The Cruel Truth

The Cruel Truth

Inside a ward at Konoha Hospital.

Naruto woke from his coma and found himself lying in a hospital bed, immediately breathing a sigh of relief.

Before deciding to go berserk, he had even prepared himself to wake up and face Shimura Danzō. But clearly, he had overthought it. As long as the Third Hokage was still alive, Danzo could never interfere with the Jinchuriki's upbringing and could only remain cowering in the shadows.

Still, it was probably related to his own performance. Though he had lost control and gone berserk, he had not hurt any villagers.

That was obviously a plus in the Third Hokage's eyes. After all, finding a new Jinchuriki would not be easy.

After finding a comfortable position and sitting up, Naruto held out his injured arm. Thanks to his Uzumaki constitution, the wound had already healed on its own, leaving behind only a faint scar that was not unattractive.

This incident was a reminder to him as well. Even in Konoha Village, he could not afford to let down his guard.

No one knew whether another lunatic like Tenpu would appear.

Bored, Naruto rested his hand on the blanket, gazing out the window as he tried to communicate with the Nine-Tails.

But the Nine-Tails seemed to have shut itself off and did not want to pay him any attention.

That left Naruto somewhat annoyed. He had no idea when he had upset the Nine-Tails.

Just then, the door opened, and several figures entered the ward under a nurse's guidance.

Besides the Third Hokage, who was certain to come visit him, Hinata, Shikamaru, and Choji had brought fruit as well. Following behind them was a white-haired young man whose face he could not see clearly.

After a moment's thought, Naruto guessed the white-haired young man's identity.

Wasn't this Konoha's The 50/50, a lover of little yellow books, the famous unit of measurement—Jonin Kakashi?

"Naruto, I came to see you with your friends."

After a brief greeting, the Third Hokage said to the others, "You should leave for now. I have something to ask Naruto in private."

Hinata, Shikamaru, and the others seemed to guess what was going on and temporarily left the room.

Once everyone else had gone, the Third Hokage looked at Naruto. "Naruto, do you remember who attacked you?"

Hearing this, Naruto clutched his head and pretended to think hard before saying, "Let me think. I was taking a bath, then a middle-aged man burst in and attacked me without saying a word. After that, my memories became a little fuzzy..."

"Oh, right, Grandpa Hokage, you have to punish that man severely. Lock him up in prison."

The Third Hokage patted Naruto's shoulder and comforted him. "That criminal has already received the punishment he deserved. But think carefully about what happened afterward. What did you do?"

"What did I do?"

Naruto continued recalling, as though he had been frightened. He revealed a pained expression and gasped for breath.

"I remember having a dream. I dreamed that I turned into the Demon Fox, killed that man, and then rushed outside. After that, I can't remember anything at all."

At that, Naruto raised his head to look at the Third Hokage, confusion in his eyes.

"Grandpa Hokage, so I really am the Demon Fox! What those villagers said was all true? Did I really hurt them before? But that shouldn't be my power. I don't remember being the Demon Fox."

Hearing that, the Third Hokage sighed, then said, "You did turn into the Demon Fox, but you are not the real Demon Fox. The real Demon Fox is sealed inside you. It was he who controlled your mind."

As if he had grabbed onto a straw while drowning, Naruto hurriedly said, "Grandpa Hokage, you must have a way to help me. I don't want people to treat me like the Demon Fox. Can you drive it out of me?"

The Third Hokage shook his head. "Even I can do nothing about that. All I can do is try my best to conceal your identity and let everyone treat you as a normal person."

"Perhaps, as time passes, everyone will be able to accept you."

After speaking, the Third Hokage placed several ninjutsu scrolls on the cabinet beside the bed and left the ward.

Naruto might not be able to accept his identity as a Jinchuriki now, but one day, he would get used to it. If not to inspect Naruto's seal and mental condition, he would never have come at this time.

He still had far too many things to do.

After the Third Hokage left, the others entered the ward. Shikamaru and Choji expressed their concern, then hurried away.

Kakashi stood at the door. After taking a long look at Naruto, he turned and caught up with the Third Hokage.

Once the bustle had passed, only Naruto and Hinata remained in the ward.

After exchanging a glance, they awkwardly looked away. Neither took the initiative to break the delicate atmosphere.

Then, the Nine-Tails' voice rang out at an inopportune moment, speaking meaningfully.

"Naruto, your acting just now was pretty good. You portrayed that bewildered, pained expression perfectly. Even I thought you truly believed you were the Demon Fox."

Was that a compliment...?

After silently grumbling, Naruto appeared in the Sealing Space. Looking at the Nine-Tails imprisoned in its cage, he said, "By the way, big fox, the old man came earlier. Why didn't you warn me?"

The Nine-Tails glanced at Naruto and said irritably,

"After I lent you Chakra, the Hokage reinforced the seal on you. My range of perception outside has grown smaller and smaller... Besides, why should I remind you?"

That old man really did secretly tamper with me...

Naruto clenched his fists. Reinforcing the seal was a good thing for ordinary Jinchuriki, but not for him.

Just then, in the real world, Hinata carried over a plate of peeled fruit and cautiously said, "Naruto-kun, you must be hungry. Have some fruit."

In the hospital corridor, the Third Hokage and Kakashi stood together, watching the people coming and going.

Taking out a lighter, the Third Hokage smoked as he said, "Kakashi, if you have any questions, ask them. There are no outsiders here, so you needn't keep them bottled up."

Kakashi looked at the Third Hokage and took a deep breath. "Third Lord, the village's Nine-Tails Jinchuriki... he should be the posthumous son of Teacher Minato, shouldn't he?"

The Third Hokage exhaled a plume of smoke and nodded. "That's right. Naruto is Minato's child. Before Minato died, he sealed the Nine-Tails inside Naruto, making his and Kushina's child the village's new Jinchuriki."

Having obtained the answer so easily, Kakashi instead fell silent.

Over the years, he had been carrying out missions in the Anbu. He had heard the rumors about the Demon Fox, but he had never connected them to Teacher Minato's child. He had assumed that his teacher's child was being carefully looked after by the village.

But reality differed somewhat from what he had imagined.

"Third Lord, if that is the case, why didn't you take the initiative to reveal Naruto's identity?"

The Third Hokage glanced at Kakashi. "Minato made many enemies in his lifetime. What do you think they would do if they learned Naruto was Minato's child? As for the rumors about the Demon Fox, I was indeed negligent."

After a brief pause, the Third Hokage continued,

"Besides, if we tell Naruto his true identity now, I worry he will be unable to bear such a drastic psychological gap. It would be better to continue concealing it. Once the time is right, we can tell him the truth."

"Yes, Third Lord."

Kakashi did not refute the Third Hokage. He felt that this method of handling things was somewhat inappropriate, but there truly was no better option at present.

After all, this truth was far too cruel for Naruto right now.