Naruto's Self-Introduction

Although he had long known that he would become Naruto Uzumaki's teacher, when Iruka actually saw Naruto, he still could not stop the hatred from rising in his heart.

His own parents had died in the Nine-Tails Rebellion.

And Naruto was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki who carried the Nine-Tails within him.

The Nine-Tails was the true culprit.

But what had Naruto done wrong?

He had done nothing wrong. If anything, Naruto was a victim too.

Looking at Naruto's mature face and refined smile, Iruka's heart shook.

He naturally knew how Naruto had been treated in the village. Even he himself had once wanted to join those bullies.

Those ugly faces and vicious curses made even him, a mature ninja, feel distressed whenever he heard them, much less a young child.

Yet despite growing up in such a hostile environment, Naruto still wore that same smile.

He truly loved Konoha from the bottom of his heart.

Compared to him, people like them seemed more like the real demon foxes.

Iruka suddenly felt overwhelmed by a mixture of emotions.

He withdrew his gaze.

"Then, who would like to come up first and introduce themselves?"

A classmate soon volunteered.

"Hello, everyone. I'm Muranō Hi. My hobby is eating."

"My name is Sakura Haruno. I like red bean dumpling soup, and I dislike..."

"My name is Choji Akimichi. I like barbecue and eating. I dislike running out of snacks."

As one classmate after another introduced themselves, it was soon Naruto and Sasuke's turn.

Under the watchful eyes of the class, Sasuke stepped onto the platform first.

Because he was not good at socializing, Sasuke came across as rather aloof.

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I like eating dumplings with my brother, training with Naruto and Rock Lee, and I dislike people who get in the way. I hope to surpass Naruto and become stronger."

Sasuke's introduction sparked considerable curiosity about Naruto among the students.

The Uchiha Clan had always been synonymous with genius, and Sasuke, the clan head's son, had attracted even more attention.

Before this, the students had all believed Sasuke would be the greatest genius in the class.

But Sasuke said that he hoped to surpass Naruto.

Didn't that mean Naruto was even stronger than Sasuke?

"Isn't Naruto that..." a student exclaimed, only to quickly cover their mouth.

Their eyes were filled with shock. They could not reconcile the graceful, gentle Naruto before them with the monster their parents had spoken of.

Naruto Uzumaki's refined temperament and legendary identity as the demon fox suddenly made him seem unfathomably mysterious in the eyes of many girls.

So mysterious, so... appealing.

After Sasuke finished his introduction, it was naturally Naruto's turn.

Naruto walked up to the podium step by step.

At the same time, all of Konoha's upper ranks had gathered in the Hokage's office to observe Naruto.

It was a live broadcast through a crystal ball.

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the group of three elders, and other high-ranking officials who held great power had gathered together, showing just how much importance they placed on Naruto Uzumaki.

Even though the Third Hokage had repeatedly stressed that Naruto loved Konoha deeply, the other elders and advisers still wanted to see it for themselves.

On this special day of enrollment, Naruto's words would become crucial.

They could very well influence the direction of his future development.

If Naruto showed any sign of being a possible threat to Konoha, Danzo would immediately make his move.

Yet the Third Hokage was not worried in the slightest.

He knew that Naruto was someone who had inherited the Will of Fire.

When Naruto woke up that morning, he had already begun thinking about his self-introduction.

He knew that the Third Hokage would certainly use some means to learn about his first day at the Ninja Academy, so every word and action of his was important.

With his speech already prepared in his mind, Naruto stepped before the podium, looked directly at those curious young eyes, and said calmly:

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki. I like training with Sasuke and Rock Lee, and I enjoy the feeling of becoming stronger. I also like exploring the unknown and learning new ninjutsu."

"As for what I dislike... I really dislike being hated by others, and I also do not want the friends around me to suffer because of me."

"I hope I can become good friends with everyone. If you have anything troubling you, you can come talk to me too. I'm happy to listen. In the future, I hope to become Hokage, protect everyone, become a spark, and ignite Konoha."

After saying that, Naruto gave Iruka a slight nod and walked down from the podium.

"Wow, he's so charismatic. He seems like such a reliable person."

"I really want to be friends with him."

Naruto could hear the countless whispers among the students. Nearly every girl looked at him with clear fondness in her eyes.

Sure enough, compared to a cold-faced guy, a warm and caring guy was more popular.

"Uzumaki Naruto is such a good student." Iruka mulled over Naruto's words repeatedly, a smile appearing on his face.

No matter how sensitive Naruto's identity was, Iruka was still his teacher. He should face him with complete fairness.

Inside the Hokage's office.

After hearing Naruto's speech, the Elder Council fell into a brief silence.

A moment later, the Third broke the silence. Puffing on his pipe, he wore a broad smile. "Did you see that? Under my guidance, Naruto has perfectly inherited the Will of Fire. Just like Minato, he will warm everyone around him."

Utatane Koharu, however, spoke up. "You can't say that for certain. Naruto is far too mature for his age. Is it possible that he merely said what we wanted to hear?"

"And he said he hates being hated by others, and hates seeing his friends dragged into it. Setting aside the bonds between him and his friends, he must have endured a great deal of malice in the village. In that case, shouldn't he have developed resentment toward the villagers, or even the village itself?"

Mitokado Homura echoed from the side, "Indeed. I think he's displaying an excessive love for the village, which makes me somewhat uneasy. Putting that aside, though, I quite like his attitude toward his friends."

"Hmph. In my view, he should be handed over to Root for training. That would be the foolproof choice. I would train him into a war machine loyal only to Konoha, without any other emotions. In his world, there would be only Konoha. Emotional bonds are fragile and can deteriorate at any time." Danzo said coldly, leaning on his cane.

Upon hearing Danzo's words, the Third's gaze suddenly turned icy.

He recalled the rumors Danzo had spread back then—that Naruto was the demon fox who had destroyed Konoha and killed the Fourth.

Those rumors had brought Naruto to his current situation.

At the time, the Third had considered stepping forward to refute them. But later, he had gone along with the tide and allowed the rumors to spread even more fiercely, so that he could become Naruto's only light.

As Naruto grew up, the Third saw Naruto's deep love for Konoha, and he regretted his decision to some extent.

If Naruto had been allowed to grow up like an ordinary child, he would surely have become a ninja utterly loyal to Konoha by now.

Instead of being subjected to all kinds of suspicion from the Elder Council.

No one believed that Naruto could still maintain his love for Konoha after receiving so much malice.

These were things the Third could not change.

He could only say coldly:

"Naruto's growth has always been under my control. He will become a ninja who inherits the Will of Fire. Don't forget—I am the Hokage."