Naruto, Son of a Hero!

What the hell?

The villagers were protesting? And the purpose of the protest was to drive the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki out of Konoha? What kind of joke was this?! If he really drove the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki out of Konoha, Senju Tobirama would probably crawl straight out of his grave and strangle him to death—scrambling all the way! Sarutobi Hiruzen turned to look out the Hokage Office window at the village. Faintly, he could see a dense black mass of people in the distance, heading this way.

Words like "Demon Fox" and "Get out of Konoha" faintly reached his ears.

He was finished! It was real! He slumped weakly into his chair, cold sweat pouring down his body.

As if he had just been fished out of water.

"Danzo! You bastard!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes turned red in an instant.

There was no doubt about it. This was absolutely Danzo's doing!

Now, how was he supposed to clean up this mess?

"Uncle..."

Naruto gripped Namikaze Mirai's hand tighter, sweat seeping into his palm from nervousness.

Behind them, the massive procession of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of villagers shouted in unified outrage.

"Demon Fox, get out of Konoha!"

He had suffered plenty of bullying. Even when he walked down the street, children his age would throw stones at him.

The emptiness in his heart was like a massive black hole, devouring all his energy.

Every day, he lived like a walking corpse.

He sat alone on a swing, silently watching the children his age.

But even that was nowhere near as bad as this bullying.

Almost every villager in the village had gathered to drive him out of Konoha.

He did not understand what he had done wrong. Why did he have to endure everyone's cold stares and malice wherever he went?

Why did these adults pour all their hatred onto him?

Why...

The gentle stroke on his head pulled his thoughts back from the pain.

"Don't be afraid. You still have Uncle!"

"Even if the entire world stands against you, Uncle will stand firmly in front of you."

Naruto's fingers trembled slightly.

He wiped away the tears in the corners of his eyes and forced out a smile.

"Yeah, I'm not afraid."

That was right, he still had Uncle!

Even if everyone hated him, Uncle was still behind him.

Thinking that, Naruto felt as though the cursing villagers around him were no longer quite so hateful.

The outline of the Hokage Office came into view.

A large crowd of villagers had already gathered there, emotionally agitated and trying to rush inside.

The Anbu were maintaining order.

Several masked Anbu were drenched in sweat as they blocked the crowd trying to force its way in.

"Please remain calm! Lord Hokage will be here shortly!"

"This is the Hokage Tower. Please maintain order."

Kakashi was among those Anbu as well. His silver hair was particularly eye-catching, but he was clearly struggling to deal with the chaotic crowd and seemed flustered.

"The Hokage is here!"

Someone in the crowd shouted, and then the entire tide of people began squeezing toward the Hokage Office entrance. The Anbu trying to hold them back instantly came under immense pressure and nearly got knocked down and trampled.

Sarutobi Hiruzen emerged from the entrance under Anbu escort. The moment he saw the agitated crowd surging toward him, the pressure nearly crushed him.

He cursed Danzo half to death in his heart! Damn Danzo, and now he had to clean up the mess that bastard had caused! To handle this situation, he had specifically put on his formal Hokage Robe and donned the Hokage Hat.

But now, it seemed they might not be of much use.

Before he could even speak, the crowd began to stir.

"Lord Hokage, please expel the Demon Fox from Konoha!"

"That's right! And that hateful uncle of his too!"

"He's been throwing his weight around because he has some strength. He has already threatened many villagers. Please make sure to drive him out as well!"

"That's right! Drive out the Demon Fox and his bastard uncle!"

Before the Hokage Office, Naruto gripped Namikaze Mirai's hand even tighter. He lowered his head and silently pressed his lips together.

They stood in the only empty space within the crowd. Every villager had tacitly kept their distance from them, their eyes filled with disgust.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's scalp tingled. He took a deep breath and used Chakra to carry his voice outward.

"Everyone, please calm down!"

"If you trust me as the Third Hokage, then leave this matter to me. I will definitely give everyone a satisfactory answer!"

Those heartfelt words immediately had an effect.

The commotion within the crowd began to subside.

There were fewer discordant voices as well.

"Of course we trust Lord Hokage."

"Mm, Lord Hokage certainly will not let the Demon Fox and his bastard uncle continue doing whatever they please. It was him who killed the Fourth Hokage!"

Namikaze Mirai gave a derisive laugh.

Those people had actually amused him.

Naruto was the murderer who killed Minato?

If his brother came back to life and heard the villagers he had saved with his life saying such things, what kind of expression would he make? Laugh??? The Demon Fox's bastard uncle was actually laughing??? The villagers around him immediately noticed the obvious movement, and anger flashed in their eyes.

Did this guy even understand the situation? "Hey! What are you laughing at? The Hokage is right here. Do you still think you can do whatever you want?"

"Exactly! The Demon Fox should die! Anyone related to the Demon Fox should die too!"

"The Demon Fox's uncle, his parents, all of them should die!"

"Come to think of it, if they could give birth to a Demon Fox, his parents probably weren't good people either, right?"

Hearing those vile curses, Naruto's body trembled. It was as though his soul had been drained from him in an instant, and all color vanished from his eyes.

He could not forgive himself.

For making Uncle suffer their curses alongside him.

And for making them curse the parents he had never even met.

Namikaze Mirai's gaze gradually turned cold. He stared at the villager who had spoken so rudely, a faint, ambiguous smile at the corner of his lips.

"Do you really know who Naruto's parents are?"

"The Demon Fox's parents? Hmph! I don't care who the Demon Fox's parents are. If they could give birth to a Demon Fox, they certainly weren't good people!"

"Exactly!"

The smile on Namikaze Mirai's lips deepened, but when Sarutobi Hiruzen saw that faint smile, his expression changed abruptly.

"Mirai! Naruto's identity is special. It cannot be revealed yet! If Minato's enemies find out, he will be in danger!"

"With me here, Naruto will never be in danger!"

Namikaze Mirai shot him a cold glance.

He slowly swept his gaze across the surrounding villagers. Every villager touched by his gaze felt their heart tremble.

"You keep cursing Naruto for killing the Fourth Hokage, but do you know Naruto's true identity?"

"Enough, Mirai!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen shouted to stop him.

"The Demon Fox you speak of, his true identity is..."

"Enough! Naruto's identity cannot be revealed yet!"

Namikaze Mirai took a deep breath.

His voice was like a thunderclap, echoing throughout the entire Hokage Tower.

"Naruto's biological parents are none other than the Fourth Hokage and his wife that you speak of!"

"He was never some Demon Fox!"

"He is the son of a hero!"