From a realistic standpoint, it's hard not to think the Third Hokage deliberately turned a blind eye. It's even hard to say whether the village's prevailing attitude wasn't something he helped along.
In fact, he was quite successful, because once the villagers isolated Naruto, the Third just had to show him a little kindness to make Naruto grateful to tears and utterly devoted to serving him.
Of course, this was only one of Gusion's darker suspicions. It was possible, but not very likely—after all, operating like this carries risks.
Luckily, Naruto was born with an optimistic nature; otherwise, he might have become another Gaara, and that would definitely not be a controllable, good jinchuriki.
At this moment, being called by name made Naruto very excited. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto. Big brother, are you a Konoha ninja?"
The reason Naruto asked was because he had never seen the man before and wasn't sure if he was from Konoha or an outsider.
He secretly hoped the answer would be yes, because that would mean the other person was from the same village and, more importantly, wasn't rejecting him.
"Sort of. I just haven't been back for a long time."
Gusion said with a smile. He wasn't exactly lying; his cover identity was originally that he was from Konoha.
"Wow, then big brother must be a really strong ninja! I'm going to become a powerful ninja too and become Hokage. That's my dream!"
Naruto's face was lit by a radiant smile, not at all like someone who'd been bullied just that afternoon.
"Hokage? Why do you want to become Hokage?"
Gusion was curious what young Naruto thought.
Naruto tilted his small face up, looking troubled. He thought for a long time before arriving at a conclusion. "Because the Hokage is cool—the strongest person in the village. If I can become Hokage, then everyone will definitely acknowledge me, right? That way I won't…"
He stopped and didn't go on, sneaking a cautious glance at Gusion.
He didn't really understand why everyone in the village disliked him so much, but it seemed this big brother didn't know he was hated. He didn't want to say it out loud.
"Won't what?"
Gusion asked in a calm voice.
"The people in the village don't seem to like me. I don't want to be hated and all alone," Naruto muttered, hemming and hawing.
Looking at Naruto's small, lonely figure, Gusion sighed. "So becoming Hokage is simply the means to your end. It's not that you want to sit in Konoha's seat of highest authority; you just want your companions' recognition, right?"
Naruto had been hanging his head, but when he heard Gusion's words his eyes brightened—and also stung a little.
Yes. He actually didn't know what a Hokage does at all. He only saw how the villagers respected the old man Hokage, how everyone liked him. If he became Hokage, maybe he'd be loved too?
But big brother was right: he couldn't really imagine what the Hokage truly was. He just wanted to be recognized. He just wanted friends.
He thought about how every day he walked the streets alone, about the villagers' cold stares. Whenever he spoke up, the adults avoided him as if he were a plague, their shifty, evasive looks making him feel awful.
So he pulled pranks. Even being scolded was fine—anything was better than their cold indifference. He wanted someone to talk to him.
"But if I don't become Hokage, how am I supposed to be acknowledged?"
Naruto asked in confusion.
"Naruto, you've got it backwards. It's not that people acknowledge you because you become Hokage. It's that those who are acknowledged become Hokage."
Gusion added, "Besides, who says you have to become Hokage to make friends?"
"But… no one wants to be my friend. Everyone ignores me."
Naruto's voice was aggrieved, his eyes already moist.
"Naruto, do you think you did something wrong?"
Gusion had originally just been curious about young Naruto and came by to have a look, to pass the time before meeting Itachi. But now he had changed his mind.
"I… I pull a lot of pranks… I… I don't know."
As Naruto spoke, his eyes grew more and more vacant. From the time he could remember, the villagers treated him with cold indifference. But had he really done anything to make the entire village hate him?
"Naruto, you can't think of anything you did that would make the whole village resent you, can you?"
Gusion's voice was like a devil's whisper. He had already sensed the Anbu and the Third's gaze, but he chatted with Naruto without any concern.
They weren't talking loudly. The Third could see the scene but not hear the words. At most, he might find it odd that someone was willing to talk to Naruto.
As long as Gusion didn't try to abduct Naruto, the Nine-Tails' jinchuriki, Konoha wouldn't make any big moves. After all, Naruto wasn't imprisoned in the village. If every random passerby who occasionally felt kind and chatted with Naruto were dragged away, Naruto himself would grow suspicious.
"I… I don't know. I really don't know…"
Naruto hung his head, not wanting Gusion to see his tears.
Gusion looked at the lonely boy, raised a hand, and patted Naruto's head. "Naruto, you're not the one who's wrong. The one in the wrong is the Hidden Leaf Village."
Naruto froze for a moment, then looked up at Gusion in confusion. "The village… what did it do wrong?"
Gusion hadn't expected Naruto to be tainted by the Will of Fire this young. "You already said you didn't do anything. Yet everyone hates you and treats you with cold indifference, like an invisible violence constantly inflicted on you. Do you think that's right?"
Naruto fell silent for a while, then instinctively shook his head—but then said, "Maybe I did something bad, but I forgot."
"You're only a few years old. Before you could even remember things, how could you have done something to anger the entire village?"
Gusion countered.
After a moment of silence, Naruto shook his head in pain. "Big brother, can you tell me why it's like this?"
Naruto wasn't actually stupid. He sensed that this big brother who was willing to talk to him might know the truth behind the villagers' hatred. He couldn't help but ask, even if the truth would hurt more.
"They're just taking out their anger on you—for no reason at all—even though you're actually a hero of this village."
Gusion's voice was cold. He was never one to respond to a slap with a song. He had always paid back grudges and vented his anger; after perfecting his martial arts, he killed all his old enemies.
In his view, what Naruto suffered in childhood was completely unfair. When the Six Paths of Pain attacked, those villagers who had bullied Naruto with cold violence still prayed for him to turn the tide. It might be realistic, but dwelling on it leaves a bad taste.
"I'm… the village's hero?"
Naruto was completely stunned; this answer was nothing like what he'd imagined.
"Naruto, do you know who your parents are?"
Gusion's next question tugged hard at Naruto's heart.
This was the part that left the Third Hokage with no excuse: he hadn't even told Naruto who his parents were. Naruto learned by chance, much later, that his father was the Fourth Hokage.
"My parents… who are they? Big brother, do you know them?"
Naruto asked excitedly. What child doesn't yearn for a mother's and father's love? Every time he saw other kids going out with their parents, he was overwhelmed with envy.
He had often fantasized about waking to the smell of cooking, with a woman in the kitchen turning around with a gentle smile, saying, "Mom just got back from a mission—can't believe Naruto's grown so much."
And in the living room, his father would set down the newspaper, walk over, lift him up, and say he'd never leave again.
But Naruto also knew that was just a fantasy. He didn't know who his parents were, or whether they were alive or dead.
"Your parents are heroes of the village too."
Gusion leaned back on the bench and looked toward the Hokage Rock in the distance, gilded by the sunset. "Look at the fourth face from the right—that's what your father looked like."
Naruto looked up and was completely stunned, because he knew that statue very well; he had even pulled a prank and painted on it once.
The fourth face on the Hokage Rock was clearly the Fourth Hokage!
"My father… is the Fourth Hokage!?"
Naruto's voice trembled with disbelief and a mountain of confusion.
"That's right. And your mother's name was Uzumaki Kushina—the previous jinchuriki of Konoha's Nine-Tails. She and your father defended the village and ultimately died in battle."
Gusion kept the introduction brief, while Naruto's expression became an intricate knot.
His feelings were a storm: joy, sorrow, confusion, and a trace of anger. All these emotions tangled together, twisting his small face as tears streamed down.
"Big brother… the Nine-Tails—is that the demon fox the villagers say attacked the village years ago?"
Naruto's voice was muffled by sobs. He had once overheard adults whispering that he was the demon fox.
He didn't know what a jinchuriki was, but he wondered if he had become that kind of jinchuriki tied to the demon fox.
"That's right. The year you were born, Konoha was attacked. A mysterious man broke the Nine-Tails' seal, and the beast rampaged through the village. Your father repelled the enemy and, together with your mother, sealed the Nine-Tails again, protecting the village from destruction."
Gusion continued, "Given the circumstances, your parents had no choice but to select you as the new vessel for the seal. The Nine-Tailed Fox is sealed inside you now—you're the new Nine-Tails jinchuriki."
Gusion gently patted Naruto's shoulder and didn't say more, letting him absorb the shocking news.
It was about five minutes before Naruto raised his head, wiping away tears and snot with his sleeve. "So… I didn't really do anything wrong?"
"Of course not. You were just a baby. And if you hadn't sacrificed yourself to seal the Nine-Tails, the Hidden Leaf might not even exist now."
Gusion was very curious how Naruto would react at this age upon learning the truth. By now, he also sensed several new gazes.
They weren't from Anbu, but from seemingly ordinary villagers—Explorers. They were staring at him with ghostly eyes.
"Naruto, you're a hero of Konoha."
Gusion bent down and whispered into Naruto's ear.
Naruto's body trembled. His tiny fists clenched, his face twisted. "Then why… why do they treat me like this!? Why blame me for what the demon fox did!?"
"That, I don't know. Maybe they just can't find any other outlet for their anger. Or maybe someone pushed this trend along. In any case, Naruto, you did nothing wrong."
Gusion placed a hand behind his neck and rolled his shoulders, preparing in case the Explorers decided to attack.
"Does Grandpa Hokage… does he know who I am…?"
When Naruto asked this, his spirit sagged. He felt foolish for even asking.
Grandpa Third was the Hokage—what could the village possibly hide from him?
And if his father really was the Fourth Hokage, how could Grandpa Third not know the truth?
Grandpa Third, why didn't you help clear my name? And why didn't you tell me about my own life?
"Of course he knows, Naruto. Even as a child, you should be able to figure that much out."
Gusion sensed a few probing gazes; someone had probably tossed a scouting skill his way.
"But… why? Why!?"
Naruto shouted, overwrought. "Why do this to me!?"