"Tap..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's pipe slipped lifelessly from his mouth and fell to the ground.
He stared wide-eyed, his mouth hanging open.
For a moment, he was completely dumbfounded.
"This...
This...
You...
You aren't..."
"Didn't I already die?"
Kushina finished the words Hiruzen Sarutobi had wanted to say.
"To be honest, I don't know how I came back to life either."
"What in the world is going on?!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi was utterly bewildered.
He could be certain that the person before him had not been brought back through Impure World Reincarnation.
She was a living person!
Someone who had been resurrected!
But precisely because he had realized this, he was so bewildered.
"How can a dead person possibly be resurrected!?
What kind of technique is this!?
Wouldn't the caster suffer a backlash!?"
"Third Hokage."
Kakashi quickly caught up, then briefly recounted what he had seen at the cemetery that morning.
"Something like this happened?!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi remained completely bewildered.
He couldn't figure it out.
Who—or what organization—possessed such immense power that it could resurrect the dead?
And what was the purpose of resurrecting Kushina?
"Kushina.
Come out of the village with me."
Hiruzen Sarutobi said solemnly, "Your resurrection was far too unexpected.
Although we don't know what that person's purpose is,
we need to isolate you.
We also need to examine your body thoroughly.
Otherwise, if that person controls you and uses you to destroy Konoha, the village could suffer unimaginable damage!"
"All right."
Kushina had once been the Fourth Hokage's wife, so she naturally understood how serious this was.
"But.
I need you to give me an explanation.
Naruto...
My Naruto...
Why does the entire village know his identity!?
Why has he had such a difficult life!?
What about the promise you made back then?"
"This..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression darkened upon hearing this.
"Kushina, I'm sorry.
This was my oversight.
Back then, I carried Naruto away from the battlefield in despair and entrusted him to a wet nurse I could trust.
However,
many villagers found out about it.
They didn't understand the details.
All they knew was that the Nine-Tails had been sealed by the Fourth Hokage.
The Fourth Hokage had sacrificed himself.
And a newborn baby with whisker-like marks on his face had suddenly appeared on the battlefield.
I carried that child away from the battlefield
and handed him over to a wet nurse, while several Anbu watched him the entire time.
So,
the villagers assumed that Naruto was the Demon Fox.
They thought the Fourth Hokage had given his life to seal the Nine-Tails, and that after being sealed, the Nine-Tails had transformed into a human child.
After that,
the rumor spread throughout the village.
I discovered it immediately.
But there was no way for me to stop the villagers from talking.
With no other choice,
and to protect Naruto from being watched by shinobi from other villages,
I could only order that the information that Naruto was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki be sealed.
Anyone who violated this would be severely punished.
At the same time, I stepped forward to explain that Naruto was an ordinary child born when the Nine-Tails attacked the village.
That he had nothing to do with the Nine-Tails.
I also concealed Naruto's relationship with the Fourth Hokage.
I wanted to use this method to suppress the information that Naruto was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
The results were indeed significant.
Very few people knew that Naruto was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
But...
I underestimated the darkness in people's hearts.
Those who had lost family members or whose homes had been destroyed couldn't find the Nine-Tails to take revenge, and they didn't dare seek revenge against the Nine-Tails either.
So,
they vented the evil in their hearts on the innocent Naruto.
They didn't call Naruto by his name. They only called him the Demon Fox.
They didn't treat Naruto as a person, but as the Demon Fox himself!
There was nothing I could do. I could only issue another order.
No one was allowed to vent their anger on the innocent Naruto.
No one was allowed to tell Naruto that he was the Demon Fox!
No one was allowed to call Naruto by the name Demon Fox.
But the ban seemed to have the opposite effect.
More people became curious about the matter and secretly called Naruto the Demon Fox.
They even took pride in it.
They didn't care about the truth.
They didn't care about Naruto either.
They simply treated the matter as a form of entertainment.
Just like how people once made fun of your red hair.
They mocked and isolated Naruto without restraint.
The children in the village were infected by the adults.
They also began isolating Naruto and bullying him at school.
All I could do was ask Iruka to take good care of him."
At this point, Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help sighing.
"Although Naruto has suffered terribly all this time,
I believe in Naruto."
As he said this, Hiruzen Sarutobi turned his head toward the large tree in the courtyard.
The tree was lush and luxuriant, its branches thick with leaves.
"I believe in him.
I believe that the hatred between people can be dissolved through love.
One day, he will earn everyone's recognition.
He will become a hero in the eyes of the people.
He will become Konoha's next Hokage!
An era in which people can truly understand one another will arrive someday!"
Chapter Thirty-Five: A New Diamond Card! Konoha's Higher-Ups Make Their Decision [Second Update, Please Support with Flowers and Collections]
Listening to Hiruzen Sarutobi's words,
everyone present fell silent.
Even Kushina, who had been furious moments ago, had calmed down.
She suddenly felt that she had been far too impulsive.
So,
she smiled at Hiruzen Sarutobi somewhat sheepishly.
"Um...
I was too impulsive just now."
Kushina scratched her head. "I saw that Naruto is having such a terrible time now.
So I became angry and anxious."
"It's not your fault..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head. "It's mine.