"Lord Hokage, honestly! Why make the Demon Fox go to school? He doesn't care about our children's safety at all..."
Danzo was under house arrest, or he would surely have seized this opportunity to cause trouble.
He wasn't expecting to get the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, but he could at least undermine the Third Hokage's standing and pave the way to becoming Hokage himself.
His two teammates, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, had no interest in becoming Hokage. But convinced that everything they did was for Konoha's sake, they came to the Ninja Academy as soon as they heard the news.
"Sarutobi, stop hesitating. Listen to us. A Jinchuriki shouldn't be allowed to mix with ordinary people. Take him into custody and put him through specialized training..."
"Those two old geezers! I'm going to beat them to a pulp... Minato, let go of me..."
In the Sealing Space, Kushina heard the two advisers through the Nine-Tails and was so furious she wanted to hit someone.
Those two old bastards actually wanted to turn her child into someone with no childhood, no life, no freedom...
Nothing at all—just a Tailed Beast weapon that obeyed orders.
How could she put up with that?
She couldn't!
"Kushina, calm down."
Minato held on to Kushina's arm. As a father, he was furious too, but anger wouldn't solve anything.
They were only two wisps of Chakra left behind by the dead. There was a lot they couldn't do, and a lot they couldn't even attempt.
"Trust the Third. He won't agree to it."
At a time like this, Minato could only trust the Third Hokage to take their past friendship into consideration.
"Naruto."
As if a thought had just occurred to him, Minato's eyes lit up. He turned to Naruto and said, "Go out there and tell the Third you've become a Perfect Jinchuriki. Explain that the Chakra leak just now was an accident while you were breaking the seal and that it won't happen again... Once the Third knows, he'll surely reject the advisers' suggestion."
Naruto smiled and turned him down. "There's no need to go through all that. I trust Grandpa Third."
Minato's expression shifted. For some reason, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off about his son's smile.
He looked back at Kushina, who nodded gravely.
Their son had a problem!
In the end, Minato and Kushina were greatly relieved when the Third Hokage rejected the advisers' suggestion.
However, for the safety of the other students, Naruto would have to take a leave of absence for a while and remain under observation.
Naruto came to at just the right moment. Looking utterly dejected, he accepted the Third Hokage's decision.
He was confined to his home, leading a shut-in life where he couldn't step beyond the front door.
A month later.
After passing inspection and being officially declared safe, Naruto regained his freedom. He was allowed to leave the house and return to his old routine.
Naruto went out without a mask and wandered the streets, enduring the pointing fingers and insults from every direction. Whenever he heard someone call him the Demon Fox, he threw a rock at them.
It had been years since he'd thrown rocks, and his aim was a little rusty. Sometimes he hit too hard; other times, he missed.
Eventually, he got his touch back. Unfortunately, the villagers also remembered all the times they'd been pelted, so they kept their distance and then hit back hard.
When he walked into a shop on the street, just as expected, Naruto was refused service and thrown out.
In the Sealing Space, Minato and Kushina watched Naruto's experiences in Konoha through his eyes.
Their faces were grim.
Though Naruto had told them plenty of troubling things over the past month, they had held on to a glimmer of hope.
Part of them thought it might just be their child's bias.
And part of them thought the village couldn't possibly be that cruel.
But now...
It seemed the truth was even worse than they'd imagined.
It was bad enough that their son hadn't grown up as the hero's child they'd planned for. He wasn't even being treated like a normal person...
It was truly heartbreaking.
And their son, growing up in an environment like this...
The couple felt sorry for everything he'd been through, but they were also troubled by his strange personality.
Hitting people over the head, acting all the time, holding grudges, feeling no sense of belonging to Konoha—and even seeming to harbor some audacious idea...
Those were the things they'd discovered about Naruto so far.
It wouldn't be wrong to call him a problem child. There was a very real chance he'd go down the wrong path when he grew up.
What should they do?
Was there any way to change Naruto's nature?
Kushina and Minato racked their brains, then looked at each other and sighed in unison.
It was their first time being parents. They had no experience.
"Nine-Tails, you know Naruto well. Do you have any good advice?"
Minato shared his worries with the Nine-Tails, hoping for its help.
Kushina looked at the Nine-Tails expectantly too.
"Nine-Tails, come on, help us out."
"Hmph. You two must have nothing better to do."
The Nine-Tails rolled over and said lazily, "Naruto's fine as he is. He doesn't need to change. Besides... trust my judgment. He'll be fine."
The Tailed Beasts were all like that. Someone they accepted didn't have to be a great good person, but they'd never be a great evil one.
Hearing the Nine-Tails' words put the couple somewhat at ease.
But they couldn't be completely reassured. They planned to guide Naruto gradually as they spent more time together.
After wandering around until noon, Naruto arrived at Ichiraku Ramen.
"Ayame, Uncle Teuchi! Long time no see. I'll have a bowl of ramen."
"Oh, Naruto! It's been a while. What kind would you like?"
"Hmm... A large pork miso ramen with chashu."
It didn't take long for the ramen to be ready. Ayame brought it over to Naruto, adding two extra thick slices of chashu.
"Thanks."
After thanking her, Naruto lowered his head and ate.
Minato's relieved voice sounded in his mind.
"There really are good people in the village..."
Seeing everyone as villains earlier had nearly driven Minato into a depression.
Was this really the place I'd devoted my whole life to, the place I'd given my life for?
Thankfully, Ichiraku Ramen had helped restore his faith in the village.
There was darkness, sure, but there was light too.
"They really are good people..."
Naruto did two things at once, eating ramen while telling his parents about Ichiraku Ramen.
After finishing his ramen, Naruto went home to work on wood carvings and help his food go down.
Half an hour later, he put on his mask and left the house.
Kushina's curious voice rang out in his mind.
"Hmm? Is Naruto going to meet up with his friends?"
"No, I'm going to train."
Train?
That caught Minato's interest.
He watched Naruto go to a ninja tool shop to buy weights and strap them on. Then Naruto headed to the forest, where he ran, did push-ups, and started wildly punching a tree...
"Wait, stop! Your hands are bleeding..."
Kushina hurriedly called out.
"I heal really fast..."
Naruto stopped pounding the tree and held up his swollen fist. His injuries healed right before their eyes.
"Even if you heal fast, you can't treat yourself like this. It breaks Mom's heart..."
Minato frowned. "Naruto, who taught you to train like that?"
There was no method to it. It was downright reckless.
Only Naruto's unusual body kept him from getting hurt. Anyone else would have been crippled.
"Nobody taught me. I figured it out myself."
"The Third didn't... Never mind. What about Kakashi?"
"Who's Kakashi? I don't know him."
"..."
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