Minato's Fury

Little Naruto struggled to his feet.

He picked up the bread, now covered in sand and dust.

He sobbed as if his heart would break.

Blood kept spilling from the corner of his mouth.

Still, little Naruto ran on, pushing himself forward with all his strength.

The heartbreaking sound of the child's sobs echoed through the streets of Konoha.

Little Naruto kept running and running.

By then, even Naruto himself had no idea how long he had been running.

At last, he reached a quiet, deserted forest.

Little Naruto clutched his stomach in pain where the bakery owner had just kicked him.

Step by painful step, he made his way to a stream deep in the forest.

At the stream, little Naruto looked down at the reflection in the water.

He saw a skinny, frail child covered in dirt.

Little Naruto bent down with difficulty and gently set the dusty, sandy bread on the ground.

Then he cupped clear water in his small hands.

He carefully washed the dirt from his face.

After washing up, little Naruto...

little Naruto picked up the bread and brushed away the dust and sand bit by bit.

But no matter what little Naruto did, plenty of sand and dirt remained mixed into the bread.

Little Naruto's stomach growled again and again.

Only then did little Naruto realize he was so hungry he barely had the strength to walk.

He could not worry about anything else. He picked up the bread and chewed hard.

That was when

pain shot through his mouth again and again.

Little Naruto finally understood that all the sand mixed into the bread meant he didn't dare chew anymore.

He could only swallow it in big mouthfuls, washing each one down with stream water.

A little while later,

Little Naruto finally managed to finish the sandy bread in his hand.

Then little Naruto gazed quietly at the water, but tears slipped down his cheeks.

Little Naruto looked at his reflection in the water and asked in anguish, "Where are your mom and dad?"

As he spoke, little Naruto thought of the children who had parents.

The children at the Ramen Shop ate bowls of steaming ramen.

Their moms and dads were always beside them, taking good care of them.

Their fathers gently blew on the noodles to cool them, while their kind mothers carefully wiped the sweat from their brows.

At that moment, little Naruto could no longer bear all the hurt he had suffered.

He fell helplessly to his knees, threw back his head, and cried out, "Dad, Mom, where are you?"

"Where are you?"

Little Naruto broke down, sobbing and muttering, "Dad, I'm hungry. I'm so hungry. And Mom, it hurts all over."

"Dad, Mom, where are you?"

The child's cries of grief filled the entire forest.

Konoha's Hokage's Office.

Little Naruto's sobs and his cries for his parents

were more than Minato Namikaze could bear.

Minato Namikaze turned to Hiruzen Sarutobi and said earnestly, "Third Hokage, I think we need to take a good look at the orphans in the Slum."

"Even if the child in this broadcast isn't the Shinobi World's savior,"

"even if he's just an ordinary child from Konoha, he shouldn't have to live like this."

"Is this village so big, yet unable to make room for one orphan?"

Growing more agitated, Minato Namikaze pointed at little Naruto in the sky and said angrily, "Look at that child. He's alive."

"But the way the villagers are treating him is slowly killing him."

"He was such an innocent, cheerful child, so full of hope for the future."

"And now he's living through hell."

"Whatever his parents may have done, we must not take it out on an innocent child."

Minato Namikaze did not know what had come over him. He felt unusually restless.

His usual composure gone, he raised his voice. "He's only a child!"

Mitokado Homura hurriedly stood and interrupted him. "Fourth Hokage, please calm down. That's only one possible future. It can be changed."

"Besides, the Third Hokage may not even know about this."

Hearing Homura's words, Minato Namikaze slowly calmed down.

He quickly apologized to Hiruzen Sarutobi and the other senior officials before him. "I'm sorry. I apologize for my outburst."

Hiruzen Sarutobi raised a hand, signaling Minato to sit.

Minato Namikaze slowly sat down.

Guilt tinged Hiruzen's voice as he said, "Minato is right. Judging by what that child has been through, my future self may know about it."

Hiruzen continued, "Or perhaps there is more to this matter than we know. Either way, I will not let that child suffer like that again."

Hiruzen turned to Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura. "Homura, Koharu, have people spread the word starting tomorrow."

"Children must not be blamed for their parents' mistakes."

"And as for the orphans in the Slum, in addition to their daily meals,"

"from now on, make sure every one of them can collect a free Rice Ball each day."

"I hope everyone here will help cover the cost."

"Surely such a small expense is nothing to any of you?"

"Even if we keep it up indefinitely, I'm sure it won't cause anyone here any real loss."

Hiruzen Sarutobi quietly watched the officials before him.

He waited for their response.

The sight of little Naruto made Fugaku Uchiha think of his own son.

Hearing the boy call for his mom and dad broke Fugaku's heart.

Where are my mom and dad?

The words echoed over and over in Fugaku Uchiha's mind.

At last, Fugaku Uchiha said slowly, "The Uchiha clan supports this."

Hiashi, too, had been deeply shaken.

Hyuga Hiashi spoke quietly. "The Hyuga clan supports it as well."

Silence fell over the office again.

Hiruzen Sarutobi turned to the two other senior officials behind him.

They were also his longtime friends.

Feeling Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze on him, Homura could only agree.

Over the years, Homura and Koharu had embezzled a great deal of money.

But they had spent most of it on themselves.

Now that their old friend Hiruzen Sarutobi had made his wishes so clear, they had little choice but to accept.

Koharu and Homura reluctantly agreed to the proposal.

The Uchiha Clan Compound.

Holding Sasuke Uchiha in his arms, Itachi Uchiha thought about everything Naruto had endured.

Itachi Uchiha looked down at his little brother.

A sharp pain pulsed through Itachi Uchiha's eyes.

And without even realizing it,

Itachi awakened the One-Tomoe Sharingan.

He was only five years old and had never experienced war.

He had awakened the Sharingan three years earlier than in the original story.

Itachi Uchiha made a silent vow. I'll never let my little brother suffer like that.

Jiraiya was still on his way back to Konoha.

He watched the future savior of the Shinobi World—the Child of the Prophecy he had been searching for.

How could the boy have suffered so much at such a young age?

Remembering how the civilians in the video kept calling out to the Third Hokage, Jiraiya clenched his fists in anger.

Then Jiraiya said with a bitter laugh, "Teacher, it seems you really have grown old. Old enough to lose your judgment."

"Is a Konoha like this still Konoha?"

Elsewhere, Tsunade was also on her way back to Konoha. "Has that old man really become this confused?" she said in disappointment.

Beside her, Shizune was already in tears. "Lady Tsunade, that poor child."

Tsunade looked calmly at the Light Screen, waiting for the video to continue.

But inside, she was in turmoil. She knew why her grandfather had founded Konoha.

He had wanted to spare future generations of children the cruelty of war.

He had wanted every child to eat their fill and live a happy life.

Note, dear readers:

That's three updates today.

That's all for today, everyone.

My health has never been very good, and I have a day job that doesn't pay much.

So money is a little tight for me right now.

If you're enjoying this story, please tap the free gift button for me.

Thank you so much. —An~