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Chapter 25 - CHAPTER 25

Chapter 25

Uchiha Shin was genuinely upset.

What is Sasuke doing here all of a sudden? If he disrupts my plan to get closer to Naruto, it will be troublesome.

Worse still, Sasuke had gone straight for Naruto's taboo—calling him the "Nine-Tailed Demon Fox" right to his face.

"I'm not the Nine-Tails!" Naruto shot back, his voice stubborn and fierce despite the sting in his chest.

"Then who are you?" Sasuke asked bluntly. Even at his young age, he carried himself with the air of someone raised with discipline.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto glanced between them, his eyes lingering on the Uchiha clan crest on their backs. "Are you two family?"

With a smile, Shin walked over to Sasuke, ruffled his hair, and quickly clamped a hand over his mouth. It's better if Sasuke doesn't get in the way. Another pair of ears could ruin everything.

"Yeah," Shin said lightly, "I'm this guy's older brother. His name is Sasuke Uchiha. I'm sorry—he didn't mean what he said just now."

Sasuke's muffled protests grew louder. He kicked the ground, grabbed Shin's wrist with both hands, and tried to pry it off.

Naruto tilted his head. No matter how he looked at them, they didn't act like brothers at all.

"Ah—ow!" Shin yelped as Sasuke bit his hand.

"Hey! He's not my brother. My real brother is Uchiha Itachi—and he's way stronger than this guy!" Sasuke declared proudly.

Shin smirked. "Strange… who was the one calling me 'big brother' when he lost during training?"

"That— that was a joke! It doesn't count!" Sasuke snapped, his cheeks reddening as he turned away.

"The two of you must be in the same class, right?" Naruto asked curiously.

"That's right," Sasuke replied confidently. "And when school starts, I'll be the top of the class." His voice brimmed with Uchiha pride.

Shin, however, was distracted. In his perception, Naruto's body carried an immense amount of chakra for a child his age—far more than Sasuke's healthy reserves. Yet something was off. For all the talk of the "endless chakra" of the Nine-Tails, he couldn't feel Kurama's vast presence at all.

Isn't Naruto supposed to be the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki?

The villagers treated him like a monster. His tragic childhood matched what Shin remembered of the protagonist. Everything fit.

That could only mean one thing: the Nine-Tails was sealed in Naruto's body, but the seal itself was concealing its chakra from being sensed.

Of course… the sealing technique.

The Academy never went into detail about fūinjutsu, only that the village's most dangerous jutsu and forbidden scrolls were secured by it. But if the Nine-Tails had been sealed inside Naruto, then the Fourth Hokage—Minato Namikaze—must have used a powerful sealing jutsu before he died.

So, to reach Kurama, I'll need to master sealing techniques myself. But how?

He smirked bitterly. If this world had Dragon Balls, I'd just wish for all the knowledge of ninjutsu and sealing to drop into my head. Instead, I have to find a way to learn fūinjutsu the hard way.

The Hokage's office must hold the records. But that place was heavily guarded. Slipping in was one problem—finding the sealing scrolls inside was another.

Shin rubbed his temple. Why? Why am I only six years old and already worrying about breaking into the Hokage's office?

Beside him, Naruto clenched his fists. "I don't care what anyone says—I'll definitely become Hokage one day! That's my dream!"

There was a fire in his words that caught even Sasuke's attention.

Strange… Naruto thought as he glanced at Sasuke. This guy is different from the other villagers. He called me the Nine-Tails, but his eyes… they're not the same as theirs.

Unlike the cold stares of the adults, Sasuke's gaze carried challenge, curiosity—even recognition.

And like Shin, Sasuke was still willing to stand there and talk to him.

For the first time, Naruto felt something unusual in his heart. A strange, almost familiar bond—like he had known them both once before.

Today might really be my lucky day.

Naruto thought this to himself with a bright grin, still bickering with Sasuke like usual.

"Nichizane! The Nine-Tails Jinchūriki should be handed over to Root for safekeeping!"

The harsh voice of Shimura Danzō echoed through the Hokage's office.

"Look at the situation, Hiruzen—he is becoming close to the Uchiha clan. If the fox inside him is ever manipulated by them through their Sharingan, the entire village will be in danger."

Sarutobi Hiruzen's face darkened. He had barely even opened the door before Danzō was already spitting demands at him. Was he Hokage, or was Danzō trying to take his place?

At his side, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu both gave slow, deliberate nods of agreement.

"The coup d'état of the Uchiha clan grows closer with each meeting," Homura said gravely. "Danzo makes sense."

"Indeed," Koharu added. "If the boy is left in their presence, and something happens like with Kushina when the seal weakened…"

Both of them, like Danzō, carried long-standing distrust of the Uchiha.

Minato… if it were you, what would you choose?

Hiruzen felt his heart tighten. He had hoped to spend his later years in peace, watching the young Fourth Hokage lead the village. Instead, he was once again forced to carry the burden.

And with Danzō and the other two elders pressing constantly at his side, refusing them outright wasn't simple.

Turning his gaze toward the crystal ball that displayed the scene outside, Sarutobi's eyes softened. Naruto Uzumaki was there, arguing hotly with Sasuke Uchiha, his determination clear even through the glass.

"No," Hiruzen said at last, his voice firm. "Naruto is not only the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki. He is also the son of the Fourth Hokage. He is the legacy of Minato Namikaze, a hero of Konoha."

"These two Uchihas are only children—Sasuke and his companion can't affect the fate of the village by themselves."

"That is my decision."

His voice cut like a blade, and for once the Third Hokage's legendary authority filled the office. Silence fell over the room.

But it didn't last long.

"What of the Uchiha clan, then?" Danzō asked, cold and deliberate, breaking the quiet once again.

"They are planning another assembly tonight," he said. "Without a doubt, it is to discuss their coup."

Hiruzen's temples throbbed. Of all matters, the Uchiha weighed on him the most.

Danzo… why are you so fixated on the clan? Do you truly act for the sake of Konoha—or only for your own vision of it?

No matter how proud and powerful the Uchiha were, a coup against the entire village was suicide. Konoha's will was not so easily shaken.

Hiruzen studied his old comrade. Danzo's one visible eye betrayed no hint of emotion—it was as if he was nothing more than a weapon carrying out what he believed was "necessary."

Beside him, Homura adjusted his glasses, while Koharu, though weary, leaned forward, both of them fixing their eyes on Hiruzen, silently pressing him for a solution.

At last, Hiruzen exhaled.

"Call Shisui Uchiha," he ordered. "He once told me he had a way to stop the coup without bloodshed… and to preserve peace."

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