Conversation at Konoha's Barbecue Restaurant

The scene shifted to the other side.

The group arrived at the most famous barbecue restaurant in Konoha Village.

Choza Akimichi had reserved two separate private rooms.

One room was for the children, and the other was for the adults.

This was to keep the children from holding back because adults were present.

On the other hand, the adults might discuss things that were not suitable for the children to hear.

Both rooms were lively. The aroma of grilled meat filled the air as the children ate and chatted.

"Naruto, here, I grilled this meat for you!" Ino was remarkably forward with Naruto. Naruto had no idea where she had learned so many techniques for flirting with boys at such a young age.

"Na-Naruto, I grilled some for you too!" Sakura placed a piece of her own grilled meat onto Naruto's plate.

Watching the two girls eagerly compete to give Naruto meat, Shikamaru silently picked up a piece for himself and ate it in small bites. Then he muttered gloomily, "Women really are troublesome."

"Naruto, hurry up and eat! Today, we're going to have a proper contest to see who can eat more. I've improved a lot since last time!"

Choji Akimichi had eyes only for food, and now he also had someone to compete with in appetite.

Naruto felt too embarrassed to refuse the two girls' hospitality. He merely smiled and said, "You should eat too. Don't just keep giving food to me!"

Naruto picked up a piece of grilled meat and tossed it to Akamaru.

Akamaru felt that Naruto was a true friend. His owner, Kiba Inuzuka, only cared about eating meat himself and had completely forgotten he even existed!

Seeing Akamaru glare viciously at him while savagely biting into the meat as though he were eating Kiba himself, Kiba was somewhat baffled. Not realizing what had gone wrong, he asked curiously, "What's wrong, Akamaru? You don't like grilled meat? I think it's delicious!"

As he spoke, he stuffed another piece of meat into his own mouth.

At Kiba's words, Akamaru bit down even harder!

Meanwhile, in the enclosed room on the other side, the adults' voices mingled together.

"We haven't gathered like this in a long time. You're Sakura's father, Kizashi Haruno, right?" Shikaku Nara asked Kizashi Haruno, who sat in the corner looking somewhat restrained.

"Yes, I'm Sakura's father. I never expected to have the chance to eat barbecue with all of you. It's truly an honor."

Sakura's parents were merely ordinary shinobi in the village, both regular chunin. The other children's parents, however, were all clan-head-level figures from prominent families and jonin as well, so Kizashi Haruno was understandably nervous.

"It's fine. We aren't working or carrying out missions here, so there's no need to be so nervous. Right now, we're all just parents. Come, let me pour you a drink."

Shikaku Nara was very considerate. He poured Kizashi Haruno a cup of sake, and Kizashi was flattered beyond measure. He quickly accepted the drink Shikaku had poured and drained it in one gulp.

After several cups, Kizashi Haruno gradually relaxed.

"Some things are secrets that aren't really secrets, but we may mention them. I hope you won't spread them around after learning them," Shikaku Nara said to Kizashi Haruno.

"Secrets? Don't worry. Right now, I'm just a child's father. I don't know anything else," Kizashi Haruno assured them, patting his chest.

Once Kizashi Haruno had given his word, the others began speaking freely.

"What do you all think of Naruto?" Inoichi Yamanaka asked.

"My Ino likes Naruto immensely. She secretly told me that she absolutely wants to marry Naruto when she grows up. That puts me, as her father, in quite a difficult position," Inoichi Yamanaka said helplessly, opening the discussion.

"Naruto is a good child. It's just a pity that his luck has been truly terrible," Hana Inuzuka said.

"Yes. Given Naruto's identity, he should never have suffered such treatment. Minato and Kushina died far too tragically, and the Third Hokage's care for Naruto afterward could hardly be called attentive. A hero's orphan was treated like this—it's simply unforgivable!"

Choza Akimichi said this while eating grilled meat.

Kizashi Haruno, who had drunk several cups and was slightly tipsy, instantly sobered upon hearing this. He asked timidly, "Could it be that Naruto is the child of the Fourth Hokage, Lord Minato Namikaze, and Uzumaki Kushina?"

"Yes. Among Konoha's upper ranks, it isn't much of a secret." Seeing that Kizashi Haruno was stunned, Shikaku Nara explained.

"During the Nine-Tails Rampage, Minato and Kushina risked their lives to stop the Nine-Tails, but there was no turning back. Because the Nine-Tails possessed an enormous amount of chakra, Minato first used the Reaper Death Seal to seal half of the Nine-Tails' chakra inside himself."

"Then he used the Eight Trigrams Seal to seal Kushina's chakra and the Nine-Tails' chakra inside Naruto. That way, the Nine-Tails could be completely sealed!"

"They were Konoha's heroes. Why would they seal a tailed beast inside their own child?" Kizashi Haruno asked in confusion.

In his view, parents should love their children. How could they harm them?

Yet sealing the Nine-Tails had made Naruto a jinchuriki, indirectly causing Naruto to suffer so much injustice over the years.

"As far as I know, the Nine-Tails was too powerful to be destroyed and could only be sealed. The Uzumaki Clan's constitution happened to make them suitable vessels to become the Nine-Tails' jinchuriki. Minato did this both to protect Konoha and because he believed his child would eventually master that power."

Shikaku Nara voiced his own speculation.

"But Naruto was only a child! Why did Konoha's upper ranks conceal Naruto's identity and allow him to suffer this kind of treatment? He was the true son of heroes!"

Ordinarily, Kizashi Haruno would never have said such things. But after several drinks, he had grown emotional and could not understand why Naruto had been treated so unfairly.

"After Minato and Kushina died, the Third Hokage explained to Konoha's upper ranks that Naruto's identity had to be protected. Minato had made too many enemies on the battlefield, and Naruto would be in danger if his identity were exposed."

"But in truth, after the Fourth died in battle and his estate was divided among several of Konoha's upper-ranking officials, we all knew that was not the real reason! As for the actual reason, we also can't understand what the Third Hokage, the two Hokage advisors, and Danzo were thinking."

The atmosphere in the room grew somewhat heavy, and Kizashi Haruno kept drinking.

"Fortunately, Naruto is a strong child. Even in such an environment, he was able to grow into such an obedient and sensible boy. That's truly rare. He has the makings of a Hokage by nature!"

Shikaku Nara was the one who broke the awkward silence.

"Yes, yes, Naruto really is a good child. That was why, when the Third Hokage approached us before, we were willing to let our children interact with Naruto. Naruto himself is a good child. Even if he were not the Fourth Hokage's son or some so-called Nine-Tails jinchuriki, we would still let our children befriend him without worry."

Inoichi Yamanaka said.

"From now on, I'll protect Naruto from the shadows. I won't let the previous tragedy happen again." Kakashi Hatake, who had remained silent until then, suddenly spoke.

He was Minato Namikaze's student and had received care from Minato and Kushina. At the same time, he had the ability and time to watch over Naruto's growth. This was also something the Third Hokage had tacitly permitted.

"Then we'll be counting on you, Kakashi. In Naruto, we can truly see hope for Konoha's future."

"Perhaps Naruto really can become Hokage. Under Naruto's leadership, maybe Konoha will become even more prosperous."

"Hahaha! Here's to Konoha Village's future prosperity!"

"To Konoha!"