Poor Little Naruto

"So all I need is the clan head's approval!"

Hayato Hyuga, who had thought there was no way forward for him, brightened again after hearing Hizashi Hyuga's words. As long as there was a way, Hayato would not despair.

"Yes. It will be difficult, but Hayato, I believe you can do it."

Hayato was like a little sun, constantly radiating positivity. Seeing him recover his spirits in a single second, Hizashi offered his heartfelt encouragement.

Once this training session ended, Hizashi also planned to give his elder brother a proper introduction to this student of his. It might not accomplish much, but at the very least, he had to get the clan head to notice Hayato.

"What? The chunin ninja exams?"

How could he catch the attention of Lord Hiashi, who had countless matters to attend to every day? By demonstrating exceptional ability, of course.

The chunin ninja exams were naturally an opportunity to prove his worth to important people. Having settled on an idea, Hayato Hyuga immediately took advantage of a mission to pull Sosuke and Madara aside and discuss it.

"But we've been a team for less than a year, and we aren't at war. Under the village's rules, genin need at least several years of experience before they can become chunin. Besides, Itachi is only eight. Our teacher won't agree, will he?"

Usually a man of few words, Sosuke promptly explained the facts to his teammate when he heard such an absurd proposal.

"I have no objections."

Unlike Sosuke, who questioned the idea, Madara Uchiha immediately voiced his approval.

Why was Hayato so eager to become a chunin? He probably wanted to prove his potential to the Main Family. Unfortunately, in Madara's judgment, even an exceptional promotion to jōnin, let alone chunin, would not change the Main Family's thinking while Hayato remained a member of the branch family.

Becoming a chunin sooner and shedding the burden of a fixed three-man team would make it easier for Madara to operate outside the village on his own. Letting Hayato discover the cruel truth sooner would also help him plant a pawn within the Hyuga Clan. This could only benefit Madara, so he had no reason to refuse.

"Oh, come on! Itachi might only be eight, but you'd have to be crazy to think his strength is that of an eight-year-old! He can take both of us on by himself. And do I even need to mention your strength? You were the best in our class! Even if I wasn't first, I was still in the top three. The longer the three of us stay genin, the greater the village's loss. Trust me, if we all ask Teacher Kazuhiko together, he'll definitely agree!"

Seeing Madara, whom he had expected to be the hardest to convince, immediately agree to his proposal, Hayato turned all his firepower on Sosuke. Under his tireless persuasion, the peace-loving Sosuke was ready to surrender. After all, from what he knew of Hayato, this fellow would not give up easily. If he refused, Hayato might pester him for the next year or two they spent as a team.

While Sosuke endured Hayato's verbal torment, Madara Uchiha stepped outside the shop in search of some peace. That was when he spotted the blond boy who had given him endless headaches in his previous life.

More than two years had passed since the Nine-Tails' Attack. Naruto Uzumaki was now over two and could walk on his own. Dressed in toddler clothes, he had wandered out onto the street. Perhaps this was his first time outside, because whenever he saw someone, his first reaction was to try to hug them. But according to the story circulating in Konoha, Naruto Uzumaki was the Demon Fox, not the Fourth Hokage's child, so everyone was desperate to avoid him.

Little two-year-old Naruto ran around the street in ill-fitting clothes. Despite his young age, he could already sense some of other people's feelings. Seeing that no one wanted to come near him, he immediately burst into tears. After crying, he tried the next person. This repeated over and over until a masked ninja appeared and roughly dragged him away.

The ANBU must have let Naruto slip out through careless supervision.

Watching the villagers' lingering expressions of disgust even after Naruto had disappeared, Madara Uchiha could not help laughing.

A two-year-old child had walked out onto the street and discovered that everyone he met hated him. Was this Konoha the paradise his father had protected, or an underworld where evil spirits gathered?

The Fourth Hokage had died for the village. These villagers who despised his child were all survivors he had saved. They should have been deeply grateful to Naruto, yet the fools in the Konoha High Command had completely ignored the rumors calling him the Demon Fox. They had stood by and watched public opinion turn a hero's son into the Demon Fox. How tragic. How laughable.

The thought that Konoha, which he and Hashirama had founded, had fallen so far that even a hero's son was reviled made Madara Uchiha laugh in sheer anger.

Thinking about it this way, Naruto Uzumaki had still been willing to protect Konoha and the shinobi world after growing up, and his dream had still been to become Hokage. Even Madara Uchiha found the boy's character somewhat terrifying. What sort of person could grow up surrounded by malice and still want to protect others?

If he could, Madara Uchiha would have taken Naruto Uzumaki home to care for him right then.

Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki—if both became his followers, then after a dozen or so years of growing under his tutelage, not just the shinobi world but the entire world would belong to Madara Uchiha.

Unfortunately, Danzo and the Third Hokage were undoubtedly keeping Naruto under strict watch. As a member of the Uchiha Clan with a Sharingan capable of controlling the Nine-Tails, he was even less likely to be allowed anywhere near Naruto. For now, Madara Uchiha could only set aside the idea of winning him over.

"What are you watching that's got even you laughing out loud?"

Not long after Naruto was taken away, while Madara Uchiha was still laughing helplessly in anger, Kazuhiko Sarutobi appeared beside him. Kazuhiko was very curious about what had made his normally unsmiling, beloved student laugh so happily.

"Just a farce. Nothing important. Anyway, Hayato has something to tell you."

By now, Hayato should have pestered Sosuke into agreeing. Madara wondered whether Sosuke found carrying out Root missions harder than listening to Hayato nag.

"The three of you want to take the Chunin Shinobi Exams?"

After hearing Hayato's idea, Kazuhiko more or less understood his true intentions. As their teacher, however, he was not particularly in favor of the three taking the Chunin Shinobi Exams right now.

For one thing, once they became chunin, they would have the right to take missions independently, making it harder for him to keep an eye on them and protect them. For another, Kazuhiko did not believe that becoming a chunin and proving his talent would let Hayato learn the Main Family's secret techniques.

"I suggest you stay together as a team for another year and take the exams then. Your abilities may be good, but no one who enters the Chunin Shinobi Exams is weak. Compared with them, you're still far short on experience."