Inside his office, the Third Hokage was reviewing documents when he clearly heard Naruto Uzumaki's panicked cries coming from the hallway outside.
Almost immediately, he put down his pen, rose, and hurried out of the office.
His brows drew together slightly as confusion and concern stirred in his heart.
What happened?
Naruto had never caused a commotion like this before.
The moment he opened the door, he saw Naruto standing in the hallway like a startled fawn, his little face pale and his blue eyes brimming with panic and helplessness.
As soon as Naruto saw him, he seemed to have found his only source of support. With a loud wail, he threw himself forward and hugged the Third Hokage's leg, his small body still trembling.
"Grandpa Third, it's so scary!"
Naruto buried his face in the Third Hokage's Hokage Robe, his voice choked and shaking, perfectly portraying a child's reaction to an unknown terror.
After hearing Naruto tearfully stammer, "I suddenly started sensing lots of people around me... lots of really bad, nasty feelings came rushing at me," and, "My head keeps buzzing. It hurts so much. It's so scary."
The Third Hokage's expression abruptly hardened, his earlier warmth and kindness instantly replaced by solemn concern.
Naturally, he immediately thought of the ability closely associated with the Uzumaki Clan-the Mind's Eye of the Kagura!
Its precise sensing over an enormous range, particularly its keen perception of malice, was remarkably similar to the symptoms Naruto had described!
Had Naruto... awakened his mother's clan's Mind's Eye of the Kagura on his own at such a young age?
The thought flashed through the Third Hokage's mind like lightning.
This was no small matter!
Without the slightest hesitation, the Third Hokage took Naruto by the hand and led him into the Hokage's Office.
He then addressed the ANBU waiting outside the door, issuing an order in a low, authoritative voice that brooked no argument:
"Pass down my orders. Everything that just happened here is to be classified as top secret! Anyone with knowledge of this incident is strictly forbidden from revealing it. Any violation will be treated as treason against the village!"
"Yes, sir!"
Although the Third Hokage could not use the Mind's Eye of the Kagura himself, he possessed extensive knowledge and an understanding of the Uzumaki Clan's abilities.
After listening to Naruto's terrified yet precise account of what it felt like to be surrounded by malice, he was already quite certain.
This was undoubtedly the awakening of the Uzumaki Clan's signature Mind's Eye of the Kagura.
Looking into Naruto's still-frightened blue eyes, then recalling the isolation and rejection the boy had suffered in the village-the hardships he knew all too well but could not completely resolve-the Third Hokage could not help sighing inwardly.
He crouched down and rested both hands on Naruto's small shoulders. His eyes held kindness and a heavy helplessness as he spoke as gently as he could. "Naruto, good boy, don't be afraid. Listen to Grandpa. Actually... the 'malice' you sensed wasn't directed at you personally."
He paused briefly, as though weighing his words. After a long hesitation, he looked at Naruto's frightened expression and began telling a partially altered version of the story. "Many years ago, a huge Nine-Tailed Demon Fox came to the village and wreaked havoc. It caused tremendous destruction, and many villagers lost their loved ones.
"You had only just been born then."
The Third Hokage's voice carried the pain of remembrance. "Because you came from the Uzumaki Clan, which excels at Sealing Jutsu, you had a special bloodline. With no other choice, I made the decision to seal that Nine-Tailed Demon Fox inside you to protect the village."
He packaged a crushing burden as a heroic act born of necessity.
"The villagers... it's their fear of the Nine-Tails inside you that makes you sense those unpleasant emotions. And this ability that now lets you sense them should be the Mind's Eye of the Kagura, passed down through generations of your Uzumaki Clan, beginning to awaken."
The Third Hokage did not choose to tell Naruto the truth-that the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, was his father-at that moment.
Not only that, he deftly reassigned responsibility for the momentous decision to seal the Nine-Tails inside Naruto from Minato Namikaze to himself, taking on a responsibility that might invite resentment.
He did, however, reveal that Naruto had the Uzumaki Clan's bloodline, for a very simple reason.
Naruto's name was Naruto Uzumaki, and the Uzumaki Clan's skill in Sealing Jutsu was common knowledge.
His reasoning was clear: he hoped to wait until Naruto was older and more mature, with a deeper understanding and acceptance of the village and the will of fire, before he or another suitable person told him the truth.
By then, Naruto would have grown into a steadfast ninja. Once he understood that his father was a hero who had sacrificed himself to protect the village, perhaps he would not resent Minato and might even see him as a role model.
Naruto was an understanding child. Under the Third Hokage's observation and guidance, he had indeed shown resilience and understanding far beyond those of his peers.
More importantly, he possessed a strong will of fire, admired the Hokage, and sincerely wanted to protect the village.
To the Third Hokage, a Naruto like that would be able to accept this heavy truth and turn it into motivation.
Watching Naruto standing before him, frightened by the awakening of the Mind's Eye of the Kagura, the Third Hokage had another thought.
Since Naruto had awakened the Uzumaki Clan's bloodline ability, perhaps he also possessed an astonishing talent for Sealing Jutsu?
The idea was not unfounded.
After all, Naruto's parents-Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki-had both been outstanding practitioners of Sealing Jutsu.
As their child, Naruto could very well have inherited that talent.
Studying Sealing Jutsu systematically could help him better control the Mind's Eye of the Kagura, and the scroll also contained the Adamantine Sealing Chains.
Teaching Naruto Sealing Jutsu might prove crucial to reinforcing the seal on the Nine-Tails inside him in the future.
"So... I'm... I'm a vessel with that Nine-Tailed Demon Fox sealed inside me, right?"
Naruto quietly repeated that cruel definition of himself, his voice growing softer and softer as his head drooped. His spirits plummeted, as though the truth had crushed the breath out of him.
The Third Hokage's heart tightened. He was just about to comfort him with something like, "You're a hero of the village, too."
But before he could speak, Naruto abruptly raised his head. Though tears still glistened at the corners of his eyes, his little face held an unprecedented resolve.
His usually clear blue eyes now burned with a light that mingled determination and devotion.
"That's great!"
Naruto forcefully wiped his eyes. Though his voice was choked with tears, it rang out unusually loudly. "If... if I can keep the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox sealed away forever, then the people in the village won't ever be hurt by the Demon Fox again! Everyone... everyone will be able to keep living safely!"
He stepped forward and gripped the sleeve of the Third Hokage's Hokage Robe, pleading in a tearful yet utterly earnest voice. "Grandpa Third! I want to learn Sealing Jutsu. Really, really powerful Sealing Jutsu!
"To strengthen the seal on the Demon Fox inside me!
"That way... at least until I die, that Demon Fox will never get out and cause trouble again! Please, Grandpa Third!"
That completely unexpected declaration, filled with a spirit of sacrifice and devotion, struck the Third Hokage's heart like a heavy hammer.
Naruto...
He truly was a good boy!
Guy, I had seen your talent for teaching students!
The Naruto you had raised was truly a perfect inheritor of the will of fire!