Never Let Yourself Be Moved

"Naruto! Most of the people in the village are innocent..."

There was a hint of pleading in Minato Namikaze's voice.

"I know."

That was Naruto's final response before leaving the sealed space. His voice was as indifferent as ever, devoid of any unnecessary emotion.

Thinking back to Naruto's icy, emotionless gaze, Minato suddenly found himself overwhelmed by an indescribable feeling.

He couldn't help but recall every moment from when he first met Naruto until now.

Why did Naruto turn out like this?

Scenes from his past life in the village flashed through his mind. In the end, only one figure remained in his heart—a woman with brilliant red hair.

"Kushina, do you blame me? I couldn't protect you, I couldn't protect Naruto, and now... I can't even protect the village..."

A flood of emotions surged within him, and tears streamed down his face. Yet, he clenched his teeth.

Despite the searing pain in his heart, he dared not cry out loud.

He regretted it.

He regretted sealing the Nine-Tails inside Naruto all those years ago.

If only he had made a different choice back then, perhaps things wouldn't have come to this.

He had truly made a mistake...

Meanwhile, Naruto had left the sealed space because he had sensed the Third Hokage approaching. Leading the way was Hayate Gekkō.

Stepping over to the window, Naruto glanced down at the vast expanse of white snow outside, speculating.

Why would the Third Hokage be coming here now?

Could it be that Xuanying has been exposed?!

No, that didn't seem right. Carefully sensing his surroundings, he could still detect Xuanying's chakra within the vicinity of his street.

Even so, a sinking feeling welled up in Naruto's heart. He suddenly realized he had overlooked a crucial issue.

Given his identity in Konoha, anyone who had interacted with him would undoubtedly be investigated.

Except for the Full Points Ninja Tool Shop.

When Naruto had purchased the multi-kunai mechanism crossbow, he had deliberately confirmed that the shop's owner had backing from the Land of Fire's Daimyō.

Everything bought in that store was guaranteed to remain confidential—evidenced by the fact that the Third Hokage still hadn't discovered what he had purchased.

But it was a different story for others.

He would have to be more cautious from now on.

As he thought about this, a faint, almost imperceptible irritation rose within him, and his expression darkened.

After a long moment, Naruto calmly closed the window. His gaze once again grew deep and unreadable. The Third Hokage would be here soon...

As for his purpose—Naruto would find out soon enough.

Knock, knock, knock!

"Naruto! You're home, right?"

A moment later, knocking echoed through the house, accompanied by the strong, steady voice of the Third Hokage from downstairs.

Naruto, standing on the second floor, smirked coldly to himself before making his way down. The moment he lightly opened the door, he had already put on an expression of perfectly measured surprise.

"Hokage-sama, what brings you here?"

"Haha." The Third Hokage displayed his signature kindly smile. "I happened to have some free time today and decided to take a walk around the village—thought I'd drop by to see you."

Naruto's face showed a hint of gratitude. "Thank you, Hokage-sama."

"Haha, no need to be so formal." The Third Hokage chuckled as he stepped inside. After surveying the room, he sat down and suddenly remarked, "I believe you mentioned before that you made a friend from the Nara clan?"

He's pretending like I'm the one who said that? He's really playing his part well.

Naruto silently mocked him in his heart but maintained a neutral expression, nodding slightly. "His name is Shikamaru. Recently, he even introduced me to a new friend."

A flash of surprise crossed the Third Hokage's face before he smiled. "Have you been spending time with them?"

Huh? He came all this way just to check on my social life?

As if he doesn't already know whether I've met with Shikamaru recently. Doesn't Hayate Gekkō, who's been tailing me every day, report back to him?

In an instant, countless thoughts ran through Naruto's mind, but outwardly, he put on a dejected look. "They're from big clans."

"After spending time with them, I realized we don't really get along, so I stopped looking for them."

A sharp glint flickered in the Third Hokage's eyes, but his smile remained unchanged. "Why do you feel that way, Naruto?"

"They're really good at using powerful ninjutsu." Naruto's eyes revealed a look of envy. "And when they work together, they're amazing."

"Haha!" The Third Hokage chuckled kindly. "But Naruto, you know ninjutsu too, don't you?"

Naruto shook his head. "What I know is useless. Transformation Jutsu doesn't help in battle, and my taijutsu can barely hold up against them."

"That's only because they go easy on me! If they went all out, I wouldn't stand a chance against them." Naruto looked frustrated. "If only my clones were real... If I could create real, physical clones, I could take them both on by myself!"

The Third Hokage nodded. Just as Shikamaru's report had suggested, Naruto's resistance to socializing stemmed from his lack of power. And that was exactly why he had come prepared.

"Learning to create real clones isn't that difficult."

As he spoke, the Third Hokage reached into the wide sleeves of his robe and pulled out a scroll.

"This is the Shadow Clone Jutsu. It allows you to create physical clones that can fight alongside you."

Naruto's eyes lit up. Staring at the scroll, he asked with anticipation, "A jutsu like that actually exists? Real clones that can fight?"

The Third Hokage, pleased with Naruto's reaction, extended the scroll to him with a smile. "Haha, this is just for you. Next month, I'll be traveling to the Land of Fire's capital to report to the Daimyō on the village's affairs."

"I'll be gone for about two months. You can practice this jutsu in the meantime, and if you have any questions, you can come ask me when I return."

Naruto took the scroll with an eager expression. Lowering his head, he unrolled it impatiently before solemnly bowing. "Thank you, Hokage-sama!"

"Haha." The Third Hokage stood up, looking at Naruto with his usual kindly expression. "Work hard! I'll be heading back now."

As he reached the door, he suddenly paused and turned back. "Naruto, don't stay home alone all the time. Go out more—training with friends is a lot more fun."

"Yes!" Naruto immediately bowed and agreed.

The Third Hokage waved as he stepped out the door.

A few breaths later, as Naruto sensed the Hokage walking away, he also detected that Hayate Gekkō was still lurking silently on the second-floor balcony.

Looking at the scroll in his hands, Naruto straightened up and closed the door with a faint, unreadable glint in his eyes.

The corner of his mouth curled up slightly.

The Third Hokage actually gave me the Shadow Clone Jutsu. And he'll be leaving the village next month to visit the Daimyō.

He had been planning to find an opportunity to learn the Flying Thunder God Technique so he could use clones to check on the explosive tags Xuanying had planted.

This is like someone handing me a pillow right when I was feeling sleepy.

Sitting down, Naruto pondered briefly before realizing something—his act in front of Hayate Gekkō had worked perfectly. The Third Hokage had so much confidence in the Five Elements Seal on him.

Well, that'll work to my advantage.

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