Nine-Tails: Kid, He's CPUing You!

Little Naruto had just been about to give his Grilled Fish to this pitiful old man.

But the instant that thought arose—

"This old man is tricking you."

Uzumaki Menma's teasing voice rang out in his head. "Don't you think this old man looks familiar?"

Little Naruto froze, then secretly sized up the unremarkable old grandpa again.

He looked so familiar, but Naruto just could not remember where he had seen him before.

"Idiot! Think about where you met me!"

Menma's words instantly made Naruto realize where that familiar feeling came from.

Right, it was that ugly statue I sat on every day!

But a new question soon emerged.

"Isn't the Hokage the most respected person in the village? Why would he disguise himself as an ordinary old grandpa and approach me?"

"Think about it. What is special about you that would make others notice you?" Menma patiently guided Naruto.

"The big fox should count as special, right? And Menma-nii?"

"That's right!"

Menma nodded. Though he wore a smile, his tone was grave. "He covets Kurama's power, and my existence is also an unknown variable to him."

"If he discovers me, he'll do everything he can to kill me. When that happens, I'll have no choice but to leave you."

If he was discovered, he would leave...

Little Naruto did not know what he had imagined, but his pupils suddenly widened as he puffed out his cheeks in anger.

"He's never given me anything, so what right does he have to take away my last friend?"

Unforgivable!

Inside the Sealing Space, the Nine-Tails lay off to the side, full and satisfied. Seeing the delighted smile on Menma's face, he helplessly curled his lip.

This guy looked like a demon tempting a child to sell his soul for candy.

Every word he said was true, yet every word struck straight at the heart, perfectly seizing this kid's mind and weaknesses.

What was that phrase again?

CPU? Or KFC?

The Nine-Tails often heard Menma muttering to himself, occasionally babbling incomprehensible terms. Over time, he had picked up the rough usage of some simple words.

"...Why?"

Seeing Little Naruto's puffed-up cheeks, Hiruzen Sarutobi was stunned for a moment before asking awkwardly.

This was not right.

Logically, Little Naruto should have offered him the Grilled Fish, then he would happily accept it, and the two of them would chat together.

As Little Naruto's "guardian," Sarutobi believed he had long since figured out the boy's temperament completely.

"But when did Little Naruto learn to guard his food? How come I never noticed any sign of that before?"

Just as Sarutobi was puzzled—

"Fish bones can be dangerous if they get stuck in your throat!"

Naruto put on an innocent smile again and held out the pot of Mushroom and Vegetable Soup. "Here! Grandpa, have this instead."

Menma-nii had told him to do this. He did not know why, but he obediently followed the instructions.

Menma was now the only light in his heart, while the old grandpa in front of him wanted to drive Menma-nii away.

"Even Lord Hokage is unforgivable!"

Though he was furious inside, Little Naruto still wore a harmless, innocent smile on the surface.

Even Menma had to praise that acting!

Sarutobi, meanwhile, noticed nothing unusual at all.

The doubts in his heart instantly vanished, and his old face blossomed into a chrysanthemum-like grin.

Sure enough, this was the Little Naruto I knew!

Kind and thoughtful, and he even worried whether this old man might get a fish bone stuck in his throat!

"Thank you so much! You really are such a thoughtful and kind child!"

Gulp~ Gulp~

After drinking it all, Sarutobi wiped his mouth and casually asked in a joking tone, "By the way, these mushrooms aren't poisonous, are they?"

"We'll find out tomorrow."

Sarutobi's body abruptly froze. He stiffly turned his head to look at the smiling Little Naruto.

"...Tomorrow?"

"That's right!"

Little Naruto nodded righteously and explained, "If I get diarrhea tomorrow, it means the mushrooms were poisonous. If I don't get diarrhea, it means they weren't poisonous. That's how I've always tested them."

That really was how he determined whether mushrooms were poisonous. He was not lying!

But Hiruzen Sarutobi fell silent, the wrinkles on his face twitching involuntarily.

Guilt, helplessness, worry, irritation, sorrow...

All kinds of complicated emotions surged into his heart. The usually eloquent Third Hokage did not even know what to say.

He wanted to speak but stopped, stopped but wanted to speak. In the end, he could only force out a bitter smile.

With that freakish Uzumaki Clan constitution of yours, eating ordinary poisonous mushrooms would probably only give you diarrhea.

But this old body of mine...

Gurgle, gurgle~

The thought had barely surfaced when a strange sound rang out.

Sarutobi's face twisted as he clutched his abdomen, feeling as though someone had opened the Eight Gates and punched him in the stomach.

The pain was unbearable!!

"Grandpa, what's wrong?"

Little Naruto's eyes turned panicked as he flusteredly asked, "Are you feeling unwell? Do you want me to help you home?"

Naruto had only wanted to teach him a small lesson. He had not truly wanted to hurt him.

"I-I'm fine!"

Sarutobi forcibly suppressed the turmoil in his gut, squeezed out a smile, and waved his hand.

This was their first meeting. He absolutely could not return empty-handed like this!

"Child, look up at the stars in the sky."

Sarutobi shamelessly sat down beside Little Naruto and pointed at the night sky. "This world is far broader than we imagine."

"Before this vast world, humans are far too insignificant. We..."

He passionately fed Little Naruto a bowlful of inspirational drivel, his words full of persuasive force.

But he failed to notice Little Naruto's eyes gradually losing focus, his thoughts clearly drifting off somewhere else.

"Bullshit! Nothing but meaningless bullshit!"

Menma's disdainful scolding echoed repeatedly in his mind, perfectly drowning out Sarutobi's inspirational speech.

"This world is so small that even expanding its territory would barely be enough for me alone to mess around in. Only by leaving this world can we see an even broader world."

Sarutobi continued talking, utterly oblivious. "Compare yourself to the world, and you'll find your troubles and desires utterly insignificant, like passing clouds..."

Out of the corner of his eye, he happened to see Little Naruto's "enraptured" gaze, and he felt even more pleased with himself.

Looks like my speaking skills haven't declined!

"Ridiculous!"

The moment Sarutobi finished, Menma immediately retorted, "If people have no desires or troubles, they will only stagnate. Eventually, they'll be swept into the trash can of the Old Era by later generations and ground into dregs beneath the wheels of history."

Sarutobi's heart stirred, but the smile on his face did not change. "Child, what kind of person do you want to become in the future?"

This time, Menma said nothing more. He was curious about Little Naruto's current thoughts too.

"What kind of person?"

Little Naruto came back to his senses. After hesitating for a long time, he scratched his head and said, "I don't know. I know too few people."

"Don't you want the people in the village to trust you the way they trust the Hokage?" Sarutobi coaxed him patiently.

...Trust me the way they trust the Hokage?

Little Naruto's eyes lit up, and he said excitedly, "Ah! Then I want to become the Hoka—"

"Naruto!"

Before he could finish, Menma spoke again. "It's not that only those who become Hokage can be trusted. It's those who are trusted who can become Hokage."

Little Naruto immediately swallowed his words and suspiciously looked over the old grandpa in front of him.

Right, he was the Third Hokage. Wasn't he just praising himself by saying that?

His skin is so thick, Little Naruto grumbled inwardly.

Sarutobi felt his scalp tingle under the boy's stare and could only force himself to ask, "So, child, what do you want to become?"

Become Hokage! Become Hokage! You want to become Hokage!

Then, beneath his eager gaze—

Little Naruto frowned and pondered for a moment before finally asking, "Can't I just be myself?"

Both Menma and Sarutobi froze.

When he recovered, Sarutobi's expression immediately darkened, though he still forced out a smile. "Of course you can, but we should also learn from others!"

Meanwhile, Menma was already laughing himself silly in the Sealing Space.

"HAHAHA! Well said, Naruto, well said! I'm really liking you more and more!"