Prologue

The sky was black, and so was the world.

"Little Naruto, the orphanage has closed down. From now on, you'll have to live on your own."

Hiruzen Sarutobi was not wearing his Hokage hat, only a white robe, as he gently stroked little Naruto's golden hair.

Little Naruto, who was only three, did not really understand what that meant. All he knew was that his friends at the orphanage had disappeared lately, and now his Grandpa Director was leaving him too.

"No, no! I don't want to leave Grandpa Director."

A thin mist welled up in little Naruto's blue eyes, as though his tears were about to fall.

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at little Naruto before him, as though seeing that man's figure through him.

"Minato..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi murmured softly, but he immediately came back to himself and picked little Naruto up.

"Little Naruto, you need to learn to live independently. That's what makes you a real man."

"It's just like the Will of Fire. Every new leaf must eventually leave the protection of the mature leaves and face the wind and rain alone. Only then can it grow."

Familiar words spilled from Hiruzen Sarutobi's mouth. These were words he often used to hoodwink little Naruto.

On the one hand, this helped make little Naruto obedient; on the other, it helped instill the right outlook on life, values, and the world in him.

Little Naruto stopped himself from crying, turned his head away, and wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes with his sleeve.

"But... I don't want to leave you, Grandpa Director."

The sincere, innocent reluctance and attachment in those blue eyes stirred the Third's heart.

Still, he hardened his heart. As someone who had lived through wartime, he believed children had to be able to survive on their own and withstand enough pressure.

Especially a Jinchūriki.

"It's all right, little Naruto. Grandpa Director will come visit you regularly, and I'll bring your monthly allowance too."

Hiruzen Sarutobi blinked, the wrinkles on his face bunching together as his smile bloomed like a chrysanthemum.

Little Naruto could only murmur his assent, then hug the Third's leg.

Ouch, how was little Naruto so strong?

Naruto's hug made the Third's leg hurt a little, but he was the strongest Hokage in history, after all. How could he possibly cry out because a three-year-old child hugged his leg?

Still, he probably inherited that from Kushina.

A figure with long, fiery red hair flashed through the Third's mind.

But if Kushina knew about the choice I was making now, she might just break this old back of mine.

The Third gave a self-deprecating smile, then picked little Naruto up.

"Little Naruto, make sure you take good care of yourself from now on."

After setting little Naruto down, the Third clapped his hands. An ANBU member with long purple hair and a white mask bearing a red mark at the top jumped out.

"Lord Third."

She stood straight and lowered her head, waiting for the Third's instructions.

"Hare, take little Naruto to that apartment."

The Third nudged Naruto in front of the ANBU member, signaling for her to take little Naruto to the apartment the village had arranged for him.

"Yes!"

The ANBU member nodded, then left the orphanage with a timid, shrinking Naruto in tow.

The Third watched Naruto's receding figure, as though seeing the Yellow Flash of years past in his retreating back. The slight ache in his calf reminded him of that figure with long red hair again.

Ah, little Naruto, grow up soon. Konoha needs your generation of new leaves.

It was now year 51 of Konoha. Three years had passed since the Nine-Tails' Attack, but in fact, it had only been about three years since the end of the Third Shinobi World War as well.

With the Fourth Hokage gone and the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki having lost control, the other villages were eyeing Konoha like hungry predators.

And among his most prized students, Orochimaru had defected after conducting human experiments, Tsunade had grown despondent over the deaths of her younger brother and lover and left Konoha, and Jiraiya was away searching for the Child of Prophecy and gathering material.

Konoha had few top-level fighters left now and mainly relied on the fighting strength of its various shinobi clans to hold things together.

The Third sighed, turned, and walked toward the Hokage Building.

Meanwhile, under the ANBU member's guidance, little Naruto arrived at the apartment where he would be living from now on.

After bringing little Naruto there, Hare briefly explained how to use the things in the apartment and where to buy food, then disappeared.

"Ah, why would Lord Third make the little Jinchūriki live alone so early?"

Hare stood in a tree outside the apartment, watching little Naruto open the refrigerator by himself, rummage for food, and then sit there, at a loss.

"We just need to focus on completing our mission."

Another ANBU member spoke coldly.

Uzuki Yugao watched helplessly as little Naruto started crying again, feeling deeply uncomfortable herself.

As little Naruto looked at the empty room, sorrow welled up in his heart, while chakra inexplicably emerged inside his body.

But he was in no mood to pay attention to it now and simply stared blankly at the ceiling.

Why don't I have a mom?

Why don't I have a dad?

Why doesn't Grandpa Director want me anymore either?

Somewhere no one knew about, wisps of scarlet chakra slowly seeped out through the sealed gate.

But there was very little, and it had no effect on Naruto.

"Heh heh heh, Fourth Hokage, take a look at your child."

"I can already imagine how wonderful things will be once I break the Sealing Technique."

"Heh heh heh!"

Inside Naruto's Sealing Space, the Nine-Tails laughed wildly and freely.

He laughed at the foolish Fourth Hokage for cutting him in half and sealing him inside his son's body.

He laughed at how Kushina could never have imagined that her child would have to live independently at the age of three.

How absurd. Just what you would expect from humans.

Old Sage of Six Paths, are these the humans you told us to get along with?

Seeing that little Naruto had recovered and that the path through which he had been slowly leaking chakra had been cut off, the Nine-Tails simply closed his eyes and waited for the next opportunity.

However, a figure sleeping in the Pure Land sensed a summons and slowly drifted from the Pure Land toward Naruto.