Ryosuke Wanted Naruto to Choose for Himself

Looking at Naruto before him, his eyes blazing as though a raging fire burned within his heart, Ryosuke chuckled and shook his head.

In his perception, Hiruzen Sarutobi had already left the classroom after he spoke those words.

Perhaps Hiruzen believed Naruto would not undergo any unusual changes for the time being, but he had likely become interested in Ryosuke, the previously obscure live-in son-in-law of the Hyuga Main Family.

Though Ryosuke did not know what Hiruzen Sarutobi had originally intended, he felt that the suggestion he had given him was a good one.

Whether from the plot he had seen in his previous life or the intelligence he had gathered in this one, he could clearly tell that Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted to support Naruto and make him Hokage.

Though he did not know what mindset had driven this—perhaps guilt toward the Fourth Hokage, or perhaps a desire to stabilize his own faction—it was an unchanging fact.

Ryosuke believed that although the Third Hokage had not investigated his actions too closely, he should still know something about them.

He had constantly been pushing Naruto, whom most people viewed as a war machine, toward the Third Hokage. And now that he had offered this suggestion, Hiruzen should be able to see the Hyuga Clan's "goodwill."

That was the goodwill Ryosuke wanted Hiruzen Sarutobi to perceive.

"Naruto! What are you doing? Pay attention in class!"

After Hiruzen Sarutobi left, the classroom returned to normal.

Iruka, standing at the podium, also suddenly realized that he seemed to have been overlooking Naruto all day.

When he looked over, he discovered that the boy had somehow stood up and was grinning as if he were saying something to Ryosuke, his deskmate.

"Sorry, Iruka-sensei."

Naruto seemed to remember only then that class was still in session. After offering an apologetic smile, he sat back down and began listening attentively.

He had more focus and drive than ever before.

Beside him, Ryosuke maintained a smile as he calmly watched it all.

Of everyone in the class, aside from Ryosuke, who sat beside Naruto and had been approached by him first, not one person noticed anything strange.

No one realized that they had overlooked Naruto in the last row for most of the day.

As expected of Hiruzen Sarutobi, known as the Sage of Ninjutsu. He truly was formidable.

Since the Hyuga Clan was a Taijutsu Family, this was the first time in all these years that Ryosuke had seen such a powerful Genjutsu. Hiruzen Sarutobi had used it to block nearly everyone in the classroom from perceiving Naruto, and once it ended, none of them felt even the slightest discomfort.

Was this the strength possessed by a village's Kage?

Ryosuke's wariness toward other ninja rose once more, and he became even more certain that what he had just done was right.

Showing goodwill toward Hiruzen's Hokage faction had been a decision Ryosuke and Hyuga Hiashi discussed together.

The Hyuga Clan's current position in the village was rather awkward.

Like the Uchiha Clan, which was nearly isolated by the entire village, they stood on equal footing as they competed for the title of Konoha's greatest clan.

Yet in a sense, they also balanced one another, preventing either clan from becoming too dominant.

If Ryosuke looked at Hizashi Hyuga's fate in the original timeline from the more charitable perspective, then Hiruzen Sarutobi had simply grown old and no longer possessed the courage of his youth to face war.

He was merely an old man who wished to preserve the village's peace and live out his remaining years in tranquility.

But from a darker perspective, Hiruzen Sarutobi might have intended to use the opportunity to pressure and test the Hyuga Clan, to see whether they would yield or stubbornly bear his orders like the Uchiha Clan and defy his will.

Ryosuke did not possess Byakugan capable of seeing through the human heart. Though Hizashi Hyuga's incident had not occurred in this timeline, there were still matters he had to guard against.

He was nearly six years old, and the Progress Bar in his mind was close to completion, ready to begin another transformation.

Sasuke, who was in the same class as him, was also nearly six.

That meant the Uchiha Clan was about to be gone. The Hyuga Clan's enemy was about to be gone.

By then, the Hyuga Clan would become the village's greatest clan, fully deserving of that title.

But that would also make their clan the new thorn in everyone else's side.

In a timeline where Hizashi Hyuga had not been sacrificed, Ryosuke could not guarantee whether the Hyuga Clan would still peacefully and steadily make it through the days ahead as they had before.

Although the Hyuga Clan, thanks to the Byakugan, could become the finest reconnaissance ninja on the battlefield and would not be easily purged by the village, nor had they provoked the same level of suspicion as the Uchiha Clan—

They were still a Great Clan. If they continued maintaining independent thoughts and refused to integrate into the village, they would inevitably be excluded and isolated.

Showing goodwill toward the Hokage faction was a fairly good way for the Hyuga Clan to remain stable in the future.

It was already afternoon, and after Ryosuke finished saying those things to Naruto, class did not continue for long before the day's lessons ended.

Unlike his usual lifeless demeanor, Naruto seemed exceptionally excited after school that day. He even planned to head to the training grounds and have a proper spar with someone, venting the excitement in his heart.

He did not care even if he got beaten badly. The powerful self-healing ability brought by the fox inside him would take care of his injuries.

"You seem pretty excited about what I told you this afternoon."

Seeing Naruto preparing to pack up his desk and leave, Ryosuke spoke softly as they passed one another.

Naruto, who had been hurrying to leave, stopped in his tracks.

"Do you remember what I told you?" Ryosuke smiled as he looked at Naruto, who had turned around with a puzzled expression. "The important thing is how you see yourself. Do you remember?"

Naruto looked even more confused. He did not understand what Ryosuke meant.

He had indeed heard those words that afternoon.

"Was becoming Hokage... really a goal you chose for yourself?"

But Ryosuke's next words froze the excitement on Naruto's face.

"When I said those things to you this afternoon, you weren't the only one who heard them. You understand what I mean, right?" Ryosuke continued, the Byakugan on his face having silently activated at some point.

After school, there were not many students left in the classroom. Aside from Hinata, who was still waiting for him, no one was paying attention to them.

The ninja who had usually monitored Naruto were gone, and Hiruzen Sarutobi had only just left.

At this moment, perhaps Naruto was freer than he had ever been in the first half of his life.

"You..."

Naruto was at a loss. He wanted to ask something, but he could not get the words out.

Under Ryosuke's gaze, his lips pressed tightly together. He could not question him even once.

"Even if you have that Great Fox in your stomach, the village has ways to control him. You still remember that, right?" Ryosuke continued, his smile gone as his expression returned to its initial calm.

An invisible Momentum rose from him, making Naruto afraid to meet his eyes.

"After spending the past month with you, I think you're quite good. Hide yourself well, and find the path you truly want to take, Naruto."

Ryosuke silently stepped forward. Looking down at Naruto, he bent slightly and leaned close to his ear. "I hope you can remain calm and rational. If they see through you, then forget everything I just said. I don't want anyone finding me."

The instant his words fell, the pale whiteness in his pupils seemed to light up with faint traces of radiance, only to quickly dim again.

"I'll be taking leave for a while. I hope that the next time I see you, you'll have become better."

Just like that day not long ago, Ryosuke left a tremendous shock in Naruto's heart, then quietly led Hinata out of the classroom, leaving Naruto alone to stand there in a daze.

On the way home, Ryosuke was in a very good mood. Inexplicably good.

Other than training, few other things had stirred such emotions in him anymore.

Why had he said those things?

Ever since that day, though Ryosuke did not know exactly what he had seen, his previous desire to avoid excessive contact with these dangerous people seemed to have changed.

His heart was telling him that he could try getting to know them.

As for why he had said those things to Naruto—

All he could say was that, compared to Hiruzen Sarutobi forcibly arranging a path for Naruto, Ryosuke hoped Naruto could find a path for himself.

At the very least, he did not want Naruto to become that foolish boy who shouted, "I'm going to be Hokage," from beginning to end.

He wanted to see... something different.