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Chapter Three: The Truth Confirmed
The morning sun had only just begun to rise, painting Konoha in shades of orange and gold. Naruto walked through the quiet streets with an expression no one in the village had ever seen on him before. There was no smile, no boundless energy — only a determined frown and eyes clouded with doubt.
His small fists clenched at his sides as the words of the Nine-Tails from the night before replayed endlessly in his mind. Your parents abandoned you. They gave you to be my jailor.
Naruto quickened his pace. There was only one person who could confirm whether this was true or not. The old man Hokage — the only adult Naruto thought he could trust.
When he reached the Hokage Tower, he didn't hesitate. His hand, trembling slightly, knocked on the heavy wooden door of the Hokage's office.
"Come in," came the familiar, gentle voice from inside.
Naruto opened the door and stepped in. Hiruzen Sarutobi looked up from his paperwork, a smile forming on his wrinkled face. "Ah, Naruto-kun. What a surprise to see you this early."
Naruto greeted him stiffly, then stood in front of the desk. The Hokage's smile faltered as he noticed the serious expression on the boy's face. Naruto never knocked, never looked this grave. Something was different.
"What is it, my boy?" Hiruzen asked softly, folding his hands together.
Naruto hesitated only for a moment before blurting out, "I… I know about the fox."
The Hokage's eyes widened slightly. Hidden in the shadows of the room, ANBU operative Kakashi stiffened at the revelation.
But Naruto wasn't done. His voice grew sharper, louder. "The fox told me something else. He said my parents gave me up to the Fourth Hokage — they let him seal that monster inside me even though they knew how the village would treat me! He said… he said they abandoned me!"
The silence that followed was heavy. Hiruzen's gaze dropped, his expression torn. Naruto's blue eyes burned with desperation. "Tell me it's not true, old man. Tell me he lied!"
Hiruzen clenched his jaw, his heart aching. He could see the fox's hand in this — planting poison in the boy's heart. But how could he lie to Naruto now, after everything?
Finally, in a quiet, heavy voice, the Third Hokage spoke.
"…It's true."
The words crashed down like a hammer.
Naruto froze. His eyes widened in shock, his breath caught in his throat. The world around him seemed to blur, leaving only the sound of those words echoing in his mind.
It's true.
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