Minato's Anger

Little Naruto struggled to his feet.

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

He sobbed as though his heart would break.

Blood still spilled from the corner of his mouth.

Little Naruto kept running, pushing himself forward with all his might.

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

Little Naruto ran and ran.

He had no idea how long he had been running.

At last, he reached a quiet, deserted forest.

Clutching the stomach the bakery owner had kicked, little Naruto stumbled forward in pain.

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

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

His reflection showed a skinny, frail boy covered in dirt.

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

Then he cupped clear stream water in his small hands.

Carefully, he washed the dirt from his face.

When he was done,

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

But no matter how hard he tried, sand and dust remained embedded in it.

His stomach growled again and again.

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

He could worry about nothing else. He raised the bread and chewed hard.

That was when

pain shot through his mouth.

Little Naruto understood: there was so much sand in the bread that he could not bear to chew it anymore.

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

A little while later,

little Naruto finally managed to finish the sandy bread.

He stared quietly at the water, but tears slipped down his cheeks.

Looking at his reflection, little Naruto asked in anguish, "Where are your mom and dad?"

As he spoke, he remembered the children who had parents.

At the Ramen Shop, those children ate steaming bowls of ramen.

Their mothers and fathers were always beside them, caring for them.

Fathers gently blew on the noodles to cool them, while kind mothers carefully wiped the sweat from their children's faces.

Little Naruto could no longer bear all the hurt he had suffered.

He dropped 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 to himself, "Dad, I'm hungry. I'm so hungry. Mom, I hurt all over."

"Dad, Mom, where are you?"

The child's anguished cries filled the forest.

Hokage's Office, Konoha.

Little Naruto's sobs and his cries for his parents

were more than Minato Namikaze could bear.

Minato looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi and said earnestly, "Third, I think we need to take a close look at the orphans in the Slum."

"Even if the child we're seeing isn't the Shinobi World's savior,"

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

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

Growing more agitated, Minato pointed up at little Naruto and said furiously, "Look at that child. He's alive."

"But the way the villagers treat him is slowly driving him toward death."

"He's such an innocent, cheerful child. He began with so much hope for the future."

"And now he's living through hell."

"No matter what his parents might have done, we must not punish an innocent child for it."

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

Losing his usual composure, he raised his voice. "He's just a child!"

Mitokado Homura quickly stood and interrupted him. "Fourth Hokage, please calm down. This is only the future. It can be changed."

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

Hearing Homura's words, Minato gradually calmed down.

He hurriedly apologized to Hiruzen and the other leaders. "I'm sorry. I apologize for losing my temper."

Hiruzen raised a hand, signaling for Minato to sit.

Minato slowly sat down.

Hiruzen spoke, shame in his voice. "Minato is right. Judging by what that child has endured, my future self may well know about it."

He continued, "Perhaps there are serious circumstances behind it. But this time, I will not let that child suffer like that again."

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

"Children must not be held responsible for their parents' mistakes."

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

"from now on, make sure each of them can collect one free rice ball every day."

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

"Of course, I trust 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 any real loss."

Hiruzen quietly watched the leaders before him,

waiting for their response.

Seeing what little Naruto had endured, Fugaku Uchiha thought of his own son.

The child's repeated cries for his father and mother tore at Fugaku's heart.

Where are my dad and mom?

The words echoed endlessly in Fugaku's mind.

At last, he said slowly, "The Uchiha support this."

Hiashi, too, had been deeply shaken.

Hyuga Hiashi spoke slowly. "The Hyuga support it as well."

The office fell silent again.

Hiruzen turned toward the other two leaders behind him:

his two old friends.

Under Hiruzen's gaze, Homura had little choice but to agree.

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

But they had squandered most of it themselves.

Now that their old friend Hiruzen had made his wishes so clear, they could only reluctantly agree.

Both Koharu and Homura accepted the request.

Uchiha Clan Compound.

Itachi Uchiha held Sasuke Uchiha in his arms, still thinking about what Naruto had endured.

He looked down at his little brother.

A sharp pain pulsed through Itachi's eyes.

Without Itachi himself realizing it,

his One-Tomoe Sharingan awakened.

Itachi was only five years old, and he had never experienced war.

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

Itachi swore to himself, I will never let my brother suffer like that.

Jiraiya was still hurrying back to Konoha.

He watched the future savior of the Shinobi World, the Child of the Prophecy he had been seeking.

How could someone so young have suffered so much?

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

Then he said bitterly, "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 lost his judgment so badly?" she said in disappointment.

Beside her, Shizune was already weeping uncontrollably. "Lady Tsunade, that poor child."

Tsunade gazed steadily at the Light Screen, waiting for the video to continue.

But her thoughts were in turmoil. She knew why her grandfather had founded Konoha.

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

He had wanted every child to eat their fill and live happily.

Note: Dear readers,

there were three updates today.

That's all for today, everyone.

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

So money is rather tight for me right now.

If you enjoy this story, please consider sending a free gift.

Many thanks: An~