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"After all, I'm nothing more than a dead relic of the past. Since it's for the needs of the village, I won't overthink it. By the way, has Lady Tsunade already become the Fifth Hokage? Could you tell me what's happened in the village since I died? And what about Naruto?" Minato was desperate to know his son Naruto's situation.
How should I even begin to say this? Kakashi hesitated for a moment, then could only look to Kazuki for help. Minato couldn't help but grow suspicious. Was even such basic information being withheld from me? Or had something... happened to Naruto? Minato's heart plummeted straight into an abyss. Kazuki tilted his head, signaling Kakashi to step aside and not interrupt. Kakashi obediently moved to the side.
"Only now do you remember you have a son? Where was this concern earlier?" Kazuki stepped forward and metaphorically clubbed Minato over the head.
"So Naruto, he..." Minato's eyes held a trace of pleading, hoping Kazuki would tell him everything about Naruto. This was deeply important to him.
"Rest assured, he's not dead."
"Whew... that's good, then..."
"He just lived a life worse than death. 'A living death' would be an apt description."
"..." Minato, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, froze completely. He was overjoyed that Naruto wasn't dead, but Kazuki's following words chilled his heart to ice. Living a life worse than death? A living death?
"That can't be... it can't be. I entrusted him to Lord Third. He would look after Naruto. Surely he wouldn't..." Minato's words became incoherent, and he nearly shut down entirely.
"It was precisely because of him that Naruto lived such a life," Kazuki said, spreading his hands and shattering Minato's delusion. But Kazuki still gave him a reassuring pill first. "Relax. Naruto is fine now. That miserable existence was only when he was a child. Currently, Naruto is doing very well."
"That's... that's good, then." Minato didn't know how to describe his current emotional state. It was like riding a roller coaster, plunging and soaring without warning. "Um..." Minato smiled a bit sheepishly. "Could you... tell me a little more about Naruto?"
"When you chose to die with your wife, did you not think about your son's future life?" Kazuki countered.
On the night of the Nine-Tails attack, the situation had been perilous. Kushina's life was rapidly fading, and half of the Nine-Tails' chakra had already been sealed within Naruto. Minato had the opportunity to seal the remaining half of the Nine-Tails inside himself. But Kushina was already dying, and at that moment, Minato's heart had turned to ash. Added to the fact that the Dead Demon Consuming Seal required a sacrifice, he didn't dare take the risk. So he had chosen death, sealing the Yin half of the Nine-Tails along with him. Had he hesitated even slightly at that moment, things could have turned out differently.
Everyone present stared wide-eyed. In their understanding, the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, had sacrificed himself to seal the Nine-Tails. Yet from Kazuki's mouth, it had become a case of dying alongside his wife in a lover's suicide. His wife died, and he no longer wished to live, so he simply and decisively chose mutual destruction. What a colossal bombshell of gossip this was.
Forget it. I'll stop tormenting you, Kazuki thought, and began to recount Naruto's story. "After your death, the Third Hokage indeed took on the responsibility of caring for Naruto. However, he concealed Naruto's true identity. Everyone treated Naruto as just another war orphan." This was very much in line with the Third Hokage's cautious nature. After all, Naruto's identity was exceptionally sensitive, so...
The faint glimmer of gratitude that had just begun to rise in Minato's heart was immediately and ruthlessly punctured by Kazuki. "And the village's Hokage Advisor, Shimura Danzo, believed that Naruto should be controlled, given that he was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. The Third Hokage refused. Danzo then turned around and leaked the information about Naruto, guiding the villagers to target him. He made sure everyone knew Naruto was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, a fox demon, the chief culprit responsible for the village's devastating losses. Just like the methods used against Sakumo Hatake back then – manipulating public opinion to steer the narrative."
"..."
"Faced with Danzo's actions, the Third Hokage showed no inclination to stop him. They merely exchanged a few perfunctory, meaningless arguments, and then the matter was dropped entirely. From the age of three, Naruto was forced to survive amidst countless cold glares and targeted hostility. He couldn't even buy food with money. He could only subsist on expired milk and instant noodles. And even those things he had to snatch by banging on doors in the middle of the night; otherwise, he would go hungry. As for Naruto's true identity – no one ever mentioned it. The villagers simply redirected all their hatred onto him."
"..." Kakashi watched his teacher clench his fists and lower his head. He opened his mouth to offer some comfort, only to find himself utterly speechless. Because he, too, had been one of those foolish people, and also one of the victims.
After all, Kazuki had just mentioned his father, Sakumo Hatake. Manipulating public opinion – just like how they targeted Sakumo Hatake?! Minato was seized by the overwhelming urge to charge out and personally kill Danzo. That vile trash. Truly a piece of filth. And the Third Hokage was no better!
It was blatant, deliberate negligence. To be this negligent over something like this – targeting a three-year-old child?! Had I not rendered enough meritorious service to the village?! Could the village not find room to accommodate my son?!
"Naruto was very lonely, very isolated. He desperately wished for a warm home, for family to keep him company. Being fundamentally kind-hearted, the only way he could think to attract attention was to constantly cause mischief and vandalism. Unfortunately, his actions only made more people detest him, despise him, and target him. There was a time when Naruto had to catch fish from the river just to avoid starving. Regarding Naruto's behavior, the Third Hokage offered no proper guidance, nor even any form of discipline. As a result, Naruto grew increasingly wild and unruly. Most importantly, while Jiraiya was traveling the world searching for traces of Orochimaru, the Third Hokage continuously assured him that Naruto was living a perfectly fine life."
"..." The truth is always more painful than lies.
"And... what happened after that?" Minato's voice had grown hoarse. With his head still lowered, the expression on his face remained hidden. But anyone with half a brain could tell that Minato was in a state primed to erupt at any moment.
"Afterward, Jiraiya returned to the village. Upon discovering Naruto's true circumstances, he was filled with regret. He remained in the village to educate Naruto. He wanted to take Naruto away, but the Third Hokage refused to permit it. I remember at the time, Naruto cried very bitterly, yet he was also very happy. Because he finally had family – he had Grandpa Jiraiya. Even if this grandpa was utterly unreliable, a complete pervert. Of course, the boy Naruto wasn't exactly a model child either. He was practically cast from the same mold as Jiraiya. As for me, back then, because I belonged to the Uchiha faction, I was severely warned for merely approaching Naruto unintentionally."
'Lord Advisor, that's all in the past. Could you please not bring these things up?' Shisui, standing behind Kazuki, desperately wanted to dig a hole and burrow into it. Beside him, Itachi deliberately stared at Shisui for several seconds, causing Shisui to turn and glare back at him furiously. Don't act like you don't have your own dark history! You're no better than me, little brother. Watch out, or your big bro here might just start exposing your old secrets.