[The arrival of Danzo also made Hiruzen feel very uneasy.]
[How could he not know what Danzo had been up to?]
[He would definitely try to brainwash Naruto using various illusions, turning him into a war machine that followed only his orders.]
[When that time came, Danzo would certainly start a war.]
[However, Naruto couldn't yet access the Nine-Tails' chakra.]
[The road ahead was still long.]
[But no matter what, the Jinchūriki had to be kept under personal control to ensure reliability.]
["Danzo, you..."]
["Your methods are still far from perfect."]
Hiruzen used the Telescope Technique, and as expected, saw Naruto heading to the back of the mountain to "hunt."
Naruto: "Why do I feel something's off?"
It was indeed strange. Naruto had no idea that he was under the constant surveillance of the Third Hokage.
Naruto: "Also, was that one-eyed old man with the cane sending people to watch me?"
Danzo: "..."
Hiruzen: "..."
Danzo: "Ahem, Naruto, you are Konoha's secret weapon. This is all for your safety."
Kushina: "Hah! I'm watching too, even if you think I'm dead. Surveillance is still surveillance—don't try to make it sound noble."
Naruto: "So, when I was younger, I was just like him? Constantly being watched?"
Gaara: "You're better off than me, Naruto. At least you got to go to school. My own father tried to assassinate me."
Naruto: "Wait, so your father tried to kill you because you're a Jinchūriki? But we didn't do anything wrong..."
Naruto hadn't done anything wrong, but Gaara was different. He frequently lost control.
The reason?
First, Sunagakure's sealing techniques were ineffective.
Second, Rasa often provoked Gaara to test his control over the beast, driving him to madness.
But who asked to be a Jinchūriki?
More than that, each Jinchūriki was meant to be a hero who protected their village by balancing the power of the tailed beasts.
.
.
.
[In the back mountain of Konoha, Naruto had finished his shuriken training.]
[He was getting ready to cook a delicious dinner.]
"Hehehe..."
A gentle voice echoed in Naruto's ears.
Naruto was startled and quickly looked up.
The figure he saw was the Third Hokage himself.
"Lord Third?"
Naruto reacted swiftly, switching to a formal tone.
But deep down, he was judging the old man in front of him from head to toe.
This old man is the Third Hokage? And yet, he's always thinking about stealing food from others. Shameless!
Pfft!
Naruto's thoughts were full of irony.
When he realized the old man who had mooched grilled fish from him last time was the Third Hokage, he mentally labeled him as "sneaky." This time, his opinion worsened: even more shameless.
Tobirama: "Hey! Hiruzen, do you just go around getting free meals? Isn't that a bit undignified?"
Hashirama: "Hahaha..."
Madara: "Hashirama, stop laughing. Look at Konoha now—so fixated on the Nine-Tails. It's just one beast."
Tobirama: "Are you implying that Konoha is weaker because of my brother's leadership?"
Madara: "Hmph! I don't have to say anything. You know."
Tobirama: "Madara! You..."
Madara: "Enough. Without a tailed beast, you'd be crushed by the other villages—let alone your apprentice."
Hiruzen: "I'm sorry, teacher. I've shamed you."
Danzo: "..."
"Smells good."
Hiruzen wrinkled his nose, enjoying the aroma.
Naruto, who could guess why the old man had come, rolled his eyes.
But soon, his attitude flipped: "Grandpa Third, are you hungry? Want to try my grilled fish again?"
"Naruto, we can't keep eating grilled fish."
"It's fine. Sometimes I throw in some vegetables and make stew."
Haha, this kid's cooking skills aren't half bad.
The conversation between Naruto and Hiruzen surprised everyone watching.
Is this really Naruto?
How is he only five or six years old?
This kind of maturity surpassed most adults.
Ohnoki: "Has he developed this way because of all the rejection?"
Fourth Raikage: "Seems like it. This kid is sharp. Reminds me of Bee, except Bee was a total goof at that age."
Killer Bee: "Oh yeah! Bro, you're killing me with those jokes, Naruto's way smarter than me at his age, yo!"
Audience: "..."
This was clearly the Eight-Tails' Jinchūriki from Kumogakure—the famous A-B combo of the Third Shinobi World War.
Ino: "It's hard to believe—our Naruto, compared to this Naruto over there..."
Naruto: "Hey! What are you trying to say? You think I'm dumber than him?"
Kakashi: "At least when it comes to nutrition, he's got you beat, Naruto..."
Naruto: "Hmph! He doesn't appreciate the greatness of instant noodles. Poor guy."
Kushina: "Naruto! Stop showing off. Instant noodles are not nutritious at all. You need to start eating better, for your mother's sake!"
["Hohoho…"]
["Naruto, I'm not here to eat fish today."]
[What?!]
[The sun must have risen in the west!]
[He's not here for grilled fish?]
[So, what—did he just happen to be wandering around the mountains?]
[But look at him—he doesn't need to lose weight.]
[Naruto blinked innocently: "Grandpa Third, then why are you here...?"]
["I heard you did well at school today."]
["I'm here because..."]
["Well, I have a scroll I want to give you."]
["It's a super powerful ninjutsu. If you learn it, you'll become even stronger."]
[What?!]
[A ninjutsu scroll?!]
[Naruto's eyes sparkled with excitement.]
["What kind of scroll?"]
["It's this one..."]
["The Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique."]
---
If you guys find any mistakes in the chapter, pls point it out in paragraph comments. I will try to correct them as soon as possible