[This is the first time someone has taken the initiative to show him goodwill so openly.]
[Little Naruto is extremely wary.]
[He picks up the grilled fish that had been placed closer to Sarutobi Hiruzen, preparing to move it back in front of himself.]
["Thank you~ you're such a good child~"]
[Sarutobi Hiruzen mistakenly assumes that Naruto is merely inarticulate, but inwardly fond of this kindly old man radiating goodwill.]
["You…!" Little Naruto glares, about to yank it back forcefully.]
[However—at the moment Sarutobi Hiruzen bends down and takes the grilled fish.]
[Naruto notices his clothing.]
['Fire?']
['Hokage?!']
['The Third…?']
[A sentence he heard a few days ago suddenly resurfaces in his mind—spoken by another child.]
['Grandpa Third.' That phrase clearly reveals information about the Third's age.]
[In the end, the half-cooked grilled fish still ends up in Sarutobi Hiruzen's hands, and he takes a bite.]
[Little Naruto narrows his eyes slightly.]
['So that's how it is. No wonder the shinobi watching me didn't stop him.']
['So this overly familiar old man is the leader of those bastards!']
['The Third… the Third Hokage!']
['So he's the one who set me up!']
['Those people—he sent them to monitor me!']
['If I hadn't resisted those whispers in my head, I'd definitely be living in misery… and now this old bastard suddenly appears, acting so kind and gentle—he must be trying to earn my trust.']
['Because I'm a "fox demon," because I have tremendous power inside me… everything this dead old man has done is to gain my trust and take that power!']
[In just a few breaths, countless thoughts flash through Naruto's mind.]
Ōnoki: "As expected, Black-Frame Naruto never disappoints!"
Ōnoki: "I've decided—Naruto, if you're willing to come to Iwagakure, I'll personally arrange a marriage between you and Kurotsuchi!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen: "That's enough, Ōnoki! Are you saying Konoha has no one left?!"
Fourth Raikage: "Ho~ Third Hokage, you really are thick-skinned, you old bastard!"
Fourth Raikage: "No wonder you even snatched Black-Frame Naruto's grilled fish earlier—shameless! Even we at Kumogakure admit our methods are dirty, but at least we're honest about it. You just make people sick!"
Terumī Mei: "Hehe, Third Hokage, you'd better behave yourself. Some things—you still owe."
Senju Tobirama: "Let me state this clearly first—what Monkey and Danzō did brings deep shame to me as their teacher!"
Uchiha Izuna: "Oh please. Earlier when Sarutobi Hiruzen claimed he inherited your will, didn't you accept it?"
Izuna: "Now that things look bad, you want to distance yourself?"
Uzumaki Mito: "Enough of this unpleasant arguing. I want to see how Kushina's child handles this."
Only then does the chat finally quiet down.
["Thank you very much, this fish is delicious~" Sarutobi Hiruzen says with a genial smile.]
[However, because it's undercooked, his mouth is filled with a strong fishy taste.]
[Little Naruto merely glances at him indifferently.]
["I never said you could eat it. You took it yourself."]
["I caught this fish myself, and I grilled it myself. One fish—ten thousand ryō. Otherwise, don't even think about leaving tonight."]
[—Everything stopped.—]
[The smile freezes on Sarutobi Hiruzen's aged face.]
[Naruto's reaction completely exceeds his expectations.]
[By all logic, this shouldn't be happening.]
['Is it because he's afraid?']
['That makes sense. ANBU wouldn't submit false reports.']
['This child has suffered too much grievance and stimulation recently—he's completely on guard now.']
['My appearance tonight may have been too abrupt.']
['No matter. I'll personally deliver his living expenses for a while.']
[With that thought, Sarutobi Hiruzen's smile returns.]
["Alright, alright. It's worth it."]
["Ten thousand ryō?"]
["That's fine."]
[Hearing this, Naruto looks at him suspiciously.]
['That was too easy… did I ask for too little?']
Uzumaki Kushina: "Of course it's too little!!"
Kushina: "Your mom's inheritance was worth far more than this!"
Kushina: "Even ignoring cash—just the ninjutsu scrolls and sealing-technique scrolls alone are worth way more than ten thousand ryō!"
Kushina: "Three thousand ryō a month… you old monkey! You're really generous! Where's my inheritance?! Don't tell me you never planned to give it to Naruto!"
Beep—
Kushina is muted again.
She expected it—but still grinds her teeth in fury.
Her beautiful red hair stands straight up.
Suddenly, she senses something and whips her head around.
The ferocious look freezes Uchiha Mikoto in place.
"Yo~ what a coincidence, Kushina… who would've thought we'd meet again after death."
[The grilled fish is still hot, but Sarutobi Hiruzen eats with great relish.]
[No reason—after all, a ten-thousand-ryō grilled fish has to be tasty.]
["Are you short on money?"]
[Sarutobi Hiruzen suddenly asks. According to ANBU reports, no one was willing to sell him anything.]
[Only shops selling near-expired food—acting under his orders—would trade with Naruto.]
['Then it must be Ichiraku Ramen. Naruto has indeed been going there frequently.']
[Naruto glances at him.]
["I only get three thousand ryō a month. Is that a lot?"]
["A few bowls of ramen and it's gone."]
[Just as expected, Sarutobi Hiruzen thinks to himself.]
[He quickly changes the subject.]
["Your grilled-fish skills are quite good."]
[Naruto frowns slightly.]
[After linking together all the information he's gathered—]
[Naruto realizes something odd.]
[Is this shabby old man really the strongest Hokage in the village?]
['No way.']
['He's probably just one of the Hokage's subordinates.']
Orochimaru curls his lips.
"Black-Frame Naruto's insight is sharp. He's already noticed the truth."
"What truth?!" Sarutobi Hiruzen snaps, face dark.
"The truth that an old man like you couldn't possibly be the Hokage."
"After all—you love this position so much you'd cling to it even in death."
"For that reason… how many people with the makings of a Hokage has Konoha lost over the years? Hehe."
Compared to him, Ōnoki looks even more miserable.
Hiruzen clings to the Hokage seat.
Ōnoki, meanwhile, is troubled by having no successor.
After finally getting a disciple with the potential to become the Fourth Tsuchikage—
He blinked once, and the kid ran off to study explosion art.
Before Ōnoki could even make a statement, that brat declared himself a rogue ninja.
[Soon, Sarutobi Hiruzen gets to the main point.]
["Look at the stars in the sky."]
Huh?!
Everyone perks up.
["Each of those stars is actually the same as the sun we see."]
[Feeling the timing is right, Sarutobi Hiruzen points upward.]
[Naruto doesn't respond, but still glances at the sky. It's beautiful—stars filling the heavens.]
[When he looks back down, one grilled fish is gone.]
[This old bastard really has no shame—stealing my fish again?]
["Twenty thousand ryō."]
[Sarutobi Hiruzen: "..."]
["Ahem. This world is vast—seemingly without end."]
["Do you know—"]
["..."]
[Naruto ignores him. Sarutobi Hiruzen doesn't get angry and continues talking to himself.]
[Finally, he finishes and asks:]
["You are also a child of Konoha. Do you know—"]
["Not interested. And don't forget—you still owe me twenty thousand ryō."]
[Sarutobi Hiruzen shakes his head helplessly.]
['This child's guard won't drop anytime soon. It'll take time—but when the trust comes, it'll be deeper.']
[Then he uses his ultimate move, adopting a solemn tone:]
["Where the leaves dance, the fire will burn on."]
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