as he continued to watch, Jiraiya's heart began to waver...
Naruto, smiling, returned home alone. As soon as he walked through the door, his smile vanished, replaced by a somber atmosphere.
Seeing the empty house, Naruto couldn't hold it in anymore. He threw himself on the bed and cried into his pillow.
Jiraiya, watching from the window, realized that Naruto had been pretending all along.
Seeing Naruto cry alone with no one to comfort him, Jiraiya felt deeply saddened.
Such a young child, bearing so much, yet having to pretend to be happy in front of others...
Sigh...
Jiraiya sighed heavily...
Perhaps tired from crying, Naruto wiped his eyes, got up from the bed, and took out a cup of instant ramen, waiting quietly for the water to boil...
Only then did Jiraiya notice the table covered with empty ramen cups...
"Does this kid only eat this every day?"
Jiraiya couldn't take it anymore.
Creak
The window opened from the outside.
"Hey, kid, come with me. I'll treat you to real ramen! Nutritious, with extra pork!"
Maybe because he was used to the loneliness, hearing a stranger's voice in his home startled Naruto so much that he nearly fell off his chair.
"Who... who are you??"
...