The morning mist had yet to fully disperse when Naruto was already crouched deep within the pine forest of Konoha's rear mountain.
In his small hands, he clutched several vividly colored mushrooms.
Dew slid down the caps of the fungi, refracting under the rising sun into a dangerously beautiful sheen.
"Red cap, white stem—absolutely don't touch it," Madara's voice echoed in Naruto's mind.
"Eat that kind of poisonous mushroom, and your organs will rot within two hours."
Naruto shuddered, nearly throwing the mushrooms away.
Carefully, he used a stick to draw the mark Madara had taught him on the muddy ground—a crooked skull, with a large X beside it.
"Th-then what about this one?" Naruto asked, pushing aside a cluster of bushes to reveal several pearl-like white berries.
Madara's reply was immediate. "Stay away! That's Widow's Tears. Even touching the skin will—"
Before Madara could finish explaining, a hoarse, aged voice came from behind him.
Naruto yelped and fell flat on his backside.
The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, was standing there without warning.
The thin smoke rising from his pipe stood out sharply against the pale morning fog.
"Th-Third Grandpa!" Naruto hurriedly rubbed away the skull drawing with his foot.
"I—I was… picking mushrooms!"
The Third Hokage's gaze swept over the colorful fungi, the shadows in the creases of his face deepening.
"Who taught you how to identify these?" he asked quietly.
Naruto's eyes darted around in panic.
Madara had warned him—never reveal his existence.
After hesitating, Naruto stammered out a lie.
"I—I read it in a book! The Complete Guide to Konoha Plants!"
The Third Hokage crouched down and picked up a single Widow's Tears, then glanced at Naruto's palm.
What surprised him was the thin layer of chakra coating Naruto's fingers—an invisible barrier that isolated the poison completely.
This was far beyond the level of chakra control a child his age should possess.
"That book," the Third Hokage said slowly,
"is the seventh volume from the right on the third shelf of the library. It was borrowed only three times last year."
His gaze sharpened suddenly.
"And you, Naruto, have never been to the library."
Cold sweat trickled down Naruto's back as his lie was exposed.
He could feel Madara's chakra wrapping around his consciousness like armor—yet the Third Hokage's eyes seemed capable of seeing through everything.
"It's… the seal," Naruto repeated the words Madara fed him internally.
"The Fourth Hokage left behind survival knowledge."
The Third Hokage narrowed his eyes.
He stared hard at Naruto's small face, his right hand silently forming the Ram hand seal.
"The Fourth Hokage?" he asked gently.
"The Fourth… Hokage?"
Naruto looked completely confused—he was clearly unfamiliar with the term.
Madara covered his face internally.
Asking a child to lie really is asking too much…
"Say it like this," Madara prompted.
"The Fourth Hokage left information in the seal, so you could protect yourself."
Naruto tried his best to repeat it properly, but when the words reached his lips, they came out broken:
"Um… I think… some kind of information… that lets me protect myself…"
The Third Hokage immediately understood.
Naruto was still too young to explain clearly—but it was very possible Minato had indeed left something behind.
Perhaps Naruto had accidentally unlocked it.
After some thought, the Third Hokage gently patted Naruto's head.
"I see. But touching things like this without proper guidance is still dangerous."
"I'm sorry…" Naruto lowered his head.
Those words pierced the old man's heart like a kunai.
The Third Hokage had always acknowledged, deep down, that he owed Naruto a great debt.
As the son of a hero, Naruto was forced to live under secrecy due to his status as a jinchūriki.
He couldn't even inherit his father's surname—only the name Uzumaki was allowed, to hide the truth.
Though the Third Hokage provided for Naruto's basic needs, the villagers still couldn't accept his existence.
Even if the Hokage spoke out, Naruto's life would not change.
After a long silence, the old man sighed.
"If you want to learn these things in the future, come to me."
He stood up, then paused and glanced back once more.
"I hope… I'm simply overthinking this."
Only after the Third Hokage's figure disappeared did Naruto collapse onto the ground like a deflated balloon.
"Dad! You scared me to death!"
Madara's chakra churned violently within the seal.
"That old fox is suspicious—but he won't dig deeper for now."
After a pause, he added,
"For the next few days, you'll be under strict surveillance."
Sure enough, when Naruto went to Ichiraku Ramen that afternoon, he noticed two masked shinobi sitting in the corner.
Even when he went to the bathroom, he could sense chakra fluctuations on the roof.
"One on the tree to the left, two on the rooftop to the right," Madara reported coldly.
"Konoha's ANBU are getting sloppier."
Naruto slurped his ramen and asked inwardly,
"Are we still going to keep learning?"
"Of course," Madara replied without hesitation.
"But first, digest what you learned today. Physical training starts tomorrow."
Teuchi placed an extra portion of chāshū in front of Naruto and affectionately ruffled his blond hair.
"I'm digging in!"
Naruto grinned so wide his eyes became slits as he enjoyed his meal.
That night, Naruto sat cross-legged on his bed.
Following Madara's guidance, he attempted to condense chakra at his fingertips.
"Focus," Madara said patiently—rare for him.
"Imagine your chakra as a net…"
Naruto clenched his teeth, sweat beading on his forehead.
Suddenly, his index finger glowed faint blue, flickering like a firefly.
"I did it!" Naruto cheered.
Madara snorted.
"Barely passing."
What he didn't say was that this level of fine chakra manipulation usually required genin-level control.
Just as Naruto was about to try again, the seal space suddenly shook violently.
The Nine-Tails' chakra surged like a tidal wave, relentlessly crashing against Madara's soul.
"Uchiha Madara," the Nine-Tails' voice boomed like thunder.
"Let's talk."
Madara opened his eyes, his figure appearing inside the seal.
Three crimson tomoe spun as they faced the fox's vertical pupils.
"Filthy beast. Are you looking to die?"
The Nine-Tails slapped its tail impatiently against the bars.
"Stop playing dumb. You know this isn't normal."
"Why would a ghost from the Warring States Era appear inside this brat?"
Madara's Sharingan rotated slowly.
"That has nothing to do with you."
"It has everything to do with me," the Nine-Tails bared its fangs.
"I've been sealed for over sixty years and have never seen anything like this."
"An Uchiha with no ties to the Uzumaki… whose soul resides in a jinchūriki—"
Its gaze turned dangerous.
"Unless someone deliberately arranged it."
Madara's soul chakra wavered.
He had asked himself that question countless times.
Why Naruto?
Why him?
"The Sage of Six Paths," the Nine-Tails said suddenly.
Madara's pupils shrank.
"Only that old man has the power to interfere with the cycle of souls."
"You expect me to believe that?" Madara sneered.
"If it's really him, then what's his goal?"
The Nine-Tails' tail stopped moving.
"Ask yourself, Uchiha Madara," it said slowly.
"When you taught that child about poison… when you watched him clumsily train chakra…"
A sly glint flashed in the fox's eyes.
"Did you think of anyone?"
Madara froze.
Fragments of memory surged forth—
Izuna fumbling with shuriken practice.
His brother gripping his hand and whispering 'Brother, you must live.'
"Shut up!" Madara's chakra exploded violently, shaking the entire seal.
In reality, Naruto clutched his stomach.
"It hurts!"
The Nine-Tails returned to its usual posture, lying down as it watched Madara lose control with satisfaction.
"Interesting. Looks like I was right."
Madara forced himself to calm down.
After a long pause, his voice lost some of its certainty.
"Even if you're right… so what?"
"Cooperation," the Nine-Tails said, claws scraping the bars.
"You teach the brat how to survive. I provide chakra."
It glanced meaningfully at Madara.
"After all… we both want to know what that old Sage is planning."
Madara remained silent for a long time.
Moonlight filtered into the seal, scattering across the murky water.
Finally, he raised his head—his Sharingan glowing ominously in the dark.
"Remember this, beast. This is only a temporary truce."
The Nine-Tails laughed lowly and retreated into the depths of the cage.
In the real world, Naruto knew none of this.
He was rolling on his bed, clutching his stomach in pain.
"Dad…" he whimpered.
"Did I get poisoned?"
Madara's chakra gently enveloped the aching area.
"Sleep, Naruto. It'll stop hurting soon."