Nine-Tailed Fox 1/2

Whether or not it had been Sarutobi Hiruzen's plan, Naruto had caused trouble—that was a fact. So Iruka dragged Naruto off to see the Lord Hokage.

Naruto hung his head, probably realizing just how huge a mess he had made this time.

"Boss Hayato, you heard it too, right?"

"Hm?"

"That thing about me being the demon fox."

"Oh, that? I knew from the very beginning—from the first time I met you."

"Huh?"

"Did you see my eyes? My pupils are white. They're rather special, so I could see that there's a fox sealed inside you. That's why you aren't the demon fox." Hayato asked, "What everyone fears and hates isn't you, but the demon fox inside you. So in a sense, the one imprisoning the demon fox—you—is Konoha's hero."

"Really?"

Ever since he was little, Naruto had always been treated like a bad kid, even a monster. This was the first time anyone had called him a hero. He was stunned, unable to believe it.

"Of course it's true. Have I ever lied to you?" Hayato said with a smile.

"You have. You lied to me about One Piece," Naruto muttered.

"Ha, ha. Don't dwell on that stuff." Hayato gave an awkward laugh. "Don't you want to inherit the title of Hokage? A Hokage is someone recognized by everyone. Then start with that bad-tempered fox inside you."

"Huh, can I do that? I didn't even know there was a fox inside me, and I've never talked to it."

"Have you ever dreamed of a pitch-black room?"

"Yes, lots of times!"

"That fox is in that room. Next time, try talking to it." Hayato patted Naruto's shoulder. "That fox has been in your body since you were born. It understands your grievances and loneliness better than anyone. And besides, the demon fox has been locked inside your body for twelve years. A pitch-black room, without even anyone to talk to—it must be lonely too."

Naruto nodded thoughtfully.

Dragging Naruto back

Iruka's face was full of shame as he said quietly, "Hayato, I remember your parents were there too... As a teacher, I can't accept Naruto, understand him, or care for him the way you can. I..."

Iruka was only an ordinary civilian ninja. Before this, he had genuinely believed Naruto was the incarnation of the Nine-Tails, and the Nine-Tails was the culprit that had killed his parents.

Forgetting, forgiving, tolerating, understanding—those words were easy to say, but—

Anyone who had loved understood how hard it was to forget.

Anyone who had been deeply hurt understood how hard it was to forgive.

Iruka had already done very well. At the very least, while not hurting Naruto, he had tried to approach and understand him. If Hayato had not been a transmigrator and had not known the truth, he would probably have acted even worse than those civilians.

If hatred could not find a target to vent itself upon, it would consume the person who bore it.

To be honest, as a transmigrator, Hayato could understand Obito, Nagato, and Madara.

Because they had suffered too much.

He could understand their thoughts, but from Hayato's perspective, he would never approve of their actions.

Just because you suffered, you wanted to destroy Konoha. Just because you despaired, you wanted revenge on society. That was not how things worked.

Some people might think: Wasn't Infinite Tsukuyomi good? Everyone would be happy.

Yes, some people would think that way—and there were many of them.

Madara Uchiha's greatest problem was that he had taken away the freedom of countless people. Some would rather live in a painful reality than in false happiness.

While Naruto was being lectured, Hayato stood guard outside the door.

At first, he could still hear Naruto shouting, but later, only soft sobbing remained.

When Naruto came out, his eyes were red, but he wore a smile. The gloom had completely vanished.

Simple people were nice. Negative emotions came quickly, and they went quickly too.

"I haven't eaten properly all day, Iruka-sensei..."

"Fine. Ichiraku Ramen, my treat!"

"Hooray!!!"

That was Naruto's cheer.

That night, Naruto had a dream. In it, he stood in a pitch-black room, the darkness around him almost tangible.

He had had similar dreams before. The first time, he had even awakened in fright because he was so scared.

Afterward, he had explored several times, but the darkness seemed endless—empty and hollow. Each time, he woke from the dream only after exhausting himself completely.

"Mr. Demon Fox, Mr. Demon Fox..." Naruto called out cautiously.

The darkness seemed to fade.

"Are you there?"

The darkness dispersed, turning into blood-red mist.

A row of massive iron bars stood before Naruto. Behind them lay a huge fox. The fox was orange-red, and its nine enormous tails swayed behind it.

The fox's gaze was ice-cold, but for some reason, Naruto's heart skipped a beat. After the fear passed, he instead felt a strange sense of familiarity.

"Hello, I'm Naruto Uzumaki. Please take care of me." Naruto bowed at a ninety-degree angle through the bars.

"Hmph!"

The Nine-Tails snorted out white vapor and said coldly, "Brat, undo the seal, or I'll kill you immediately."

Naruto looked at the seal on the bars and asked, "After I release you, will you do bad things to Konoha?"

The Nine-Tails bared its sharp fangs and said hatefully, "I'll stomp that damned village flat and grind it to pieces, leaving no one alive." Thinking of the years it had been imprisoned, the Nine-Tails' rage surged endlessly. What seemed like infinite chakra poured out, and from afar, it looked as though it wore a fiery red cloak.

Facing the Nine-Tails' pressure, Naruto gritted his teeth and said, "Then no. I'm going to inherit the title of Hokage and surpass every Hokage before me. I want to protect the village. Unless you promise not to hurt the village or anyone else, I will never let you out, even if I die."

The Nine-Tails narrowed its eyes. "If I promise, will you let me out? Aren't you afraid I'll go back on my word?"

Naruto said, "If you go back on your word, then I, Naruto Uzumaki, will seal you again even if it costs me my life."

"What a foolish brat." The Nine-Tails sneered and raised its sharp claws.

I'm dead, I'm dead... Naruto shut his eyes in terror.

When he opened them, Naruto found that he had fallen out of bed, landing hard on his butt. Enduring the pain, Naruto stood up and saw that it was already broad daylight outside.

He opened the window and faced the rising sun, revealing a bright smile. "Just like Hayato said, Mr. Demon Fox really is bad-tempered."

Inside the sealing space, the Nine-Tails snorted. "That brat from the Hyuga Clan is really a meddlesome fool." After saying that, it curled up, covered itself with its tails, and fell asleep.

Hokage's Office.

The concern on Sarutobi Tanbashu's face had not yet fully faded. "Father, is this really all right?"

"From the looks of it, isn't it going quite well? The plan was a success. Naruto is a good child. He would never do anything harmful to the village," Sarutobi Hiruzen said. "After all these years, I have wronged Naruto. I have wronged Minato."

Sarutobi Tanbashu said anxiously, "Father, everything you have done was for Konoha."

Sarutobi Hiruzen said, "But the harm done to Naruto is also a fact. Torifu, Tetsuya, Shisui, Sakumo, Itachi Uchiha..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen recited the names of people, dead and living, who had made tremendous sacrifices for Konoha. At first, he seemed to be muttering to himself, but his tone gradually grew firmer. Finally, Sarutobi Hiruzen said in a low voice, "I do not have much time left. Konoha needs to change. It must change. This cycle must be broken."

After a moment of silence, Sarutobi Tanbashu said, "Hayato has already completed quite a few B-rank missions and is qualified to be a Chunin. If he completes a few more A-rank missions, he can be promoted to Special Jonin. Should we...?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen waved a hand. "No need. I have my own arrangements for Hayato. It's getting late. Go home first, or Konohamaru will make a fuss again."

"Mm."

After his eldest son left, Sarutobi Hiruzen picked up a stack of documents from his desk. They were all interrogation reports on ninjas who had attempted to steal information about the Death Forest. Although there was no useful intelligence, Sarutobi Hiruzen saw Orochimaru's style in them.

"Orochimaru..." A look of reminiscence appeared on Sarutobi Hiruzen's face. "Let your teacher give you one more proper lesson. The final lesson..."

The faint glow of burning tobacco in his pipe was especially clear in the night.

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