Inside the administrative building of the Hidden Leaf Village.
The Hokage's office, once bustling with paperwork and comings and goings, now stood with its doors firmly shut.
Aside from the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had resumed the position after Minato, the wide and empty room held only his three comrades from the same generation—now the elders of the Hidden Leaf Village. Every one of them sat in silence, brows furrowed deeply, as if pondering something grave.
"I object! The Minato couple sacrificed their lives for the village. Even their newborn child was made the next Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails after Kushina… And now you propose this kind of plan for the only bloodline they left behind? Is this how you treat the child of heroes who saved the village? Are you even human?!"
After a long silence, the tense air was finally broken by a thunderous protest.
Time had not been kind to the aging Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, whose body now trembled faintly as if suppressing his fury. He paused briefly after speaking, placing a withered palm over the crystal ball on his desk. A moment later, with a surge of chakra, it displayed the image he longed to see most: a clueless blond toddler under heavy surveillance by the ANBU.
"If not for this child's parents…"
Staring at Naruto's innocent, beaming smile, Hiruzen's expression softened slightly. Even as he gazed at the boy dotingly, he swept a sidelong glance at the three around him and continued with firm, deliberate words.
"If Minato and Kushina hadn't sacrificed themselves to seal the Nine-Tails… what would've become of the village? You—"
"Hmph. That's exactly why I say you're too soft, Hiruzen. Too gentle and indecisive to remain in the Hokage's seat."
Before Hiruzen could finish, a man just past middle age with a cane standing to his left let out a cold snort and stepped forward. He interrupted without hesitation, his frown showing no fear or anger.
"I'll admit, Minato Namikaze lived up to the title of Fourth Hokage when the Nine-Tails went berserk… but don't forget, this disaster is inseparable from the actions of that couple!"
"Danzo! What are you suggesting? Are you seriously implying that Minato and Kushina released the Nine-Tails on purpose?!"
Hearing such words from his former comrade and now the leader of the ANBU Root division, Hiruzen lost control of his emotions. He slammed his hand onto the desk, his voice echoing loudly.
"Who's to say? No one truly knows another's heart. It's a possibility we can't rule out—"
"Danzo! You—!"
Danzo's vague, insinuating attitude finally pushed the usually calm Hiruzen over the edge.
He couldn't believe it. The Minato couple, who had given everything for the village at such a young age—now hailed as heroes—were being doubted as conspirators by Danzo. Worse, Danzo had suggested that their only child should be isolated and closely monitored.
All this, just because Danzo had casually described it as "convenient for cultivating a weapon for war."
That child was the son of heroes! The only remaining bloodline of Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki!
They had not only sacrificed themselves to save the village, but made the unimaginable decision to turn their newborn child into the Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails. They gave everything they had for the village, and now Hiruzen was being asked to watch their child be turned into nothing more than a killing machine.
"Enough already… Hiruzen, we all know that Minato was an outstanding Hokage, and Jiraiya was proud to call him his disciple. Your wife Biwako was also killed while delivering Kushina's child… With so much bad news hitting you at once, it's understandable that you're struggling to accept this."
Just as tensions reached a breaking point, Homura Mitokado—the normally quiet elder—finally spoke, trying to smooth things over. His words, though intended to comfort, brought up Hiruzen's late wife and struck a painful chord. The Third Hokage's expression softened, but what came next made his face darken once more.
"Still… Danzo isn't entirely wrong. The couple bore the weight of both the Hokage title and the role of Jinchūriki. They knew that childbirth would be when the seal was weakest… and yet they insisted on having this child."
Koharu Utatane, the only woman among the three elders, stared coldly at the image of Naruto in the crystal ball, speaking with not a shred of emotion.
"In other words, if they had just followed my suggestion and aborted the child, the enemy wouldn't have had the chance to strike. Neither of them would have had to die, and the village would have been spared this disaster. So…"
"Heroes who saved the village? At best, they were failed Hokage whose merits cancel out their faults."
"Think it through, Hiruzen. This is also about ensuring that the boy can fully control the Nine-Tails and prevent another tragedy. This is a unanimous decision by the Elder Council."
Danzo played the lead role, Homura acted as the soft voice, and Koharu as the cold enforcer. Together, they offered no room for Hiruzen to object, clearly having come prepared.
"You… all of you…"
Hiruzen stared wide-eyed at his three old comrades. Once inseparable allies, now they seemed like complete strangers.
In the Hidden Leaf, the Elder Council held real influence. When its members—especially Danzo, Homura, and Koharu—acted together, they could steer village policy to a large extent. This system had originally been created to prevent the Hokage from holding absolute power, but now it was being used to corner him.
"Hmph. Face reality, Hiruzen… You're too naive and weak. Without a strong hand, how can we guarantee the military strength needed to protect the village? How else can we keep the other ninja villages at bay during such dangerous times?"
Danzo enjoyed seeing his rival on the back foot, but he knew too much pressure could backfire.
The Fourth Hokage's sacrifice was undeniable, and public sentiment was at an all-time high. If Hiruzen, newly reinstated, decided to openly protect Naruto and risk a political fallout, Danzo's plan could blow up in his face.
Moreover, unlike the Fourth Hokage, the Nine-Tails was now synonymous with fear and hatred. To most villagers, the powerless infant was nothing more than a burden. Danzo might see long-term benefits, but Naruto wasn't his main concern right now.
So after his jab, Danzo took a deliberate step back.
"Let's compromise. We'll delay training him for now. But in return… to ensure the secrecy and safety of the boy's Jinchūriki identity, his lineage must be hidden. He cannot be told about his parents, and he cannot bear his father's name. At most, he can take his mother's surname—Uzumaki."
"…So that's it. No wonder you're so determined to go after this child. You really will stop at nothing."
Hiruzen's fury suddenly felt hollow, like punching into a wall of cotton. He stood in stunned silence, digesting Danzo's proposal.
To hide Naruto's parentage and change his surname—what would that mean?
Clearly, Naruto would no longer inherit the prestige of being the son of a hero. Hiruzen's initial plan to groom him as the Fifth Hokage candidate with widespread support would be impossible.
And the greatest beneficiary? Danzo, who had just "conceded."
All this roundabout scheming to train Naruto into a killing machine had one true goal: to eliminate a future rival for the Hokage position—an opponent who wasn't even out of diapers yet.
Realizing Danzo's true intentions, Hiruzen exhaled quietly. With a cold sneer, he picked up his pipe, took a deep drag, then replied.
"Fine. But I have one condition… You are not to interfere in the boy's upbringing. And the Root members monitoring him—withdraw them all."
Danzo's face remained expressionless under the sarcasm and ridicule. He narrowed his eyes and locked gazes with Hiruzen. His cane tapped softly against the floor as he calculated the risks. Finally, he nodded reluctantly.
"So be it."
…
Inside the Root's secret base.
"Of course I couldn't fool him… Hiruzen, you old fool. You should've just stayed retired and let me have my way."
Danzo had just returned from the Hokage's office and stood with his hands behind his back, mumbling to himself. Kneeling behind him were a dozen elite ninja wearing eerie masks—the same agents who had been recalled from monitoring Naruto.
Hiruzen's condition had been a clever trap—preventing Danzo from directly interacting with Naruto and guarding him against Root's influence. It exposed a subtle flaw in Danzo's plan.
True, Hiruzen had agreed not to tell Naruto about his lineage… but what if Naruto found out on his own?
"Sir, you called us?"
"There's been a change. You no longer need to monitor that Nine-Tails brat. I have a new mission for you."
"Tomorrow, the Third Hokage will issue a new law: no one is allowed to tell the truth about the Nine-Tails brat's background. Your job is to spread a different message… in secret."
A glint of cold malice flickered in Danzo's eyes as he turned around with a wicked smile.
"Uzumaki Naruto is the reincarnation of the Nine-Tails, sealed by the Fourth Hokage. He is that demon fox that nearly destroyed our village."
Danzo had carefully crafted his plan, even bribing the other two elders to support him. There would be no loose ends.
Technically, his condition hadn't banned Naruto from discovering the truth himself… And if every villager feared and hated the boy, if he grew up resenting the village—would Hiruzen really dare let him learn the truth? That his own father had sealed the Nine-Tails into him?
Even if Naruto broke under the pressure and let the Nine-Tails take over, even if the seal shattered again—they could just find another Jinchūriki.
And any casualties along the way? To Danzo, they were merely acceptable sacrifices on the road to becoming Hokage.
"Just wait, Hiruzen… The Hokage seat will be mine. I will be the last one laughing."
…
November 1, Year 48 of the Hidden Leaf Calendar.
Following the rampage of the Nine-Tails, the Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze sacrificed his life. With no suitable Fifth Hokage candidate in sight and the village in chaos, nearby ninja villages grew increasingly aggressive, sensing an opportunity.
At this moment of crisis, the retired Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi stepped forward once more, resuming leadership. His swift decrees stabilized the situation and halted all risk of outside attack, ushering in a period of rapid recovery.
Yet amidst this storm of hidden schemes and mounting danger… a chilling rumor spread like wildfire among the villagers.
The Nine-Tails that had torn families apart and was sealed by the Fourth Hokage—had lost all memory and been reborn as a helpless baby boy.
Demon. Monster. Fox spirit…
The infant cursed with the villagers' hatred, fated to be scorned and feared, now had a name whispered in every corner of the village.
Uzumaki Naruto.