Chapter 8: Doesn't Your Conscience Hurt?
Hiruzen Sarutobi's mind drifted back to the past.
A trace of guilt appeared on his face.
Just as Naruto had said—
those who had been fortunate enough to survive owed Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage, far too much.
Not only had they failed to take care of his young son,
some people had treated him like a monster.
The one who destroyed the village.
Thinking about it now, the truly hateful ones weren't Naruto—
but this group of ninjas who looked at him through colored lenses!
They were the most despicable, the most shameless of all.
Hiruzen was still Hiruzen.
The older the ginger, the spicier it gets.
He had seen and dealt with every major and minor matter in the village.
After an intense internal struggle,
he suppressed the guilt in his heart and asked:
"Naruto, who told you that the Fourth Hokage is your father?"
Yes—more than Naruto's tragic circumstances,
right now Hiruzen was most concerned with this question!
He clearly remembered issuing the order:
No one in the village was allowed to mention this in front of Naruto.
Yet someone had broken that order.
One thing was separate from another.
Rewards and punishments must be given accordingly—merits and demerits do not cancel each other out.
Naruto replied calmly:
"I figured it out myself."
The moment those words left his mouth,
the crowd was stunned again.
Kids these days are this smart?
No, wait.
The era of child prodigies like Uchiha Itachi had already passed.
This wasn't wartime anymore.
Where would so many genius ninjas raised from childhood come from?
Besides, Itachi had the influence of his clan environment.
But you, Naruto—you've been mischievous and troublemaking your whole life.
No parents to guide you.
How could you possibly become this clever?
Weird… far too weird!
Not a single person believed Naruto's claim.
Heh heh heh… you, a kid, figured it out on your own?
No adult told you?
Who are you trying to fool?!
Hiruzen's expression suddenly turned serious.
"Naruto, sometimes lying isn't right, you know."
He had no intention of punishing Naruto.
The one he wanted to punish was whoever had leaked the secret behind the scenes.
Tch.
This old man is so old and still trying to trick me?
What a joke.
Naruto's expression remained earnest.
"Lord Third Grandpa, this really is something I deduced myself."
"You've let me visit your office before, right?"
Hiruzen nodded slightly—indeed, that had happened.
All eyes focused on Naruto.
They wanted to see exactly how he had figured it out.
Naruto continued:
"Alright then—there's a photo on your desk, isn't there?"
"A handsome man with golden hair—the Fourth Hokage."
"I've observed the village for a long time. The only person with golden hair is that man."
"Of course, that alone doesn't prove anything."
"But the Nine-Tails attacked the village on the exact day I was born. How do you explain that coincidence?"
"And coincidentally, both my parents 'died in battle.' Yet from childhood, some of you have always called me 'stinking fox'—what's that about?"
"When you put all these things together, doesn't it explain everything?!"
His tone was calm,
as if he were simply stating ordinary facts.
But this was no ordinary matter!
The crowd was left speechless.
Everything Naruto said was logical and well-connected.
He was just short of slapping actual evidence in their faces!
Evidence? Heh heh…
Wasn't the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox sealed inside his body the best evidence of all?!
In that moment, Hiruzen's old face looked even more weathered and worn.
Yes, he was the Hokage of Konoha.
But being Hokage was no easy job.
As he grew older and saw more of the world, he had tasted every flavor—sweet, sour, bitter, and spicy.
The Fourth Hokage had died because of the Nine-Tails incident.
The village had suddenly been left leaderless.
An aging Hiruzen had no choice but to take up the mantle of Hokage once again.
Every large and small matter in the village demanded his attention.
It was exhausting.
When Naruto laid out the truth of his situation,
Hiruzen felt there was no point in being Hokage anymore.
Because he had failed Minato and Kushina so terribly!!!
When the time came to face them in the afterlife,
what expression could he possibly wear?
You entrusted your child to me to look after—and this is how I took care of him?
Hiruzen often had nightmares about it.
Sigh… it's hard to put into words…
"Naruto, is there anything you want?"
"Tell me. Whatever I can do, Konoha will do its utmost to make it up to you."
Hiruzen let out a deep sigh.
His hair was already white.
His face was covered in deep wrinkles.
How many more years he had left was anyone's guess.
While he was still alive, he should at least compensate this boy.
That way, when he faced Minato and Kushina below,
he wouldn't look quite so shameful.
Naruto didn't hold back. He stated his demands plainly.
"Lord Third Grandpa, the place I live is terrible, and the food is even worse."
"Because I'm not old enough and haven't become a genin, I can't take missions."
"The monthly relief money I get is pitifully small. I eat instant ramen almost every day—sometimes expired ones—which has left me malnourished and underdeveloped."
"I want a better house, and I don't want to keep living on nutritionally empty ramen."
In short: I want to live well. Give me enough money and material support to be satisfied.
After all, my dad was the Hokage.
The lives of everyone here were saved by my dad.
So pay back at least a portion of what you owe.
Naruto wasn't incapable of earning this money himself.
In his previous life, there were countless entertainment ideas.
In this world, most people focused their energy on training ninjutsu and doing missions.
Bringing over modern entertainment concepts could make a fortune.
Even without that, with his current strength,
taking a few missions would earn him money easily.
But he was fed up with these ungrateful wolves.
Every one of them was stingy to the core.
Always giving him dirty looks.
Did they really think they were something special???
Believe it or not—he could just fire a Tailed Beast Ball and turn them all to ash.
Fortunately, Naruto's words finally struck a chord.
Guilt appeared on their faces as they looked toward Hiruzen.
From somewhere in the crowd, someone spoke first:
"So the son of a hero has been treated this badly… After this, who in our village would still dare to become a hero?"
Then the murmurs spread.
"Exactly. When I get home, I'm going to tell my son to find another job. Risk your life for the village and end up like this?"
"Yeah… it's terrifying. You never know when you'll die on a mission. You leave behind a wife and kids—and if the higher-ups don't pay proper compensation, what's the point of risking your life for this village?!"
"Sigh… it's hard to be a good person these days…"
Hiruzen's face grew darker and darker…
I haven't even agreed yet!
Can you people at least whisper when you're talking behind my back?!
And anyway, I already realize how serious this is.
I'll fix it—okay?!
Ding!
Due to the host's excellent performance, an additional reward is granted.
Ninjutsu: Rasengan!
Skill delivery successful. Please check your status, host.
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