Third Hokage

Early in the morning, Naruto rubbed his bleary eyes and sat up in bed. Although he had slept, he did not feel mentally rested at all.

"Ah..." Naruto let out a huge yawn, a few sleepy tears welling at the corners of his eyes. Trying to get close to that tsundere giant fox was even more exhausting than training.

He recalled what had happened in the Sealing Space last night. To win Kurama's favor, he had spent the entire night acting as a "copycat author," retelling novels he had read in his previous life after changing them around. It seemed that effort had not been wasted.

Ding!

Congratulations, Host: You have formed an initial bond with the original character "Kurama"!

Reward: 400 points obtained!

"Whoa!" Naruto jumped up from the bed excitedly. "As expected of the first character to appear in the original Hokage story! Even if it's a hundred points less than Satsuki..."

Adding these 400 points to the 100 he had left before, he now had 500 points. He was already halfway to the 1,000 points needed for another ten-pull.

"At this rate, I'll be able to draw again soon!" Naruto clenched his fist, anticipation gleaming in his eyes.

As for the story he had told Kurama last night... Naruto had thought it through carefully. That giant fox had been imprisoned for so many years; its heart had to be full of frustration and resentment, right? So he had specifically chosen a representative work from the world of wish-fulfillment fiction—

"Will Xiao Huohuo Encounter a Ring Grandpa After Crossing Over?"

"Starting Life from Zero on the Dou Qi Continent"

"About Being Reincarnated as a Fallen Genius"

In short, "Dou Qi Turns into Horses"... no, "Battle Through the Heavens."

That tsundere giant fox had initially put on a lofty, superior attitude. "Hmph. Since you insist on telling this old man a story, then this old man will reluctantly listen."

Naruto changed the story's dou qi into Chakra, sects into ninja clans, and pills into Soldier Pills... After that localized adaptation, Kurama quickly became engrossed.

Sure enough, a fox from another world had no resistance to web novels so carefully designed to deliver satisfying highs. As the plot progressed, Naruto even noticed Kurama's tails unconsciously swaying to the rhythm of the story.

When they parted, Kurama spoke in a deliberately indifferent tone. "If you still want to come tell this old man stories... then this old man will reluctantly keep you company."

That extremely tsundere way of putting it was clearly an invitation for Naruto to return next time. Still, reaching this point on their first meeting had already far exceeded expectations.

Naruto understood that truly winning over a tailed beast steeped in a century of hatred would require long-term companionship. If he rashly spouted empty words like, "I want to resolve the hatred in your heart," not only would it have no effect, it might even provoke disgust.

"Slowly does it..." Naruto bit into a slice of bread. He decided to use a subtle approach, rebuilding Kurama's trust in humans through one instance of companionship and conversation after another.

But what should he do today? Go find Satsuki? Yet when he thought of Konoha's higher-ups monitoring the Uchiha, his brows furrowed unconsciously.

What if Third Hokage and Danzō sent out a warning, forcing that tsundere little girl to distance herself from him because of pressure from her clan...? Just imagining Satsuki pretending to be cold and saying, "Don't see me again," made Naruto feel irritated.

Just then—

"Knock, knock, knock—"

Someone knocked on the door. Naruto paused. He knew who had come. In this village, the people who would take the initiative to knock on his door could be counted on one hand—no, to be precise, there was only one.

"Coming, coming," Naruto called. The moment he pulled open the door, he saw the familiar white Hokage robe and distinctive conical hat.

Hiruzen Sarutobi stood at the door, a kindly smile on his wrinkled face. Behind him sat several neatly arranged paper bags, with fresh vegetables, meat, and milk faintly visible inside.

"Naruto, I brought you some supplies." Third Hokage's voice was gentle. "May I come in?"

There was not much in the way of supplies, but it was not because he was being stingy. These were all fresh foods that spoiled easily; giving too much would only lead to waste.

"Oh! It's the Third Hokage geezer... Third Grandpa~ You came to visit me? Come in, come in~"

A vein visibly twitched on Hiruzen Sarutobi's forehead. He had clearly heard that "geezer." But he merely shook his head helplessly and entered with his bags.

Ding!

The instant Third Hokage stepped into the entryway, a crisp system notification rang in Naruto's mind.

Congratulations, Host: You have formed a bond with the original character "Hiruzen Sarutobi" (Level 2)!

Reward: 300 points obtained!

"Oh?" Naruto was somewhat surprised inwardly. It seemed that this Third Hokage truly did have some genuine feelings for him... perhaps out of guilt? At the very least, it proved he was not like certain conspiracy theories claimed, treating Naruto purely as Kurama's container.

However, the bond was only Level 2, and the reward points were not particularly high. This number subtly reflected Third Hokage's attitude—just like the living conditions he had arranged for Naruto. They were passable, but no more than that.

Hiruzen Sarutobi put the last carton of milk into the refrigerator, then turned around and asked gently, "Naruto, have you been eating properly lately? Is your living allowance enough?"

Naruto sat at the table, casually picked up a fresh apple that had just been delivered, and took a big bite. "Of course I've been eating properly. I'm growing, after all. And of course my living allowance is enough, because there's basically nowhere to spend it."

Those words brought a trace of guilt to Third Hokage's eyes. The child the Fourth Hokage and his wife had protected with their lives, Konoha's Child of Heroes, was now living such a lonely life...

But the helplessness of being Hokage soon overwhelmed that guilt. He knew very well that allowing a Jinchuriki to develop dependence on a particular individual was an extremely dangerous thing. Anyone entrusted with Naruto's care... not only had to be absolutely reliable, but also capable of withstanding pressure from every faction.

If only Biwako were still alive...

What was more, Danzō had always been lurking in the shadows, eyeing Kurama's power greedily.

Third Hokage watched Naruto, who was chewing on his apple, with a profound gaze. More troubling than whether his supplies were sufficient was the child's attitude toward Konoha.

Ever since Naruto had begun to toddle, Third Hokage had sharply noticed something unusual about him. He had inherited Minato's precocious nature. After noticing the strange looks from those around him, rather than seeking attention like an ordinary child, he had quietly built an invisible wall, shutting out the entire village.

If this continued... would it really be all right?

An ordinary child growing up in loneliness might become rebellious and crave attention. But Naruto had chosen the most worrying way to grow up: he had established a complete psychological defense, treating all of Konoha as "outsiders."

In the depths of Naruto's eyes, he could not find even the slightest sense of belonging to Konoha. This child, who should have inherited the Will of Fire, looked at the village as though it were merely a temporary place to stay, with a calmness that chilled the heart.

...But that was only normal. Human emotions needed something to rely on. In a place where he did not even have a single person to care about... how could he possibly develop a sense of belonging?

But the true purpose of this visit was yesterday's incident. The contents of the Anbu surveillance report were still vivid in his mind: yesterday, Naruto had come into contact with Uchiha Satsuki, the daughter of the Uchiha Clan Head.

Satsuki... Fugaku's daughter...

Reason told him that a three-year-old child could not possibly be an Uchiha pawn. Furthermore, according to the report, Satsuki had not said anything guiding or manipulative, and Fugaku was not an ambitious man. He would not be foolish enough to use his own daughter to approach a Jinchuriki. The price was simply too great.