The Third Hokage's Talk

The morning sun shone through the window, falling on Naruto Uzumaki's face.

He slowly opened his eyes, feeling no excitement or nervousness about his upcoming graduation.

He calmly got up and picked up the brand-new Konoha forehead protector from his bedside table.

His palm brushed over the familiar Konoha symbol on it, and then he stood before the mirror.

He carefully tied the forehead protector around his forehead and looked at his reflection. His blue eyes held a composure that didn't belong to someone his age.

Naruto already knew today's schedule by heart.

First, he would go to the Hokage Building to complete the final graduation archival procedures.

This mainly involved taking the Genin identification photo and then heading to the Hokage's office to be officially recognized as a Genin by the Third Hokage.

After that, he would quietly await tomorrow's graduation briefing.

But Naruto didn't plan to let today pass by uneventfully. He decided to find Sasuke and help him train.

He wanted to build trust with Sasuke, which would be convenient for his future plans.

After all, in the future, Naruto intended to cooperate with Orochimaru.

Furthermore, the main objective of this Reincarnation was observation. Sasuke going to Orochimaru's wouldn't be of much help to Naruto; staying in Konoha was a better choice.

As an old rival and friend, no one understood Sasuke better than Naruto.

As for Itachi Uchiha...

Naruto didn't plan to defeat him or try to reveal the truth to the people of Konoha as he usually did. He had a different approach in mind.

He walked out of his home, the sun shining brightly.

The villagers on the road still gave him looks of disgust, fear, or indifference. Naruto was used to it.

Naruto could even discern which of them had a hint of imperceptible surprise in their eyes today.

Perhaps it was because of the conspicuous forehead protector on his forehead.

Or perhaps some whispers about the Mizuki incident had already spread in a very limited scope.

Such things, though seemingly hidden, couldn't actually be kept secret.

He remembered in a previous Reincarnation, Naruto had discovered that many Jonin, like Ebisu and Teacher Kakashi, had already known about the incident the next day or even that same evening.

He hadn't thought carefully about how the information had spread at the time.

The process of completing the procedures at the Hokage Building was unusually smooth.

The Chunin in charge of registration was professional and didn't make things difficult or show contempt.

He merely paused for a moment, looking at Naruto's forehead protector, seemingly quite surprised.

Could it be that the dead-last prankster had actually become a ninja?

It was an unbelievable contrast, but in the end, he just directed Naruto to the temporary photo spot on the roof in a formulaic manner.

Naruto looked at the Chunin, feeling a sense of familiarity, not just the kind he often encountered in previous Reincarnations.

It was more profound; in many Reincarnations, Naruto had tried to investigate some secret incidents, impersonating this Chunin's identity, or rather, he had always used his identity.

So, Naruto knew all his information like the back of his hand.

The rooftop was quiet, with no one around.

He remembered that in his first life, he had been very strict about his pose and expression.

As a result, he wasted a lot of time, and he hadn't even seen a single fellow graduate.

Was he receiving special treatment?

Indeed, when he thought about it carefully, many things were worth pondering.

Naruto stood skillfully in front of the camera, his expression calm, not deliberately forcing the exaggerated smile from his first life.

The flash went off, capturing a blond boy with deep eyes, whose true emotions were unreadable.

Naruto knew this photo would be filed away, representing his "brand new" start in this Reincarnation.

As he walked down the stairs and reached the entrance of the Hokage Building, Naruto encountered Kakashi Hatake, who was just coming out.

"Yo, isn't this Naruto?"

Kakashi lowered his eyes, his tone still lazy.

But the visible eye quickly scanned the forehead protector on Naruto's forehead, a flicker of curious inquiry flashing within it.

The Mizuki incident had already quietly spread throughout Konoha yesterday.

He hadn't expected that the child he had met once, yet had such a complex connection with, could actually make the Chunin-level Mizuki unable to fight back.

This was enough to pique Kakashi's great interest in the boy before him.

Or perhaps, he truly lived up to being his teacher's child?

"Teacher Kakashi," Naruto stopped and nodded, his tone as natural as if they had been old friends for many years. "Are you here to report to Lord Hokage?"

"Hm? Looks like you're here to confirm your records with the Third Hokage?"

Upon hearing this, Kakashi glanced at the file bag in the other person's hand and narrowed his eyes slightly.

Naruto's tone sounded as if they were old friends, but they had only met once.

Naruto smiled and answered directly, "Yeah, see you at the graduation briefing tomorrow. I'm heading in first, Grandpa Third Hokage is waiting for me."

With that, he walked past Kakashi and headed into the building.

Kakashi stood where he was, tilting his head slightly to sense Naruto's every move, and muttered to himself, "This is getting more and more interesting. He's definitely going to give me a lot of different experiences in the future. He's also not like the 'troublemaker' from the rumors."

That's right, Kakashi already knew he was about to become the Jonin Instructor for Naruto and Sasuke.

And Naruto's reputation in Konoha wasn't too good at the moment.

Dead last, loved playing pranks, and often left his "creations" on the Hokage Rock.

An artist.

Inside the office, only the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, sat at his desk, his pipe emitting wisps of white smoke.

He watched Naruto enter, his gaze lingering on the forehead protector on the boy's head for a moment before a kind smile appeared.

"Naruto, are the procedures all done?"

Naruto placed the photos and other file materials on the desk and replied, "Yeah, the photos are done."

Hiruzen Sarutobi picked up a Genin registration form for Naruto from the desk, with the freshly taken photo attached beside it.

In the photo, Naruto's eyes were calm, even a bit too composed.

"Very good."

After looking for a while, Hiruzen Sarutobi put down the file and said with great relief, "From today onwards, you are an official Genin of Konohagakure."

It was a very formal speech, and Naruto listened quietly, not intending to stay long.

After all, Konohamaru would be arriving soon.

"Naruto, I have something to tell you," Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly said.

Naruto stopped in his tracks, turned around, and put on a suitably respectful expression. "What is it? Grandpa Hokage."

Naruto inwardly thought, This must be a subtle change caused by the Mizuki incident. In past Reincarnations, the Third Hokage never called me back at this point.

Hiruzen Sarutobi said calmly, "Iruka has already reported yesterday's events to me in detail."

Naruto lowered his head slightly and replied calmly, "It seems I've made you worry, Grandpa Hokage."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's tone turned low, with a hint of undeniable authority. "Don't dwell on the Mizuki matter. Everything he said to you, especially his remarks about the village and power, was wrong and twisted."

As he spoke, the Third Hokage stared intently at Naruto, trying to catch any subtle emotional fluctuations.

"He's not some underappreciated Ninja at all! He's a madman who would kill his injured teammates years ago for mission rewards or out of sheer jealousy! A traitor whose heart has been consumed by darkness and desire!"

"His words were just to deceive you and find excuses for his own crimes. You don't need to believe a single word."