Naruto Uzumaki turned his head with difficulty to look at Hiruzen Sarutobi, his eyes revealing anticipation and longing.
"It's true," Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded. "Naruto, as long as you can control the Nine-Tails inside you, I promise you that not only will I not restrict your freedom, but I will also let you return to the Ninja Academy and make many friends."
"Even after I die, the position of Fifth Hokage can be handed over to you."
If it had been in the past, Naruto Uzumaki would definitely have been moved to tears by Hiruzen Sarutobi's words, and his heart would have been filled with the Will of Fire.
But now, hearing these things, he just wanted to laugh.
Sure enough, I am not important at all in these people's eyes.
All they ever cared about was the Nine-Tails!
They attempted to use him to control the power of the Nine-Tails.
"Lord Hokage, this won't do!"
"We can't let him go back to the ninja academy!"
"How can we entrust the Fifth Hokage to him? He's the Demon Fox!"
The surrounding Konoha ninjas also began to refute Hiruzen Sarutobi's words.
"Shut up, all of you!" Hiruzen Sarutobi shouted coldly. "Naruto isn't some kind of demon fox. He's the son of the Fourth Hokage, a descendant of a hero. How can you treat him like this? Doesn't that break the heart of the Fourth Hokage who died fighting for the village?"
"If you have even a shred of conscience, look up! The Fourth Hokage Rock is watching you every single day!"
Seeing that his words had aroused public outrage, Hiruzen Sarutobi had no choice but to reveal the secret and stand on the moral high ground to condemn everyone.
"What? This fox spirit is actually the Fourth Hokage's son?"
"It seems that the Fourth Hokage did indeed die to seal the Nine-Tails, but why did he seal the Nine-Tails inside his own son?"
"What have we done all these years? How could we treat the son of the fourth generation lord like this? How will we face the fourth generation lord after we die?"
With the announcement of this news, people stopped complaining, and some even began to blame themselves and reflect on their actions.
"I am the son of the Fourth Hokage?" Naruto Uzumaki muttered to himself, somewhat incredulously.
Although Black Zetsu mentioned that his parents died at the hands of the masked man when he spoke with Kurama, he did not say that his father was the Fourth Hokage.
Upon suddenly hearing this news, he was momentarily stunned.
"You, the son of the Fourth Hokage, a descendant of heroes, are treated like this! I feel indignant for you!" Black Zetsu interjected. "That Hiruzen Sarutobi is simply inhuman."
"He only wants to use the power of the Nine-Tails within you to appease the resentment in your heart, which is why he revealed this. Next, he will definitely say that you had no ability to protect yourself before..."
Black Zetsu was spreading evil influences in Naruto's mind. It had been so difficult to drag Naruto into darkness, and it could not let Hiruzen Sarutobi pull him out again.
"Naruto, this matter is a top secret of Konoha. You were not able to protect yourself before, so I have not made it public."
"However, as long as you can master the power of the Nine-Tails, you will be fearless against external enemies. Even if people from hostile ninja villages know that you are the son of the Fourth Hokage, they will not pose a threat to you."
Upon hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi's words, Naruto Uzumaki felt another surge of anger.
Just as 'Asura' said, Hiruzen Sarutobi was truly despicable.
If it weren't for 'Asura', I would definitely have been deceived by him. I must never trust this old man again.
"Grandpa Hokage, is everything you're saying true?" Naruto Uzumaki feigned emotion. "I'm not a demon fox. I have parents too. My father was the Fourth Hokage, a hero of the village."
"Of course it's true. So, Naruto, as the son of the Fourth Hokage, you must not be swayed by the Nine-Tails' will. You must defeat it and turn the Nine-Tails' power into your own. Only in this way can you live up to your father's expectations."
The Third Hokage nodded repeatedly, his eyes filled with encouragement as he looked at Naruto Uzumaki.
Upon hearing this, Naruto's eyes lit up, and the Nine-Tails' chakra rapidly dissipated from his body before quickly returning.
In fact, according to Black Zetsu's idea, it would definitely be to break up with Hiruzen Sarutobi completely.
Unfortunately, Naruto Uzumaki was still young and his acting skills were limited. Even if Black Zetsu took the stage itself, Naruto Uzumaki couldn't cooperate well with it. Therefore, it could only end it hastily.
"Good!"
"Naruto, you did it. You defeated the Nine-Tails with your own willpower."
Hiruzen Sarutobi was so excited that he didn't pay attention to the details. He ran straight to Naruto Uzumaki, picked him up with a concerned expression, and said...
He saw in Naruto Uzumaki the hope of becoming the perfect Jinchūriki.
With proper training, Konoha would surely have its own perfect Jinchūriki.
This was something that neither Mito Uzumaki nor Kushina Uzumaki could do.
"I... am not a fox spirit... I am a descendant of a hero..."
Naruto Uzumaki lay in Hiruzen Sarutobi's arms, looking at him 'weakly' as he spoke.
"Yes, you are a descendant of a hero!" Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded repeatedly. "Pass down the word that from now on, anyone who dares to call Naruto the Demon Fox or looks at him with prejudice will be expelled from Konoha."
"If they are ninjas, they will be listed as rogue ninjas and wanted throughout the entire ninja world."
Now that it had been determined that Naruto Uzumaki was a potential perfect Jinchūriki, Hiruzen Sarutobi would naturally go out of his way to curry favor with him.
The Konoha ninjas around them, upon learning that Naruto Uzumaki was the Fourth Hokage's son, dared not say anything and could only follow orders.
...
Uchiha clan territory.
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Danzō Shimura and said calmly, "Danzō, put Sasuke down."
"No, not a single remnant of the Uchiha clan can be spared."
Danzō Shimura's anger had not yet subsided, and he was not about to give Hiruzen Sarutobi any face.
"The Uchiha have already paid the price; we must leave them a legacy."
Hiruzen Sarutobi was actually in a very good mood, after all, Naruto Uzumaki had managed to control the Nine-Tails' power.
The Uchiha clan, a hidden threat to Konoha, was now reduced to just this one child, making it impossible for them to pose any further threat to the village.
Furthermore, since they would need to utilize Itachi Uchiha in the future, they must not kill Sasuke Uchiha under any circumstances.
"The Uchiha clan is the root of evil. If this bloodline is left alive, the Sharingan may very well reappear." Danzō Shimura's face was extremely gloomy. "We must eradicate them completely, leaving no one alive."
Danzō's idea was simple: if I can't have it, no one else can either.
If you dare destroy the Sharingan, I'll destroy you.
"Danzo!" Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes turned cold. "I am the Hokage!"
"Hiruzen, you'll regret this!"
As Danzō Shimura spoke, he threw Uchiha Sasuke hard at Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"The Uchiha clan is an unstable element, and he carries a deep-seated blood feud. Sooner or later, he will become the next Madara Uchiha. When that happens, you will be the eternal sinner of Konoha!"
He ultimately dared not confront Hiruzen Sarutobi head-on; the title of Hokage weighed on him for his entire life.
...
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