Sarutobi Hiruzen could hardly believe what he was hearing.
Shimura Danzo, his longtime rival and critic, had actually stood up to speak in his defense. After all their years of friction and ideological clashes, Danzo... stood by him?
Perhaps, beneath all the scheming and political tension, there was still something left of the bond they once shared. Even so, Orochimaru's crude interruptions during the viewing were pushing the boundaries of decency.
He had clearly meant one kind of "interruption," but Orochimaru twisted the words with disgusting glee. Hiruzen's hands trembled in frustration.
But in the end, he chose to endure it.
A ninja's first lesson is to endure.
And as the Hokage—the leader of all shinobi—he had to demonstrate more patience than anyone else. Hiruzen had spent his whole life honing this skill. If nothing else, he could endure.
Danzo, standing nearby, could only sigh helplessly.
Even if Hiruzen had died already, even now, the man still endured humiliation in silence.
---
The screen continued to play the black-bordered broadcast, capturing the attention of everyone in the chat room.
> [The Third Hokage obviously didn't expect Naruto to respond that way. His face visibly stiffened.]
> ["This is my upcoming multi-level marketing strategy of Fire Will Forever—oh no, I mean... How do I continue my theoretical planning?"]
> [After thinking for a moment, the Third said, "How about this—Naruto, I'll teach you ninjutsu, and in return, you give me grilled fish?"]
> [Naruto's eyes lit up the moment he heard there was an exchange. "Grandpa, you know I've always respected the elderly and cared for the young. Everyone in Konoha knows that about me! It's just a fish—how could I be stingy about something like that?"]
> ["Grandpa, eat up! After you're done, we can get started with ninjutsu training!"]
Everyone in the chat room was stunned by how smooth Naruto's words were. He shifted gears so naturally, changing his tone faster than flipping pages in a book.
Even the real Naruto watching the screen looked confused.
"Wait, I'm... this eloquent?"
Sasuke, sitting across from him, sneered coldly.
"Idiot. That's not you. That's a version of you from another world."
Naruto scratched his head, smiling sheepishly.
"Still me, just from another world. That's basically still me, right?"
Sasuke was left speechless for a moment.
Tch.
He just scoffed and turned away, unwilling to continue the argument.
---
> [The Third took the fish Naruto offered. He didn't actually care much about eating—it was just the perfect opportunity to connect emotionally.]
> [After all, many things are best discussed over a meal. The ninja world was no exception.]
> [Being a shrewd and seasoned leader, the Third Hokage understood this better than anyone.]
> [He took a small bite first, not expecting much. After all, Naruto was just a kid. How good could grilled fish made by a child really be?]
> [He planned to compliment the boy politely and then move on to discussing serious matters—like instilling the Will of Fire.]
> [But the moment he took a bite…]
> ["Delicious!"]
> [He took another bite. Then another. He couldn't stop.]
> [Before he knew it, the fish was almost gone.]
Back in the chat room, commentary erupted again.
Orochimaru chuckled. "Teacher Hiruzen, I can't believe you actually ate the whole thing."
Senju Tobirama folded his arms. "Honestly, Monkey, you deserve criticism for this. Was that fish really that good?"
Senju Hashirama added cheerfully, "Come on, Tobirama! Don't be so harsh. Madara's grilled fish was also great! He always lost to me at skipping stones and had to catch fish as punishment. Those were the days!"
Uchiha Madara growled, "Shut up, Hashirama!"
Hashirama pouted, typing an exaggerated emoticon: ",,Ծ‸Ծ,,"
Namikaze Minato blinked. "First Hokage... where did you find these emoticons?"
Hashirama grinned. "I don't know. I just have them. Don't you guys?"
Fourth Raikage: "No…"
Terumi Mei: "None here either…"
Ohnoki: "I've never seen those before."
Madara silently stared at his own chat interface.
Next to his name, just like Hashirama's, were emoticons.
What was this? Some kind of inside joke by the universe?
Only he and Hashirama had them?
Was this supposed to mean something?
He clenched his fists, furious.
Damn it! I, Uchiha Madara, can bend mountains—but I refuse to bend to this nonsense!
---
> ["Hey, Grandpa! Don't forget to teach me ninjutsu after you finish eating, okay?"]
Naruto's cheerful voice pulled everyone's attention back to the broadcast.
> [The Third Hokage glanced down and noticed the signature written on the wrapper of the fish. The symbol looked like the character "Wu."]
> [No wonder the fish tasted so good—it had been grilled with 'Wu'-style technique…]
> ["Ahem... I may have gotten a little carried away. I lost track of what I came here for!"]
> [He looked back at Naruto, who was standing there with eager eyes and an impatient stance.]
> ["Naruto… I can't teach you ninjutsu just yet."]
> [Naruto's face immediately fell. "What? You're that old and you don't even keep your word?"]
> [The Third Hokage shook his head and replied patiently, "It's not that I don't want to. You haven't learned how to refine chakra yet."]
> ["To perform ninjutsu, you need to be able to extract and control chakra properly."]
Naruto paused, taking in the explanation, and then nodded seriously.
> [The Third Hokage began teaching Naruto the basic theory behind chakra extraction.]
> [What happened next shocked everyone—Naruto understood it all immediately! The moment the theory was explained, the chakra in his body began to flow!]
> [What an incredible level of comprehension. Was Naruto… a genius?]
> [If so, the Third Hokage saw an entirely new path ahead.]
> [He quietly took out Naruto's pre-prepared enrollment file for the Ninja Academy.]
> [He told Naruto to continue practicing and promised that once his chakra control improved, he would assign a teacher to personally train him in ninjutsu.]
> [Naruto beamed with gratitude, promising to train hard and never give up.]
> ["If I get the chance in the future, I'll repay your kindness, Grandpa Third!"]
> [The Hokage nodded with satisfaction and gave his blessing for Naruto's school journey to go smoothly.]
> [As he walked away, having realized Naruto's extraordinary potential, he decided not to reveal the boy's true identity just yet.]
> [That night, Naruto stayed in the mountains, practicing chakra extraction well into the evening.]
> [Finally, tired but satisfied, he returned home.]
> [He took out his prized collector's edition instant noodles, boiled water, and began cooking with skilled movements.]
> [Then, he lay back on the bed, hands behind his head, waiting for his meal to finish.]
---
Suddenly, a mechanical ding! interrupted the viewers again.
> [Ding! The prize-guessing session has concluded.]
> [New Question: Based on what we've seen—now that Naruto has learned chakra extraction, is about to enter the Academy, and will soon learn ninjutsu—what will his goal be?]
> [Choose one of the following:]
> A: I will serve Konoha Village and become a respected ninja!
B: I will remain loyal to the Third Hokage and carry on the Will of Fire!
C: I'm not thinking about anything. Wait—are my noodles ready yet?
D: I'll make those who bullied me in Konoha regret it. A hundredfold!
---
Let the guessing begin.
And this time... the viewers were more uncertain than ever.
What kind of Naruto would emerge from this new path?
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