Conversation at the Konoha Barbecue Shop

The scene shifted elsewhere.

The group arrived at Konoha's most famous grilled meat restaurant.

Akimichi Choza had reserved two private rooms.

The children took one room, while the adults took the other.

This was to keep the children from holding back because adults were present.

It was also because the adults might discuss matters that were not suitable for children to hear.

Both rooms were lively. The fragrance of grilled meat filled the air as the children ate and chatted.

"Naruto, here, I grilled this for you!" Ino was remarkably forward with Naruto. He had no idea where a girl so young had learned so many tricks for flirting with boys.

"Naruto, I-I grilled some for you too!" Sakura also placed a piece of the meat she had grilled onto Naruto's plate.

Watching the two girls rush to serve Naruto meat, Shikamaru silently picked up a piece for himself and nibbled at it. Then he muttered gloomily, "Women really are troublesome."

"Naruto, hurry up and eat! Today, we're going to have a proper contest to see who can eat more. I've improved a lot since last time!"

Akimichi Choji had eyes only for food, except now he also had someone to compete with in appetite.

Naruto did not feel comfortable refusing the two girls' kindness, so he merely smiled and said, "You two should eat too. Don't just keep giving me food!"

Naruto picked up a piece of grilled meat and tossed it to Akamaru.

Akamaru felt that Naruto was the true friend here. His owner, Inuzuka Kiba, had been so busy eating meat himself that he had completely forgotten Akamaru even existed!

Seeing Akamaru glare viciously at him while savagely gnawing on the meat as if he were eating Kiba himself, Inuzuka Kiba was rather confused. Not realizing what had gone wrong, he asked curiously, "What's wrong, Akamaru? You don't like grilled meat? I think it's delicious!"

As he spoke, he stuffed another piece of meat into his own mouth.

After hearing that, Akamaru bit down even harder!

Meanwhile, in the enclosed room next door, the adults' voices overlapped in conversation.

"It's been a long time since we all got together. You're Sakura's father, Haruno Kizashi, right?" Nara Shikaku asked Haruno Kizashi, who sat in the corner looking slightly restrained.

"Yes, I'm Sakura's father. I never thought I'd have the chance to eat grilled meat with all of you. It's truly an honor."

Sakura's parents were merely ordinary ninja in the village, both regular chunin. The other children's parents, however, were all figures on the level of clan heads and jonin, so Haruno Kizashi was understandably nervous.

"It's fine. We're not working or carrying out missions here, so you don't need to be so tense. Right now, we're all just parents. Come, let me pour you a drink."

Nara Shikaku was quite good at putting people at ease. He poured Haruno Kizashi a drink, and Kizashi was flattered beyond measure. He hurriedly accepted the cup and drained it in one gulp.

After several drinks, Haruno Kizashi gradually relaxed.

"There are some things that are secrets, though not really secrets. We may bring them up, so I hope you won't spread them around after hearing them," Nara Shikaku said to Haruno Kizashi.

"Secrets? Don't worry. Right now, I'm just a child's father. I don't know anything about anything else." Haruno Kizashi patted his chest in assurance.

Once Haruno Kizashi had made his promise, the others began speaking freely.

"What do you think of Naruto?" Yamanaka Inoichi asked.

"My Ino likes Naruto so much that she secretly told me she absolutely wants to marry him when she grows up. That puts me, as her father, in quite a difficult position," Yamanaka Inoichi began helplessly.

"Naruto is a good child. It's just a pity that his luck has been so terrible," Inuzuka Hana said.

"Exactly. Given Naruto's status, he should never have been treated this way. Minato and Kushina died far too tragically, and the Third Hokage's care for Naruto before this could hardly be called attentive. A child left behind by heroes has been treated like this—it's simply intolerable!"

Akimichi Choza spoke as he ate grilled meat.

Haruno Kizashi, who had become slightly tipsy after a few drinks, instantly sobered up upon hearing this. He asked timidly, "Could it be that Naruto is the child of the Fourth Hokage, Lord Minato Namikaze, and Uzumaki Kushina?"

"Yes. Among Konoha's upper ranks, that is hardly a secret," Nara Shikaku explained when he saw Haruno Kizashi's stunned expression.

"During the Nine-Tails' Rampage, Minato and Kushina fought desperately to stop the Nine-Tails, but there was no turning back. The Nine-Tails' Chakra was simply too vast, so Minato first used the Reaper Death Seal to seal half of the Nine-Tails Chakra inside himself."

"He then sealed Kushina's Chakra and the Nine-Tails' Chakra within Naruto using the Eight Trigrams Seal. That was the only way to completely seal the Nine-Tails!"

"They were Konoha's heroes. Why would they seal a Tailed Beast inside their own child?" Haruno Kizashi asked in confusion.

In his view, parents should love their children. How could they harm them?

Yet sealing the Nine-Tails had made Naruto a Jinchuriki, indirectly causing him to suffer so much injustice for so many years.

"As far as I know, the Nine-Tails was too powerful to be destroyed and could only be sealed away. The Uzumaki Clan Physique was uniquely suited to becoming the Jinchuriki who could seal the Nine-Tails. Minato did it to protect Konoha, but also because he believed that his child would eventually be able to master that power."

Nara Shikaku voiced his own conjecture.

"But Naruto is just a child! Why did Konoha's upper ranks hide Naruto's identity and let him suffer such treatment? He is the true Son of a Hero!"

Normally, Haruno Kizashi would never have said such things. But after several drinks, he had grown emotional and could not understand why Naruto had suffered such unfair treatment.

"After Minato and Kushina died, the Third Hokage explained to Konoha's upper ranks that Naruto's identity had to be protected. Minato had made too many enemies on the battlefield, and if Naruto's identity were exposed, he would be in danger."

"But in truth, after the Fourth Hokage died in battle and his estate was carved up among those higher-ups in Konoha, we all knew perfectly well that was not the reason at all! As for what the real reason was, we don't understand what the Third Hokage, the two Hokage advisors, and Danzo were thinking either."

The atmosphere in the room grew heavy, and Haruno Kizashi kept drinking one cup after another.

"Fortunately, Naruto is a strong child. Even in that kind of environment, he has grown into such an obedient and sensible boy. That is truly rare. He has the natural makings of a Hokage!"

Nara Shikaku was the one who broke the awkward silence.

"Yes, yes. Naruto really is a good child. That's why, when the Third Hokage spoke to us before, we were willing to let our children spend time with him. Naruto is a good child in his own right. Even if he were not the Fourth Hokage's son, even if he were not some so-called Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, we would still let our children befriend him without worry."

Yamanaka Inoichi said.

"From now on, I'll protect Naruto from the shadows. I won't let the tragedies of the past happen again." Kakashi Hatake, who had remained silent until then, suddenly spoke.

He had been Minato Namikaze's student and had received care from Minato and Kushina. At the same time, he had both the ability and the time to watch over Naruto's growth. This was also something the Third Hokage had silently approved.

"Then we'll be counting on you, Kakashi. In Naruto, we truly can see hope for Konoha's future."

"Perhaps Naruto really can become Hokage. Under Naruto's leadership, Konoha may even become more prosperous."

"Hahahaha! To Konoha's future prosperity!"

"To Konoha!"

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