Shisui's Resolve, Naruto's Birthday

By the time Fugaku Uchiha arrived in the district, he happened to see Yashiro Uchiha and his group confronting the Sarutobi Clan.

"Good, things haven't gotten out of hand yet."

Fugaku had just breathed a sigh of relief.

But as he entered the district, he saw the Third Hokage and a group of ANBU standing in the middle.

"Take them all away!"

The moment he heard Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice, Fugaku's heart jolted.

This is bad!

"Stop!!"

Fugaku shouted, cutting off Yashiro's command as he used the Body Flicker to arrive before them.

His arrival drew everyone's attention.

"Captain."

The Police Force members, who had been itching to act, immediately halted.

Though they all belonged to the Radical Faction, they still held Fugaku Uchiha, their captain and Clan Head, in great respect.

Within the Uchiha Clan, strength had always commanded respect.

Fugaku rarely made a move, but his strength was unquestionably among the best in the clan.

Yet Fugaku merely glanced at them, especially at Yashiro Uchiha, who had taken the lead.

Those idiots actually wanted to resist the Hokage's enforcement in front of everyone?!

He had gone to great lengths precisely to find an opening with the Third Hokage and repair the relationship between the Uchiha and the village.

The Police Force's reputation had long since become as rotten as the Uchiha Clan's own.

At this stage, the most important thing was to rebuild their reputation and salvage everything.

But now...

"Third Hokage, I have failed in my discipline. Please forgive me."

Fugaku looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi and bowed slightly in respect.

Hiruzen smiled, but there was no amusement whatsoever in his narrowed eyes.

Before today, he had still been wavering over whether to give the Uchiha a chance.

After all, the Uchiha Clan was an important fighting force of Konoha, and Konoha could no longer withstand any more turmoil.

But this incident had made him understand.

The conflict between the Uchiha and the Konoha High-Ranking Officials...

No, it should be said that the conflict between the Uchiha and Konoha had already reached an irreconcilable point.

Even with Fugaku, the Clan Head, acting as mediator, he could not change the Uchiha Clan's rebellious nature.

One day, those people would inevitably stir up a full-scale rebellion.

"Hehe."

Though killing intent rose within him, Hiruzen Sarutobi still wore a gentle smile as he said, "It's good that the misunderstanding has been cleared up. Let them cooperate with the ANBU and resolve the matter."

"Captain!!"

"Shut up!"

Yashiro wanted to say more, but Fugaku abruptly turned and cut him off, gritting his teeth. "Is this a place for you to make trouble?!"

Yashiro Uchiha looked indignant, but after struggling for a moment, he lowered his head in humiliation. "...I understand, Captain."

Shisui and Naruto, hidden in the shadows, witnessed all of it.

Looking at the Third Hokage's unchanged smile, the villagers constantly condemning them, and the unwilling, furious expressions on his clansmen's faces—

Shisui once again became worried about the Uchiha's future.

If this hatred were allowed to spread throughout the clan, the Uchiha Clan would face only one ending: destruction!

Moreover, force was never the way to solve this problem. The Radical Faction's fantasy of using the strength of one clan to achieve a bloodless coup was utterly impossible! It would only lead the Uchiha Clan into the abyss!

Shisui touched his eyes and made up his mind. My Mangekyō Sharingan awakened for this very purpose.

No matter what, he could not allow the village and the clan to fight one another!

Naruto, hidden among the crowd with his small stature, frowned at the sight.

He asked in his mind, "Menma-nii, the Police Force's attitude was awful, but wasn't the way they handled things actually fine?"

The Sarutobi Clan members had caused a drunken scene in the street and openly criticized the Uchiha Clan in broad daylight. They had indeed disrupted Konoha's order and violated its rules.

"The Police Force has a great deal of actual authority, but all of that authority comes from the obedience of those below them."

Menma smiled. "Once power blinds them, they become puppets of power, and naturally lose the people's support."

Water could carry a boat, but it could also overturn one?

Little Naruto thought to himself.

Time quickly arrived at October 10th, Year 56 of Leaf Village—the day of Little Naruto's fifth birthday.

But unlike previous years, his home welcomed a kind-faced old man.

Click~

"Third Grandfather!"

After opening the door, Naruto wore an innocent, radiant smile.

But instead of noticing Hiruzen Sarutobi's outstretched hand, he directly took the gift from him.

Then he turned and returned to the living room, eagerly starting to unwrap it.

"...Hehe."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's hand froze in midair. After coming back to his senses, he smiled awkwardly.

However, he did not take it to heart, assuming Naruto was simply acting like a child.

"As expected, it's an enrollment notice!"

After opening the gift, Naruto was visibly excited.

Besides some snacks and a pair of goggles, there was only an enrollment notice inside.

He had no interest in the other things. The enrollment notice was what he wanted most.

Only by graduating from the Ninja School could he become an official ninja.

Only then could he learn more knowledge and ninjutsu, gaining greater power.

Seeing the usually withdrawn Naruto show such excitement, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt somewhat gratified.

Sure enough, a child was still a child. He still longed for friends.

Only by making more friends could Naruto grow up healthy and happy, and only then could Leaf Village become Naruto's Bonds.

"I still have matters to attend to, so I can't stay with you any longer."

Hiruzen Sarutobi reached out and patted Naruto's head, smiling kindly. "Naruto, you should get to bed early too."

"Mm-hm, mm-hm. I'll go to sleep after I finish my cake!"

Naruto did not even look up as he gave a perfunctory response.

Even if Hiruzen Sarutobi had not said so, he would have hurried to "sleep."

After Hiruzen left, Naruto took only a few bites of cake before lying on his bed and closing his eyes.

Inside the Sealing Space, Menma had already set out the food and was waiting for him to return.

"Happy birthday, Naruto."

"Hehe."

Hearing Menma-nii's blessing, Little Naruto grinned foolishly and sat down at the table as well.

He looked again at Kurama, who was stuffing himself inside the cage, and said expectantly, "Fox Teacher, once I graduate and become an official ninja, I can take you to see other places in the Shinobi World."

Clearly, he believed that Kurama must have been bored and stifled from being locked in the cage all the time.

But Menma glanced at the increasingly plump fox and did not think Kurama was bored in the slightest.

"Several buckets of soda and piles of high-calorie chips and snacks every day, while he lies motionless in his cage watching anime. This guy is probably happier than ever."

Still, it was just as he had predicted from the beginning.

Kurama's Chakra reserves were growing ever greater, but his once slim, elongated body had also begun expanding sideways.

Menma suspected that if this continued, Kurama would truly turn into an orange pig someday.

When Shukaku and Kurama met then...

"Yo, yo, yo! Isn't this the great Nine-Tails with the most tails? Long time no see—how did you turn from a fox into a pig?"