"How many other Anbu Ninja are willing to follow and serve me, just like you?"
Naruto asked the question that concerned him most at the moment.
The men looked at one another.
You look at me, I look at you.
They had no idea how many there were, either.
After all, they'd never conducted a proper investigation.
Ever since the Fourth Hokage's death,
these old hands had been feeling rather helpless.
"Sorry, young master. We really don't know."
"But please give us a few days to investigate."
"Lord Fourth treated everyone well. Compared with Lord Third, they're surely more willing to follow Lord Fourth's orphan—the son of Konoha's hero!"
After witnessing enough of Konoha's dark side,
they'd learned not to take too much to heart.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's methods for resolving problems hadn't been very pretty.
Of course, they had gotten results.
But... if the capable and powerful Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, had been there to mediate between the two sides,
perhaps Konoha wouldn't have lost the Uchiha Clan.
The Uchiha could still have lived in harmony with Konoha.
To put it simply,
Minato Namikaze held a very high place in their hearts.
He symbolized light!
His son, Naruto Uzumaki,
could carry on his father's legacy!
He could bring a bright future to all of Konoha.
"Good. Once you've finished investigating and counted everyone, report back. Don't let Grandpa Third know about this."
Naruto nodded.
"Yes, young master!"
They answered in unison.
"Oh, and you don't have to keep protecting me from the shadows anymore. Go home and get on with your own lives."
Naruto suddenly remembered the main point.
Having someone watch him all the time
wasn't a pleasant feeling.
It was weird.
It was like having to worry that someone might suddenly barge in even when he went to the bathroom.
Ridiculous!
Well, all right.
"Absolutely not! You're still young, young master. You need our protection!"
"That's right, young master! These are just the first ninjas who've come to assassinate you. There'll be a second group, maybe even a third or fourth... The numbers will only grow! Please think this through!"
"Young master, we beg you."
Their faces were full of concern.
They weren't pretending.
They genuinely cared about Naruto.
Sigh...
Looks like he'd have to show them what he could do.
Naruto formed a Rasengan in each hand.
(⊙o⊙)...
That's right, one in each hand.
Two small blue typhoons spun in his palms.
The power contained within them was terrifying.
The men stared in disbelief.
Holy crap, you could do that?
Didn't you need Hand Seals to use a Rasengan?
As far as they knew, you didn't.
They'd seen Minato Namikaze use the Rasengan
without making any Hand Seals.
But Minato Namikaze, the jutsu's creator,
could only maintain one Rasengan at a time.
And his son, Naruto Uzumaki?
He could actually spin up two at once!
The student had surpassed the master. What a prodigy!
They didn't know how to use the Rasengan themselves, but they understood how it worked.
Controlling a Rasengan bursting with energy took an astonishing amount of chakra!
Using two at once
put incredibly strict demands on the user!
The Rasengans vanished from Naruto's hands.
"I can protect myself. If you don't trust me, you can keep guarding me from the shadows. But... from now on, don't call me young master!"
Who liked having people watch him all the time?!
It was incredibly annoying.
Even when he wanted to have some fun, there'd be one, or even more than one, chaperone around.
How was he supposed to enjoy himself?!
The men looked troubled.
Why had they been protecting Naruto?
Because he couldn't defend himself yet,
and other ninjas could easily assassinate him.
Now Naruto had shown them what he could do.
It made them feel like they were completely unnecessary.
"Yes, young master!"
"We'll take our leave now."
"Please take care! If anything happens, use this to call us."
The squad leader handed him a small device that looked like a communicator.
With that done,
they didn't linger.
They left at once.
Only after Naruto sensed their presence disappear completely
did he return to his room.
"My cheap old man sure had plenty of connections. Taking control of Konoha might not be impossible."
He casually tossed the communicator onto the table.
That was what Naruto thought.
The idea had barely crossed his mind
before he cast it aside.
A kid his age becoming village leader? He'd have to be crazy.
It wasn't just that there'd be a mountain of work every day.
He couldn't just be a figurehead and leave everything to someone else, either.
Having to do this and that all the time would be such a pain!
Besides, wasn't he supposed to enjoy the best years of his life at his age?
Date and fall in love.
There were plenty of beautiful girls in and around the village waiting for him.
Doing the sort of work only old men did all day
was such a pain.
As long as Hiruzen Sarutobi was still alive, he could leave the job to that guy. It'd be fine.
Even if he died of old age one day, or Orochimaru killed him,
Tsunade could still come back and take over as Hokage.
At the thought of Sister Benben,
ahem...
Back to the point.
At Naruto's current age of thirteen, he had the ambition but not the ability.
"I didn't expect the Fourth Hokage to have such a huge influence. So many Anbu Ninja are willing to follow his son."
The Nine-Tails appeared and said.
"Quit your yapping and get back in there. I'm going to sleep."
Naruto laughed as he scolded it.
Since when had a mere Tailed Beast learned to suck up to people?
That was no good.
"Yes!"
The Nine-Tails had only just come out for some fresh air.
Its voice was full of resentment.
Its figure faded as it returned to the world inside Naruto.
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