"I admit it, Sensei… I've wronged Naruto."
A heavy weight settled on Hiruzen's chest as he confessed words that hardly befitted the dignity of a Hokage:
"I deprived Naruto of the treatment he deserved as the Fourth Hokage's orphan. I treated him like just another jinchūriki—testing his fitness as a vessel by forcing him to grow up in hardship."
"Part of it was my own inadequacy. I feared the Nine-Tails breaking loose… feared public backlash. But part of it was political—I needed a jinchūriki who would fully support my leadership."
"The Uchiha clan, Danzō, all the other shinobi clans… I wasn't like you, Sensei. I couldn't handle everything perfectly just with my own strength and strategy. I couldn't even properly guide my three disciples. And now, even as an old man, I still don't know who should become the next Hokage…"
"Orochimaru drowned himself in forbidden jutsu and defected from the village. Tsunade lost herself in grief and refuses to be a shinobi anymore. Jiraiya? He's obsessed with the prophecies of Mount Myōboku, wandering the world with no desire to lead…"
Hiruzen laid himself bare in honest self-reflection, as though he were a student once again, confessing his failures to his sensei.
But then his tone shifted—
"However…"
"Sensei, I've never once forgotten that Naruto is the son of the Fourth Hokage… I've always treated him as someone I was raising to become Hokage one day. He may be mischievous and a troublemaker, but deep down, he's a good kid."
"Even under such a repressive upbringing, Naruto never developed any extreme thoughts. Those silly pranks he pulled to grab attention—I understood them. He was simply craving recognition, wanting others to see him."
Sarutobi Hiruzen slowly raised his head and met Senju Tobirama's gaze with unwavering determination.
"Sensei, I know your forbidden technique is for the sake of the village—but you shouldn't take over the body of an innocent child. Especially not Naruto, a child whom Konoha already owes so much to!"
"If you truly need another vessel, then this monkey will mobilize all of Konoha's resources to help find you a suitable match…"
"You may not be aware, but the village has made progress in researching Hashirama-sama's cells. While we still can't mass-produce Wood Release, I believe that under your leadership, crafting a chakra-rich body should be entirely possible!"
Kazuki narrowed his eyes slightly, scrutinizing Hiruzen.
Under the weight of that oppressive gaze, Sarutobi Hiruzen stood firm, pushing down the anxiety in his heart. Despite his fear, he locked eyes with the man he still saw as Senju Tobirama.
He—Sarutobi Hiruzen—had certainly wronged Naruto in many ways…
But he had never once thought of taking the boy's life.
These words were his subtle way of expressing to his sensei—
That even as his student, he did not support the act of seizing Naruto's body.
Naruto, silently watching from the side, seemed thoughtful. He let out a sigh and murmured softly, "Grandpa Hokage…"
But beside him, Kurama let out a snort and smacked Naruto on the head with one claw.
"Brat, what are you thinking? Are you seriously starting to believe that this old man's not so bad—that he actually had your best interest at heart?"
Naruto blinked in surprise and nodded.
"Kurama, how did you know?"
"Tch. Don't be fooled, kid! Compared to pure malice, people like the Third Hokage who claim to act 'for your own good'—while forcibly deciding your entire life—are even more dangerous."
"That's a cruel kind of murder—the kind that kills your freedom to grow. The kind that twists your personality into whatever they want you to become."
Kurama pointed a claw toward the curled-up, dim mass of Asura's chakra, and spoke in a grave voice: "Have you forgotten about that?"
"That chakra may have granted you some power… but it's slowly warping your thoughts. It's dulling your sense of negative emotion, and pushing you to blindly pursue this so-called 'mutual understanding'…"
"If this goes on, Naruto... tell me—will you still be you?"
"Or will you become a second version of that thing, shaped by this chakra?"
Kurama spoke to Naruto in a rare tone of solemn sincerity.
And as he said those words to Naruto—
A faint realization stirred deep within Kurama's heart.
It wasn't just Naruto being pulled along by Asura's chakra. He, too—a fragment of the Ten-Tails—hadn't escaped the fate laid out for him by the Sage of Six Paths.
Just another beast, waiting for the so-called child of prophecy to call his true name.
"You're right, Kurama…"
Naruto let out a long breath. The glint of sentiment in his eyes as he looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen quickly faded. He said quietly: "Only Kazuki-nii has truly been good to us… He never gave us any assignments—he even made sure to tell us not to think about him too much."
Kurama let out a disdainful snort.
"Did you really need to say that out loud? Idiot."
Kazuki listened silently to their conversation, smiling faintly.
In truth, that comparison wasn't fair.
He wasn't like Sarutobi Hiruzen. He wasn't like the Sage of Six Paths. Kazuki had no need to plan for Konohagakure, or for the shinobi world.
All he needed to do was hand his power over to Naruto and Kurama—let them grow—and while steadily strengthening himself, completely overturn the fate he had originally been given.
So what if it wasn't fair?
Even outside of this warped space-time—back in Kazuki's own timeline—before he had acquired the strength to protect himself…
If you had the chance to claim power, and didn't take it out of some misplaced mercy or pity…
That would be the greatest cruelty—
To yourself, and to this planet.
"Monkey… you carry the Will of Fire in your heart. That makes me proud, truly."
Kazuki looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen's serious expression and smiled, with genuine warmth.
This moment… it was familiar.
In Kazuki's original timeline, Sarutobi Hiruzen had exploded into conflict the first time they met—unable to accept that his sensei, Senju Tobirama, had seized Kazuki's body through a forbidden jutsu. He had rebelled on the spot, going so far as to invoke the Dead Demon Consuming Seal in a suicidal attempt to drag his sensei to the grave with him.
Although this alternate-timeline Hiruzen clearly didn't love Naruto enough to go that far…
The fact that he was willing to express open opposition to Senju Tobirama's face—that was enough.
For the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, there still remained a strange sort of moral line he refused to cross.
At first, Hiruzen felt a flicker of joy at Kazuki's praise…
But in the next instant, his heart turned cold again—
"But your Will of Fire is so… narrow. That, Sensei does not approve of."
"Let me ask you something, Monkey."
"If killing a Konoha shinobi who carries the Will of Fire in his heart—could guarantee peace for the entire village for all eternity… would you do it?"
Kazuki, mimicking Senju Tobirama's tone, naturally slipped into a cadence laced with that peculiar Uchiha madness: "What are you hesitating for, Monkey…? I'm telling you—if I were the Second Hokage, I wouldn't hesitate to kill him!"
"Even if what I do is wrong—even if it violates the Will of Fire—even if it's a personal sin…"
"For the village as a whole… it would still be the right thing to do!"
"Take Naruto, for example. He's an innocent child—an upright heir of the Hokage lineage. If I possess his body, then yes, it would be me, Senju Tobirama, who has wronged him. But from that moment on, with Naruto's body, my scientific knowledge, and the Nine-Tails within him…"
Kazuki spoke slowly, with chilling clarity: "I would unite every kekkei genkai in the shinobi world. I would surpass my elder brother and Uchiha Madara. I would become the most powerful shinobi in history—or rather, the perfect being."
"Under the might I command, peace would come naturally. Do you understand, Monkey? And not only that… I would achieve immortality, personally guarding the peace I've forged—forever ending any chance of future chaos."
"So tell me—sacrificing one Naruto, to prevent every war that slaughters tens of thousands… is it worth it?"
"A blazing flame always needs kindling to burn…"
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded instinctively.
Was it not worth it?
Let's not even speak of so-called eternal peace...
Sarutobi Hiruzen had once sacrificed Hyūga Hizashi in exchange for a fleeting peace treaty.
If true, everlasting peace could really be achieved by trading just one life, just as Senju Tobirama said…
As a leader—what wouldn't be acceptable?
And yet—
A sliver of doubt crept into Sarutobi Hiruzen's mind.
Was his sensei truly resurrected for the sake of peace?
There was something unhinged in that voice—an involuntary hint of madness.
It reminded Hiruzen of the Uchiha.
It reminded him of his own student—
Orochimaru.
Once upon a time, Orochimaru had declared that he would pursue all jutsu in the shinobi world and discover the path to immortality. That vow had led him down a road of no return.
Suddenly, Sarutobi Hiruzen jolted with realization.
It was like a twisted inheritance across generations—
How alike Orochimaru and Senju Tobirama truly were.
Both obsessed with research and forbidden jutsu…
Both wildly creative, unbound by convention, daring to tread where no one else would.
The only difference was—
Orochimaru's talent was far inferior to Tobirama's.
And even so, without anyone to restrain him, he had gone down the path of corruption.
And Tobirama?
In a shinobi world without Senju Hashirama or Uzumaki Mito…
Sarutobi Hiruzen no longer dared to imagine why his sensei had truly come back.
Was it truly for the Will of Fire and peace?
Or was it to escape the two beings who could keep him in check—into a timeline where Senju Tobirama could act without restraint?
The word immortality…
Every time Sarutobi Hiruzen heard it, it brought with it an uncanny sense of corruption.
Something wasn't right. Nine out of ten—something was deeply wrong!
"Monkey, for the time being, don't disturb me…"
"And don't get involved in matters concerning the Uchiha."
A wisp of refined Nine-Tails chakra curled around Naruto's finger, twisting and flexing with remarkable shape transformation.
"The Uchiha… I already have plans for them. As for the Nine-Tails, I've taken the first steps in mastering this fox's power."
"What's the matter? Don't trust your sensei? Or are you curious to see just how capable a perfect jinchūriki really is?"
A grin crept across Naruto's soft, youthful face—one utterly out of place for someone his age. His eyes didn't smile.
"If you want to make a move—do it now."
Cold sweat drenched Sarutobi Hiruzen's back in an instant.
Just for a split second…
He had truly considered it—restraining Senju Tobirama first, then trying to reason with him afterward.
And he saw right through it?
Even worse—Senju Tobirama had evidently gained control over the power of the Nine-Tails.
Which meant…
Even if he tried to use force—it wouldn't work.
So then…
Was there any path left, other than obeying Senju Tobirama?
---
I will post some extra Chapters in Patreon, you can check it out. >> patreon.com/TitoVillar
---