Chapter 8: Turning Passivity into Initiative

How should he explain? 

Should he say it was Mizuki who made him steal it? 

But the incident hadn't happened yet. He hadn't led Mizuki out yet, and he passed out. 

He didn't have enough evidence to prove his innocence...

Not knowing how to proceed, Naruto chose to remain silent.

Internally, he contacted the Nine-Tails: "Lord Nine-Tails, you remembered all the ninjutsu on that scroll, right?"

However, there was no response from the Nine-Tails.

What's going on? Why is the Nine-Tails ignoring him again?

Without the Nine-Tails' guidance, Naruto couldn't enter the space where the Nine-Tails was sealed. He felt a bit anxious.

Can't rush, need to calm down now.

Regardless of the situation, getting too flustered would only make things worse.

Naruto reminded himself silently.

The Third Hokage said, "Don't worry, just say whatever needs to be said. I already know Mizuki instructed you to do this. After you passed out, Iruka went to your house to find you because he was worried, and discovered you unconscious. Then Mizuki went to find you, and Iruka, disguised as you, exposed the conspiracy."

So, something happened while he was unconscious?

If the truth was already revealed, why did the Third Hokage want him to say anything?

Naruto quickly understood why the Third Hokage wanted him to speak.

The Third Hokage picked up the small copy scroll and said to Naruto, "You just need to explain this."

"Did you record the contents of this scroll yourself?"

Naruto: "Yes."

Third Hokage: "This scroll is of considerable value. How did you obtain it?"

Naruto: "I found it on the ground."

Third Hokage: "Naruto, if you choose to lie, you will never become a ninja."

Naruto remained silent. He didn't want to involve Hinata.

But then he thought, the Third Hokage probably already knew the truth.

For a village's Hokage to inquire about the origins of a newly acquired ninja tool would not be too difficult.

Naruto: "I borrowed it from someone else, but all the responsibility for this matter lies with me and has nothing to do with others."

The Third Hokage nodded slightly. "Then what did you intend to do with this? According to the interrogation results from Mizuki, he didn't find you when you obtained this scroll."

When he obtained this scroll? Indeed, the Third Hokage had probably already figured out the origin of the copy scroll.

The Third Hokage: "Moreover, the written exam of the graduation exam had already ended at that time, so you couldn't have used it to cheat."

"So, what did you intend to do with this?" The Third Hokage's eyes were fixed on Naruto.

A sharp gaze, unlike his usual old and cloudy eyes, or the crazed ones of the Nine-Tails.

At this moment, the Third Hokage's eyes seemed to penetrate everything.

That's the feeling the Third Hokage gave Naruto.

How could he slip away under such eyes?

The Third Hokage said, "Naruto, you've been acting a bit different lately. Have you been influenced by other factors? Is there a voice tempting you to do certain things?"

Influenced? Was the Third Hokage worried about him being controlled by the Nine-Tails?

Suddenly, Naruto had a brainstorm. He thought of a way to break the impasse!

Naruto: "Alright, I didn't want to say it originally, but since the Third Hokage asked, I'll explain."

"Just a few days ago, when I first had a headache, I saw my father for the first time."

"And I witnessed, through his eyes, his battle with the Nine-Tails."

The Third Hokage was shocked. "Your father, you mean..."

Naruto: "The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze."

The Third Hokage gasped in disbelief.

Naruto: "He sealed the Nine-Tails into me, and at the same time, sealed part of his chakra, allowing me to meet him."

The Third Hokage: "So you know about it all?"

Naruto calmly nodded at the Third Hokage's question.

The sharpness in the Third Hokage's eyes disappeared, replaced by a rare sense of panic. "Naruto... there's a reason why I kept this from you."

Naruto: "I understand. My father said it was for my safety and the safety of Konoha."

The words he wanted to say got stuck in the Third Hokage's throat.

After taking several deep breaths to calm his restless heart, the Third Hokage finally said, "Then what does this have to do with your borrowing the copy scroll?"

Naruto: "I wanted to use it to copy the Shadow Clone Technique. From my father's words, I learned that the reason I couldn't use the technique was because my chakra was influenced by the Nine-Tails, but I could still learn the Shadow Clone Technique."

Third Hokage: "If Minato said you could learn the Shadow Clone Technique, why didn't he teach you himself?"

Naruto: "His time was limited. He told me some things and then disappeared."

He couldn't let the Third Hokage ask any more questions. Otherwise, he might say too much and lose everything.

Naruto: "Hokage-sama, do you have any other questions? If not, I have a question. After my parents died, did they leave anything for me?"

The Third Hokage: "Since you witnessed their deaths, you know it was sudden. By the time we arrived, it was too late."

Naruto: "So you're saying because they didn't have time to write a will, their assets were confiscated reasonably?"

The Third Hokage: "Naruto! Things aren't as you imagine! When the Nine-Tails attacked the village, it caused immense destruction. The village needed to be rebuilt."

Naruto: "So everything was confiscated? After losing my parents, I was left with nothing, and I had to live under everyone's suspicious gazes, being talked about by everyone?"

The Third Hokage shouted in anger, "Naruto!"

Naruto: "Hokage-sama, are you now angry at being caught out? Are you planning to silence me, who knows the truth? Or imprison me for life? I'm curious, since you hid the fact that my father was the Fourth Hokage, why did you expose the fact that the Nine-Tails was sealed inside me? Did you want to continue using me, using the Nine-Tails' presence in Konoha as an excuse to declare Konoha as a powerful weapon to deter others?"

The Third Hokage took a deep breath, pressing his temples. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have yelled at you. What you said is correct. It's only right for you to inherit their legacy. I'll calculate their assets as soon as possible and return them to you as much as possible, and then transfer them to your name."

After saying this, he left without further communication with Naruto.

In the interrogation room, the few ninjas stared at Naruto in astonishment.

This... is the son of the Fourth Hokage?

This news

 was top-secret in Konoha, not all ninja were aware of it.

According to reports and public announcements, Kushina Uzumaki, pregnant with Naruto, died battling the Nine-Tails alongside the Fourth Hokage, without leaving any children.

So hearing this news was indeed explosive.

But if this was the hero's son, then his life was really miserable.

After the Third Hokage left, the Nine-Tails finally had news again.

Nine-Tails: "That old guy would have discovered I woke up if I were around you."

The scene before Naruto changed, and his consciousness entered the Nine-Tails' space.

The Naruto on the ground was gone.

So, did they merge?

Looking down at the face reflected in the puddle of water on the ground, it was still Naruto's face.

After the fusion... it seemed there was no difference.

Naruto raised his head. "Lord Nine-Tails, have you remembered all the ninjutsu on the scroll?"