Hiruzen had originally been using his crystal ball in the Hokage's office to "observe the wellbeing" of Konoha's women, and to check on Uzumaki Naruto's condition.
Not long ago, Naruto had turned three, and Hiruzen allowed him to live alone, though a nanny was still responsible for cooking for him on weekdays.
From time to time, he would instill the Will of Fire into the boy, successfully planting a dream in the child's heart—to become Hokage.
But as he watched today, Yami suddenly appeared.
Hiruzen witnessed him burn down a store and threaten the surrounding shopkeepers.
He didn't believe that this sudden contact between Yami and Naruto was Danzō's doing. That old friend of his only knew how to operate in the shadows and would never act so boldly.
Still, Naruto's identity was too sensitive. He had to test the situation.
Coincidentally, he hadn't had a private conversation with Yami yet, so this was also a chance to build rapport.
Could this child be his subordinate in the future?
When he arrived at the scene, he overheard the two kids bickering, until—
"Naruto, I admit, I'm not as good as a Chūnin in that regard."
Hiruzen was forced to concede. After all, Konoha's Chūnin included those in the special intelligence division. Some of them really would eat that stuff to analyze enemy intel…
"Eh?"
Hearing his Grandpa Hokage admit it personally, Naruto looked disappointed.
In his heart, Hiruzen was supposed to be all-powerful.
He didn't expect he wouldn't even dare eat poop.
"Naruto, the responsibility of a Hokage is much greater than that of a Chūnin. He must protect all the villagers." Hiruzen quickly tried to recover. "But that doesn't mean Hokage is omnipotent. He also needs others' strength. Do you understand?"
"I understand." Naruto nodded earnestly. "I'll become Hokage and earn everyone's recognition."
"Why?" Yami suddenly asked, puzzled.
"Huh?" Naruto blinked in confusion.
"Why do you want everyone's recognition?"
Naruto replied meekly, "Because then no one will hate me anymore. No one will refuse to sell to me..."
Hiruzen instinctively felt something was wrong.
"You're overthinking it."
Yami smiled lightly and said gently, "Look at those people from earlier. Did they recognize me?"
Naruto hesitated, then shook his head.
"Exactly. But I don't need their recognition. If they dare talk bad about me or refuse to sell me something, they can get out of Konoha."
"Yami!" Hiruzen's face turned red, and he quickly stopped him. "Naruto isn't a genius like you. He's still just a child..."
"It's fine."
Yami patted Naruto on the shoulder. "Then just endure it for two years. Keep a little notebook, write down everyone who talks behind your back. When you're strong enough, kill everyone who doesn't recognize you. The rest? They'll all recognize you."
Naruto trembled. Even at age three, he understood what death meant. This was the first time he had heard someone speak about killing so casually.
Hiruzen only felt that Danzō had committed a grievous sin.
What a terrible influence.
What a terrifying personality. How had Danzō raised such a child?
"Naruto, your big brother Yami is joking." Hiruzen rushed to straighten the boy's values. "A person who hurts their comrades is not qualified to be Hokage."
"Using your power to protect others is the true mark of a Hokage."
Naruto nodded vigorously.
He also felt that something wasn't right.
"It's fine, I don't want to be Hokage anyway." Yami casually skipped a stone, which bounced across the water seven times.
There happened to be a fisherman on the opposite shore. He opened his mouth to curse, but after spotting the old man sitting next to Yami, he silently packed up his gear, abandoned his fishing spot, and left for a farther one.
"What's your dream, Yami?" Hiruzen asked.
He had to find a breakthrough to guide this child onto the right path.
"Me?"
The boy cupped his chin in one hand and looked thoughtful. "I want to form bonds with everyone in the ninja world."
"Oh? With everyone?" Hiruzen asked. "Why?"
"If we're all connected by bonds, maybe there won't be any more wars."
"What a grand ideal. You remind me of the Shodai..." Hiruzen sighed, then encouraged him. "Although it's difficult, I believe you'll succeed."
Great, the child was still redeemable!
What kind of evil could a child have if his dream was to form bonds with the entire world?
"Yes." Yami nodded solemnly.
"Alright then, we've talked enough. You should head home for dinner." Hiruzen, having gotten the answer he wanted, felt reassured and was about to leave.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he stood up, Yami stopped him.
"Third, you're not going to treat us to dinner?"
"Why should I treat you?" Hiruzen asked, confused.
"Because I just helped you get rid of a cancer in the village," Yami said confidently.
"That grocery store owner was even more arrogant than me. He dared to choose customers and even called this kid a demon fox. If he's a demon fox, then I'm the father of the Sage of Six Paths. So I burned his shop down. Shouldn't you thank me?"
Hiruzen's mouth twitched uncontrollably.
"Yami, it's wrong to attack villagers."
"Then they should've behaved better. They made me so angry I couldn't help it. Honestly, they deserve to die. Want me to go back and kill him now?"
As he spoke, Yami released a faint killing intent, scaring Naruto pale.
"You're not allowed."
Hiruzen was completely worn out. It seemed this child would take a long time to guide back onto the right path.
"Thank you for helping me find flaws in the village. And Naruto, I'll treat you to dinner..."
"Ramen!"
"Barbecue!"
The two shouted different answers at the same time. Naruto was quickly pinned down by Yami.
"You're freeloading. Don't be picky. Old man's treating me."
"...Oh, okay." Naruto, who had never eaten barbecue before, nodded pitifully.
At Yakiniku Q, Hiruzen was thoroughly fleeced.
As for Yami, perhaps due to his developing Senju bloodline or the Ōtsutsuki genes inherited from Hinata, his appetite had exploded. He used to eat ten plates of special beef, now he could down twenty.
Naruto turned out to be a glutton too. Though he came reluctantly, he managed to finish three plates.
When it came time to pay, the Third Hokage directly charged it to the Hokage's office.
Nice. Official business expense.
After leaving the shop, Naruto held Hiruzen's hand in one hand and waved at Yami with the other.
"Big bro Yami, remember my address! Come play sometime!"
Yami waved back and left without saying anything.
Hiruzen looked down and said, "Naruto, the first step to becoming Hokage is walking home by yourself."
"No problem!" Naruto responded energetically and walked off on his own.
"I really didn't expect this..."
After the two were gone, the warm smile on Hiruzen's face slowly disappeared, replaced by a sigh.
He had originally planned to use the villagers' hostility to temper Naruto's will, making him crave recognition and dedicate himself to the village in the future.
But Yami had suddenly stepped in, and that plan may no longer work.
Yet he couldn't blame the boy. Because the kindness and justice Yami showed—was exactly the kind of emotion he hoped to see from him.
"Why are you back so late? Huh? Where are the things I asked you to buy?"
Seeing Yami come home after wandering around for three hours empty-handed, Pakura questioned him suspiciously.
"I ran into a little brat on the way, then met old man Hiruzen, and he insisted on treating me to a meal. So I got held up."
"...And the stuff?"
"Uh, the store burned down."
"Who pissed you off this time?"
Kurenai brought over two boxes of milk and handed one each to Pakura and Yami.
Yami took a sip and casually said, "The boss insisted the brat was a demon fox and refused to sell to him. Even shoved him. He was more arrogant than me."
"Demon fox..."
Both Yugao and Kurenai's expressions changed. Even Pakura understood what that meant.
Ordinary people only called Naruto the demon fox. But ninjas who had fought in the war knew the truth.
"Alright."
Yami finished his milk in one go and yawned. "Got up too early this morning. I'm going to nap."
Pakura nodded gently. "Alright. I'll go to the farther department store later and pick up the rest."
Back in his room, Yami received a system prompt.
[Host has formed a bond with Uzumaki Naruto. Reward: Uzumaki Bloodline (Excellent)]
The reward was distributed. As warmth surged through his body, Yami quickly fell asleep.
By the time he woke up, it was already dark outside.
His chakra had increased significantly, approaching 40 cards. His cell vitality had also improved greatly. In the future, his natural growth would further amplify his chakra reserves.
In truth, Naruto's Uzumaki bloodline wasn't pure. It was surprising that the system still rated it as "Excellent."
After all, Naruto hadn't awakened any of the Uzumaki clan's signature abilities yet.
Adamantine Sealing Chains, Mind's Eye of the Kagura… he knew none of them.
Even his hair was dyed blonde due to the dominant water-nature genes.
In terms of bloodline, his purity definitely couldn't compare to Karin.
Wait a second?
Yami suddenly realized something.
Yes, Karin!
She and Naruto were born the same year, and she should already be in Kusagakure by now.
Why not bring that red-eyed glasses girl back and raise her properly?
The next day.
Yami planned to visit Root to check some intel and have a chat with the old man.
But an unexpectedly loud guest disrupted his schedule.
"Hey, little guy, didn't you say you'd treat me to dango after you became a Chūnin? I waited all day yesterday!"
Yami ignored the female Naruto and looked at Kurenai nearby with a disgusted expression.
"Why'd you bring her here?"
Kurenai looked helpless. "Anko showed up early this morning yelling that you owed her dango. I couldn't stop her."
"Fine." Yami sighed. "I haven't eaten breakfast either."
The three of them went to the dango shop. Anko didn't hesitate to order eight skewers for herself.
Kurenai only got two, and Yami ordered three.
Dango was sticky rice and sugar—sweet and heavy.
Only Anko could eat so much.
Even after just two skewers, Kurenai silently decided to increase her afternoon training.
Mid-meal, Yami casually asked, "You're a Chūnin. Can't even afford dango? What's with all those skewers? Not worried about a stomachache?"
Anko stuffed three dango into her mouth like a squirrel. "I'm lucky. I get discounts or freebies almost every day. Never had a stomach problem."
Yami relaxed a little.
Looks like the plan was progressing well.
She hadn't gained weight yet.
Maybe she just wasn't at the right age.
He'd wait.
But what he didn't notice was the sly glint in Anko's eyes as she sipped water.
Trying to fatten up this lady? Even if I have to train three extra hours a day, you'll never succeed.
After leaving the dango shop, Yami parted with the girls and headed to Root to find Danzō.
"Old man, that Uzumaki Naruto kid is the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, right?"
"Yes." Danzō paused as he lifted his teacup. "You met him?"
"You the one who spread the rumor that he's the demon fox?" Yami asked directly.
Danzō nodded, then shook his head. "That was the consensus of Konoha's higher-ups. If you want to control the power of a tailed beast, the host must have a strong will. Otherwise, they'll become the beast's puppet."
"So a Jinchūriki's life is doomed to be full of hardship."
Not just Konoha. All villages viewed their Jinchūriki the same way.
When not in use, they were feared and shunned.
But when war came, they were expected to fight as ultimate weapons.
"You feel sorry for him?" Danzō saw through his grandson.
"I suppose so."
Yami nodded lightly and took a sip of tea. "He's just a kid, younger than me. I just despise the shamelessness of you old guys, and the villagers' ignorance."
Danzō was being scolded by his own grandson, but he wasn't angry. He remained calm.
"When you grow up, you'll be just like us."
"You can't stop it. Even if you end public discrimination, it'll just go underground."
"Just like Hatake Sakumo."
Danzō narrowed his lone eye.
"Fools will always point fingers at those working in the shadows, never understanding what they've sacrificed for this village."
Whether he was talking about Sakumo, or himself, was unclear.
In any case, Danzō quickly caught himself and returned to his usual calm state.
"Let's talk about your future."
He set his teacup down.
"Hiruzen used the Chūnin Exam to pressure me, and joined forces with the other two advisors to take you away."
"But I'm not worried they'll sway you. Just remember, what you see of Hiruzen is only surface-level."
"If he ever persuades you to do something impulsive, think twice."
"That's his trick. Hiruzen always convinces others to do things that shouldn't see the light, then takes all the blame himself."
(To be continued.)