By the river outside, Naruto Uzumaki's face bloomed again with a satisfied smile.
Several plain-looking but thick brown mushrooms were carefully picked and placed into the small basket he had woven himself.
As time passed, the basket gradually filled.
"Hah."
Finally, Naruto Uzumaki straightened up and looked toward the setting sun on the horizon, letting out a long breath.
The afterglow fell on his smiling face, lighting his golden hair like fire and reflecting off the shimmering golden river.
"I can finally have mushroom soup. This time I don't have to worry about a stomachache."
He spoke cheerfully to himself as he lit the firewood he had gathered.
The fire crackled, sparks jumping, and the clay pot filled with mushrooms slowly came to a boil.
Gulp.
Watching the soup bubble, the rich aroma made him swallow.
"I'm eating now!"
He pressed his palms together, his face full of anticipation, lifted his wooden spoon, and was about to take a taste.
"Hehehe..."
A gentle, aged chuckle suddenly sounded, and when he looked up, a wrinkled old face appeared before him.
"Ah!"
Naruto Uzumaki was startled, his hand shaking as the spoon nearly fell into the fire, and he instinctively leaned back.
"Don't be afraid, child," the old man said kindly. "I'm just an ordinary old passerby."
Gurgle...
Before he finished speaking, a clear stomach growl came from him.
Seeing the embarrassed smile on the old man's face, the familiar scene reminded Naruto Uzumaki of his own awkwardness in front of Yunchuan not long ago.
He could not help but laugh, his nerves easing.
"Hehe."
The old man laughed awkwardly as well, looking like nothing more than a greedy and clumsy old fellow.
He looked at the pot of fragrant soup, desire showing just enough in his eyes, and cautiously pointed at it. "Child, could I..."
Seeing the hopeful look, the last of Naruto Uzumaki's caution almost vanished. He smiled and said, "Sure, Grandpa, you..."
Before he could finish agreeing, inside the Sealing Space, Yunshiki Otsutsuki opened his eyes, a glint of meaning flashing within.
Finally could not hold back anymore?
"Hiruzen Sarutobi?" he said. "Is this the Konoha Third Hokage?"
Yunshiki's calm voice rang clearly in Naruto Uzumaki's ears, freezing the smile on his face.
Third Hokage?
He looked at the wrinkled, kind face before him, and it slowly overlapped with the face carved on the Hokage Rock.
Though the old man before him smiled warmly and was not as stern as on the Hokage Rock, the features were unmistakably the same.
Once he realized this, questions naturally arose.
Why?
Why would the Third Hokage appear here?
Why lie and say he was just an ordinary old man?
What about him was worth a figure like the Hokage disguising himself and coming all the way to this remote riverside?
The only special thing about him...
"Is it the teacher, or the big fox?" Naruto Uzumaki's heart tightened.
Before meeting Yunchuan Hyuga, he truly had nothing.
And now, he had finally gained a teacher who did not dislike him and was even willing to teach him. Even the scary big fox had become friendly.
"Third Hokage, Hokage."
Naruto Uzumaki suddenly spoke, making Hiruzen Sarutobi's smile stiffen.
Naruto Uzumaki pressed his lips together and asked softly, "You are the Hokage, right?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi knew that the best way to get close to a child was to use an identity without distance or hierarchy.
Even though his true identity would eventually be known, at least there would already be some goodwill to bridge that gap.
That way, when Naruto Uzumaki saw him in the future, he would think of a hungry, kind grandfather, not the unreachable Hokage carved on the Hokage Rock.
But he had not expected Naruto Uzumaki to recognize him so quickly.
His careful plan to build a good first impression fell apart completely.
Seeing the wariness in Naruto Uzumaki's eyes gave Hiruzen Sarutobi a headache.
He quickly realized that any denial would only deepen the suspicion and make things worse.
"Well, this old man just wanted to slack off for once, take a walk, get some air. I smelled your soup and couldn't help coming over. I didn't expect you to recognize me."
He scratched his white hair, showing a helpless, honest smile. "That's right, child. I am Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage."
He admitted his identity, cleverly framing it as a chance encounter during a stroll.
"But I really didn't expect to meet you here, Naruto Uzumaki."
Hearing his name spoken clearly, Naruto Uzumaki looked up in surprise. "You know me?"
"Of course."
Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled gently. "You are a villager of Konoha, a child of Konoha. As the Konoha Hokage, how could I not know my own children?"
"And recently, there have been some unpleasant rumors in the village about you."
Naruto Uzumaki's heart trembled, his fists clenching until his nails dug into his palms.
Catching the change, Hiruzen Sarutobi quickly continued in a firm tone. "But I know you are a good child, Naruto Uzumaki."
"I've looked into your situation. I know you would never harm others. Those rumors are groundless and malicious."
Under Naruto Uzumaki's astonished gaze, Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled warmly. "So I've already sent people to handle and clarify them. You don't need to worry anymore."
Clarify the rumors?
Naruto Uzumaki blinked.
This Hokage was speaking up for him?
The wall in his heart showed faint cracks of Lie.
Seeing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi relaxed and looked again at the steaming pot. "Well then, Naruto Uzumaki, I haven't had dinner yet. I wonder if this old man might have the luck..."
He tried to return to the image of a hungry old grandfather, using food to rebuild that broken sense of closeness.
Naruto Uzumaki looked at his expectant eyes, then at the soup he had worked so hard to make.
After a moment of hesitation, he picked up the spoon, scooped a full ladle, and handed it to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Hiruzen Sarutobi took it, blew on it, and carefully tasted it.
Just then, Naruto Uzumaki asked quietly, "Third Hokage... Grandpa Third Hokage... can you tell me why they treat me that way?"
"I don't even know Fourth Hokage. Why do they say I caused Fourth Hokage's death? Why do they look at me like I'm a monster?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi paused, the praise he was about to give swallowed back.
This was not an easy question.
He wanted Naruto Uzumaki to feel a sense of belonging to Konoha.
"Well..."
He chose his words carefully. "The villagers just don't understand you yet. As long as you treat them with the same kindness you show me."
"Sooner or later, they will accept you and return that kindness."
He watched Naruto Uzumaki closely, while the boy lowered his head as if thinking.
In truth, he was asking the same question of his teacher.
And the answer he received was...
"When a mirror is dirty, do you think your face is dirty?"
Yunshiki spoke calmly. "If not, then when facing rejection and malice from others, why assume the problem lies with you?"
"But they say I'm a monster, that I killed Fourth Hokage..."
"So what?"
Yunshiki frowned. "If someone falsely accuses you of eating his food, would you cut open your own stomach to prove innocence?"
"No. You should dig out his eyes and swallow them, so he can see clearly from inside your stomach, instead of hurting yourself because of others' attitudes."
These words, biased entirely in his favor, left Naruto Uzumaki dazed.
He suddenly remembered what Yunchuan had once told him.
"Naruto Uzumaki, this is not your fault."