Third Hokage: Kakashi, Don't Tell Anyone Naruto Is the Fourth Hokage's Son! / Adamantine Sealing Chains!

Jet-black tousled hair, golden eyes.

Delicate features—he had the makings of a handsome young man.

Kakashi had met Kitahara Kaede long ago. Back when Kitahara Kaede had just been brought back from Orochimaru, Kakashi had even been assigned to protect him personally, so he knew exactly what Kitahara Kaede looked like.

But the other three were different.

Hashirama Senju: Hmm... so this kid called Kitahara Kaede looked like this. See? The brat didn't resemble me.

Hashirama Senju: So I wasn't cheating.

Tobirama Senju: Indeed, but he was much more handsome than you, Brother. Especially that indifference and calmness between his brows—it suited my tastes quite well.

Hashirama Senju: ??

Tobirama Senju: I meant that, if I wasn't mistaken, this guy had a high IQ. Like me, he was intellectual support.

Hashirama Senju: Explain?

Minato Namikaze: The Second Hokage was probably referring to the book in Kitahara's hands. If I wasn't mistaken, it was Strategy and Tactics, written by the Second Hokage.

When I was still in school, the supplementary textbook our instructor brought out was this one.

Ah, the First Hokage probably didn't know yet, but the Second Hokage established the Ninja Academy, founded Konoha Hospital, organized the security forces to maintain order in the village, and so on.

Hashirama Senju: Ah... so Tobirama had done so many practical things.

Tobirama Senju: Hmph.

Tobirama Senju: But why was this chat group making us observe him... He had just been reading all this time.

Tobirama was puzzled.

Just as everyone was thinking that, they suddenly saw someone push open Kitahara Kaede's window.

With a bang, an orange figure rolled in.

"Ah... failed landing..."

"No, wait..."

The one who rolled in was Naruto Uzumaki.

"Kitahara, I got something good!"

Naruto rolled over and climbed back up. Standing there, he held up a huge bright yellow scroll as tall as half a person.

"I got the Scroll of Seals!"

"And... it recorded a lot of powerful ninjutsu."

"I thought, since you lent me ninja tools during the exam, I wanted to share something good with you now," Naruto said.

As he spoke, he casually placed the Scroll of Seals directly on Kitahara Kaede's desk.

Then, with a swish, he opened the scroll, immediately revealing the pages that recorded Forbidden Jutsu.

Observing Kitahara Kaede Small Group: ...

The air instantly froze.

Watching Naruto Uzumaki open the Scroll of Seals, the atmosphere in the Observing Kitahara Kaede Small Group instantly froze.

Hashirama Senju: The Scroll of Seals? Ah, so this thing was called the Scroll of Seals now? Wasn't this the scroll I specifically used to prohibit Tobirama from randomly inventing all sorts of ninjutsu? Looking at it brought back memories!

Tobirama Senju: Brother, you still had the nerve to say that? I thought you were only worried about problems caused by improper use, but in the end... you banned every Forbidden Jutsu of mine except Water Release.

Minato Namikaze: Well, the Second Hokage's Forbidden Jutsu were indeed incredibly powerful, and ordinary ninja found them difficult to learn.

Wait.

Minato seemed to freeze for a moment.

Hashirama Senju: Fourth Hokage, what was wrong?

Minato Namikaze: When I was Fourth Hokage, it seemed the Scroll of Seals could only be kept and viewed by the Hokage.

Even learning the Forbidden Jutsu within required special permission during wartime.

Had the Scroll of Seals become something people could casually look through after all these years?

What happened, Kakashi?

Minato questioned him in confusion.

Kakashi: --No, I don't think so. My actual body was being carried to Konoha Hospital by Might Guy right now, so the time there should be roughly the same as here.

Based on Naruto Uzumaki's mention of an exam, it should refer to the Ninja Academy's Graduation Exam.

So the Scroll of Seals was still classified as Hidden Leaf Village's treasure and forbidden item.

It was kept by the Hokage, who could learn and use it.

So...

-Kakashi's tone seemed to grow heavy.

Kakashi: Naruto Uzumaki... either stole the Scroll of Seals, or someone was using him.

Minato Namikaze: ...

Minato Namikaze: Huh?

Minato seemed to lose his composure in the chat group.

Hashirama Senju: Minato, what was wrong?

Minato Namikaze: Um, Kakashi, was this Naruto Uzumaki the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails?

Kakashi: Yes.

Minato Namikaze: This was my son! During the Nine-Tails Attack on Konoha, I sealed the Nine-Tails inside my son.

But shouldn't Naruto have been called Namikaze Naruto? Though his mother's surname was indeed Uzumaki. So this was Naruto? He was so little—so adorable.

Kakashi: Um... Teacher Minato, please calm down.

Hashirama Senju: What were you talking about? That Nine-Tails thing could invade a village? And Minato, did you die because of that?

Minato Namikaze: I'm very sorry. That was how it was at the time. I couldn't find a way to protect the village, so my wife Kushina Uzumaki and I died sealing the Nine-Tails.

Tobirama Senju: See, Big Brother? Simply sealing the Nine-Tails wasn't enough. You should have listened to me from the start and spent time taming it. Wouldn't raising such a tailed beast as a pet have been safer?

Hashirama Senju: Ah... it seemed Hidden Leaf Village wasn't as peaceful as I had imagined.

[Special notice: 4 group members have gone offline. If they do not return within 30 seconds, one group member will be randomly selected and granted the title of Chakra-Deficient Hokage.]

Hashirama Senju: Damn it, Chakra-deficient... that was slander. I clearly had as much Chakra as the Nine-Tails.

Tobirama Senju: Focus on what was happening now. So Minato's brat, Naruto, stole the Scroll of Seals? And he wanted to share it with this Kitahara Kaede?

Everyone quickly refocused their attention.

Then they saw Kitahara Kaede lift the scroll and close it.

"Naruto, this is the Scroll of Seals. It's a forbidden item."

"You stole it, didn't you?" Kitahara said.

"Um..." Naruto froze. "Then... you won't learn it?"

"I won't," Kitahara said. "But you can."

"Huh?" Naruto froze.

Everyone in the group froze as well.

Then Kitahara Kaede continued, "The Scroll of Seals is Hidden Leaf Village's treasure. The fact that you managed to steal it means the Hokage tacitly approved."

"Oh... so Grandpa Third Hokage knew I was going to steal this?" Naruto froze.

"Most likely," Kitahara said.

"And he might be watching this place right now."

"I can sense someone's presence."

Observing Kitahara Kaede Small Group.

Tobirama Senju: This kid's sensory abilities were strong.

Minato Namikaze: Could it be that he sensed us watching him?

Hashirama Senju: Didn't he say he thought the Third Hokage—Hiruzen Sarutobi—was watching?

Tobirama Senju: It seemed Hiruzen was still capable. He deliberately let Naruto look at the Scroll of Seals and learn something.

Kakashi: Um... there's something I don't know whether I should say.

Tobirama Senju: Say it.

Kakashi: Um... actually, I only learned recently that Naruto was Teacher Minato's son.

Minato Namikaze: Huh?

Minato froze.

Minato Namikaze: No, Kakashi, hadn't you been protecting Naruto before he was born?

So you didn't recognize Naruto? Did your brain... suffer some kind of injury?

That was the more polite way of putting it. The correct way would be: Did you lose your memory?

Kakashi: I didn't know because after the Nine-Tails Incident, you and Kushina died, Teacher Minato, and Hidden Leaf Village also lost a great number of Jonin and Chunin.

Naruto was announced to the villagers as the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails. But no one knew he was Teacher Minato's son.

I only learned recently after being transferred out of the Anbu, when the Third Hokage told me.

Tobirama Senju: So... this was how Hiruzen took care of the Fourth Hokage's son!? The Fourth Hokage and his wife died for the village, and this was how Hiruzen took care of him!?

Tobirama was an old hand. He knew very well how a village's people treated a Jinchuriki.

It was human nature at its worst.

Most people feared and hated Jinchuriki, so Jinchuriki had hard lives. And according to Minato and Kakashi, the Nine-Tails had attacked the village before being sealed again, while most of the Chunin and Jonin had been lost.

That meant the Nine-Tails was hated.

But ordinary people certainly wouldn't dare hate the Nine-Tails itself, so they would... hate the small Naruto Uzumaki instead.

So... Naruto became the scapegoat.

Minato Namikaze: Not necessarily. How should I put this? I somewhat understood why the Third Hokage did it. The village lost the Fourth Hokage and most of its Chunin and Jonin. If they didn't announce that the Nine-Tails was still in the village, other villages would definitely covet it.

So it was an emergency measure.

Kakashi: Um... Teacher Minato, you might be too optimistic.

Minato Namikaze: Huh?

Minato had a bad feeling.

····

Over here, Kitahara Kaede handed the Scroll of Seals back to Naruto.

Kitahara Kaede handed the Scroll of Seals to Naruto. With strength beyond the Kage level, the Scroll of Seals was of no use to him.

But for Naruto, it was different.

Kitahara Kaede said, "Since the Third Hokage tacitly allowed you to steal the Scroll of Seals, choose whatever you can learn and study it."

"Um..." Naruto scratched his head.

As though he had made up his mind, he sat down with his knees pressed together.

"Actually, I didn't pass today's Graduation Exam," Naruto said.