Announcing Naruto's Identity as the Child of a Hero

As Naruto finished his introduction, quite a few people began asking the question everyone cared about most.

"Um..."

"Uzumaki Naruto, is your father really the Fourth Hokage?"

At that moment, everyone's gazes converged on Naruto once again, hoping to hear a definite answer from him.

Hearing the question, Naruto froze for a moment.

How was he supposed to answer that?

He knew about his own background, but how could he possibly reveal something like that himself?

If he admitted it today, the Third Hokage would come looking for him tomorrow and ask how exactly he knew.

If he told the truth, he would definitely have to make up lie after lie to cover it up afterward.

He was still weak. If he said the wrong thing, it would be easy for something to go wrong.

Once he became strong enough... there would naturally be jonin to argue his case.

"I don't know who this Fourth Hokage you're talking about is."

"I lost my parents when I was little..."

"And I spent every day without enough food or warm clothes."

Naturally, Naruto did not admit that he was the Fourth Hokage's son. The moment he opened his mouth, he began recounting his miserable past.

For a brief moment, Naruto felt like he was standing on The Voice's Sob Story Stage.

Still, what he said was true.

That was the original Naruto's background, after all...

Watching through the Crystal Ball, the Third Hokage's head started throbbing.

What nerve did this kid have to say he didn't have enough food or warm clothes...?

Although the allowance he gave Naruto had indeed been a little low, that was because he had taken the boy's strange Kekkei Genkai into consideration.

When he had visited Naruto's home before, he had found that the ingredients in the boy's refrigerator outnumbered the food in his own house.

And just look at how tall the boy was...

What underfed, poorly clothed child grew taller than other children their age?

The Third Hokage truly could not bear to watch any longer. If he kept watching, he was afraid this child might one day anger him to death in the Hokage Office.

In the classroom, every student teared up upon hearing Naruto's words.

Even Iruka's eyes had reddened.

"Naruto! It's okay! Even if you aren't the Fourth Hokage's son, we'll still recognize you as our friend!"

"No! Maybe he really is the Fourth Hokage's son, and Naruto just doesn't know it!"

"Naruto, I brought a lunchbox today. You can eat mine at noon."

The students all expressed sympathy for Naruto and planned to do something to help their classmate with such a tragic background.

Sasuke sat in his seat, his expression extremely strange after listening to everything.

Because...

When he had fought Naruto earlier... he had seen the guy's breakfast, and it had been full of fish and meat.

It had made even him, the young master of the Uchiha Clan, feel envious.

What kind of "not enough food or warm clothes" was that!?

"I'm not saying this to make everyone pity me..."

"I just want to tell everyone that no matter what others say about me..."

"I am Uzumaki Naruto!"

Everyone who heard Naruto's declaration was stunned.

In the Hokage Office, the Third Hokage was also stunned when he heard Naruto's words.

At that moment, he seemed to see the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze.

The Third Hokage walked to the window and stared blankly at Hokage Rock for a long time.

"This child really is so much like you... Minato."

Since everyone had already guessed the child's identity...

He might as well publicly reveal Naruto's circumstances.

Besides, judging by Naruto's current state, the identity of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox would not affect him at all.

The Third Hokage then summoned the Anbu and arranged for the matter to be handled.

As for Naruto in the classroom...

He no longer looked anything like he had during his introduction. He was sprawled across his desk like a salted fish, looking remarkably similar to Shikamaru not far away.

The entire morning's classes were about ninja theory. Naruto did not want to study, so he lay on his desk and slept through the whole morning.

When school let out at noon, he found an empty corner, opened a portal, went home for lunch, then in the afternoon could not resist running to Riverside Grove to start punching trees.

There was no helping it. Punching trees had already become a habit. If he went a day without doing it, his whole body felt uncomfortable.

In the classroom, Hinata noticed that it was already the final class of the afternoon, yet the seat beside her was still empty. She could not help feeling somewhat disappointed.

Iruka also noticed that Naruto had skipped class. Since he knew Naruto's true identity, he followed the principle of avoiding unnecessary trouble.

After all, how could he possibly manage Konoha's second-generation Hokage?

Just looking at the Third Hokage's headache whenever Naruto was mentioned made that clear enough.

The Third Hokage also discovered that Naruto had skipped class...

This child was truly giving him a splitting headache. He had thought that once Naruto started school, his previous life of being alone might change somewhat.

Yet the child still did whatever he pleased.

Most importantly...

The kid had run off to punch trees by the river again!!

Watching Naruto train by the river, the Third Hokage felt his blood pressure rise again. He hurriedly took out the medicine bottle from his drawer, only to discover that he had unknowingly already finished all the pills inside.

At the same time, the Hokage Building officially announced to the public that Uzumaki Naruto was the Fourth Hokage's son.

The instant the announcement was posted, Konoha's villagers immediately gathered around the notice board outside the Hokage Building.

Kakashi stood outside the crowd and looked from afar at the smiling photograph of the Fourth Hokage on the notice, his entire being sinking into memories.