The Time for Change Has Come

A month passed quickly, and today was the day the Third Hokage was leaving the village.

According to Shikamaru, the Hokage was traveling to the Land of Fire's Daimyo to request funding for a new phase of the village's development.

Early in the morning, the village gates were packed with people bidding the Third Hokage farewell, all with smiles on their faces.

"Naruto, you're here to see the Third Hokage off too?"

Chōji stood against the wall, speaking while stuffing his mouth with snacks.

"Yeah, I came specifically to see Hokage-sama off."

Naruto nodded calmly as he watched the Third Hokage and his escort of Anbu leave through the village gates.

"Are we still heading to the training grounds today?"

Shikamaru's voice suddenly came from behind.

"No." Naruto turned around, his gaze as deep and still as a dark pool, and smiled at Shikamaru. "I have something to do at home."

"Oh… okay." Shikamaru felt a brief tightness in his chest when he saw Naruto's unusually calm eyes. The words he had meant to say got stuck in his throat, and after a moment of silence, he simply nodded in acknowledgment.

Naruto took one last look at the crowd laughing and chatting near the village gates, then turned and walked away in the opposite direction.

What's going on?

The last time Shikamaru had seen that expression on Naruto's face was in the photo the Hokage had given him.

His curiosity was piqued again.

He had been interacting with Naruto for a few months now, but Naruto always gave off a sense of mystery. From the day they met, he and his father had already come to an agreement—other than reporting the usual updates about Naruto's behavior, they would at most add some observations about his personality.

Naruto's figure disappeared from view, but Shikamaru couldn't shake off an inexplicable sense of unease…

"Naruto, what are you going to do about that persistent stalker?"

Kurama's voice rang out from within the seal. Yugao Hayate was still tailing Naruto from a distance.

"He's monitoring Uzumaki Naruto. That's his duty, his mission. I'll just give him an Uzumaki Naruto to follow later."

Naruto responded to Kurama while continuing to walk at a steady pace, unaffected by Hayate's surveillance. His gaze remained calm and unwavering, while his expanding sensory field quietly mapped out every detail around him.

The season had changed, and there was no more snow. Many adults, along with children and acquaintances, were strolling through the bustling streets.

After scanning his surroundings, Naruto headed toward a quieter part of the village.

"Haha! You can't catch me!"

"That's impossible! How did you jump up there?!"

"Hehe! Of course! I'm going to be the strongest ninja someday, just like the Third Hokage!"

Naruto had just entered a sparsely populated street when he heard the voices of two children from above.

"I… I can climb up too! I'll be the strongest ninja—"

"Idiot, don't climb up here with me—"

Two untrained kids were playing a childish ninja game.

At that moment, the shopkeeper stepped out, looking furious. "Brats, don't play on my rooftop—Ah! Watch out!"

Hmm?

Naruto instinctively looked up. Two children, about four years old, were clinging to each other, trembling on a narrow rooftop pillar with a diameter of barely half a meter.

The shopkeeper's sudden yell startled them.

One of the children lost their footing and tumbled off the pillar. The other immediately reached out to grab them, but missed—falling as well.

The two kids screamed in terror, flailing their arms as they plummeted toward the ground.

At that height, even if they survived, they would be seriously injured.

Naruto's figure flickered—

In the next instant, he had already caught both children by the collars, gently placing them on the ground, all before the shopkeeper's horrified eyes.

"Wahhh—!"

The two children, safe and sound, burst into tears, their faces streaked with tears and snot.

"Thank goodness, Naruto! They're okay!"

Minato's voice in the seal was filled with relief.

He hadn't even had time to react before Naruto had already acted to save them.

Hearing Minato's voice, Naruto's gaze darkened.

Because he had noticed that Yugao Hayate, who had been tailing him, had made no move to intervene.

The children's crying quickly attracted their parents. As soon as they saw them, the two kids ran straight into their arms, wailing even louder than before.

Their parents rushed to comfort them.

Meanwhile, a crowd of onlookers had gathered, blocking the street.

"You people need to keep a better eye on your kids! Do you even know what just happened?" The shopkeeper stormed over to the parents, yelling angrily. Then he turned to Naruto, pointing at him. "If it weren't for him—he… uh… the demon fox!"

The shopkeeper's voice faltered. His eyes widened in shock, as if he had seen something unbelievable.

In his rush to check on the rooftop earlier, he had ignored Naruto standing nearby. And after Naruto had saved the children, he had remained turned away.

Now, he finally realized who Naruto was.

Not just him—the children's parents, and the gathered villagers all recognized Naruto.

"Damn it! That demon fox must have scared the kids!"

"That's right! Look at them, they're still pointing at him!"

"As expected of that walking disaster! His eyes are terrifying…"

The crowd erupted into a commotion, followed by an outpouring of curses.

The shopkeeper hesitated, as if he wanted to say something—but in the end, he remained silent.

"Father, are you alright?"

Naruto directed the question toward the seal.

Minato's expression darkened. When the shopkeeper had called Naruto a "demon fox," he had already shut his eyes.

"Demon fox! What are you doing? Stop right there!"

"Stop… you're scaring me…"

The gathered villagers grew even more alarmed as Naruto took a step forward. Some children even started crying.

"Move aside."

Naruto's emotionless voice cut through the commotion.

The street immediately cleared a wide path.

Naruto walked forward, with Yugao Hayate following closely behind…

"Naruto, you saved those kids. They shouldn't have blamed you…"

Minato spoke with sorrow in his voice. After a moment's hesitation, he added, "Naruto, why didn't you explain yourself? They didn't do it on purpose. The village has suffered a lot in the past…"

"Are you trying to say that wounded hearts have no hope?"

Naruto appeared inside the sealed space.

Minato hesitated. "No, that's not what I meant. I just think that if we could clear up the misunderstanding, the villagers might finally see your kindness…"

"That's impossible."

Naruto's eyes turned sharp as blades. "Because once they see it, they'll expect me to always be kind."

"Saving those kids was just a reflex. But more than that, I wanted to see if Yugao Hayate would break his orders and intervene."

Minato let out a long sigh. "…I understand."

"Father, none of this matters to me. The timing right now is crucial."

Naruto stepped closer to Minato and held out his fist.

"I need you to show me everything you know about the Flying Thunder God technique again."

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