Except for his first self-introduction in the Ninja Academy, when Kiba had energetically declared, "I want to become Hokage" in front of the whole class, this dream had been quietly hidden away and never publicly mentioned again.
All of this was because there were two monstrously brilliant geniuses in his class. Their light was so intense that it made the dreams of many around them seem dim.
And now, having personally witnessed Naruto's god-like power on the battlefield, the gap was no longer a chasm, but a natural barrier. The faint spark of "maybe there's still a chance to surpass him if I work hard" deep within Kiba was now completely extinguished by reality.
But... what made Kiba feel the most complex emotions, even a bit of disappointment, was that Naruto, who possessed such powerful, almost invincible strength, never seemed to have publicly expressed his desire to become Hokage.
This guy... with such incredible power, has he never thought of bearing the title of Hokage? This thought lingered in Kiba's mind, carrying a trace of unwillingness, a trace of confusion, and a trace of expectation for the responsibility that powerful strength entailed, which he himself hadn't fully realized.
— — — — — —
Finally, Naruto arrived at the door of the Hokage Building office. Next, he had to face the revelation of his parentage.
How should he say it? Should he tell them that he had already suspected it?
Naruto pondered. He would say that with his astonishing talent and the powerful Nine-Tailed sealed within him, it was illogical to assume his parents could be ordinary, unknown people.
He could also roughly guess what the Third Hokage and Jiraiya were currently worried and afraid of.
As the son of the Fourth Hokage, the worst way for this long-hidden truth to be revealed would be for Orochimaru—Konoha's enemy—to scream it out in front of everyone, especially with the Edo Tensei.
Over the years, Naruto had genuinely suffered ostracism and cold stares due to the "demon fox" rumors. Yet, his true identity was the son of a hero who sacrificed himself to protect the Village. How could there be no resentment in his heart given such a huge contrast? The truth, hidden for years by his own people, was to be exposed by an enemy, which, no matter how one looked at it, seemed to conceal some unsettling conspiracy.
No... perhaps it wasn't he who needed to explain, but rather the Third Hokage and the others.
Indeed, the Third Hokage must have genuinely feared that Naruto would be disappointed in Konoha after learning the truth, and at that time, the Third Hokage regretted not fighting Orochimaru to the death to prevent all of this from happening.
However, if not for the variables and confidence brought by the system... imagine, if a young Naruto had simultaneously borne the infamous "demon fox" reputation and the title of "Hokage's son," then what the Hidden Cloud Village might have kidnapped at the time might not have been Hyuga Hinata, but this immensely powerful "special existence."
"Squeak—"
Naruto pushed open the heavy office door.
Inside, the Third Hokage sat behind his desk, while Jiraiya stood beside him. Both of their faces were unusually solemn, carrying a cautiousness, and... an unresolvable sorrow?
This expression was somewhat different from what Naruto had expected.
"Naruto..." The Third Hokage slowly began, his voice low, his tone carrying a cautiousness that shouldn't belong to a Hokage?
Naruto was puzzled and waited silently for him to continue.
The Third Hokage's gaze lingered complexly on his face for a moment. Finally, he spoke with a sigh and a knowing tone.
"It seems... Kushina has told you everything."
"...?"
Naruto didn't react immediately to this sentence. But the next moment, the entire sequence of events instantly connected in his mind! His fists involuntarily clenched tightly.
If the caster of Edo Tensei didn't voluntarily release the jutsu, and Orochimaru was currently only sealed, not truly dead... then Uzumaki Kushina was still trapped within that body of dust, unable to find true rest, and still existed in this present world!
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