The Third Hokage stared at the twelve-year-old boy before him, a storm of emotions swirling in his heart.
Even though he had just witnessed everything with his own eyes, it still felt unreal.
How could a child of this age possess such terrifying power?
From what he knew, even Hashirama Senju, known as the God of Shinobi, and Uchiha Madara—at Naruto's age—didn't have this level of power.
"Naruto… Grandpa has a favor to ask. Can you do that?" the Third said awkwardly.
After all that had happened in recent days, he no longer knew how to face Naruto.
Even calling himself "Grandpa" felt awkward.
"No."Naruto refused without hesitation.
That nearly heartless response made the Third even more embarrassed.
After decades as Hokage, it had been a long time since he'd felt so belittled.
His eyes dimmed, pained by how little he mattered in Naruto's eyes.
But for Konoha's sake, he still decided to swallow his pride and try everything he could.
"Wait, Naruto."
"I know… I know you've suffered a lot over the years. And all of it—it was because of my decisions."
"The villagers… they were just misled. Can't we revise the 'twelve years of imprisonment'? They don't deserve that."
"If you're angry, then punish me instead. I'm the one truly at fault."
"And with your talent, I could recommend you as a future Hokage candidate in a few years. Once you become Hokage, those who once mocked you will all come crawling back to rely on you."
"I'm begging you! Please?"
The Third's tearful plea even moved himself.
But all he got in return was Naruto's uproarious laughter.
"Me? Become Hokage? Hahahaha!"
The more Naruto thought about it, the funnier it became. Tears formed at the corners of his eyes from laughing so hard.
Since arriving in this world, he had never laughed like this before.
Seeing Naruto laugh, the Third initially thought that maybe the position of Hokage—so coveted by every Konoha villager—had stirred something in him.
But gradually, something about that laugh felt off.
It took a full ten seconds before Naruto finally stopped.
"So you want me to become Hokage? To break my back protecting a bunch of repulsive fools?"
"Hokage? I wouldn't take that job even if you paid me!"
Each word was a stab to the heart, and the Third's expression froze.
Hokage? I wouldn't take that job even if you paid me?!
He chewed on that phrase, bitter sarcasm thick in every syllable.
To speak such words meant Naruto truly didn't care about the title.
No—he outright despised it.
But why?
This was the Hokage! The Ruler of the Village! The most respected person wherever they went!
But the Third, trapped by his narrow worldview and obsession with power, simply couldn't understand Naruto's mindset.
He looked dazed, and finally pulled out his ultimate "trump card."
"Naruto… do you remember what Grandpa taught you as a child? The Will of Fire?"
"'Where the leaves dance, the fire burns ever brighter…'—That kind of behavior, isn't it—"
"Burning my ass! More like the Will of Trash!"
Naruto cut him off mid-sentence.
"You sent five-year-olds to war while you old fossils cowered in Konoha. That's your Will of Fire?"
"Burning others to light yourself up—that's your Will of Fire? Wow, so noble!"
His words were merciless, piercing straight into the Third's chest.
His face turned pale. He opened his mouth, desperate to argue—
But Naruto didn't give him the chance. With a single sentence, he activated the Flying Thunder God and vanished.
"Three days from now, I'll give you a list. Within a week, I want all of them transported to Uzushio Island!"
As Naruto disappeared, the Third seemed to collapse under the weight of his failure.
***
The commotion Naruto had stirred tonight had been seen from the outskirts by many—word spread fast throughout Konoha.
And Naruto's declaration about imprisoning Konoha's "sinners"?It somehow spread like wildfire.
In less than half a day, the entire village was buzzing.
Fear gripped the people. Everyone was on edge.
Especially those who had once insulted Naruto or thrown rocks and trash at him—they were terrified.
Still, there were the hard-headed ones who refused to believe Naruto would go that far.
"What are you afraid of?! It's just a damn fox demon! He can't possibly overturn everything, right? The Hokage will definitely stop him!"
"Exactly! Plus, there are all the noble clans! There's so many of us—what's there to fear?"
"Imprison us? What a joke! The one who should be locked up is that damn demon fox!"
By afternoon, someone had even organized a protest!
As the march went on, more and more people joined—soon it became a massive crowd.
Among them were the resentful, the angry, the fearful…
They held up banners of all sizes and chanted:
"Destroy the demon fox! Return peace to Konoha!"
"Kill the demon fox! Avenge the fallen!"
Honestly, the slogans even rhymed a little!
Inside the Hokage Office, the Third—already overwhelmed trying to come up with a plan—heard the news of the march and nearly blacked out on the spot.
"Quick! Stop them immediately! Use force if you have to! NOW!"
His voice shook with rage.
An Anbu before him bowed and was about to leave.
But as he moved to perform the Body Flicker Technique, a flash of golden light burst into the office.
A pale, slender hand gently pressed down on his shoulder, effortlessly disrupting the technique.
The Anbu instinctively tried to break free, but as he turned and saw the bright, energetic face of the blond boy beside him, his will to fight evaporated.
He had survived last night's battle.
The memory of Naruto's terrifying power was still fresh in his mind.
That kind of pressure—not even the Hokage had given him that.
At that moment, he had no fighting spirit left—only cold sweat trickling down his forehead.
"Hokage-sama, I know you're in a hurry—but take it easy for a second."
"Come. Let's have a cup of tea. Let the bullets fly a bit longer."
Even though the protest was clearly directed at him, Naruto looked relaxed—like it had nothing to do with him.
As he spoke, he gave the Anbu a light chop to the neck, knocking him out.
Like he owned the place, Naruto walked over to the Hokage's desk and picked up the teapot.
Finding it empty, he moved his finger—and used a beautifully precise Water Release technique.
A stream of water formed in mid-air.
Then came a breeze, lifting the teapot. Its lid opened on its own.
The water hopped cheerfully into the pot, like it had come alive.
A small flame appeared under the teapot next, heating it to a boil.
The Third stared blankly at the surreal scene.
He was a master of all five basic chakra natures.
But this level of elegance and control…
From Tailed Beast Bombs to using jutsu to make tea—what kind of monstrous talent was this?