Chapter 169: Minato Namikaze! What Right Do You Have to Accuse This Old Man?!
Konoha Village, Outskirts of the Uchiha Compound.
The tense standoff, momentarily frozen by Minato Namikaze's intervention, snapped tight again with his sharp questioning of Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Kakashi Hatake stood at the edge of the crowd, his lone eye, usually hidden behind his mask, now fixed on the golden figure in the center.
It's Sensei…
Sensei is back!
This realization pierced through Kakashi's long-numbed heart. For so many days and nights, he had been haunted by nightmares and regret. Sakumo Hatake, Obito, Rin… and Sensei and Kushina-senpai… He had watched his loved ones leave one by one, powerless to stop it.
And Naruto… Sensei's only child. His hero status deliberately hidden, he bore the stigma of "demon fox child," growing up lonely amidst the village's cold glares and exclusion. Just like his father, the White Fang, had suffered from rumors.
But now, Sensei was back! Perhaps only the Fourth Hokage himself could truly change the darkness in Konoha!
Kakashi hesitated no longer. He pushed through the crowd, ignoring the stunned looks of others, and rushed straight to the center of the battlefield.
"Sensei!" He arrived at Minato's side. "About Naruto… there are things you must know!"
Minato turned sharply to look at one of his most trusted students.
Kakashi spoke urgently but clearly, laying out everything Naruto had suffered since childhood.
The rumors carved into the child. "Demon fox child!"
The cold, disgusted, fearful stares.
The days and nights of loneliness, helplessness, and rejection by the entire village.
Although Minato and Kushina had expected some hardship, the Fourth Hokage never imagined that the "hero's son" status he had prepared for his boy would have absolutely no effect!
His earlier questioning of the Third was based mostly on Fugaku's warning and initial dissatisfaction with Naruto's living conditions. But now, Kakashi's words tore open the deepest corner of their guilt!
Minato's eyes narrowed as he smiled at the Third Hokage. "Are you really not going to explain, Lord Third?"
Facing Kushina's hysterical questioning and Minato's cold smile, Hiruzen Sarutobi's face remained calm, but a trace of gloom flashed deep in his eyes. He knew the real storm was just beginning.
Although he had initially ordered the rumors suppressed, he had later allowed them to spread to better control Naruto and become the jinchuriki's sole reliance. Now, if he couldn't handle this properly, not only would his position as Hokage be in danger, but his entire legacy might be ruined!
He had to stabilize the situation. He had to reclaim the moral high ground. And the breakthrough point lay with Minato Namikaze!
"Kushina, Minato." Hiruzen spoke slowly. "This old man admits that Naruto's childhood… has not been satisfactory."
"However—" His tone shifted, stabbing directly at Minato! "Compared to you, his biological father, this old man believes he has done his utmost!"
Minato's pupils contracted sharply. "You… what do you mean by that?!"
"What do I mean?" Hiruzen sneered, slamming his pipe onto the ground with a dull thud.
"Minato! Have you forgotten who turned the newborn Naruto into the new vessel for the Nine-Tails back then?!"
"Do you think this old man doesn't know your selfish motives?!"
"Reaper Death Seal?! Sounds noble!"
"Didn't you just want Kushina to see your child one last time after death?!"
"That was a lovers' suicide! Your selfish lovers' suicide!!!"
"You could have lived! Minato!"
"You could have raised Kushina's child yourself! You could have given him a father's love!"
"But what did you do?!"
"You erected a barrier! You shut me and Konoha's sealing team out!"
"It was you! You made us watch helplessly as you couple died! Powerless!!!"
"It was you! Who insisted on dying with Kushina under the Nine-Tails' claw!"
"It was you! Who made Naruto Uzumaki the demon fox child!"
"Didn't you know what kind of life Kushina lived as a jinchuriki?!"
"Didn't you know how miserable the jinchuriki of other villages are?!!"
"But you still did it!"
"You personally pushed your son into that abyss! You made him an orphan!!!"
"It was you who abandoned the responsibility of Hokage!!!"
"You abandoned the entire village, abandoned everyone who trusted you, even abandoned your own infant son, choosing to die with Kushina!!!!"
Every sentence slammed into Minato and Kushina's hearts. The anger on Kushina's face froze, replaced by uncontrollable pain and confusion. Minato's face was deathly pale, his body swaying. Because this was exactly what he had done. Indisputably.
Watching their reaction, Hiruzen continued.
"As for Naruto's life—"
"He likes cup noodles because he likes them!"
"The milk expired because he bought too much and shoved it all in the fridge!"
"Did this old man ever short him a single ryo of living expenses?!"
"But what did he do with that money?!"
"He graffitied the Hokage Rock, caused huge trouble! Who cleaned up his mess?!"
"The house he lives in, I arranged it!"
"His schooling, I arranged it!"
"Even a dedicated teacher like Iruka, I personally selected for him!"
"This old man deals with thousands of matters daily! Konoha has so many affairs to handle! I don't even have time to watch over my own grandson, Konohamaru!"
"Did you expect me to guard Naruto every step of the way?!"
He looked around.
"Think about the jinchuriki of other villages!"
"Killer Bee of Kumogakure! Even with his great contributions and being the Raikage's sworn brother, doesn't he still suffer glares?"
"If he hadn't strived on his own to achieve perfect harmony with the Eight-Tails, his fate wouldn't be much better!"
"Not to mention those jinchuriki who are strictly controlled, imprisoned, or even secretly assassinated!"
"In comparison, Naruto's treatment in Konoha can already be called 'privileged'!"
Hiruzen's voice rose again, filled with unquestionable authority.
"Minato!"
"Even you, his biological father, didn't intend to live to take care of your own child, yet you turn around and accuse the person who actually looked after him?!"
"What right do you have to accuse this old man?!!"
"Ugh—" Minato tasted iron in his throat, nearly coughing up blood.
Hiruzen's every word shredded the hero image he had always been proud of.
Yes… I really idealized everything too much.
For that brief "last meeting," he had sacrificed too much and misjudged human hearts. He believed his child was the Child of Prophecy mentioned by Jiraiya-sensei. That his child was the one to open the future. So he forced the jinchuriki status onto him. He also wanted Kushina to see their grown-up child one last time, and bestowed the title "Hero's Son" upon Naruto. He thought making Naruto a "Hero's Son" would offset the negative impact of being the "Demon Fox Child."
But he never expected that the "Hero's Son" identity would never be publicized. Instead, the stigma of "Demon Fox Child" spread throughout Konoha!
Who was fueling the flames behind the scenes? He didn't need to think hard to know it absolutely involved this "kind and benevolent" Third Hokage, Danzo Shimura beside him, and even the two advisors!
But… what could he accuse them of? What ground did he, the "abandoner," the one who put the village and his son in danger for selfish reasons, have to accuse others?
Perhaps… to Naruto, a father who forced a shunned identity on him and then died selfishly was truly lesser than the Third…
But! He had to live! He now knew that after his death, things would not go as he planned! He had to stand at the peak of power again! And keep living! Only then could he truly protect Naruto, make it up to him, and give him a bright future!
Hiruzen keenly sensed the intense fluctuation in Minato's emotions and knew he had gained the upper hand in this confrontation. The only flaw was why the "Hero's Son" identity wasn't spread, while the "Demon Fox" rumors were allowed to run rampant.
He glanced lightly at Danzo Shimura beside him.
Danzo's heart chilled, instantly understanding Hiruzen's meaning. Make me the scapegoat again?
Once again! A monstrous rage and humiliation surged in his heart, and he almost lost control on the spot!
But—looking at Minato's shifting expression, feeling the palpitating pressure radiating from him even though he was freshly resurrected… and considering Konoha's chaotic situation and his own unfinished "grand plans"…
For the future of Konoha, Danzo ultimately chose to endure.
His face dark, he stepped forward, speaking in his unique rasp.
"The fact that Naruto Uzumaki, son of the Fourth Hokage, was not publicly announced as a hero—"
"That was my proposal."
"The Nine-Tails disturbance had just been quelled. The village was in panic, the shadow of the demon fox lingered."
"I believed that announcing Naruto's identity prematurely would not only fail to earn him respect but might bring him greater danger due to the populace's fear and hatred of the fox."
"Therefore, I strongly demanded the Hokage conceal Naruto's lineage for the time being, to be announced when the time was right."
"Everything was to protect Naruto, for the stability of Konoha!"
"Hmph. In hindsight, it was my oversight."
He attributed his motives to "foresight" and "protection." The speech was grandiose, though flawed. But Konoha must not fall into chaos now! As long as the black water pooled around him, deflecting the spearhead that might point at the Hokage, it was enough! As the shadow of Konoha, this was also his responsibility!
Hiruzen nodded in satisfaction.
Just at this tense moment, a slightly immature voice came from not far away.
"Dad… Mom…?"
Everyone turned to look.
Naruto Uzumaki stood at the edge of the crowd. His blue eyes were wide open, filled with disbelief and massive shock.
He had heard the Third's harsh retort to his father. He had also seen his newly regained parents in such a fierce standoff with the "kind and benevolent" Grandpa Hokage.
The secrets of his birth… the truth of his parents' death… the cruel words about why he had been ostracized and isolated by the village since childhood…
He… had heard it all.