After hearing what Mikoto said, Sasuke's eyes wavered. He lowered his gaze slightly and pursed his lips.
In fact, Sasuke himself realized something tonight. His own situation was identical to what happened to Naruto this morning.
To outsiders, it was a happy thing for them to have such outstanding relatives. Indeed, Sasuke loved and respected his brother deeply. The same was true for Naruto—he was proud that his father was the Fourth Hokage.
But because of this, outsiders would always unconsciously compare them to their relatives. Talent, while it couldn't explain everything, at least at certain stages reflected the ability of a ninja.
Sasuke knew very well that he didn't have the same talent as his brother Itachi, who amazed the entire clan. The same went for Naruto—he couldn't be compared with the Fourth Hokage. So they both started practicing hard very early.
Thinking of the look in Naruto's eyes when he was surrounded by everyone earlier, Sasuke remembered himself in the same situation.
After being silent for a while, Sasuke suddenly raised his eyes, turned to look at Mikoto, and said, "Mom, I understand!"
"Sasuke is such a sweet child," Mikoto smiled and ruffled his straight black hair.
Sasuke continued, "You, Uncle Minato, and Aunt Kushina have been good friends since childhood. What kind of people were they when they were young?"
"Why did you suddenly think to ask these questions?" Mikoto was stunned for a moment, then she understood.
If Sasuke wanted to help Naruto, he must first understand how dazzling the halo on his friend's head was. He had just learned from today's lesson that Minato had developed S-rank ninjutsu at the age of eleven. From the beginning at the ninja academy, Minato was destined to be extraordinary.
"Haha, if I have to say, even though Naruto is a boy, his personality is exactly the same as his mother's," Mikoto smiled gently and began to narrate those old stories to Sasuke, starting from the first time she met Minato at the ninja academy.
Dinner time at the Namikaze household.
"Dad, Mom, I'm done eating!" Naruto wolfed down his dinner, then hurried to the hall to resume his daily training.
Kushina and Chiharu glanced at Naruto as he ran off, and there was an unusual look in both their eyes.
"Something must have happened at the ninja academy today," Minato said. He had noticed the strange expression on Naruto's face since he returned home. The reactions of his wife and daughter in front of him once again confirmed Minato's observation.
Kushina looked at him and nodded, then moved closer to Minato and told him everything they had observed at the entrance of the ninja academy that day.
"So that's how it is." After listening, Minato frowned slightly, but his expression remained calm.
"You've thought about these things a long time ago, haven't you?" Seeing that Minato's expression hadn't changed much, Kushina asked.
He was the Hokage and Naruto's father. Minato should have had an idea of what was happening at the ninja academy. The two had been together for so many years—Kushina knew Minato very well, and he could definitely have foreseen what happened today.
Minato shrugged unconvincingly.
"Dad, why didn't you tell us in advance?" After getting her answer, a hint of blame appeared on Chiharu's face. She felt sad because she had seen her brother's expression at the ninja academy that evening.
Naruto was very obedient to his sister Chiharu, and the relationship between the siblings had always been good.
"So what if you had known?" Minato seemed very calm. He looked at Chiharu and said, "Although you are young, you have understood social dynamics far beyond your age since you were a child."
"So you have to understand that Naruto and you are both my and Kushina's children. This is a fact that cannot be changed. It was only a matter of time before Naruto experienced what happened at school today."
It was indeed because Iruka was a new teacher that the fact that Naruto was the son of the Hokage became known to the whole school so quickly. But even without him, everyone in the ninja academy would have known the relationship between Minato and Naruto sooner or later.
"I am the Hokage, but even as Hokage, I cannot control other people's thoughts. Maybe my position and I have unintentionally brought some pressure to you, but this is beyond my control. I'm sorry."
Minato knew very well that if others knew that Naruto and his sister were his children, they would attract attention and even be talked about frequently.
Naruto wasn't the only one like this in Konoha. Among those descendants of the village's prominent families, many of them in Naruto's class had to bear similar burdens when they were younger than Naruto.
Just like Hinata, whom Naruto and Chiharu knew—her father was the head of the Hyuga clan. As the eldest daughter, she had been trained as the heir of the family since she was a child.
To outsiders, children from large families had better bloodlines, resources, and talents in various aspects than ordinary people. But the pressure they bore was heavier than others from the beginning.
"I understand, but—" There was a gleam in Chiharu's big eyes. She could understand what her father said, but she was still worried about her brother.
"Don't worry, your brother is not that fragile. You have to have faith in him." This was the only way Minato could comfort her. As the Hokage, he couldn't provide any special help to Naruto now.
Moreover, since Minato believed that Naruto was the savior who might be able to prevent the disaster that would sweep across the ninja world in the future, experiencing setbacks was the only way for him to become strong. Any powerful ninja must first have a strong heart.
"Naruto is our son. Think about the path you have taken in the past. You don't believe that your child can be defeated so easily, right?" Minato chuckled and looked at Kushina.
"Of course, I believe in Naruto!" Kushina said that although as a mother she felt sorry for Naruto, it has always been said that loving mothers often spoil their children, and her love for her child would definitely not be excessive coddling.
In the living room, Naruto was still consolidating his practice of refining chakra. Although he had increased the intensity of his training under Minato's guidance and had mastered the basic methods of chakra manipulation, he vaguely knew that this was more strenuous for him than for others, so he could not relax for a moment.
The next day, near noon.
"Knock, knock!" There were knocks on the door outside the Hokage's office.
Minato said casually, "Come in."
Soon the door opened and someone walked in. Minato raised his eyes slightly, and when he saw the person in front of him clearly, he stood up from his seat suddenly with a strong look of joy on his face.
"Teacher, you're finally back!"
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