chsdbacks Chapter 94 Naruto: "Is the Hokage a bad guy???"
Chapter 94 Naruto: "Is the Hokage a bad guy???"
Chapter 95 Naruto: "Grandpa Hokage is a bad guy???" (5000 words)
In Hiruzen Sarutobi's mind, the word "justice" was almost inextricably linked to Izumi Uchiha.
After hearing Naruto's rather emotional speech...
Hiruzen Sarutobi realized he was too late.
He also realized what Ichi Izumi really wanted to do to Naruto.
Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't quite describe his current feelings; there was shock, anger, and regret. But one thing he was certain of was that he would never let Naruto believe in any kind of justice!
Especially Uchiha Ikezumi's absolute justice!
He forced a stiff smile across his old face and said earnestly to Naruto, "Naruto, leaving the investigation of murderers to the Konoha police force is their job. They will get to the bottom of this."
"You're still young, just a child. You've only been at the ninja academy for less than two months. This adult world isn't something you can get involved in right now. Wait until you're older."
"But—" Just as Naruto was about to say something.
A strangely shrill voice suddenly interrupted: "How come you only realize a seven-year-old is a child at a time like this, meow?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned and looked up, then paused for a moment before realizing that the speaker was actually a ninja cat.
This orange ninja cat...
It seems to be from Chiquan.
Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly had a bad feeling.
"Meow, that Uchiha guy was thrown onto the battlefield of the Fourth Shinobi World War when he was only four years old. Why didn't anyone say that a kid that age was a child back then?"
Tachibana Jiro's cat-like face was full of disdain as he openly mocked.
"Naruto Uzumaki is already seven years old, three years older than Itachi Uchiha was at the time. Just because he wanted to follow Lord Izumi to carry out justice, you say he's too young?"
"Your thoughts are so clear, even I, a mere ninja cat, can see right through you! Humans are truly masters of calculation, meow!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi: "..."
He never imagined that one day he would be mocked by a ninja cat.
But it would be too shameful for the Third Hokage to get angry with a cat!
The key issue is that he doesn't know how to refute it. Should he openly say that Naruto is a Jinchuriki?
No.
This secret cannot be told to Naruto, at least not now.
He's still too young.
Uchiha Ikezumi said indifferently, "Naruto Uzumaki, make the choice in your heart. Don't worry about anything. Even if your choice is the same as my prediction, I won't kill you. But if your choice is the same as my prediction, they can't take you away."
These words made Koharu's eyes widen. She clenched her fists and squeezed out a sentence, one word at a time: "Uchiha Ikezumi, do you know what you're doing right now?!"
This was Koharu's first time meeting Uchiha Ikezumi face-to-face and up close.
This was also the first time she realized how tough this guy was and how little he cared about the higher-ups in Konoha.
She finally understood just how much humiliation and anger Hiruzen Sarutobi usually suppressed when facing Ikezumi.
Some understood why Danzo wanted to kill Uchiha Ikezumi.
Although there are many troublemakers in the Uchiha clan.
But he dared to say those words in front of so many ANBU members, in front of the Hokage, and in front of her, a high-ranking advisor.
Uchiha Ikezumi is absolutely number one!
Koharu Utatane was already having the urge to order the Anbu and Root ninjas to capture Izumi Uchiha.
"Uchiha Ikezumi, you—" Just as Koharu Utatane was about to say—you have no right to force Naruto Uzumaki to make a choice.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was standing nearby, suddenly said, "Naruto, I know your dream is to gain the recognition of everyone in the village and to become the future Hokage of Konoha. You need to make the right choice. Because if you make the wrong choice, it will be very difficult for everyone in the village to accept you."
"As for Ikezumi," Hiruzen Sarutobi said, "Although he did a lot for Konoha, his methods were too extreme and too thorough, and he never gained the approval of most people."
"Naruto, this goes against your dreams."
Hiruzen Sarutobi no longer held back. In front of Izumi Uchiha, he confronted Izumi Uchiha in front of Naruto.
Upon hearing this, Quan immediately furrowed her brows.
She scribbled Hiruzen Sarutobi's name in her little notebook, writing so hard that she even tore the paper.
"But."
Under Hiruzen Sarutobi's surprised expression, he saw Naruto's eyes visibly redden, and tears slowly slid down his moist eye sockets.
"Grandpa Naruto—"
Naruto struggled to wipe away his uncontrollable tears. He lowered his head and choked out, "You never thought I could gain the approval of everyone in the village—"
Hiruzen Sarutobi was stunned.
"Everyone in the village says I'm a fox spirit in disguise. Whenever they see me, they feel like they've had the worst luck of the day. These are all rumors spread by that guy named Shimura Danzo, aren't they?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's pupils dilated.
"Grandpa Hokage knows about this. Grandpa Hokage also knows who the mastermind is who made me disliked by everyone. But why is Grandpa Hokage protecting that person?"
"Grandpa Hokage's refusal to let everyone know the truth—isn't that just making everyone in the village even more convinced that I'm the 'incarnation of the Demon Fox'?"
"Why can't we tell them that the nine-tailed fox was sealed inside me without my knowledge?"
The moment Naruto uttered that question.
It wasn't just Hiruzen Sarutobi who reacted subtly; even Koharu Utatane looked at Naruto with disbelief.
Naruto Uzumaki —
How did he know that the nine-tailed fox was sealed inside his body?
Who told him?
Uchiha Ikezumi?
"The pain and disaster Konoha suffered that night when the Nine-Tails attacked had nothing to do with me—why are the villagers all shunning me and isolating me because of those rumors? Why can't the Hokage explain things to me? Why are they letting the villagers' misunderstandings about me deepen?"
"Grandpa Naruto"
"I do not understand."
Naruto's tears slid down his cheeks. The seven-year-old couldn't organize his thoughts into coherent sentences, so he could only rely on his instinctive frustration to keep questioning Hiruzen Sarutobi.
He did not show any anger towards Hiruzen Sarutobi because he knew that his grandfather, the Hokage, had indeed been very kind to him.
Naruto felt extremely wronged, extremely confused, and endlessly perplexed.
"Grandpa Hokage, I'm sorry—"
"I—I just want to do one thing well. I can't go back with you for now, but I need to find that murderer and make sure the four victims died with their right to die. Only then will I go back with you, Hokage."
Naruto made his choice.
He also provided an answer.
Seeing Naruto so upset that tears were streaming down his face, Hiruzen Sarutobi was speechless. Naruto's knowledge of these things was probably inextricably linked to Ikezumi, wasn't it?
Logically speaking, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt he should be angry, especially angry at Izumi Uchiha.
Doesn't Chi Quan know how much of a shock it would cause Naruto if he told him the truth about what happened back then?
Chi Quan must know!
But he still told Naruto the truth. Was his purpose simply to make Naruto believe in his "absolute justice"?
?
However, when he saw Naruto wiping away his tears, Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't know why, but the anger in his heart was a little flustered. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something to the child, but for a moment he didn't know what to say to make up for Naruto's disappointment in him as the "Grandpa Hokage".
"Naruto Uzumaki, stop fooling around!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi remained silent, but Koharu Utatane spoke up with a dark expression. She said, "You have no right to make a choice. Cases involving the police force are not something you can get involved in. Even if Izumi Uchiha forces you to make a choice, it won't do you any good, right, Fugaku?"
"...right.""
Fugaku took a deep breath and said, "Naruto Uzumaki, you may not know me. I am Fugaku Uchiha, the Captain-Commander of the Uchiha Police Department. You need my permission to participate in cases handled by the police force."
"My answer is, I don't agree with you messing around with Ikezumi! At your age, you should be studying properly at the Ninja Academy."
Naruto was stunned for a moment.
Koharu Utatane's dark expression finally eased somewhat, at least confirming that Fugaku Uchiha was temporarily on Konoha's side.
She immediately gave a wink to a Root ninja.
Koharu Utatane is indeed temporarily taking over Danzo's position.
On the surface, she is in charge of the Root organization.
However, now Root only has a few members left. Most of the Root ninjas died at the hands of Uchiha Izumi, which forced Koharu Utatane, who took over Root, to recruit some ninjas from the Utatane clan to fill in for Root.
Koharu's wink immediately made the Root ninja understand.
He immediately stepped forward, attempting to forcibly pull Naruto away. Naruto, startled, took a half-step back in resistance, and instinctively bared his teeth at the other man.
A sudden surge of irritability and anger arose in Naruto's heart, which even he found somewhat inexplicable.
next second.
Suddenly, a hand reached out and grabbed the Root ninja's hand.
Koharu was about to get angry but froze, and Fugaku Uchiha had the exact same reaction.
Uchiha Ikezumi's reaction was completely different. He didn't look at the hand that suddenly reached out, but stared at Naruto's small back.
He narrowed his eyes and keenly noticed that the hair on the back of Naruto's head was slowly moving without any wind!
This made Uchiha Ikezumi seem thoughtful.
"—Grandpa Hokage?" Naruto, who thought he was about to be forcibly taken away, looked up at Hiruzen Sarutobi in surprise, his face streaked with tears.
"Hiruzen?!" Koharu Utatane's shock was evident on her face; this was a situation she had not anticipated at all.
"Hokage-sama?" Fugaku was also stunned for a moment, because he clearly saw that the hand that was grabbing the Root ninja's arm was none other than the Hokage-sama's right hand!
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Hiruzen Sarutobi remained silent for a long time.
He released his grip, half-squatted down, and reached his hand towards Naruto.
Naruto hesitated for a moment.
But they didn't dodge.
Hiruzen Sarutobi gently stroked Naruto's hair.
He forced a smile and said slowly, "Naruto, I can temporarily set aside some official business today and join you in seeking justice for the innocent victims killed by murderers."
"Grandpa Hokage!" Naruto felt a strange irritation and anger within him dissipate somewhat. "Hiruzen, what are you doing?!"
Koharu, the girl in the Utatane room, was a little confused about Hiruzen Sarutobi's thought process. She hurriedly said, "Naruto Uzumaki—"
But Xiaochun hadn't finished speaking when she was asked to switch dorms.
He was abruptly interrupted by Hiruzen Sarutobi: "Naruto wants to gain the village's approval in this way, which is a good thing. Koharu, let's put this matter aside for now. You can take your Root ninjas and go back first."
Koharu, who switched dorm rooms: "???"
Just as she was starting to have a hard time processing what was happening, Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly stood up.
For some reason, Koharu Utatane noticed that Hiruzen seemed to have breathed a slight sigh of relief.
She saw Hiruzen Sarutobi turn to face her, his mouth opening and closing silently.
Koharu's pupils contracted slightly because she understood Naruto's lip reading, and she almost went berserk!
Xiaochun, who had just turned to her new room, gasped in shock.
He looked at Naruto in disbelief as he became well-behaved again.
He couldn't help but look at Uchiha Ikezumi with an incredulous gaze.
If a Jinchuriki could almost go berserk, then Naruto's emotional fluctuations just now must have reached their peak, right?
When Naruto was crying and complaining earlier, although he was very emotional, he didn't show any signs of going berserk. So why did he almost go berserk just because they tried to forcibly take him away?
What exactly did Uchiha Izumi say to Uzumaki Naruto?
Is such extreme "absolute justice" really that appealing?
These two haven't even had much time to interact, have they? Is Naruto already so eager for "justice"?
Xiaochun doesn't understand why she switched dorms!!!
Not to mention Koharu Utatane, even Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't understand it. He even wondered if Naruto was some kind of illusion?
Did Chi Quan use his square flower tube to control the burning pillar?
Of course, this doubt was dispelled within a second.
Even though Hiruzen Sarutobi's views on Izumi Uchiha are now completely opposite to those of the past.
However, one point of view remains unchanged.
That is to say, Chi Quan never does anything roundabout. If he really used the Kaleidoscope Illusion to control Ming Ran, Chi Quan would even tell him on his own.
Faced with the possibility of Narumi going berserk, Hiruzen Sarutobi was able to compromise with Narumi at this moment.
Hiruzen Sarutobi harbored a thought deep within him that he didn't want to admit: this was also a compromise with Izumi Uchiha.
Fugaku: "...
Fugaku found himself unable to get a word in edgewise.
Just a minute ago, he was firmly on Naruto's side and resolutely rejected Naruto's "nonsense," wanting to let Naruto know that the Uchiha clan really had no intention of touching the Burning Pillar.
If we can use this kind of pressure to suppress Uchiha Izumi, then we will kill two birds with one stone.
This will at least allow Chi Quan to take a short break during this period.
But who could have imagined it?
He had acted very tough in front of Chi Quan, and even launched a powerful attack on his own clan to prevent the Uchiha clan from being misunderstood by the higher-ups. However, it was the Hokage who "surrendered" and "weakened" first.
Fugaku couldn't help but look at Koharu Utatane.
However, they discovered that this high-ranking advisor from Konoha, who had previously been extremely tough and never argued with Chi Quan, was now giving Chi Quan a listless glance.
Then, following the Hokage's orders, he left with the Root ninja Naoto, leaving only a group of Anbu ninja behind. Fugaku: "???"
no.
Hiruzen Sarutobi "compromised," and Koharu Utatane "left."
So what should I do now that I'm so "tough"?
Fugaku found himself in an awkward situation!
He didn't know whether he should be thankful that there were no extra police ninjas in the morgue besides himself and Chi Quan.
otherwise.
The last vestige of his prestige as the Uchiha clan leader within the clan was completely destroyed.
When Fugaku shifted his stiff gaze to Uchiha Ikezumi, he found that Ikezumi didn't seize the opportunity to attack him. He felt that Ikezumi didn't even look at him properly!
"That..." Naruto, unaware of the turbulent emotions running through the room, wiped away his tears and exclaimed to Uchiha Ikezumi with delight, "Grandpa Hokage has agreed to let me stay and search for the villains who killed me! And Grandpa Hokage is even urging us to carry out justice together!"
Uchiha Izumi coldly replied, "If you're willing to embrace justice, then you should be ashamed of this."
Mingran was immediately stunned.
Uchiha Ikezumi said, "It's because 'evil' realized you possess a power it can't control that it had no choice but to reluctantly compromise with justice, donning a nauseating veneer of justice and openly declaring its intention to carry out justice alongside you."
"Conversely, this also means that if justice doesn't have enough room for maneuver, evil won't even bother to put on the veneer of justice. It will trample on justice wantonly."
Hiruzen Sarutobi: "???"
Although no names were mentioned, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt that Ikezumi was talking about him, and he felt that he, as the Hokage, was "evil!"
Hearing the somewhat resentful murmur, it took him a long while to calm down before he began to understand the world a little better.
He exclaimed in shock, "Grandpa Naruto is badass???"
Mingran is good at grasping the key points.
Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly felt his blood pressure spike, and he found Narumi's "turning his back on someone else" unbelievable.
To appease you, Lao Bi compromised and offered comfort. He practically risked his reputation to finally regain your trust in him.
But if you put the character in Chi Quan's shoes, you'd believe him after just a few words?!
"Mingran, you misunderstood. Chi Quan wasn't talking about Lao Bi."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's usually kind face appeared unusually stiff as he said to Naruto, "As the Hokage of Konoha, I inherited the finest Will of Fire from Konoha. How could I possibly be a villain?"
"He didn't misunderstand." Uchiha Izumi's brief sentence silenced Hiruzen Sarutobi.