Don't Move Yourself

"Naruto! Most people in the village are innocent."

Minato Namikaze's voice held a hint of pleading.

"I know."

That was Naruto's final response to him as he left the Sealed Space, his voice as indifferent as before, devoid of any extra emotion.

Recalling Naruto's icy gaze from before, Minato suddenly didn't know what to feel.

He couldn't help but retrace all the time from meeting Naruto to the present.

Why did Naruto become like this?

Scenes from his life in the village flashed through his mind, and in the end, only one figure he longed for remained in his heart. She had bright red hair.

"Kushina, do you blame me? I couldn't protect you, I couldn't protect Naruto, and now I can't protect the village anymore."

All sorts of emotions surged into his heart, and Minato's tears flowed freely, but he gritted his teeth.

Even though his heart ached, he dared not weep aloud.

He regretted it.

He regretted sealing the Nine-Tails into Naruto all those years ago.

If he hadn't made that decision back then, things might not have escalated to this point.

He had truly made a mistake.

The main reason Naruto left the Sealed Space was that he suddenly sensed the Third Hokage approaching, with Hayate Gekko leading the way.

Taking two steps to the window, his gaze swept over the snowy ground below. Naruto couldn't help but wonder.

What could the Third Hokage want at this hour?

Did Genma get exposed!

But that wasn't right. He sensed carefully, and Genma's chakra was clearly still in the street where he lived.

However, thinking of this, Naruto's heart sank. He suddenly realized he had overlooked a crucial issue.

Given his identity in Konoha, anyone who had contact with him would likely be investigated.

Except for the Ninja Tool Full Point Hall.

Naruto had specifically confirmed when purchasing the mechanism crossbow for firing multiple kunai that the boss behind the Ninja Tool Full Point Hall had backing from the Daimyo of the Land of Fire.

The confidentiality of purchasing any equipment in the store was reliable, as evidenced by the fact that the Third Hokage had not yet discovered what he had bought.

But others were different.

So he had to be careful from now on!

As he pondered internally, a faint, almost imperceptible irritation surfaced, and Naruto's expression began to darken.

After a long while, Naruto calmly closed the window, his gaze becoming deep and profound once more. The Third Hokage would arrive soon.

As for his purpose, it would soon become clear.

Knock, knock, knock!

"Naruto! Are you home?"

A moment later, the sound of knocking echoed, and the Third Hokage's hearty voice could be heard from downstairs.

Naruto, on the second floor, sneered inwardly as he walked downstairs. The moment he gently opened the door, a perfectly feigned look of surprise appeared on his face.

"Lord Hokage, what brings you here?"

"Heh heh," the Third Hokage replied with his signature benevolent smile. "I happened to have time to walk around the village today, so I thought I'd stop by and see you."

A hint of emotion appeared on Naruto's face. "Thank you, Lord Hokage."

"Heh heh, don't be so formal," the Third Hokage said as he walked through the door. After looking around, he sat down in a chair. As soon as he sat down, he suddenly said, "I think I heard you mention last time that you knew a friend from the Nara Clan."

He heard me say that? He's really putting on an act.

Naruto grumbled inwardly, nodded calmly, and said, "His name is Shikamaru, and he recently introduced me to a new friend."

A flicker of surprise crossed the Third Hokage's face, and then he smiled and said, "Have you been hanging out with them recently?"

Huh? Is the Third Hokage here just to inquire about my social circle?

Wouldn't you know if I've been looking for Shikamaru and the others recently? Isn't Hayate Gekko, who's currently hiding on the second floor, following me every day?

In a flash, a myriad of thoughts raced through Naruto's mind, but he immediately put on a look of dejection and said, "They all come from prominent families."

"After spending time with them, I felt like we didn't really click, so I didn't want to look for them anymore."

A sharp glint flashed in the Third Hokage's eyes, but his smile remained unchanged as he asked, "Naruto, why do you feel that way?"

"They know powerful ninjutsu," Naruto said, his eyes revealing envy. "And the two of them cooperate very well."

"Heh heh!" the Third Hokage chuckled benevolently. "Don't you know ninjutsu too, Naruto?"

Naruto shook his head. "The ninjutsu I know isn't useful. The Transformation Jutsu can't be used for fighting, and only Taijutsu can barely cope with their moves."

"And that's only because they're going easy on me! I still can't beat both of them by myself," Naruto said with a look of indignation. "It's a shame the clones I make with the Shadow Clone Jutsu aren't solid."

"If I had a physical clone, I could handle those two by myself!"

The Third Hokage nodded, just as Shikamaru's report had guessed.

Naruto had developed a confrontational attitude towards them due to his own strength issues, and it just so happened that he was prepared.

"It's not difficult to create a physical clone,"

The Third Hokage said, taking a scroll from the wide sleeve of his ceremonial robe.

"This is the Shadow Clone Jutsu. It uses chakra to create physical clones that can act and fight just like the user."

Naruto's eyes lit up. Looking at the scroll in the Third Hokage's hand, his gaze filled with hope as he asked, "Is there really such a ninjutsu?"

"It can create physical clones that can fight?"

The Third Hokage was very pleased with the expression on Naruto's face. He directly handed the scroll to Naruto and said with a smile, "Heh heh, this is specially for you. Because next month I have to go to the capital of the Land of Fire to report the village's affairs to the Daimyo."

"It will take about two months for the round trip. You can practice the ninjutsu on the scroll first. If there's anything you don't understand, you can come to my office and ask me when I get back."

Naruto excitedly took the ninjutsu scroll, lowered his head, and eagerly unrolled it. Then, he bowed solemnly and said, "Thank you, Lord Hokage!"

"Heh heh," The Third Hokage stood up and looked at Naruto with a benevolent expression. "Work hard! I'm going back now."

He stopped a couple of steps from the door and turned back to say, "Naruto, don't always stay home alone. Go out more. Training with friends is more fun."

"Yes!" Naruto immediately bowed in agreement.

The Third Hokage waved and stepped out the door.

After a few breaths, Naruto, who had been looking down, sensed that the Third Hokage had gone far away. Hayate Gekko, however, remained on the second-floor balcony without moving.

Looking at the ninjutsu scroll in his hand, Naruto straightened up. As he gently closed the door, a mysterious glint flashed in his eyes.

The corners of his mouth curled into a slight smile. The Third Hokage had actually given him the Shadow Clone Jutsu. And he was going to leave the village next month to see the Daimyo.

He was planning to find an opportunity to master the Flying Thunder God in a while and then use Shadow Clones to investigate the explosive tag traps Genma had set.

This was truly a case of "when you wish for a pillow, someone sends you a dream."

Naruto sat on the chair and thought for a moment before understanding. The act he had put on in front of Hayate Gekko had been very successful, making the Third Hokage so confident in the Five Elements Seal he had placed on him.

This explained why he had said that if Naruto couldn't learn it, he could ask him for guidance after returning from the Land of Fire's Daimyo.

Kurama had previously considered leaking chakra through the seal's gap to slowly erode it. As long as Naruto, the Jinchuriki, stirred up enough negative emotions within himself, creating extreme resonance with its chakra, it was possible to break free.

But now, it was no longer necessary. It had reconciled with Naruto, and Naruto no longer needed to use his own chakra to suppress Kurama.

And after learning that the Five Elements Seal's effectiveness was achieved by disrupting the leaked chakra to suppress Naruto's own growth, it stated that it could completely gather its chakra and no longer leak even a single bit from the seal's gap.

So now, this Five Elements Seal, apart from being a nuisance to Naruto, had no effect on him whatsoever.

"Father, after watching me for so many years, what kind of person do you think the Third Hokage is?"

Naruto's thoughts stirred, and his consciousness descended into the sealed space.

"The Third..." Minato Namikaze seemed very hesitant.

If it were still during his lifetime, his first impression of the Third Hokage would definitely be that he was a good person.

Gentle and tolerant, he was the benevolent father of Konoha, the light that illuminated the entire village. Before becoming Hokage, he had idolized the Third Hokage.

But after watching everything Naruto had endured from childhood to adulthood within the seal, he became confused.

"Father, let me tell you," Naruto looked at Minato Namikaze with cold eyes. "The Third Hokage is a good person! He can even make everyone living in Konoha inexplicably moved."

"What?" X2.

The voices of Minato Namikaze and Kurama sounded simultaneously.

Naruto waved his hand. "You didn't mishear me. I said he's a good person."

"He's always preaching the Will of Fire in Konoha, holding emotional lectures about protecting comrades, protecting Konoha, and maintaining world peace."

"He dedicated himself to the village's construction and development, a guardian of the Konoha Ninja Village who illuminated the village with a steady smile."

"No one in the village, adult or child, was not moved by him, especially the children. They all strive to become Hokage as their life goal and are constantly inspired by this inexplicable emotion during their growth."

"Am I right?"

Minato Namikaze nodded. Becoming Hokage was a dream he had strived for since he was very young, and he persevered in his dream amidst that emotion.

Finally, his dream came true, even though he only served as Hokage for less than a year.

Naruto's eyes flashed. "Did you notice? The Third Hokage has never revealed any dark side."

"His entire image is bathed in light. Aren't you curious where his dark side went?"

"Putting aside what he did to me, the Jinchuriki, Father, tell me with your mature and steady adult thinking, is a person without a dark side trustworthy?"

"Naruto, I don't know how to answer you," Minato Namikaze shook his head with difficulty. "But I understand what you mean. I just hope you'll consider the issue you mentioned earlier about detonating the explosive tags."

"The ordinary people in the village are innocent. Many of them have lived in Konoha since their ancestors settled here. They have achieved their current peaceful and happy lives after several Ninja World Wars."

"I've considered it," After the image of Genma flashed in his mind, Naruto smiled slightly. "I will detonate the explosive tags at the right time. Otherwise, how can I destroy that crystal ball in the Hokage's office?"

"I know everyone has the right to happiness, but do they have the ability to be happy?"

"Whether they can survive this calamity depends on fate."