Chapter 92: Naruto: "Is Grandpa Hokage a Bad Guy???"
The concept of [Justice] in Hiruzen Sarutobi's mind was almost exclusively tied to Uchiha Ikeizumi.
When he heard Naruto's emotional outburst, Hiruzen Sarutobi realized he was too late.
He also understood what Ikeizumi truly intended to do with Naruto.
Hiruzen Sarutobi found it hard to describe his current feelings; there was shock, anger, and regret... But one thing he was sure of was that he absolutely could not let Naruto believe in any kind of justice!
Especially Uchiha Ikeizumi's Absolute Justice!
He forced a stiff smile onto his old face and earnestly said to Naruto, "Naruto, leave the search for the murderous evildoer to Konoha's Military Police Force. It's their responsibility, and they will investigate until the truth is uncovered."
"You're still young, just a child, and you've only been in the Ninja Academy for less than two months. This adult world isn't something you can get involved in right now. We can talk about it when you're older."
"But—" Just as Naruto was about to say something, a strangely accented, sharp voice suddenly interrupted: "Why now, of all times, do you suddenly realize a seven-year-old brat is a child, meow?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned and looked over, startled to find that the speaker was a ninja cat.
This orange ninja cat...
It seemed to belong to Ikeizumi.
Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly had a bad premonition.
"Meow, that Uchiha guy was thrown onto the battlefield of a Great Ninja War when he was four. At that time, why did no one say that a brat of that age was just a child?"
Kijirō's cat face was filled with disdain as it unreservedly mocked.
"Naruto Uzumaki is seven years old, three years older than Itachi Uchiha was then. Just because he wants to follow Lord Ikeizumi and execute justice, you suddenly say he's too young?"
"Your intentions are clear even to a ninja cat like me! Humans are truly skilled at scheming, meow!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi: "..."
He never thought he would be mocked by a ninja cat one day.
But for the esteemed Third Hokage to get into a huff with a cat would be too shameful!
The key was that he didn't know how to refute it. Should he openly declare that Naruto was a Jinchuriki?
No.
That secret, at least for now, could not be revealed to Naruto.
He was still too young.
Uchiha Ikeizumi said indifferently, "Naruto Uzumaki, make your choice. Don't worry about anything; even if your choice differs from my expectation, I won't kill you. But if your choice aligns with my expectation, they won't be able to take you away."
These words made Koharu Utatane's eyes widen. Her fists clenched as she squeezed out each word: "Uchiha Ikeizumi, do you understand what you're doing right now!?"
This was Koharu Utatane's first close, face-to-face encounter with Uchiha Ikeizumi.
It was also the first time she realized how unyielding he was, how little he regarded the Konoha elders.
She finally understood how much humiliation and irritation Hiruzen Sarutobi usually endured when dealing with Ikeizumi.
She also somewhat understood why Danzō wanted to kill Uchiha Ikeizumi.
While the Uchiha clan certainly had many troublemakers, Uchiha Ikeizumi was absolutely the first to dare utter such words in front of so many ANBU, in front of the Hokage, and in front of her, an elder consultant.
Koharu Utatane felt a growing urge to order the ANBU and Root ninja to apprehend Uchiha Ikeizumi.
"Uchiha Ikeizumi, you—" Just as Koharu Utatane was about to say that he had no right to force Naruto Uzumaki to make a choice.
Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly spoke from beside her, "Naruto, I know your dream is to gain the acknowledgment of everyone in the village, to become the future Hokage of Konoha. You need to make the right choice. Because if you make the wrong choice, it will be very difficult for the villagers to acknowledge you."
"And Ikeizumi," Hiruzen Sarutobi continued, "while he has done many things for Konoha, his methods are too extreme and too thorough. He has never gained the acknowledgment of the majority from beginning to end."
"Naruto, this is contrary to your dream."
Hiruzen Sarutobi no longer held back. He openly spoke ill of Uchiha Ikeizumi to Naruto, right in front of Ikeizumi himself.
Hearing this, Izumi immediately furrowed her brows.
She grumbled as she furiously wrote Hiruzen Sarutobi's name repeatedly in her notebook, pressing so hard that the paper tore.
"But..."
To Hiruzen Sarutobi's surprised expression, he saw Naruto's eyes visibly redden, and tears slowly streamed down his wet cheeks.
"Grandpa Hokage—"
Naruto desperately wiped away his uncontrollable tears. He lowered his head, his voice choked with dejection, "You never thought about letting me gain the villagers' acknowledgment either—"
Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help but freeze.
"Everyone in the village says I'm the Demon Fox Incarnate, and whenever they see me, they feel like they've had terrible luck today. Those are all rumors spread by that person named Danzō Shimura, right?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's pupils constricted.
"Grandpa Hokage knew about this... Grandpa Hokage also knew who the mastermind was who made me hated by everyone. But why did Grandpa Hokage protect that person?"
"Grandpa Hokage didn't let everyone know the truth—didn't that just make everyone in the village believe even more firmly that I'm the 'Demon Fox Incarnate'?"
"Why couldn't you tell them—that the Nine-Tails Demon Fox was sealed inside me without my knowledge?"
The moment Naruto's question landed, it wasn't just Hiruzen Sarutobi whose reaction was subtle; even Koharu Utatane looked at Naruto in disbelief.
Naruto Uzumaki—
How did he know the Nine-Tails Demon Fox was sealed inside him?
Who told him?
Uchiha Ikeizumi?
"The night of the Nine-Tails attack, the pain and disaster Konoha suffered had nothing to do with me—why do all the villagers hate me and ostracize me because of those rumors? Why couldn't Grandpa Hokage help explain? Why let the misunderstandings about me in the village deepen?"
"Grandpa Hokage..."
"I don't understand."
Naruto's tears "pitter-pattered" down. The seven-year-old child couldn't construct complex logical arguments, he could only rely on his innate sense of grievance, continuously questioning Hiruzen Sarutobi.
He didn't express anger towards Hiruzen Sarutobi, because he knew Grandpa Hokage had indeed been very kind to him.
Naruto just felt exceptionally wronged, confused, and filled with endless bewilderment.
"Grandpa Hokage, I'm sorry—"
"I—I just want to do one thing. I can't go back with you yet. At least, I have to find that murderous evildoer, at least I have to let that family of four die in peace. Then, I'll go back with you, Grandpa Hokage."
Naruto made his choice.
He also gave his answer.
Looking at Naruto, who was so aggrieved that tears were "pitter-pattering" down his face, Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't know what to say. For Naruto to know these things, it must have an inseparable connection with Ikeizumi, right?
Logically speaking, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt he should be angry, especially at Uchiha Ikeizumi.
Didn't Ikeizumi know how much distress telling Naruto the truth about that year would cause him?
Ikeizumi must have known!
But he still told Naruto. Was his goal simply to make Naruto believe in his [Absolute Justice]?
However, as he watched Naruto continuously wiping his tears, Hiruzen Sarutobi himself didn't know why, but the anger in his heart felt a little panicked. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something to the child, but for a moment, he didn't know what to say to salvage Naruto's disappointment in him, "Grandpa Hokage."
"Naruto Uzumaki, stop being a nuisance!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't speak, but Koharu Utatane, her face dark, interjected. She said, "You don't have the right to make choices. Cases handled by the Military Police Force aren't something you can get involved in. Even if Uchiha Ikeizumi forced you to make this choice, it's useless, right, Fugaku?"
"...Right."
Fugaku took a deep breath and also spoke, "Naruto Uzumaki, you may not know me. I am the Commander of the Uchiha Military Police Force—Fugaku Uchiha. To participate in cases handled by the Military Police Force, you need my permission."
"My answer is, I do not agree with you and Ikeizumi fooling around! At your age, you should be properly attending the Ninja Academy."
Naruto immediately looked stunned.
Koharu Utatane's dark old face finally eased somewhat. At least, she could confirm that Fugaku Uchiha was currently on Konoha's side.
She immediately gave a Root ninja a look.
Currently, Koharu Utatane had indeed temporarily taken over Danzō's position.
The Root organization was outwardly under her command.
However, Root now only had a handful of members left; most Root ninja had died at Uchiha Ikeizumi's hands, forcing Koharu Utatane, upon taking over Root, to draw some ninja from the Utatane clan to fill in.
Koharu Utatane's look was instantly understood by the Root ninja.
He immediately stepped forward, attempting to forcibly pull Naruto Uzumaki away. Naruto, startled, instinctively recoiled half a step and, also instinctively, suddenly bared his teeth at him.
A sudden surge of irritable aggression, strangely, made Naruto himself feel somewhat bewildered.
The next second.
A hand suddenly reached out and grabbed the Root ninja's hand.
Koharu Utatane was about to explode in anger but froze, and Fugaku Uchiha had the exact same reaction.
Uchiha Ikeizumi's reaction, however, was completely opposite. He didn't look at the hand that suddenly appeared, but instead gazed at Naruto's small back.
He squinted his eyes, keenly noticing that the hair on the back of Naruto's head was slowly moving, as if by itself, without any wind!
This made Uchiha Ikeizumi thoughtful.
"—Grandpa Hokage?" Naruto, thinking he was about to be forcibly taken away, looked up at Hiruzen Sarutobi with tear-streaked eyes, surprised.
"—Hiruzen?!" Koharu Utatane's shock was evident on her face; this was a situation she had not at all anticipated.
"Lord Hokage?" Fugaku also looked stunned, because he clearly saw that the hand gripping the Root ninja's arm was none other than Lord Hokage's right hand!
Under everyone's gaze, Hiruzen Sarutobi was silent for a while.
He released his hand, half-crouched, and reached out to Naruto.
Naruto hesitated for a moment.
But he didn't dodge.
Hiruzen Sarutobi then gently stroked Naruto's hair.
He forced a faint smile and slowly said, "Naruto, I can temporarily put aside some of my official duties today and join you in upholding justice for the innocents murdered by the evildoer."
"Grandpa Hokage," Naruto felt the inexplicable irritable aggression in his heart seemed to dissipate somewhat. "Hiruzen, what are you doing?!"
Koharu Utatane was momentarily confused by Hiruzen Sarutobi's thought process. She quickly said, "Naruto Uzumaki, he—"
But Koharu Utatane hadn't finished speaking.
She was forcefully interrupted by Hiruzen Sarutobi: "Naruto wants to use this method to gain the acknowledgment of everyone in the village. This is a good thing. Koharu, let's put this matter aside for now. You can take your Root ninja and leave first."
Koharu Utatane: "???"
As her mind struggled to process this, Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly stood up.
For some reason, Koharu Utatane noticed that Hiruzen in front of her seemed to let out a slight sigh of relief.
She saw Hiruzen Sarutobi turn to face her, his mouth silently opening and closing.
Koharu Utatane's pupils constricted slightly, because she read his lips—Naruto almost went berserk!!!
Koharu Utatane gasped.
She looked incredulously at Naruto, who had become docile again.
Then she couldn't help but look at Uchiha Ikeizumi with a bewildered expression.
To nearly cause the Jinchuriki to go berserk, that meant Naruto Uzumaki's emotional fluctuations just now must have reached their peak, right?
Even when Naruto was crying aggrievedly earlier, although his emotions were intense, there were no signs of him going berserk. But why did merely trying to forcibly remove him nearly cause him to go berserk?
What exactly did Uchiha Ikeizumi say to Naruto Uzumaki?
Is such extreme [Absolute Justice] that appealing?
These two had only been in contact for less than half a day, right? And Naruto Uzumaki already craved [Justice] so much?
Koharu Utatane didn't understand!!!
Not just Koharu Utatane, Hiruzen Sarutobi also couldn't understand. He even suspected if Naruto was under some genjutsu?
Did Ikeizumi use his Mangekyo to control the Jinchuriki?
Of course, this suspicion lasted only a second before it was dismissed.
Even though Hiruzen Sarutobi's views on Uchiha Ikeizumi were now completely different from before, one view remained unchanged: Ikeizumi never engaged in indirect or deceptive actions. If he had truly controlled Naruto with Mangekyo Genjutsu, Ikeizumi would even openly state it.
Facing a Naruto who had the potential to go berserk, Hiruzen Sarutobi, at that moment, was willing to compromise with Naruto.
Deep within Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart was a thought he didn't want to admit: this was also a compromise with Uchiha Ikeizumi.
Fugaku: "..."
Fugaku realized he could no longer interject.
Just a minute ago, he had firmly stood by Lord Hokage's side and resolutely and decisively rejected Naruto Uzumaki's "nonsense," intending to show Lord Hokage and Lady Koharu that the Uchiha clan truly had no intentions regarding the Jinchuriki.
If he could use this kind of pressure to suppress Uchiha Ikeizumi, it would be a win-win situation.
At least it might make Ikeizumi take a break for a while.
But who would have thought?
He had acted so unyielding in front of Ikeizumi, even decisively striking down his own clan member to prevent the Uchiha clan from being misunderstood by the elders, only for Lord Hokage to be the first to "surrender," the first to "soften."
Fugaku couldn't help but look at Koharu Utatane.
He found that the elder consultant, who had been so unyielding and sharp-tongued with Ikeizumi earlier, now merely gave Ikeizumi a faint glance.
Then, she obeyed Lord Hokage's command and left directly with the Root ninja, leaving only a group of ANBU ninja behind. Fugaku: "???"
No...
Hiruzen Sarutobi "compromised," Koharu Utatane "left."
So, what should he, who had been so "unyielding," do now?
Fugaku found himself in an awkward position!
He didn't know whether he should be grateful that there were no other Military Police Force ninja in the morgue besides himself and Ikeizumi.
Otherwise, his last shred of authority as the Uchiha clan head would completely vanish within the Uchiha clan.
When Fugaku shifted his stiff gaze to Uchiha Ikeizumi, he found that Ikeizumi wasn't using this weakness to attack him. He always felt Ikeizumi didn't even look him in the eye!
"Um..." Naruto didn't know how dramatically the thoughts of everyone present were fluctuating. After desperately wiping away his tears, he said to Uchiha Ikeizumi with delight, "Grandpa Hokage agreed to let me stay for a while to find the killer! And Grandpa Hokage even wants us to execute justice together!"
Uchiha Ikeizumi, however, coldly stated, "If you are willing to embrace justice, then you should feel ashamed of this."
Naruto immediately looked bewildered.
Uchiha Ikeizumi said, "Because this is 'evil' realizing that you possess a power it cannot control, forcing it to reluctantly compromise with justice, and donning a sickening facade of justice, openly declaring its desire to execute justice with you."
"Conversely, this also means that if justice lacks sufficient power, 'evil' won't even bother to don the guise of justice. It will trample all over justice."
Hiruzen Sarutobi: "???"
Though no names were mentioned, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt Ikeizumi was talking about him. He felt that Ikeizumi was calling him, the Hokage, "evil!"
Naruto, who was a little confused, took a while to somewhat grasp the meaning.
He exclaimed in shock, "Grandpa Hokage is a bad guy???"
Naruto was good at grasping the main point.
Hiruzen Sarutobi felt his blood pressure suddenly surge. He found Naruto's "turning against him" unbelievable.
He, the old man, went to great lengths to appease you, to compromise with you, to comfort you. He almost sacrificed his dignity, just to regain your trust.
And when the roles are reversed and it's Ikeizumi, you believe him after just a few words?!
"Naruto, you misunderstood. Ikeizumi wasn't talking about me, the old man."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's usually benevolent face appeared exceptionally stiff. He said to Naruto, "As Konoha's Hokage, I inherited Konoha's finest Will of Fire. How could I be a bad guy?"
"He didn't misunderstand." Uchiha Ikeizumi's concise sentence stopped the other words in Hiruzen Sarutobi's throat.
.....
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