The Identity of Uzumaki Naruto

Late at night, inside the office of the Hokage Building, the Third Hokage was busy handling the village's affairs.

I'm getting old; my efficiency in handling matters is getting worse and worse.

The Third Hokage smoked in silence, feeling in his heart that his energy was not what it used to be, and the frequency of his overtime work was increasing.

"Knock, knock, knock."

Just then, a steady and slow knock came at the door. The Third Hokage's eyes showed a look of contemplation, and he spoke up.

"Please, come in."

The door was pushed open, and an old man with a short stature, wearing a yellow bodysuit and square-framed sunglasses, walked in.

If Naruto were to see this old man's appearance and attire right now, he would surely exclaim in surprise.

Because this old man was none other than the resurrected Konoha Dragon God, Chen Baojun, whom Naruto had mentioned a few days ago.

"Baojun, is there something you need?"

Seeing the visitor, the Third Hokage's eyes showed a hint of surprise, and he teased, "Is it that you see the village is short-handed now, and you intend to make a comeback to fill the manpower gap and contribute to the village's construction?"

Chen Baojun shook his head and gave a wry smile. "Lord Third, you're joking. The village is full of talent now, and the young people are already pillars capable of shouldering the future of the village. I, an old man with one foot in the grave, won't come to hold the youngsters back."

Facing Chen Baojun's retort, the Third Hokage smiled, noncommittal, and made a self-deprecating remark.

"You old guys have people to take over for you, so you can enjoy your leisure. An old man like me still has to shamelessly hold onto this position."

"Lord Third is still vigorous in his old age, and the villagers and ninjas of the village trust and respect you deeply. The achievements the village has attained under your leadership are there for all to see."

"I'm old, I'm old." The Third Hokage waved his hand and laughed. "My time as Hokage is just a transition. Once the village's young people grow up, I will entrust this position to them. Then, this old man can rest for a while and stay at home to accompany my grandson."

"Tell me, Baojun, what is the matter that brings you to me this time?"

After some pleasantries, the Third Hokage got straight to the point.

Chen Baojun pondered for a moment and said, "I came to see you regarding Naruto. He sought me out."

"Naruto?" The Third Hokage was slightly startled, his expression becoming much more serious.

"How could Naruto have found you?"

One must know that in the files, Chen Baojun was a dead man, a ninja who had passed away during the Third Shinobi World War. This matter had been handled personally by the Third Hokage himself. The fact that he was still alive was known only to the Third Hokage in all of Konohagakure.

How could Naruto find a dead man?

Or rather, how did Naruto even know who Chen Baojun was?

Chen Baojun revealed a bitter smile and replied, "Naruto found a scroll I had left behind in the Konoha Library and used the tombstone address recorded on it to track me down. Because... uh... I couldn't help myself, I used taijutsu to teach him a lesson."

"I see." The Third Hokage nodded in understanding. "And then?"

"Then, that child has been pestering me for the past few days, demanding that I become his teacher and teach him taijutsu."

"Because the identity of this child, Naruto, is of great importance, so..." Chen Baojun looked at the still composed Third Hokage and hesitated for a moment before speaking. "So, I wanted to report this to you first and see what your intentions are."

The Third Hokage flicked the ash from his cigarette. Without answering his question directly, he asked softly in return, "Baojun, what kind of child do you think Naruto is?"

Chen Baojun pondered for a moment and said with a headache, "Eccentric, speaks without thinking, disrespectful, ill-mannered, reckless, and impulsive..."

The Third Hokage smoked quietly, not interrupting him.

"It can be said that Naruto has indeed given me a massive headache these past few days, but..." His tone shifted, and Chen Baojun's expression turned serious and much more earnest.

"I can see the loneliness within that child's heart—a loneliness born from a desire to be acknowledged. Although he puts on a grinning, careless, and sloppy facade, isn't that just a way to mask his inner anxiety with a smile, so that others won't worry about him? In a sense, that child is not a fool; or rather, he is a true fool!"

"Moreover, that child is a person of great perseverance. Once he sets his mind on something, he will always give it his all to see it through."

Chen Baojun sighed, recalling the determination Naruto had shown over the past few days and the taijutsu that could only be mastered through long-term, grueling training, and finally concluded.

"That child will definitely become an excellent ninja in the future, a pillar of a ninja who will shoulder the future of the village."

"Hahahahaha!"

The Third Hokage listened quietly, and only after Chen Baojun finished speaking did he burst into laughter, revealing a look of deep satisfaction.

"Baojun, it seems you hold Naruto in very high regard."

After saying this, the Third Hokage fell silent for a moment, then put on an incredibly solemn expression and said earnestly, "Baojun, do you think Naruto is the incarnation of the Nine-Tails as the village rumors suggest?"

"No!" Chen Baojun shook his head, denying it.

"That child is a hero—a hero who imprisoned the Nine-Tails within his own body. Just like his parents, he is a hero of Konoha!"

As a former top-tier elite jonin of Konoha, the so-called "incarnation of the Nine-Tails" might deceive the uninformed villagers, but it could not fool him.

He could clearly distinguish the difference between a Nine-Tails jinchuriki and the incarnation of the Nine-Tails.

In fact, the moment he saw Naruto, Chen Baojun had deduced Naruto's true identity.

Golden hair, the surname Uzumaki—who else in Konohagakure had the surname Uzumaki?

Although Chen Baojun did not know the identity of the previous Nine-Tails jinchuriki, he did know the wife of the Fourth Hokage—Uzumaki Kushina.

Coupled with Naruto's facial features, which resembled his parents, Naruto's true identity was self-evident.

"It seems you have already guessed Naruto's true identity."

The Third Hokage sighed, put down the cigarette butt in his hand, and extinguished it.

As the orphaned son of the Fourth Hokage and his wife, Uzumaki Naruto should have grown up respected and cared for by the villagers as the son of a hero.

However, because Naruto was the vessel that sealed the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, he would be in constant danger if enemies or other individuals with ulterior motives discovered his identity.

Therefore, in the eyes of the Third Hokage, the best way to protect Naruto was to conceal both of his identities simultaneously, allowing him to grow up like an ordinary child.

The Third Hokage intended to do exactly that, but the results were seemingly disastrous.

The entire village knew that Naruto was the incarnation of the demon fox, yet they remained ignorant of his status as the son of a hero.

What should not have been known was revealed, while what should have been known was kept hidden.

With the Third Hokage's decades of political acumen, he naturally would not have done something so foolish; after all, the identities of the previous two Nine-Tails jinchuriki had been kept perfectly secret, yet it had become common knowledge by the time it reached Naruto's generation.

Mini-theater: The Third Hokage opened Uzumaki Naruto's file and saw that the words "Nine-Tailed Demon Fox" were scrawled crookedly on every single page.

The Third Hokage, unable to sleep, stared at the pages for half the night until he could finally read between the lines, where the entire book seemed to be written with only two words.

"Danzo!"