Naruto addressed Minato Namikaze as Fourth Lord.
"Fourth" represented Minato's status as the Fourth Hokage, while "Lord" was more of a mockery.
After all, with the mind of an adult, there was no way he could accept calling a stranger his father. Besides, in his values, the grace of raising someone outweighed that of giving birth to them.
Minato Namikaze did not mind Naruto's sarcasm. He frowned, pondering the meaning behind Naruto's words.
From his tone, Naruto seemed deeply dissatisfied with the existing system of ninja villages and ninja—not merely resentful of the Third Hokage and the Konoha villagers who had made his childhood miserable.
Naruto glanced at Minato Namikaze and stopped beating around the bush, saying bluntly, "Fourth Lord, you seem to have misunderstood me. What I mean is that while the Will of Fire in the village is wonderful, it cannot encompass the entire Land of Fire. It cannot even encompass the Uchiha or the Uzumaki Clan."
Minato Namikaze's expression shifted again and again upon hearing this.
Naruto's words seemed full of holes, yet Minato had no way to refute them. Having once served as Hokage, he understood that the Will of Fire could not reach the Uchiha, nor could it reach the children raised in Root.
Having successfully put Minato Namikaze in an uncomfortable position, Naruto smiled and walked toward the Nine-Tails.
Compared to Minato, who tried to instill the Will of Fire in him, he preferred staying with the Nine-Tails. At least the Nine-Tails was a friend who had been with him day and night.
Elsewhere, Juzo Biwa arrived at the nearest underground black market and found its manager.
After verifying the identity of the corpse, the black market manager nodded in satisfaction and handed Juzo Biwa the cash that had been prepared in advance.