"What did you promise us back then, Sarutobi?" Minato Namikaze's voice rang out.
"You promised to take good care of Naruto and let him enjoy the treatment befitting a hero's son. If they hadn't tried to seize Naruto today and awakened my soul, I still wouldn't have known this was how you protected him!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen panicked. "Minato, that's not what happened. Listen to me explain!" He was afraid Minato would tell everyone how he had treated Naruto.
He feared that once those things came out, his prestige would plummet—and the image he had spent years cultivating as the greatest Hokage would crumble.
He worried the villagers would realize what was going on and demand to know where the Uzumaki Clan's inheritance had gone. Konoha's busiest commercial street had belonged to Minato's family, yet Naruto only received three thousand a month.
Did that make sense? No. It made absolutely no sense.
"Enough, Sarutobi. You don't need to explain. You're going to say you hid Naruto's identity as a hero's son to protect the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki?"
"Fine. But why call him a demon fox? Why let everyone despise, look down on, and ostracize him? Then you came along to win people over, tossing my son a measly three thousand a month!"
"A bowl of ramen costs a hundred or two, and you give him only three thousand? Who are you trying to starve to death? What happened to my and Kushina's inheritance? Did you eat it all?" Minato had completely lost his temper!
At that moment, he looked like a madman. He couldn't believe the Third he had always admired and respected had done all this after his death.
If Kurama hadn't passed his memories to him and used the Nine-Tails Chakra to keep this sliver of his soul alive, he might never have been able to avenge his son!
Minato's words drained the color from the Third's face. Sarutobi Hiruzen staggered, never expecting Minato to say it all—especially in front of such a large crowd.
His back, already slightly hunched, bent even lower. He looked like a candle guttering in the wind, as if the slightest gust could snuff him out.
The Anbu Ninjas turned to look at Sarutobi Hiruzen. Seeing him like that, they felt a deep, ugly emotion stir within them.
Contempt. Scorn.
Shiranui Genma bit through the twig in his mouth and spat it out. Anger showed on his face as he looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen, but Hiruzen didn't even have the heart to reprimand him.
He stood there motionless, dumbstruck. He knew that after today, his name would be utterly disgraced, and the entire Sarutobi Clan would never be able to hold their heads high again.
Kakashi stayed silent. He knew all of this, but under pressure—or perhaps because of his father's death—his warped sense of values had yet to recover completely.
He had simply carried out his missions and followed his superiors' orders, never once visiting Naruto. If anyone had reason to feel guilty, it was him.
But Minato wasn't holding him responsible, and that began to thaw Kakashi's once-cold heart.
Just as Sarutobi Hiruzen was sinking into despair, Shimura Danzo spoke up. "Hiruzen! This man is spreading lies and has killed many of my Root shinobi. We can't just let this go!"
Danzo's words brought Sarutobi Hiruzen back to his senses. His eyes lit up. That was right—as long as they captured Naruto Uzumaki and won this battle, they could silence everyone afterward.
His gaze turned vicious. He would have Danzo place a Cursed Tongue Seal on everyone present.
The Anbu and Root shinobi felt a chill run down their backs.
From afar, Uchiha Izuna watched the scene with a faint smile. But inwardly, he thought, Fight, fight. The harder you fight, the better.
"Ding! System mission issued: Rescue Naruto Uzumaki! Reward: Determined by mission completion and plot coherence. Failure: Host will be executed!"
"Damn it! You piece of shit, you're playing dirty! You little loser, you've got no power!" Despite his complaints, Uchiha Izuna reluctantly got to his feet.
Nearby, Uchiha Itachi helped Yamato up, while Uchiha Shisui watched the distant battle just like Izuna.
"Battle-kun, who do you think will win?" Uchiha Shisui asked.
On one side were Naruto Uzumaki, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki possessed by Minato, and Uchiha Fugaku. On the other were Sarutobi Hiruzen, hailed as the strongest Hokage, and Shimura Danzo, the Darkness of Konoha.
Uchiha Izuna rolled his eyes. "How could you even ask that? If the old man stopped hiding his strength, Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo together wouldn't be enough to take him down."
"But that's the thing—if he didn't hide his strength, he wouldn't be Uchiha Fugaku. The guy's just way too rigid!"
After saying this, Uchiha Izuna loosened up his body, preparing to head to the front lines and help.
His movements caught Uchiha Shisui's attention. "Battle-kun, what are you—" Seeing his eager posture, Shisui had already guessed!
"Well, even if Uchiha Fugaku's hiding his strength, he's still my adopted old man. I can't just watch them capture him, can I?"
"Besides, you can see it too. If Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo win, no one here will get off lightly—not you, not me, and not the Anbu or Root shinobi."
"Even if we don't care about them, we should at least think about ourselves!"
With that, Uchiha Izuna jumped down and slowly headed toward the battlefield.
The Third, Sarutobi Hiruzen, formed Hand Seals: Snake, Horse, Snake, Dragon, Rat, Ox, Tiger. He took a deep breath, and his lungs swelled. "Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen called out, molding his chakra before spitting a dragon's head of fire from his mouth, straight at Naruto Uzumaki.
He had no choice. Even if he lost the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, he had to destroy him!
Even if he couldn't have the Nine-Tails, he couldn't let Minato Namikaze escape! Otherwise, his power and status would slip away from him!
But if Minato Namikaze and Naruto Uzumaki died, and everyone present was marked with the Cursed Tongue Seal, he would remain the Third, the strongest Hokage, the Shinobi Hero—Sarutobi Hiruzen!
Minato's pupils contracted. He could dodge, but what about Shiranui Genma and Namiashi Raidō?
Just then, a figure appeared, hands forming Seals so quickly they blurred: Dragon, Snake, Goat. "Earth Style: Earth Wall!"
Hatake Kakashi had arrived!
An Earth-Style Wall with a dog's head surged from the ground, briefly blocking the Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!
Shimura Danzo formed Hand Seals. "Wind Release: Vacuum Great Sphere!" (Sexy Sun Bro~)
The Fire Dragon Flame Bullet merged with the Vacuum Great Sphere. The combined technique's range and power instantly doubled!
Kakashi's pupils contracted. Did he have to use that technique? He hesitated, unsure if he could control it.
Just then, Uchiha Izuna appeared and formed Hand Seals: Snake, Goat, Monkey, Boar, Horse, Tiger. "Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
Uchiha Fugaku's eyes lit up. Father and son working as one could overcome anything. In the next instant, he also used the Great Fireball Technique!
The two Great Fireballs overlapped, forming a massive sphere of flames. It held its ground against the combined Fire Dragon Flame Bullet and Vacuum Great Sphere!
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