The warm and cooperative training session between Minato and his son stood in stark contrast to the heavy atmosphere within the Hokage Office Building. Inside those walls, the temperature seemed to have plummeted toward a freezing point.
"Danzo is dead."
In the dimly lit conference room, Hiruzen Sarutobi sat across from his two trusted advisors, Homura Mitokado and Utatane Koharu. Hiruzen held his pipe with a steady hand, but his face was carved with a grim, weary expression. The loss of a friend he had known for decades left him drowning in a sea of incredibly complex emotions. Grief, relief, and fear swirled together, yet he knew there was no path to seek justice for the fallen elder. In truth, it was already a miracle that Minato was not currently hunting the rest of them down to settle old scores.
"To think he wiped out the entire Root division single-handedly. This child possesses a level of strength that is far beyond our wildest imagination," Homura Mitokado remarked, letting out a long, heavy sigh. "If he is dead, then he is dead. Let us simply consider this his final contribution to the safety of the Village."
It is often said that the person involved is confused while the onlooker sees clearly. Hiruzen Sarutobi had always felt he needed a "black glove" like Danzo to handle the filth of the shinobi world. Because of their long history, he had turned a blind eye to Danzo's various transgressions time and time after again. However, from the perspective of the two advisors, Danzo's extreme personality had always made him fundamentally unsuitable for such a high-level position of power. While they acknowledged that Hiruzen was often indecisive and perhaps not a great Hokage, he could at least distinguish right from wrong. He maintained a basic level of rationality when approaching problems, which was a mandatory quality for anyone in a position of leadership.
In sharp contrast, Danzo practically had the words "absolute egoism" carved onto his forehead. If it had been Hiruzen Sarutobi who had passed away, the advisors might have actually shed a few genuine tears. But with Danzo gone, neither Homura nor Utatane felt much of anything at all. In fact, they were even comfortable enough to make a few sarcastic remarks about the situation. The only thing that truly occupied their minds was the uncertainty regarding Minato's future attitude toward the council. Seeing that Minato appeared to have no immediate intention of settling scores with them, they both secretly breathed a massive sigh of relief.
"We must ensure that we avoid any further provocative actions after this incident," Utatane Koharu whispered, her sigh almost imperceptible in the quiet room. "Also, Hiruzen, it is finally time to prepare the announcement regarding Naruto's true parentage."
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded slowly, his eyes clouded. "I am aware of the necessity, but as for the official responsibility of the cover-up..."
"Just push the entire burden onto Danzo," Utatane Koharu replied calmly, her voice devoid of hesitation. "Regarding the leak of the Jinchuriki's identity years ago, given how Danzo operated, I would find it impossible to believe if someone claimed he was not involved."
Involved, indeed. Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression became even more complicated. He understood the underlying meaning in her words perfectly—they were making a scapegoat out of a dead man—but he chose not to say anything more. Shortly after the two advisors left the room, a public notice was officially posted on the large bulletin board outside the Hokage Office Building.
"What? Is it true? Naruto is actually the son of the Fourth Hokage?"
The news moved like wildfire, spreading through every corner of the Village in a matter of minutes.
"Did you hear the news? That kid..."
"I never would have expected the Fourth to personally seal the Nine-Tailed Fox inside his own flesh and blood."
"I heard the Fourth's dying wish was for Naruto to be seen as the Village's hero, but everyone... sigh, forget it, it is too late for that now."
"Haha, luckily I never gave that kid the Byakugan when I had the chance."
For a long time, the entire Village could talk of nothing else but Naruto's heritage. When combined with the persistent rumors of the Fourth Hokage's miraculous resurrection from the day before, the truth seemed even more mysterious and confusing to the common folk. Some citizens felt a deep sense of guilt and remorse for their past cruelty, while others remained stubborn in their prejudiced views. Some simply felt that the revelation had nothing to do with their daily lives.
At dusk, Minato and Naruto finally finished their grueling training session. As they began their walk down the main street, they both clearly noticed a profound change in the eyes of the people surrounding them.
"How strange," Naruto noted, tilting his head slightly. He observed the shifting expressions of the people on the roadside from the corner of his eye. "Why does the atmosphere today feel so incredibly strange, Dad?"
"Oh? What do you find so strange about it?" Minato asked, curious to see if Naruto could deduce the cause of the shift on his own.
"Well, usually everyone in this place treats me like I am completely invisible. But today, they are actually looking at me," Naruto said, putting both hands behind his head as he looked up at the darkening sky. "Their eyes are weird too. It is not like the usual look—you know, like they are looking at a piece of trash or something."
Hearing Naruto say this so casually made Minato feel a pang of genuine discomfort. This was still the Naruto from a parallel timeline, one who had grown up in isolation. If it were his own biological child from his home world being treated with such disdain, Minato knew he would have left Konoha a very bloody parting gift before departing.
"It is probably because your identity as the son of the Fourth Hokage has finally been made public. It is likely that many people will start to acknowledge your existence soon. How does that make you feel?" Minato asked, carefully observing the boy's reaction.
"Hmm..." Naruto tilted his head back, thinking seriously for a long moment. Then, he suddenly turned and gave Minato a bright, sunny smile. "I don't really feel much of anything. If it were before, I would probably be jumping for joy. But after meeting you, Minato, I suddenly feel like none of it really matters anymore. They had that terrible attitude before, and now they act like this. I can't quite describe the feeling, but you understand, right? You should be able to understand."
"Yes, I understand perfectly," Minato replied, unable to help but laugh as he watched Naruto gesturing wildly to explain himself.
"How should I put it?" Naruto asked, gently pressing his right hand against the left side of his chest with a dazed look. "After knowing that you are my dad, Minato, I feel like my chest has finally been filled with something. I don't feel like I need anything else to prove myself to these people anymore. I feel full of strength, and I can clearly feel my own heartbeat. I can feel my own existence now. I'm not very good with words, so I can't explain it clearly, but I think you get it, Dad."
Not good with words? Minato's heart had just been touched by the sentiment, but hearing those specific words made him want to burst out laughing. That was being far too modest; the boy's natural talent for the Talk no Jutsu was a legendary trait. Just as Minato was about to offer a reply, a high-pitched voice suddenly called out from behind them.
"Eh? Isn't this Naruto? Naruto!"
The two of them turned around to see a young girl with long, pale blonde hair waving energetically at Naruto. She shared his blonde hair and blue eyes and was undeniably pretty. she wore a midriff-baring top and a slit short skirt, though the areas of her skin that would normally be exposed were wrapped tightly in functional bandages. Behind her, two boys followed. The one on the left had a distinct pineapple-shaped hairstyle and looked completely listless. The one on the right was a chubby kid who was focused on eating a bag of potato chips as he walked. There was no need to ask about this group; it was clearly the famous Ino-Shika-Cho combination of this generation.
Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, and Choji Akimichi approached them.
"Ino, Shikamaru, Choji, what are you guys doing here?" Naruto asked, looking surprised.
"What do you mean, 'what are we doing here'? I should be the one saying that to you!" Ino said, quickly walking up to Naruto. She placed her left hand on her hip and pointed her right finger directly at his face. "You guy, you've been skipping class for the past few days, haven't you?"
As she scolded him, her gaze instinctively drifted toward the boy standing beside Naruto. Noticing her curiosity, Minato nodded gently and allowed a warm, practiced smile to spread across his face. Seeing that handsome face so clearly caused Ino to freeze. A visible blush appeared on her cheeks as she processed his appearance. She quickly pulled Naruto aside, whispering in a voice full of shock.
"Who is this boy? Is he your older brother? Your younger brother? Or maybe some distant relative? Hurry up and confess right now!"
"Ah..." Naruto froze. Given that Minato currently had the physical appearance of an eight-year-old, it was impossible for him to admit the guy was his father. Calling him a brother would be equally confusing. After a moment of frantic thinking, he chose the safest option. "He is... a distant relative of mine, I guess? Haha!"
In his mind, Naruto justified the lie. After all, he was a father from a parallel world; both "distant" and "relative" were technically true.
"Eh?" Ino looked at Minato and then back at Naruto with an amazed tone. "You actually have such a handsome relative? You both have blonde hair and blue eyes, so why is he so handsome while you look so silly?"
Naruto had a constipated look on his face. "How should I know?"
"Never mind, let's not talk about those things," Ino said, taking a deep breath and looking serious. "Tell me, what is his name? Where does he live? And most importantly, does he have a girlfriend?"
Naruto could only stare at her in total confusion.
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