Back from the Sealing Space
The scene shifted.
In a flash, Uzumaki Naruto was back in his own home.
At the same time, Toji Lee quietly handed back control of the body to Naruto.
Naruto looked around in confusion, realizing he was suddenly back in familiar surroundings. Panic set in.
"Where are Mom and Dad? Did they leave?" he asked urgently in his mind.
Toji didn't answer.
That silence was enough.
Naruto's head drooped. He looked crushed.
But it didn't last long. He soon lifted his head again, eyes sparkling with hope.
Even if it was brief, today had been the happiest day of his life.
He had a mom and dad now.
He finally knew who they were.
And more than that—his dad was the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, the hero who saved the whole village.
That had to mean something, right? If people found out the truth, they wouldn't hate him anymore. They'd finally accept him.
Excited, Naruto began imagining all the things he'd always wanted: playing with the other kids, having real friends, finally being included.
Toji, watching from within, sighed. He didn't even need to read Naruto's thoughts to know what was going through his head.
This was classic Naruto—always looking for the good in everything, no matter how dark things got.
Without missing a beat, Toji cut into Naruto's thoughts. "You really think everyone will start treating you differently just because they know your dad was the Fourth Hokage?"
Naruto froze. His smile faded. "What... what do you mean?"
Toji's voice turned sharp. "You're dreaming. These villagers are a lot more cold-hearted than you think. If they weren't, would they have treated you like this all these years?"
Naruto shook his head, trying to deny it. "No! That's not true! They just don't know who I really am. If they did, they'd definitely change!"
Toji scoffed. "Oh really? And what about the Third Hokage? He knew. Your father asked him to take care of you. But what did he do?"
"He feared the Nine-Tails would cause trouble, so he put people on you—watching you, twenty-four hours a day. Did he ever actually care about you?"
Naruto's expression fell. He stood frozen, unsure what to believe.
Wait... twenty-four-hour surveillance?
If that was true—if people were watching him all along—why didn't they help? Why did they let him suffer?
Could Toji be right?
Were the people in the village really that cold?
No—he couldn't believe that. He wouldn't believe that. He had to ask. He had to find out the truth himself.
Without another word, Naruto turned and sprinted out the door, snow crunching beneath his feet as he raced toward the Hokage Building.
Toji Lee smiled quietly to himself.
This was exactly what he'd wanted.
He needed Naruto to start questioning everything—even the people he trusted the most.
The first phase of his plan had been about showing Naruto that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't win the village's love.
Now came the second phase in giving him hope. Letting him rise up.
Because the higher you climb, the harder you fall.
And when Naruto eventually did fall, Toji would be there to catch him—and steer him down the path he'd chosen for him.
Meanwhile, at the Hokage Building...
In the high-level meeting room, several key figures sat around a long table.
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat at the head, smoking from his pipe.
To his right were Homura Mitokado and Utatane Koharu. To his left sat Danzo Shimura, his expression as cold and hard as ever.
The group was deep in discussion, debating everything from foreign village relations to domestic issues within Konoha.
Eventually, the conversation turned to the Uchiha Clan.
"Hiruzen, are you really going to keep tolerating this?" Danzo snapped. "Their attitude is getting worse by the day. Are you going to wait until they revolt before you finally act? Do you realize what kind of disaster that could bring?"
Danzo's tone was sharp and urgent.
He had his reasons, of course.
Having secretly implanted a Sharingan thanks to Orochimaru, Danzo had long coveted more of the Uchiha's power. He'd spent years pushing for an excuse to crush the clan completely.
Hiruzen took a long drag from his pipe and exhaled slowly. "We've lost too many good people already. We can't afford to keep tearing ourselves apart from the inside."
Danzo wasn't having it. "Don't tell me you're regretting it now. Have you forgotten how Lord Tobirama died? He trusted the wrong people. We can't make the same mistake."
At the mention of their teacher Tobirama, the room fell quiet.
Danzo had a point.
It was the same logic they'd used to justify all of their harsh decisions over the years. Any 'unstable element' was seen as a threat. And the Uchiha were at the top of that list.
But lately, even Hiruzen had started to doubt whether their methods were really helping.
"Sakumo's death already cost us dearly," Hiruzen said. "That loss pushed Jiraiya and Tsunade away from the village. We can't afford another mistake. If we push the Uchiha too far, Konoha could crumble."
Danzo narrowed his eyes.
Was that a veiled accusation?
He grunted. "Funny. You were all on board with what happened to Sakumo. Don't pretend otherwise."