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Kakashi put his hands in his pockets and said seriously, "I've found clues about the person who spread the rumors!"
As he spoke, he pulled out a thick stack of documents from his pocket. These papers contained detailed information on all the ninjas involved in spreading the rumors at that time.
Kakashi handed the documents to a nearby ninja, instructing him to pass them around. As the information made its way through the crowd, everyone carefully read it. Upon seeing the names on the list, they couldn't help but feel a surge of disbelief. The people listed were almost all members of various ninja clans and civilian ninjas. Despite their different backgrounds, they all had one thing in common: a connection to the Root organization.
"Everyone, although you may not recognize the names on this list, they share one thing in common," Kakashi said in a low voice. "They are all ninjas affiliated with the Root organization."
The villagers didn't react much to this revelation. To them, there wasn't much difference between Root and the Anbu, as both were secretive organizations that carried out covert missions. However, for the heads of the major ninja clans, the situation was entirely different. Root, a mysterious organization led by Shimura Danzo, often recruited talented individuals from the major clans, so its existence was well known to them. At this moment, they couldn't help but fall into deep thought.
"If Root was the one spreading the rumors, why didn't the Third Hokage stop them at the time?" Nara Shikaku wondered, frowning as he pondered the question. Unless... He suddenly thought of a terrifying possibility, causing him to take a sharp breath.
"Coincidentally, after these rumors spread, our Third Hokage did nothing to stop them and even allowed them to continue," Kakashi said, his voice low and serious. "And all this was for one purpose—to maintain control over Uzumaki Naruto!"
Kakashi's eyes flashed with a mix of resolve and understanding, as though he had uncovered the Third Hokage's true intentions. Naruto listened to the conversation, growing more and more confused. He didn't understand why they were suddenly talking about the Hokage and what this had to do with him. He blinked and looked at Kakashi blankly.
"Naruto, let me ask you a question. How much are your monthly living expenses?" Kakashi turned around and asked seriously.
Naruto scratched his head, thinking for a moment before replying, "Every month, Grandpa Hokage gives me 3,000 ryō for living expenses, which is enough for me to live on. I can eat Ichiraku Ramen many times every month!" At this point, Naruto couldn't help but smile with satisfaction.
However, while Naruto thought Ichiraku Ramen was delicious, for others, it was just an ordinary ramen restaurant. No matter how good the ramen was, there was a limit to how luxurious it could be. The fact that Naruto was happy just to eat Ichiraku Ramen every day was something they hadn't expected.
Upon hearing the amount of Naruto's living expenses, everyone looked at him with concern. 3,000 ryō a month was far too little, especially considering Naruto was the son of the Fourth Hokage. No wonder Naruto thought ramen was the best food in the world—what else could he afford to eat with such a small allowance? This little money was barely enough to buy instant noodles!
"Naruto is the son of the Fourth Hokage, so why does Sarutobi Hiruzen only give him such a small amount of money each month? Doesn't he know Naruto's identity?" Kakashi asked, then continued, "Of course he knows. He does this for one reason only: to make Naruto dependent on him."
"After all, when everyone is full of malice toward you, even the smallest light of kindness is enough to illuminate your heart," Kakashi explained. "This way, Sarutobi Hiruzen could easily control Naruto, the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, and keep him in his grasp."
Kakashi's words left everyone in silence. The news shocked them to the core. The Third Hokage, once seen as a kind elder, was now revealed to be a manipulative conspirator willing to do anything to maintain control. The contrast was overwhelming.
Naruto, still confused, didn't understand why Sarutobi Hiruzen giving him money every month was suddenly considered a bad thing. He asked this question, and Sasuke responded with a vivid analogy.
"Let me put it this way, Naruto," Sasuke said. "If the Fourth Hokage hadn't died, then you would have a status similar to Konohamaru's. If you only ate Ichiraku Ramen every month, you'd be able to eat the deluxe version every day!"
"That would make me really happy!" Naruto said excitedly. After all, in Naruto's mind, the deluxe version of Ichiraku Ramen was already a luxury.
"So now you can understand—the living expenses the Third Hokage gives you every month are just a fraction of what your father left behind," Sasuke continued. "I don't know what Sarutobi Hiruzen is thinking when he gives you this allowance. Does he feel guilty?"
"So... Grandpa Hokage, is he a bad person?" Naruto asked, feeling a bit sad. After all, emotions aren't something you can just discard instantly. Since childhood, Sarutobi Hiruzen had been the only one who seemed to care about Naruto. Now, to be told that the Hokage's concern was just an act to control him was hard to accept.
"Don't be sad, Naruto," Sasuke said, trying to cheer him up. "You should be happy. After all, you're the son of the Fourth Hokage, and you can eat as much Ichiraku Ramen as you want!"
Seeing Naruto's sad expression, Sasuke used his ultimate move—ramen therapy! As expected, it worked wonders, and Naruto quickly forgot his troubles.
After noticing Naruto's stable mood, Kakashi continued, "Of course, the mistakes made by the Konoha higher-ups don't end here."
Hearing this, everyone was stunned. The truth about Naruto's heritage had already revealed the darkness of Konoha's leadership. Now Kakashi was saying that was just the beginning. Who could handle that?
Kakashi said slowly, "This also involves the Uchiha clan."
At the mention of Uchiha, everyone's eyes turned to the last surviving member of the clan—Uchiha Sasuke.
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