Hiruzen Sarutobi

"Don't be scared, I'm just an old man passing by."

He's like a cat, not making a sound.

Naruto, startled, lay on the ground, his big eyes fixed on the old man, unable to figure out who this person was.

He didn't recognize the newcomer. The man had silver hair, a face full of wrinkles, and looked quite old. He was also thin and gaunt, not seeming to possess any strength.

The stranger turned his head to look at the grilled fish, and then.

Grumble~

His stomach rumbled energetically.

So he was just hungry. Good thing he wasn't here to cause trouble.

Naruto finally felt a little relieved. He got up from the ground, picked up the grilled fish that had fallen, and took out a new one, handing it to the old man.

"Grandpa, have this grilled fish," Naruto said very friendly.

It wouldn't hurt to be polite, regardless of whether the man was an enemy.

Besides, he was a friendly person at heart.

"It looks delicious, thank you."

The old man took a bite and praised, "This is truly delicious."

This compliment gave Naruto the strange feeling of the Brazilian president praising their national football team.

Doesn't he know if the grilled fish is good or not?

Looking at the white-haired old man again, Naruto felt a sense of pity, as if he could relate.

This was probably a lonely old man, maybe with Alzheimer's, or even someone who was lost. Otherwise, why would he be wandering around in the forest late at night, unable to find his way home, and end up hungry encountering him?

Naruto started a conversation, saying, "Grandpa, wouldn't it be great if our village had a community canteen where orphans and lonely elderly people like us could eat for free?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was eating the grilled fish, looked at Naruto with three parts surprise and seven parts confusion.

Me? A lonely old man?

"This way, we could eat regularly and wouldn't have to go hungry from time to time…" Naruto continued to elaborate.

Then, he changed the subject, "Grandpa, you're old and experienced, you must know a lot. Do you know what a ninja is?"

"A ninja…"

Hiruzen Sarutobi mused, a flicker of memory in his eyes. "A ninja is a protector of the village and their comrades, and an inheritor of the Will of Fire."

He looked deeply at Naruto. "The youth are the hope of the future. Where the leaves dance, the fire will also burn endlessly. The flames will continue to illuminate the village and allow new leaves to sprout…"

This speech made Naruto feel like the old man was a retired official from the propaganda department.

However, the conversation had started, so Naruto continued to chat, asking the questions that were on his mind: "Then, Grandpa, how strong are ninjas? Can becoming a ninja grant immortality?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had intended to give a lecture, paused at this.

He thought Naruto would be curious about the Will of Fire, but instead, Naruto only cared about strength and immortality.

Thinking about it, he was just a child, so it was understandable.

"Powerful ninjas can move mountains and fill seas."

He recalled the battle between the First Hokage and Uchiha Madara as if it were yesterday. The overwhelming power still sent shivers down his spine.

"As for immortality, even the founder of ninjas didn't have that ability." For some reason, as he said this, Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly thought of his disciple, Orochimaru.

So, he added earnestly, "The meaning of life is not in its length, but in its quality. To protect the village and comrades…"

Naruto nodded as he listened, indicating he had understood.

Before, he thought ninjas were similar to martial artists in his past life, mostly for self-cultivation, and at most, one could fight ten people. He was already planning to start a business and become the richest person in this world using his advanced business knowledge.

But now, it seemed becoming a ninja was more promising.

After the old man finished speaking, Naruto finally asked his real question: "Then, what is chakra?"

"Chakra is a type of energy within the body," Hiruzen Sarutobi explained simply to a three-year-old child.

An energy? Similar to mana or spiritual energy?

Grumble~

Just as Naruto was about to ask further, the old man's stomach rumbled again.

"Here, Grandpa, eat quickly."

Naruto picked up another grilled fish and handed it to him.

This old man was a good person. He greatly helped Naruto understand this world, so Naruto was very enthusiastic.

The old man ate four of the five grilled fish and drank a large bowl of mushroom soup.

During this time, Hiruzen Sarutobi considered for a moment, then taught Naruto the Chakra Refining Technique.

There was no need for much deliberation. Besides, if the Fourth Hokage were here, he would have taught Naruto long ago.

Since that was the case, let him, this old man, teach Naruto on behalf of the Fourth Hokage.

Naruto was overjoyed to have obtained the Chakra Refining Technique, feeling even a bit excited.

To step onto the 'path to immortality' so easily felt almost too smooth, and the emotional rollercoaster of the day felt like riding a roller coaster.

Suddenly, Naruto seemed to understand something.

He glanced at the old man, wanting to speak but hesitating. However, his curiosity about his parents outweighed the potential consequences, and he finally probed tentatively, "Grandpa, do you know my parents?"

"Your parents were heroes," Hiruzen Sarutobi stated with absolute certainty.

Really? I don't believe it.

Naruto looked at the old man flickering in the firelight, remaining silent.

If he were three-year-old Naruto, he probably would have believed it and might have even been overjoyed by the comfort. But with the soul of a 20-something-year-old, he couldn't easily accept that.

The people from earlier that day were still vivid in his mind. If his parents were truly heroes, those people should at least show him some respect, if not gratitude.

But now?

Some people gossiped behind his back and watched with cold eyes, while others wished they could kill him.

He couldn't understand it; it was even more bizarre.

This old man must really have dementia.

Naruto wanted to ask more, like why so many people hated him, but he didn't dare.

The old man looked a bit senile, and he feared that if he asked, the old man might actually remember something and start hating him like everyone else.

Then he'd have no one to talk to.

This old man was his only current source of information about this world.

At this moment, Naruto suddenly felt like he had been mentally manipulated by the village.

Hated and loathed by the entire village, abandoned by the world, and now, when someone showed him a little kindness, it felt like a drowning person grabbing onto the only straw.

If this wasn't manipulation, what was?

Seemingly sensing Naruto's low mood, Hiruzen Sarutobi pointed to the stars in the night sky and said, "Look, each of those stars is like the sun in our world. What do you think? An astonishing number, isn't it?"

"Mhm, mhm," Naruto nodded in agreement.

"This world is truly vast. Compared to them, human existence is incredibly, incredibly small."

As he spoke, he made a comical gesture, making Naruto laugh.

What an interesting old man, like a playful elder who knows how to cheer people up.

"The joys and sorrows of insignificant beings like us are truly not worth mentioning."

Naruto understood the logic, and looking at the starry sky again, his mood inexplicably lightened.