Hiruzen: Shisui, You...

Year 55 of Konoha, within Konoha's Death Forest.

"Chirp, chirp~ Tweet tweet~ Chirp chirp~"

Five or six birds circled in the air before chirping as they landed on Little Naruto's shoulders, seemingly unaware of the human beneath them.

Little Naruto sat cross-legged on a stone platform with his eyes closed.

His entire presence was calm and peaceful, as though he had become one with nature.

Less than a hundred meters away, a man with silver hair exposed beneath a dog-face mask sat on a tree branch.

With his head lowered, he was intently reading the little booklet in his hands.

"Make-Out Paradise. Signed Edition." It had been a gift for his eighteenth birthday from that person.

At that moment, a black shadow Body Flickered over from afar and slipped into the dense canopy.

"Senior Dog."

The newcomer wore a cat-face mask, a black high-collared short-sleeved shirt and trousers, brown armor on his right shoulder, and a Small Katana on his back.

What stood out most was the "fan" embroidered on the back of his clothes.

That was the crest of the Uchiha Clan.

The cat-faced ANBU glanced at the booklet in the silver-haired ANBU's hand, and his body stiffened.

Could this be Lord Jiraiya's work? It seemed to be an adult book...

"Mm."

The silver-haired ANBU responded quietly, then nonchalantly tucked the booklet back into his clothes.

Just as he stood up to leave.

"Hm?"

Seeing Little Naruto sitting motionlessly on the stone platform, the cat-faced ANBU asked in confusion, "Senior, why has Naruto Uzumaki been sitting there the whole time?"

"Don't mind him. Naruto Uzumaki comes here to meditate every day."

After speaking, the silver-haired ANBU paused again. After hesitating for a moment, he still cautioned, "You're only filling in for Eagle for one day. Don't do anything unnecessary."

The cat-faced ANBU fell silent for a moment at those words, his tone somewhat bitter. "...I understand, Senior."

Ever since the Nine-Tails Incident, the Uchiha Clan had been pushed into the eye of the storm.

Not only had their clan grounds been "voluntarily" relocated to the outskirts of Konoha, but ANBU duties also overlapped and conflicted with those of the Military Police Force, causing complaints against Konoha High-Ranking Officials to spread throughout the Uchiha Clan.

Amidst this oppressive atmosphere, the Uchiha Police Force had actually committed several incidents of violent law enforcement, becoming even more rejected by Konoha's residents.

It could be said that they had completely lost the people's support.

"Yet even in this situation, those Radical Faction members have started voicing rebellion, and the recent Clan Meetings have become more and more frequent..."

The Uchiha Clan's nerves were stretched taut, and no one knew when they would finally snap.

Thinking of this, the cat-faced ANBU sighed inwardly again and reached up to touch his eye socket, his feelings complicated.

Time slowly passed. The sun set, and the sky darkened.

By then, Little Naruto's shoulders were covered with birds.

By Naruto's side, they instinctively felt safe and comfortable.

"Hoo~"

When the moon rose, Little Naruto let out a long breath before slowly opening his eyes.

A trace of confusion flashed through his gaze before it swiftly returned to clarity.

"To make one's intentions sincere, one must first extend one's knowledge; extending knowledge lies in investigating things. Only after things are investigated can knowledge be extended; only after knowledge is extended can intentions be sincere."

Menma's voice appeared in his mind once more. "What are the Eight Items mentioned in The Great Learning from the Book of Rites?"

"Investigating things, extending knowledge, making intentions sincere, rectifying the mind, cultivating oneself, regulating the family, governing the state, bringing peace to the world."

Little Naruto answered his question seriously, word by word.

Cultivating oneself meant building one's strength, while rectifying the mind meant nurturing one's mental state, removing all restless emotions, and maintaining inner peace.

"Cultivating yourself without rectifying your mind only makes you a Puppet of power."

Menma said, "What I'm having you do may not seem useful now, but it will greatly benefit your future training."

Whether he accepted Kurama's power or trained in Sage Mode, Naruto needed to possess a firm will and a calm disposition.

Moreover, Asura Chakra would gradually be absorbed by him as he continuously tempered his mind.

Self-awareness is the mother of progress; self-contempt is the source of degeneration. Therefore, one must not lack self-awareness, nor must one possess self-contempt.

Menma also meditated and trained every day.

It was not only to set an example for Naruto, but also to suppress the negative emotions in his heart.

As Naruto's opposite in the Tsukuyomi World, even after breaking free from the Tsukuyomi World's restrictions, his negative emotions continued rising every moment.

Like leeks—cut off a section, and another section grew back.

"I need to get a few Sharingan as soon as possible. Otherwise, these negative emotions are going to waste."

With that thought, Menma shifted his attention to an unremarkable tree in the distance.

The Strongest Genjutsu, Kotoamatsukami... Shisui...

Though it sounded powerful, he simply could not work up much interest in this kind of genjutsu eye.

It would be better to get himself a pair of Three-Tomoe Sharingan first, then find a way to develop his own kaleidoscope eye technique.

Meanwhile, the cat-faced ANBU hiding in the tree—Uchiha Shisui—also noticed Naruto's movements.

"Hm? Why does it feel like..."

Shisui furrowed his brows and scratched his head in confusion.

His keen intuition told him that Naruto Uzumaki seemed to have undergone some sort of change.

Yet he could not put his finger on what was different.

"Whether in temperament or talent, Little Naruto is no less remarkable than his father."

The aged voice that suddenly sounded beneath the tree interrupted Shisui's thoughts.

He looked down in surprise.

An old man in Hokage robes and a Hokage Hat, his face covered in wrinkles, had appeared beneath the tree at some point.

"Third Hokage! Why are you here?"

"Shh."

Before Shisui could say anything else, Hiruzen Sarutobi placed a finger before his lips, then pointed toward Naruto.

Shisui's attention was drawn there as well.

Little Naruto stood beside the stream, skillfully forming hand seals and gathering Chakra in his throat.

He did not call out the name of the technique, but in the next second.

A fairly powerful whirlwind burst from his mouth, sending ripples across the river's surface.

The lingering breeze swept through the forest, making even Shisui feel a stinging sensation.

"That's impressive."

Shisui's eyes shifted as he praised in amazement, "At such a young age, before even enrolling in the academy, he can already use a C-rank Wind Release: Great Breakthrough?"

"Hehe, I went through quite a bit of hardship just to extract Chakra back then, yet Naruto only needed a few short days."

Hiruzen nodded with a smile. "Naruto's talent is not lacking, and he works hard enough. His future strength will not be inferior to Minato's."

"The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze?"

For some reason, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shisui fell silent at the same time.

If the Fourth had not died, would everything have been different?

Perhaps...

"Shisui."

Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled and asked gently, "You've been in ANBU for some time now, haven't you? Do you have any thoughts?"