"These two really are..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi held his pipe between his lips and exhaled a puff of smoke. A clear crystal ball sat before him, displaying two figures.
Shihōin Naraku and Kakashi Hatake.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was observing their movements through the Telescope Technique. He had often used this Ninjutsu to monitor all of Konoha in the past.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had originally made Naraku and Kakashi Naruto's temporary bodyguards to assess their performance and decide which of them would ultimately become Naruto's supervising teacher, as well as a Hokage candidate.
But now that he looked, neither of them was reliable.
Naraku leaned against the tree trunk, looking so bored that he clearly wasn't taking the mission seriously at all.
Kakashi was even worse. His mind had long since wandered off somewhere. Others might not have noticed, but Hiruzen Sarutobi understood what was on his mind at a glance.
At that moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi was inclined to eliminate both of them.
"Never mind Naraku not taking it seriously, but Kakashi's problem..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi set his pipe aside, looking troubled. After all these years, Kakashi Hatake still hadn't moved on from his past. That was a major problem.
Even without the matter of being a Hokage candidate, Kakashi's current mindset actually made him unfit to be a Jonin.
"Ah, they each have their strengths and weaknesses. I'll keep watching..."
Shihōin Naraku and Kakashi Hatake were both concealed among the tree's dense branches and leaves, completely invisible from outside.
Leaning against the trunk, Naraku occasionally glanced at Naruto, who was dozing in the school corridor, while random thoughts wandered through his mind.
But then he was left utterly speechless. Kakashi Hatake was still trapped in his gloomy mood and hadn't emerged from it yet.
"Enough already."
"Hey, Kakashi!"
Naraku lightly stepped on the tree trunk beneath his feet. The slight shaking finally startled Kakashi out of his thoughts.
"I know what happened back then hit you hard, but it's been so many years, and you still haven't recovered. You really can't keep going like this!"
Kakashi looked at Naraku's serious expression. He knew he couldn't keep immersing himself in memories of the past, but this wasn't something he could change through willpower.
"All right, enough brooding. Classes at the Ninja Academy are already over."
Naraku and Kakashi watched as the Ninja Academy's dismissal bell rang and the children left school, laughing, running, and playing.
It was a lively, entertaining scene.
The adults waiting at the Ninja Academy's entrance picked up their children one after another, but most deliberately avoided the area where Naruto Uzumaki stood. They spoke cruelly, teaching their children not to play with Naruto.
The Ninja Academy gradually quieted down. Naruto Uzumaki watched the adults take their children away one by one, and could only set off alone on the road home.
Watching that solitary figure beneath the setting sun, Naraku frowned slightly and followed with Kakashi.
"Gulp..."
Looking at the steaming, fragrant street stall, Naruto Uzumaki involuntarily swallowed. Then he reached into his pocket, and the jingling of a few coins made him abandon the idea.
"Forget it. I don't like that stuff anyway. I've got lots of instant noodles at home. I like instant noodles."
As though trying to convince himself, Naruto Uzumaki struggled to turn his gaze away, but the drool about to drip from the corner of his mouth betrayed him.
But the stall owner soon spotted him. A look full of disgust and rejection fell on Naruto Uzumaki, making his expression dim. He immediately turned and ran away.
"He should have money."
Shihōin Naraku and Kakashi Hatake stood in front of the food stall.
Kakashi Hatake had of course seen what had just happened, but he was somewhat puzzled. The village certainly provided Naruto Uzumaki with living expenses.
"Didn't you see the stall owner's expression? Besides, he probably doesn't have any money right now."
"No money?"
Kakashi Hatake was a little confused, but he realized the answer without Naraku having to remind him.
Indeed, Konoha gave Naruto Uzumaki a monthly allowance. Even setting aside his other identities, no one would dare embezzle that money simply because he was the Fourth Hokage's orphaned son.
Besides, the person who delivered Naruto Uzumaki's allowance was Hiruzen Sarutobi. He visited Naruto Uzumaki at the beginning of every month and handed him the money.
But the problem was, how old was Naruto Uzumaki? He knew nothing about spending money or saving it!
Soon after receiving his allowance, he would spend it down to just a few coins. That was how an ordinary child behaved.
However, as Naruto Uzumaki grew up and became a Ninja in the future, he did start managing to save money, until Jiraiya swindled it out of him and went drinking.
Naruto Uzumaki ran home, finished a simple meal of instant noodles, and slipped straight back out rather than staying home.
Because that home was far too quiet and empty. Staying there made Naruto Uzumaki feel lonely. Only outside could he feel that there were other people in this world, even if those people often looked at him with hatred, disgust, and rejection.
"Click..."
Shihōin Naraku and Kakashi Hatake pushed open the door and entered Naruto Uzumaki's messy home.
Clutter piled everywhere, unmade bedding, and freshly eaten instant noodles with only the broth left...
The chaotic sight before their eyes was Naruto Uzumaki's home.
"A little outrageous, but he's only just turned twelve. It's understandable."
Naraku surveyed the room. He had to admit that although the home wasn't large, its household amenities could just about be considered adequate. After all, it even had a refrigerator.
Kakashi silently looked around, then stepped inside. He casually picked up the freshly emptied milk bottle on the table and spotted the problem at a glance.
"What's wrong?"
"This milk has expired..."
Naraku froze, then recalled that he seemed to have seen this scene somewhere before.
"The Third Hokage has gone a little too far." Naraku opened the refrigerator and looked at the milk filling it. "Naruto Uzumaki shouldn't be living like this."
"That's because Naruto Uzumaki's identity is very important!" The Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi appeared, smoking his pipe, and slowly walked into the room. "Nothing can be allowed to go wrong with the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki!"
Shihōin Naraku looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi with clear disagreement and pointed at the state of the room. "Besides being the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Naruto Uzumaki is also the Fourth Hokage's son. The child of someone who sacrificed himself for the village shouldn't have to suffer like this."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression gradually grew solemn, and he said nothing more.
The three fell silent.
To be honest, Shihōin Naraku truly couldn't understand how everyone in the Shinobi World viewed the Tailed Beast Jinchūriki.
They clearly treated them as weapons, yet wouldn't treat them a little better, instead allowing the Tailed Beast Jinchūriki to suffer bullying, disgust, and rejection. It was simply unimaginable.
They were already dangerous, yet people kept recklessly provoking the Tailed Beast Jinchūriki, as though afraid this super nuclear bomb wouldn't explode.
As far as Shihōin Naraku was concerned, a Tailed Beast Jinchūriki going berserk was a perfectly normal response. After all, with everyone treating them like that, it would be strange if they could remain stable.
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