The Third Hokage's Talk

The morning sunlight streamed through the window and fell across Naruto Uzumaki's face.

He slowly opened his eyes, feeling none of the excitement or anxiety that came with graduating soon.

He simply got up calmly and picked up the brand-new Konoha Forehead Protector beside his bed.

His palm brushed over the familiar Konoha symbol. Then he rose and walked over to the mirror.

He carefully tied the Forehead Protector around his forehead and looked at himself in the mirror. His blue eyes held a composure beyond his years.

Naruto already knew today's schedule by heart.

First, he had to go to the Hokage Building to complete the final graduation registration procedures.

The main thing was getting his photo taken for his Genin file. Then he would go to the Hokage's office, where the Third Hokage would officially confirm his Genin status.

After that, all he had to do was wait for the graduation briefing the following day.

But Naruto had no intention of letting the day go to waste. He decided to find Sasuke and help him train first.

He hoped to earn Sasuke's trust and make future plans easier.

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

Besides, the main goal of this cycle was to observe. Sasuke going to Orochimaru wouldn't help Naruto much; staying in Konoha was the better choice.

After all, as Sasuke's longtime rival and friend, no one knew him better than Naruto.

As for Itachi Uchiha...

Naruto didn't plan to defeat him as he usually did, or try to make the people of Konoha learn the truth. He had another approach in mind.

He left his home. The sun was shining brightly.

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

He could even tell which people's eyes held a trace of barely perceptible surprise today.

Perhaps it was because of the conspicuous Forehead Protector on his brow.

Or perhaps rumors about the Mizuki incident had already begun to circulate in a very limited way.

Such things might seem secret, but they couldn't actually be kept under wraps.

Naruto remembered that in one of his previous cycles, he'd discovered that many Jonin, such as Ebisu and Teacher Kakashi, had already learned about it by the next day—or even that very night.

He hadn't given much thought at the time to how the story had spread.

The paperwork at the Hokage Building went unusually smoothly.

The Chunin in charge of registration was all business. He neither gave Naruto a hard time nor treated him with disdain.

His eyes paused on Naruto's Forehead Protector for an instant, and he seemed quite surprised.

After all, the dead-last who was always playing pranks had actually become a ninja?

It was an unbelievable contrast, but in the end, the Chunin simply pointed Naruto toward the temporary photo station on the rooftop.

Looking at the Chunin, Naruto felt an unusual familiarity—not just the kind he'd come to feel after running into him often across his many cycles.

In several of those cycles, Naruto had investigated certain secrets and impersonated this Chunin—or, rather, had always used his identity.

So Naruto knew practically everything there was to know about him.

The rooftop was quiet and completely empty.

He remembered how, in his first life, he'd been very particular about his pose and appearance.

He'd ended up wasting a lot of time, yet hadn't seen a single one of his classmates who were graduating with him.

Was I given special treatment?

Indeed, when he thought about it carefully, there were plenty of things worth questioning.

Naruto stood practicedly in front of the camera, his expression calm. He didn't force the exaggerated smile he'd worn in his first life.

The flash went off, capturing a blond boy with deep eyes, his true feelings impossible to read.

Naruto knew the photo would be filed away, marking the "fresh" beginning of this cycle.

As he walked down the stairs and reached the Hokage Building's entrance, he ran into Kakashi Hatake, who had just come outside.

"Well, if it isn't Naruto."

Kakashi's eyes were lowered, his tone as languid as ever.

But his one visible eye quickly swept over the Forehead Protector on Naruto's brow, a flash of curious scrutiny passing through it.

The news of Mizuki's incident had already spread quietly through Konoha the day before.

Kakashi hadn't expected the child he'd met once, yet was connected to in so many ways, to have beaten a Chunin-level ninja like Mizuki so thoroughly that he couldn't fight back.

It was enough to make Kakashi extremely interested in the boy in front of him.

Or perhaps it was simply that he really was his teacher's son.

"Teacher Kakashi." Naruto stopped and nodded, his tone as natural as if they'd been old friends for years. "Here to report to Lord Hokage?"

"Hmm? So you're here to have the Third Hokage confirm your file?"

At that, Kakashi noticed the file in Naruto's hand and narrowed his eyes slightly.

Naruto sounded as if they knew each other well, even though they'd only met once.

Naruto smiled and answered directly. "Yeah. See you at the graduation briefing tomorrow. I'll head inside now. Grandpa Hokage is waiting for me."

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

Kakashi remained where he was, tilting his head slightly as he sensed Naruto's every movement. He murmured, "This is getting more and more interesting. He'll definitely bring me plenty of surprises in the future. He's not like the 'troublemaker' people talk about, either."

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

And Naruto didn't have the best reputation in Konoha at the moment.

He was the dead-last, liked playing pranks, and often left his own creations on the Hokage faces carved into Kage Rock.

An artist, really.

Inside the office, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, sat alone behind his desk, wisps of smoke rising from his pipe.

He watched Naruto enter, his gaze lingering on the Forehead Protector on the boy's brow for a moment before he smiled kindly.

"Naruto, have you finished all the paperwork?"

Naruto placed the photo and other documents on the desk, then replied, "Yeah. I've had my photo taken."

Hiruzen picked up Naruto's Genin registration form from the desk. The freshly taken photo was attached beside it.

In the photo, Naruto's gaze was calm, almost too composed for his age.

"Very good."

After looking it over for a while, Hiruzen put the file down and said, sounding quite pleased, "Starting today, you're an official Genin of Konoha."

It was a very official exchange. Naruto listened quietly, but had no intention of staying long.

After all, Konohamaru would be coming soon.

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

Naruto stopped and turned around, wearing an expression of just the right amount of respect. "What is it, Grandpa Hokage?"

It looks like the Mizuki incident brought about a subtle change. In my previous cycles, the Third Hokage didn't stop me at this point.

Hiruzen said calmly, "Iruka gave me a detailed report about what happened yesterday."

Naruto dipped his head slightly and replied evenly, "I'm sorry for worrying you, Grandpa Hokage."

Hiruzen's voice grew low, carrying a hint of undeniable authority. "Don't take what happened with Mizuki to heart. The things he told you, especially what he said about the village and power, were wrong. They were distorted."

As he spoke, the Third Hokage watched Naruto without blinking, trying to catch even the slightest change in his expression.

"He wasn't some ninja whose talents went unrecognized. Years ago, whether for a mission reward or out of sheer jealousy, he was already the kind of madman who could kill his own injured teammate! A traitor consumed by darkness and desire!"

"He said those things only to manipulate you and make excuses for his own crimes. You don't need to believe a single word he said."