Naruto, What's the point of being Hokage if you don't get involved!

In an instant...

Sharingan Sasuke and Nine-Tails berserk-state Naruto roared simultaneously, charging madly toward one another to kill!

This strike...

You die.

I live.

There was no second path.

All the Anbu prepared to intervene immediately, only to realize it was likely already too late—

In the moment cold sweat rolled down—

A figure suddenly appeared between Naruto and Sasuke.

With just a single extension of his arm, he easily intercepted both Naruto and Sasuke, then violently flung them away!

Bang—

Bang!

The two of them plummeted instantly, crashing heavily onto the ground.

Both Naruto and Sasuke were overcome with the terror of having narrowly escaped death!

What... was I just doing...

This isn't a dream, this is reality...

Did I really want to kill Sasuke?!

Naruto felt a wave of lingering fear, as if he didn't recognize himself, gasping for air.

But Sasuke was the same.

What am I doing...

Just because of the irritability and anxiety in my heart, did I actually want to kill Naruto?

How could this be...

Have I also fallen into becoming a beast like Itachi Uchiha?!

The Anbu ninjas all breathed a collective sigh of relief.

"Lord Hokage!"

"Thank goodness..."

Naruto and Sasuke struggled to climb to their feet, only then seeing that familiar yet distant aged face.

It was none other than Konoha's...

Third Hokage.

Sarutobi Hiruzen!

At this moment, his expression was equally grim.

His brows were tightly locked, the wrinkles on his face appearing much deeper than usual.

"Naruto, Sasuke, what do you two think you are doing?!"

Naruto and Sasuke exchanged a distant glance, then both lowered their heads, gasping for breath.

The regret and lingering fear in their hearts spread throughout their bodies, leaving them feeling drained...

"As comrades in the village, to actually strike at one another, and even..."

"To want to kill the other?!"

Naruto's face was pale as he looked down at his trembling hands.

"Lord Third Hokage, I..."

"I don't know what came over me just now..."

Sasuke remained silent as well.

His Sharingan vanished, returning to its normal state.

Sarutobi Hiruzen closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh.

"It is not that I cannot understand your thoughts."

"However, always remember: whether you wish to become stronger or to realize your dreams, power is never meant to be used against your own comrades!"

"If you two wish to determine a winner, then do so during ninja sparring—a proper, fair, and open battle!"

"Not like this, fighting to the death in private!"

Naruto hung his head, his eyes vacant, and nodded dejectedly.

"I, I understand..."

Although Sasuke was also filled with immense regret and lingering fear, he was never as forthright as Naruto.

"Hmph--"

He merely let out a soft grunt and turned to leave. Only when he was out of sight of Sarutobi Hiruzen and Naruto did he reveal an expression of pain and regret...

The body that had been struck by Naruto's Leaf Whirlwind was still throbbing with a dull ache.

But he was even more terrified by his own actions just moments ago.

He wanted to turn back and say something to Naruto.

Yet, he only gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, his body involuntarily drifting further and further away.

Watching Sasuke's retreating figure, Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head and sighed.

He lit his pipe, took a deep drag, and exhaled a long plume of smoke.

At this moment, several Anbu appeared and quickly began cleaning up the aftermath.

A single Water Style Ninjutsu extinguished the trees that had been ignited by Sasuke's Great Fireball.

In the deepening darkness of the night, only the glow of Sarutobi Hiruzen's pipe flickered from time to time.

"Let's go home, Naruto."

"...Yes."

Sarutobi Hiruzen followed the limping Naruto back to his home.

He helped Naruto pull out the Kunai that had pierced his right leg, then used the Hemostasis Technique to stop the bleeding and bandaged the wound.

However, the horrific injury that had been pierced through was already healing rapidly on its own.

A thought stirred in Sarutobi Hiruzen's heart.

Is it the power of the Nine-Tailed Fox?

Or...

Is it Naruto's own constitution?

Although Naruto was grimacing in pain, he had already fully regained his vitality.

Soon, he stood back up to test his leg; although it still hurt, he was perfectly capable of walking.

"Aha, that's great..."

"I was worried this leg injury would affect my training!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen's pipe nearly fell from his mouth.

Is this really something that could come out of Naruto's mouth...

Naruto, however, had recovered his energy.

"Thank you, Third Hokage!"

"You haven't eaten yet, right? I'll go make you some food!"

It was rare to have a guest, especially the Hokage of Konoha, so Naruto quickly busied himself of his own accord.

His culinary skills were, of course, still a complete disaster.

But the mere fact that he could cook for himself left Sarutobi Hiruzen astonished.

This was worlds apart from the Naruto in his memory...

However, as Naruto cooked, he would pause for a moment every now and then, as if someone had pressed a button.

Sarutobi Hiruzen puffed on his pipe, unable to stop himself from frowning.

"Naruto, what are you doing?"

Naruto froze, then laughed: "Oh, I'm practicing multitasking! I'm trying to cook while practicing the Chakra Refinement Technique!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen was shocked.

"You can do such a thing?"

Naruto scratched his head in embarrassment and gave a dry laugh.

"Haha, I haven't mastered it yet. I can only do it for a little while before I have to stop and restart the training..."

"I definitely can't compare to you, Third Hokage..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen nearly choked on a mouthful of smoke.

In reality, how could he possibly do such a thing...

Let alone him, even among the most genius ninjas, he had never heard of anyone who could achieve this...

But to admit that in front of Naruto would be somewhat embarrassing.

Could it be that Naruto is the true genius?!

"Naruto, why have you suddenly started training so desperately?"

Naruto said, "Because I want to become stronger, so that everyone will acknowledge me!"

"Is that so?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen exhaled a ring of smoke.

"Especially Sasuke?"

Naruto brought over the dinner he had prepared and handed a portion to Sarutobi Hiruzen. Upon hearing Sasuke's name, his arm trembled slightly against his will.

"Yeah..."

"Sasuke... is the target I want to defeat the most! Perhaps, he is also the person I want to be acknowledged by the most..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen took a bite of the ramen Naruto had made himself, his brow furrowing slightly.

"So, is that why you wanted to kill him just now?"

Naruto's expression dimmed.

"I didn't want to kill him!"

"It's just that..."

"I feel like... I can't control myself..."

"Third Hokage, I... what should I do?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen took another bite of the ramen Naruto had made by hand and shook his head.

"Naruto, this is what we call an obsession..."

"Your obsession is to become Hokage and gain everyone's acknowledgment."

"Sasuke's obsession is revenge, to defeat that man..."

"For the sake of this, neither of you will ever back down, and you have both come to view each other as rivals."

"In a sense, obsessions and rivals are not necessarily bad things; on the contrary, they can become the driving force that makes us stronger, but..."