Chapter 328: Learning the Identity

No matter if it was the Third Hokage, Kakashi, or Black Zetsu, they all advised Naruto not to dwell too much on his origins. They assured him that once he grew stronger, all truths would eventually come to light. Knowing the correct answers at the wrong time wasn't necessarily good.

But this reassurance relied on the assumption that the Third Hokage and Kakashi knew when Naruto was strong enough to handle the truth. Naruto himself, however, didn't have that insight.

He had no idea how much effort he needed to put in before he could uncover the truth.

If he were lucky, perhaps the answers would come to him tomorrow. If unlucky, the Third Hokage might keep deflecting him with claims of insufficient strength for the rest of his life.

This uncertainty gnawed at Naruto, leaving him deeply uneasy, even to the point of sleeplessness.

After tossing and turning all night, Naruto woke after only three or four hours of rest. He washed up quickly and tried to shake off his gloomy thoughts before heading to the Ninja Academy.

Black Zetsu had a point—it was no use dwelling on his origins. Obsessing over them would only lead to severe mental exhaustion, making it hard to accomplish small tasks like attending school or helping others.

But sometimes, even knowing that brooding was futile, Naruto couldn't stop himself from thinking about it.

After a restless morning, Naruto found himself back on the streets, habitually helping an old woman cross the road. Once she was safely on the other side, she adjusted her glasses, sighed softly, and said, "Child, your back reminds me so much of the Fourth Hokage when he was young. He used to enjoy helping the elderly too."

"The Fourth Hokage?" Naruto froze upon hearing the name. It seemed like a clue—if he could uncover information about the Fourth Hokage, he might learn about his own identity.

Steeling himself, Naruto glanced around the street and suppressed the excitement rising within him, his expression returning to normal.

He knew his identity was unusual, with constant surveillance ensuring that the Third Hokage could locate him at any time.

If the Third Hokage discovered that Naruto was investigating this matter, he would surely intervene.

Naruto resolved to find the truth subtly, using legitimate means. This might be his last chance to get close to the truth.

Over the next few days, Naruto balanced his daily life with his efforts to gather information about the Fourth Hokage.

It wasn't difficult to find information about the Fourth Hokage. A few inquiries with the village elders yielded plenty of details, and the library held records of his many deeds.

The Fourth Hokage was named Minato Namikaze. He had golden hair and sky-blue eyes—features identical to Naruto's.

Like Naruto, Minato had grown up as an orphan in an orphanage.

He had displayed exceptional talent from a young age, completing his ninja education in just three years. At a young age, he became a Jonin and achieved remarkable success in the Second and Third Ninja Wars.

With these achievements, Minato outshone his rival, Orochimaru, and was selected as the Fourth Hokage.

At this point, Naruto felt that the legendary life of the Fourth Hokage was beginning. But soon, the village experienced the "Night of the Nine-Tails." In order to save the village, the Fourth Hokage sacrificed his life.

Upon seeing the term "Nine-Tailed Fox," Naruto's thoughts wandered to his pre-academy days.

The villagers used to call him the fox demon. Could he truly be the reincarnation of the Nine-Tails? The timing of his birth and the defeat of the Nine-Tails certainly supported this theory.

But Naruto's physical features were identical to those of the Fourth Hokage. Couldn't anyone suspect that he might be the Fourth Hokage's child? It seemed like the most logical possibility.

Naruto shook his head at the thought.

If he were truly the Fourth Hokage's child, wouldn't he have been treated as a hero's son? No matter how foolish the villagers might be, they wouldn't have shown such disdain for the Fourth Hokage's child.

The most important point was his name: Naruto Uzumaki, not Naruto Namikaze.

It was more likely that he was the child of the Nine-Tails. If that were the case, the animosity he faced from the villagers would make sense—he had caused them great pain in the past.

From this perspective, the Will of Fire might not be a hollow ideal after all.

The fact that the Third Hokage could accept him, despite his connection to the Nine-Tails, and that Naruto could gain the villagers' recognition by helping others, showed that he had transformed from the child of the Nine-Tails into a genuinely good person.

As Naruto was immersed in his musings about the Will of Fire, his eyes caught the name of the Fourth Hokage's spouse.

The spouse of the Fourth Hokage was Kushina Uzumaki, who shared the same surname as Naruto. Like Naruto, Kushina held a unique and mysterious identity.

Naruto wanted to find more information about Kushina, but there was very little available.

However, in another book, Naruto learned about the tailed beasts and Jinchuriki. He discovered that tailed beasts were not merely catastrophic monsters; they could also be sealed within the bodies of shinobi.

Shinobi who carried tailed beasts within them were known as Jinchuriki.

After reading this, Naruto calmly closed the book, pretending nothing was amiss as he opened another miscellaneous volume. Inside, however, a storm of emotions raged.

He was indeed an orphan, but he wasn't the child of the Nine-Tails. He was the son of the Fourth Hokage.

The place where he lived was protected at the cost of his parents' lives. Yet, in this village, he had been treated unfairly and labeled as the child of the Nine-Tails.

Although the period of being labeled as such was short and almost forgotten, Naruto didn't care about that time.

What he couldn't accept was the Third Hokage's secrecy. Why had the Third hidden his identity? Why wasn't he allowed to know who his father was?

His parents weren't criminals—they were heroes who had protected the village.

After returning home, Naruto sat on his bed, speaking to the kunai pendant in a low, somber tone, "Black Zetsu, I've figured out who I am. I'm not just anyone—I'm the son of the Fourth Hokage. And I may have inherited something from my mother... a tailed beast. It's because of this identity that my mother and I had to remain hidden..."

Black Zetsu was slightly surprised at Naruto's investigative abilities. This academy student uncovered so much information in just a few days.

For a full-fledged ninja, these details might not be secrets, but it was remarkable for someone like Naruto—a mere academy student with a uniquely guarded identity. Surely, the Third Hokage wouldn't have allowed Naruto access to this knowledge.

On second thought, however, it made sense. While the Third was the Hokage, he wasn't the sole authority in Konoha. There was also the Hokage in the shadows.

That figure had once been Danzo but was now under Byakuya's command—Shisui Uchiha.

If Byakuya intended to manipulate Naruto, it would be a simple task.

After pondering this, Black Zetsu spoke to Naruto, "Now that you know this, what do you plan to do? Continue as before, or take action against those who deceived you and the village?"

Naruto shook his head gently and replied, "I don't plan to do anything. Just knowing who I am is enough for me. I'm a ninja of Konoha. I will follow the Will of Fire both now and in the future."

Black Zetsu detected the underlying meaning in Naruto's words and smiled quietly.

While a Konoha ninja may adhere to Konoha's rules, no ninja remains bound to their village forever.