Naruto's words were like a needle, unexpectedly piercing through the Third Hokage's hard outer shell of Hokage duties and political considerations, directly hitting his softest spot.
That tone, filled with grievance and loss, yet trying to sound calm, and the hurt and loneliness in his clear blue eyes, which he tried so hard to hide but were still clearly visible, made the Third Hokage's heart feel as if an invisible hand had clenched it tightly, almost making him unable to breathe.
Three years ago, Minato's entrustment of Naruto instantly replayed before his eyes!
This child, his grand-disciple, whom he had failed to properly care for, lived alone in the back mountains, taking care of himself meticulously, able to roast fish and build shelters, possessing astonishing talent, yet only longed for someone to play with him, longed to buy a piece of candy like an ordinary child... A wave of guilt, cold as ice, instantly engulfed the Third Hokage. He had promised Minato and Kushina that he would take good care of Naruto, but what had he done? He had given Naruto a place to live, and the bare minimum of life support, yet he had allowed, even tacitly condoned, the villagers' ostracism and hatred towards him! He had watched, helpless, as this hero's son bore a sin that wasn't his, growing up in loneliness and hostility!
What threat from the Nine-Tailed Jinchuriki, what potential of the Uzumaki Bloodline, what covetousness from Danzo, what risk of early exposure... At this moment, in front of Naruto's tearful voice, all seemed so pale and powerless, so... cruel and heartless!
The Third Hokage fell silent. He slowly squatted down, bringing his gaze level with Naruto's. He reached out, not as a Hokage, but as a remorseful elder, and gently ruffled Naruto's golden hair, which seemed a bit dazzling in the sunlight.
"Naruto..." The Third Hokage's voice was deep and hoarse, filled with undisguised weariness and pain, "I'm sorry... Grandfather... didn't do enough."
He saw the tears rapidly welling up in Naruto's eyes; those tears, held back with great effort, were more powerful than any accusation.
"The people in the Village..." The Third Hokage spoke with difficulty; he couldn't lie, nor could he sugarcoat it, "They... are afraid. Because of the disaster three years ago... they lost many family members and friends. They mistakenly projected that sorrow and fear... onto you. This is very unfair, Grandfather knows. But it needs time... to change."
He looked at Naruto's tightly pressed lips and continued, "You want to learn Shadow Clone Technique, you want someone to play with you... You want to learn Transformation Technique to buy things... Grandfather understands it all." The Third Hokage's gaze became gentle and firm; he had made a decision. If he couldn't even satisfy a child's most basic needs for companionship and survival, what right did he, as Hokage, have to speak of protecting the Village and protecting the future?
"Alright." The Third Hokage's voice was soft, yet exceptionally clear, "Grandfather will teach you."
Naruto suddenly looked up.
"Really? Grandfather Third Hokage!" His voice was tearful, yet filled with excitement.
"Really." The Third Hokage nodded solemnly, holding Naruto's small shoulders, his eyes incredibly serious, "But Naruto, you must promise Grandfather, only one Shadow Clone at a time! Only practice in the back mountains! Don't tell anyone! And don't use Transformation Technique for pranks! You must keep our promise!"
"Mm-hmm! I understand!" Naruto vigorously wiped away his tears, nodding his small head like a pecking chick, "Only one Shadow Clone at a time! Only practice in the back mountains! Don't tell anyone! And don't use Transformation Technique for pranks!"
"Good boy." The Third Hokage felt a little relieved. "Well then, Grandfather will teach you Transformation Technique first. This technique is simpler and more practical."
Naruto quickly learned Transformation Technique and Shadow Clone Technique by following the example.
"Grandfather Third Hokage, I've learned it!" Naruto announced happily.
The Third Hokage leaned against a nearby tree trunk, feeling his legs a bit wobbly. He fumbled with trembling hands for his pipe, only to find it had fallen to the ground again. He didn't bother to pick it up, just took a deep, deep breath of the cool forest air, trying to calm his buzzing brain.
"Naruto..."
The Third Hokage's tone was more complex than ever before, filled with a sense of powerlessness and a dazed wonder at witnessing a miracle, "You... did very well. Extremely well."
He paused, trying to organize his words, "But... remember the promise! Only one at a time! And, only in the back mountains! Transformation Technique should only be used when necessary, understand?"
"Mm! I remember! One at a time! Only in the back mountains! Transformation Technique only for buying food!" Naruto nodded vigorously, his small face a picture of solemn assurance.
Looking at Naruto's "innocent and harmless" smile, alarm bells rang wildly in the Third Hokage's heart. He had a premonition of what a convenient door he had opened for this prodigy. He could almost see Naruto wandering around the Village in various guises in the future, while he himself would be frantically dealing with all sorts of potential accidents and the interrogations of that old Fox Danzo.
"Alright, that's all for today." The Third Hokage felt he needed to go back and drink some strong tea to properly digest the continuous shocks of the day, "You... be careful practicing by yourself. Grandfather... will come to see you again in a few days." He almost turned away in a hurry, nearly forgetting to pick up his pipe from the ground, just wanting to quickly leave this place that kept pushing the limits of his understanding.
"Goodbye, Grandfather Third Hokage!" Naruto waved happily.
Watching the Third Hokage's somewhat stumbling figure disappear into the woods, the smile on Naruto's face instantly turned cunning. He rubbed his chin, a glimmer of excitement flashing in his clear blue eyes.
"Big Fox Spirit, I'm coming in!"
After the Third Hokage left, a well-fed Naruto went inside his small hut, made a Shadow Clone, sat cross-legged, and together, the two of them refined Chakra. With the idle system, the efficiency was incredibly fast! The progress bar had already filled up to about halfway!
His entire mind had already sunk into his body, following the newly generated Chakra, quietly swimming towards the source of endless hatred and vast Chakra fluctuations—deep within the Eight Trigrams Sealing Space in his abdomen.
'Fox Spirit! Your buddy's here to see you! Get ready... to leak out more Chakra! My [Uzumaki Bloodline] is still waiting to level up to LV4!'
Soon, Naruto's consciousness arrived in a dark, damp space.
In the center of the space, a massive, mountain-like, crimson Fox with nine tails was tightly confined within the iron cage of the seal. It kept its eyes closed, but an suffocating malice and destructive power permeated the entire space as if it were tangible.
The moment Naruto's consciousness solidified and stepped into this Sealing Space—
ROAR—!!!!!!!
A roar capable of tearing souls apart, filled with a thousand years of hatred and fury, exploded within the Sealing Space!
The enormous Nine-Tailed Demon Fox suddenly opened its vertical pupils! Its gaze, filled with endless malice and destructive desire, fixed itself on Naruto!
"HUMAN—!!!!!!!"