"Naruto, do you never grow tired of this?"
"I do not feel tired. In fact, I find it fascinating. Anything truly worth having must be difficult to achieve."
Minato's heart ached at those words. He always wanted to speak as a father guiding a child, but Naruto's eyes already reflected a worldview far beyond his age.
He knew why Naruto came to see the Third Hokage.
For two months while Hiruzen was away, Moonlight Gai had only been shadowing a clone. Naruto had carefully staged every performance, making the clone look like a boy struggling endlessly to grasp Shadow Clones and always failing.
The moment Hiruzen returned, Gai had gone to report.
Now Naruto came to the Hokage not for training, but to convince him that he was growing exactly as the old man wished.
"Hm? Uchiha Shisui is here as well."
Naruto slowed his pace deliberately near the Hokage's office, allowing time for Gai to report ahead. Just then, he sensed Shisui's chakra approaching swiftly.
His awareness slipped into the seal space.
"Father, what do you think of the Uchiha clan?"
Minato hesitated at the sudden question, then replied carefully.
"I do not know them deeply. When I was first named a candidate for Hokage, I met their patriarch, Uchiha Fugaku. Later as Hokage, I spoke briefly with their Police Force leaders. Your mother was close friends with Fugaku's wife, Mikoto."
Naruto's eyes sharpened. "Have you ever crossed blades with them? How much do you truly understand of the Sharingan?"
Minato's gaze hardened. "The Sharingan grants power others can only earn through years of training. From the moment they awaken it, even the weakest among them fights at chunin level.
I never fought clan members directly, but you know I once battled the masked man who unleashed the Nine Tails. He wielded the Mangekyo Sharingan. With it he could command tailed beasts and bend time and space itself."
"I already know that," Naruto cut in, his tone calm yet probing. "Your former subordinate Kakashi successfully transplanted a Sharingan. Did you never ask him what secrets lie deeper within that eye?"
Minato froze, his face paling. "Naruto… what are you planning?"
Was his son aiming to steal a Sharingan? With his current power, taking one from the clan would not be difficult.
Naruto lifted his hand lightly, his blue eyes clear as glass. "No need to panic. I am only curious." He turned his gaze toward the Hokage's office. "Besides, the Third is waiting for me. Kurama, you can stop suppressing your chakra for now."
The fox stirred, tails twitching. Crimson chakra welled like a tide, pressing against the gate.
Before Minato could say more, Naruto withdrew from the seal space.
At that very moment, Shisui stepped into the Hokage's office.
Naruto's mind flickered with fragments of future history. Kabuto had once boasted of never finding Shisui's corpse. Shisui, the owner of Kotoamatsukami, the greatest genjutsu.
This was Year 53 of Konoha. Next year, Shisui was fated to die, losing one eye to Danzo, giving the other to Itachi.
Naruto's lips curved faintly. The Book of Seals, said to contain countless forbidden arts, rested somewhere inside this very office. He did not need Shisui's eyes now. His corpse, when the time came, would grant him both Mangekyo.
Still, the exact cliff by the Naka River was uncertain. Perhaps it was safer to mark Shisui now.
His thoughts sharpened as he entered the Hokage's office.
Inside, Hiruzen sat sternly at his desk. Shisui knelt before him.
"Shisui," the Hokage said gravely. "The counselors' intelligence points one way, but I wish to hear from you."
"Yes, Lord Hokage. There are indeed rising discontents within my clan. But Captain Fugaku has tried to soothe them. The true solution lies in repairing our relationship with the village. If that is achieved, I believe peace is possible."
Hiruzen nodded. "We have begun discussing this already. But your reports remain invaluable."
Knock. Knock.
"Enter."
The door opened. An ANBU stepped aside, and Hiruzen's expression instantly softened into grandfatherly warmth.
"Ah, Naruto!"
Naruto bowed politely. "Lord Hokage, I saw the village's notice this morning and learned you had returned. I came to ask you about training."
As he spoke, he moved naturally closer, stopping near Shisui. Their eyes met briefly. Shisui tilted his head slightly, frowning as if sensing something familiar about the boy.
Naruto turned to Hiruzen, eyes wide with earnest hunger. "Please teach me the Shadow Clone Jutsu."
Hiruzen chuckled. "You are still young, Naruto. Your struggles are because you never had proper guidance. Chakra control and discipline require a teacher."
He rose from his seat, crouched at Naruto's side, voice kind. "Remember the Ninja Academy? I took you there last year. Do you want to join when you turn six?"
Naruto feigned surprise. "Me? Can I really attend? People in the village dislike me."
"Never forget your place," Hiruzen said firmly. "You are a child of Konoha. The Academy is your right. There you will make friends, just like Shikamaru."
Naruto lowered his eyes, letting a glimmer of longing pass over his face.
Satisfied, Hiruzen smiled. "Wait here, Naruto. I will fetch you materials on chakra control."
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
Naruto walked to a bench against the wall and sat. His hand slipped casually to the armrest's blind spot, fingers pressing lightly, leaving behind the Flying Thunder God's seal.
"Naruto, why leave a marker here?" Minato's voice rose from the seal space.
Naruto's lips curved. "Because the Hokage reminded me never to forget who I am. And the world will never forget either."
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