The Fox Demon! The Fourth Hokage and His Wife Were Furious!

"First of all, congratulations to all of you for passing the entrance exam and successfully enrolling in the Ninja Academy."

"But getting into the Ninja Academy doesn't mean you've become ninjas. You'll all need to study hard and train diligently..."

The opening ceremony.

Tired from walking, Sasuke clung to his mother Uchiha Mikoto's leg to stay upright as he listened to the Third's speech. Naturally, he was bored out of his mind.

Suddenly.

"Fox demon?!"

Kushina's startled cry came from the Soul Space.

Fox demon... Sasuke's lips curled into a smirk as he focused his awareness on the Soul Space.

In the scene transmitted there through the Spore Clone, a passing shinobi noticed Naruto in the arms of a villager. His pupils contracted, and the words "fox demon" slipped out.

"Damn it." Kushina shook her fist indignantly. "Why would he call Naruto a fox demon?"

Minato couldn't help frowning, either.

"Minato, I remember that shinobi was once your subordinate, wasn't he?"

"That's right. He's Mitsui Naoto. We fought side by side during the Third Shinobi World War..."

"Fought side by side? I'd say you saved his life."

Minato fell silent.

"Damn it~!"

In the scene—

"What?"

"The fox demon's back?"

"No way!"

The words "fox demon" instantly dredged up the nearby residents' painful memories. They looked around in terror.

"Fox demon?"... The villager holding Naruto noticed the shinobi staring at the baby in her arms. Mechanically, she lowered her head.

Then her gaze fixed on the whisker-like markings on Naruto's face, and her pupils suddenly contracted!

No, it couldn't be. Naruto was only a baby... Fighting down her fear, she looked up at Mitsui Naoto. "Y-you... the fox demon you mentioned is...?"

"That's right." Mitsui Naoto looked at Naruto coldly. "The one in your arms is the fox demon's incarnation. I suggest you kill him. Otherwise, if he goes on a rampage again..."

Kill him?... Minato and Kushina stopped breathing!

They had never imagined that a subordinate who'd once treated them with such respect could speak so calmly about something so cruel!

He was only a six-month-old baby!

The one I'm holding is the fox demon?... The villager lowered her head again, and Naruto's face blended with the image of the fox that had attacked Konoha several months ago.

Still too young to understand what was happening, Naruto saw his mother staring at him and instinctively gave her an innocent smile.

!!! The villager's breath caught. Naruto's face merged with the fox demon's from months ago, and his innocent smile turned into a sinister grin in her eyes!

"H-help... help...!"

Overcome by terror, she instinctively threw Naruto away, then turned and ran!

"Naruto!"

In the Soul Space, Minato and Kushina's faces changed at once. They cried out in alarm!

"Run!"

The nearby residents snapped out of it and fled in panic!

Now's my chance... A vicious glint flashed in Mitsui Naoto's eyes. He flicked his right hand, and a Kunai shot out, carrying a murderous intent!

!!! How could this be?!

!!! How dare he?!

!!! How could he bring himself to do it?!

The chain of events made the Fourth Hokage and his wife's hearts stop. Their eyes nearly burst with rage. At the critical moment, Minato shouted, "Sasuke!"

"Don't worry. The Anbu are there. They won't let anything happen to him..."

Right! The Anbu...

In their panic, the two had nearly forgotten the Anbu were there.

Outside.

"Clang!" Metal struck metal, sending sparks flying!

An Anbu caught Naruto, and the standard-issue long sword in his hand knocked the Kunai aside!

What a shame... Mitsui Naoto thought in disappointment.

The Anbu shouted angrily, "Mitsui Naoto, do you have any idea what you're doing?!"

"What am I doing? Heh, I know exactly what I'm doing!" Faced with the Anbu's questioning, Mitsui Naoto stared at the wailing Naruto with a twisted expression. "My parents, my family, my comrades—they all died because of the fox demon!"

"A monster like that shouldn't be allowed to live in Konoha!"

The Anbu frowned. "You should know he isn't just the fox demon..."

The shinobi who had taken part in fighting the Nine-Tails that night all knew Naruto's identity.

"So what?! We won the wars even without the fox demon. Konoha has no need for a monster like that!"

"Are you questioning Lord Third's decision?"

"Hmph!" At the mention of the Third, Mitsui Naoto snorted and suppressed his emotions. "So, are you going to take me into custody and put me on trial before the Third?"

"I'll report this matter to the Third exactly as it happened. You'd better think carefully about what you've done." Leaving those words behind, the Anbu vanished with Naruto in his arms.

Sasuke's Spore Clone was only there to relay what was happening to Naruto, so it naturally followed right after them.

In the Soul Space.

"Fox demon, fox demon!" Minato's face was livid as he stared at the Anbu carrying Naruto.

He recognized the Anbu from his voice alone.

He was one of the Anbu once assigned specifically to protect him...

Just then, as though he couldn't stand Naruto's wailing, the Anbu struck him on the back of the neck with a knife-hand blow. Six-month-old Naruto's eyes rolled back, and he passed out.

!!!

Minato's veins bulged.

Kushina flew into a rage. "Damn it! Why would he treat Naruto like that?!"

By now, the Anbu had reached the Ninja Academy and was hidden out of sight. He gestured toward the Naruto in his arms.

The Third, who had been speaking at length about the Will of Fire, narrowed his eyes slightly. Then he hastily wrapped up with a few more words and ended his speech to applause from the students and their parents.

Somewhere near the Ninja Academy.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes darkened. "What happened?"

"Today... Mitsui Naoto..." The Anbu reported everything to the Third in detail.

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned, then slowly exhaled. "All right. Hand Naruto over to me..."

"Yes." The Anbu gave Naruto to the Third, then vanished.

The Hokage Building.

"Why are you still keeping the fox demon here?"

"We want to see Lord Hokage!"

"Please have Lord Hokage drive the fox demon out of Konoha!"

"That's right! Please have Lord Hokage drive the fox demon out of Konoha!"

The news that the fox demon had become a baby quickly spread throughout Konoha.

By then, a large crowd of villagers had gathered in front of the Hokage Building to protest, shouting their slogans in unison.

"Please have Lord Hokage drive the fox demon out of Konoha!"

Just back at the Hokage Building, Hiruzen Sarutobi had no choice but to face the angry crowd.

"Everyone, listen to me. I don't know where you heard this, but please don't let yourselves be misled. Naruto isn't the fox demon."

"Not the fox demon?"

"If he isn't the fox demon, then what are those fox-demon markings on his face?"

"Exactly! Lord Third, please stop making excuses for the fox demon!"

"Even as a baby, he's still the fox demon!"

"Please have Lord Hokage drive the fox demon out of Konoha!"

No matter how Hiruzen Sarutobi explained or denied it, the villagers refused to believe him.

The scene of the Nine-Tails attacking Konoha several months ago was still fresh in their memories. Even the slightest possibility was enough to make them unwilling to let that ticking time bomb live among them.

"Third, we're willing to believe you when you say he isn't the fox demon. But please tell us who his parents are and prove his identity."