My Foolish Little Brother...

"Where the leaves dance, fire burns on without end. Its light will continue to illuminate the village and let new leaves sprout."

The Third Hokage's distinctive voice carried from a large podium.

Warm and kindly.

At first listen, he naturally gave the impression of a benevolent old man.

The area around the podium was packed with excited parents and children, along with a steady stream of invited guests who had come to witness the event.

The speech went on for two hours.

Finally, the moment the Third Hokage finished speaking, thunderous applause surged up like a tide. The crowd erupted, and some people even waved their arms and shouted as they rushed toward the stage.

The crowd around the podium seemed as though they had been infected by some dreadful virus. At that moment, they were so impassioned they looked possessed, their eyes—adults and children alike—filled with fanatical worship.

The Third Hokage was very pleased with the response from below the stage.

It was already mid-September. Today was the official enrollment day for the Ninja Academy's new students. He had specifically set aside his office duties to come and instill some ideals in them. These children were Konoha's future, and the Will of Fire had to take root in their hearts from the very beginning.

This was the most important obligation and responsibility of Hiruzen Sarutobi, inheritor of the Will of Fire.

Naruto stood alone at the very edge of the crowd, but he was smiling and applauding as well. In a situation like this, all that was needed was a show of cooperation.

More importantly, the Third Hokage had personally invited him.

The moment he woke up that morning, he sensed countless Konoha ninja bustling about the village. Just as he took his first bite of breakfast, he sensed the Third Hokage approaching with his subordinates.

Naruto's sensing range had now exceeded a five-kilometer radius, and as his Chakra continued to grow, the range he could sense would only become wider.

When the Third Hokage brought him over, he said that since he had some rare free time today, he would teach Naruto a new ninjutsu. Yet he only handed Naruto a scroll before going up on stage.

He had never mentioned anything about giving a speech at the academy, so Naruto had not used the Transformation Jutsu.

When he first arrived, he had not been far from the podium. But as more and more people gathered, he was squeezed all the way to his current spot as though he carried some terrible plague.

What left him slightly speechless was that Gekko Hayate had followed him out while invisible. Only after Naruto had smiled and applauded for several seconds did that guy leave his side and head toward the Third Hokage.

"Naruto, did you hear that? This is the Will of Fire passed down by the First!"

Minato Namikaze's voice suddenly came from within the Sealed Space.

Was the Will of Fire really that powerful? Naruto's consciousness descended into the seal. Seeing the excited expression on his father's face, he was somewhat surprised.

"What's so remarkable about it?"

Naruto looked calmly at his father and asked.

Minato Namikaze's expression turned solemn. "The Will of Fire is the foundation of Konoha's strength. It is a belief that has endured since the First's time. The Will of Fire means protecting the important people around you and keeping them from harm."

"It tells us that the young are the hope of the future. The older generation must trust and protect them, sheltering them from the wind and rain. The sacrifices of those who came before were not meaningless. They inspire the young to become the pillars who bear the future."

"Only the Will of Fire can allow children to grow up in peace and keep them from dying in war!"

By the time Minato Namikaze spoke the last sentence, he was clearly growing impassioned.

Kurama, who had been sleeping nearby, opened its narrow fox eyes. After glancing at Naruto's expression, a trace of mockery curled at its mouth.

"Finished?"

Naruto's tone was clearly noncommittal, and his expression had not changed from the beginning.

"Uh..."

Seeing his son's expression, Minato Namikaze felt a little awkward.

Naruto looked directly into his father's eyes. "Father, have you ever considered that the person who created the Will of Fire did so deliberately to harm people?"

Minato Namikaze's expression sharpened. "How could that be!"

A glint flashed through Naruto's eyes. "Do you remember Sakumo Hatake, the Konoha White Fang?"

At the mention of that name, Minato Namikaze's body immediately stiffened.

"It seemed that after this genius ninja, whose reputation resounded across every nation and who was respected even by the Legendary Sannin, truly practiced the ideals of the Will of Fire, he abandoned his mission to save his comrades. Then he was condemned by the villagers, until even the comrades he saved turned around and blamed him. Unable to bear everyone's rejection, he chose suicide."

As Naruto said this, he thought again of the most severely mentally ill patient in the Naruto world, then continued, "You just said that the Will of Fire lets children grow up in peace and keeps them from dying in war."

"Then why is that not what I saw in Konoha's historical records?"

"When you took part in the Third Shinobi World War, Father, one of your subordinates seemed to have died. Although he was ultimately buried in Konoha's Heroes' Memorial, he was only thirteen, wasn't he?"

Minato Namikaze knew whom Naruto was talking about, and he immediately fell into deep self-reproach.

"And the funny thing is, Nawaki Senju, the grandson of the First who created the Will of Fire, died in the Second Great Ninja War at the age of twelve."

"Also, there has always been something I could not understand. Father, can you tell me why, after the Third Hokage took office, the Senju Clan so quickly dwindled until only Princess Tsunade, one of the Legendary Sannin, remained?"

Minato Namikaze had not even managed to pull himself free from his guilt before Naruto's question left his face blank. He truly did not know.

He had died too early. There were many things he had never had the chance to take over. Less than a year had passed between the end of the Third Shinobi World War and his becoming Hokage.

"Hey! Naruto, hold out your fist. I know a little about the Senju Clan."

Hearing Kurama's voice, Naruto remembered its first Jinchuriki, Mito Uzumaki, and immediately held out his fist.

Very soon, Naruto relayed everything Kurama knew to his father.

Then Naruto withdrew from the Mental World, while Minato Namikaze within the seal seemed to have lost his purpose in life, even though he was already dead.

The moment Naruto came back to himself, his gaze immediately turned in one direction.

He sensed quite a few ninja gradually gathering at the edge of the crowd.

Yet these people seemed extremely out of place. They were not applauding, their faces showed no emotion, and their eyes were filled with cold indifference.

But deep within those indifferent gazes, intense unwillingness clearly flickered.

Naruto looked over their standard-issue vests, which differed from the Anbu style, and recognized them.

The Konoha Military Police Force—a group of Uchiha Clansmen.

He had no interest in people Destined to die.

Compared to living people, the dead could also have considerable value in the ninja world if handled properly, but these people were clearly not qualified.

Looking at the Third Hokage surrounded by the crowd onstage, Naruto took out the scroll the Third Hokage had given him. He figured the Third Hokage would not be coming to find him.

After turning around and taking a few steps into a quiet corner, Naruto unrolled the scroll in his hand and looked at it.

He immediately gave a faint laugh. The Third Hokage had actually given him beginner-level Taijutsu essentials for genin.

Fine, then from today onward, he could openly display his Taijutsu. With that thought, he headed toward the Ninja Tool Full Point Hall.

"Nisan! I really didn't come here to train in secret!"

On a crisscrossing road, a young boy with flushed cheeks pouted as he tried to explain himself.

"Hehe, Sasuke, I believe you. I don't have a mission today, so I can practice Shuriken with you."

The conversation ended there. One tall and one short, the two figures quickly passed through a small forest with sparse vegetation. But they immediately spotted someone climbing over a wall specifically used for physical training at their destination.

"Nisan! Look! It must be this guy! He's the one who has been using our training ground!"

"Wait, Sasuke."

After the young boy named Sasuke shouted those words, a proud look flashed across his face. He ran several steps to the side of the figure climbing over the wall.

"Do you know you're occupying someone else's training ground? Do you know who I am?"

The young boy questioned him self-righteously.

"I know. Though I'm sorry for using your training ground, I don't care who you are!"

The figure beside the wall stopped. He ignored the proud young boy, and the moment he looked up, his azure eyes fixed resolutely on the tall figure in the distance.

"Itachi Uchiha!"