Dead silence.
A silence like death itself.
The entire atmosphere around the Hokage’s office was frozen like ice!
Countless villagers stood with faces full of shock and disbelief.
The demon fox is the son of the Fourth Hokage?
“How can this be?! The Fourth Hokage is the hero who saved the entire village. How can the demon fox be his son?”
“Exactly! What a joke! This can’t be true!”
“It must be a lie made up by that demon fox’s uncle! He’s even using the name of the deceased Fourth Hokage! This bastard!”
Voices of disbelief echoed around the Hokage’s office.
The villagers gathered around looked like they had seen a ghost.
The Fourth Hokage sacrificed himself to save the village!
On the night of the Nine-Tails’ rampage, he bravely used his life to seal the Nine-Tails.
They are saving countless lives!
How could such a great ninja be the father of the demon fox?
Some villagers turned to Hiruzen, hoping the respected Third Hokage would vehemently debunk Mirai’s lie!
The demon fox is the Fourth Hokage’s son; how could that be true?
It must be a lie made up by the demon fox’s uncle!
The purpose was to deceive them, the kind-hearted villagers!
But, to their shock, they saw Hiruzen’s complex expression, his gray eyes filled with an indescribable emotion, and he remained silent.
Why wasn’t the Third Hokage speaking?
Shouldn’t he be debunking Mirai’s lie at this moment?
The villagers began to panic.
Why was their always respected Hokage showing such an expression?
The crowd grew restless!
Chaotic chatter erupted among them.
Quickly, they noticed another shocking detail.
The Anbu, who were maintaining order around them, were all silent!
A silver-haired Anbu looked despondent among them as if drained of all strength.
These strange scenes finally calmed the frenzied crowd…
“How can this be? Could the demon fox really be…”
The thought made them shiver involuntarily!
What a joke!
If the demon fox was the Fourth Hokage’s son, what did that make them?
Benefiting from the Fourth Hokage’s sacrifice, only to turn and harm his son?
Mirai coldly looked at Hiruzen.
“Hokage-sama, isn’t it time to confess everything?”
This large-scale disturbance had affected half of Konoha.
If Naruto’s true identity hadn’t been revealed today, there was no way to end this!
With a dry smile, Hiruzen seemed to age ten years instantly. His back was hunched, and his voice was hoarse.
“Have you thought about the consequences of revealing everything? Minato made many enemies during the Third Great Ninja War. If Naruto’s identity is exposed, how many will…”
“Hokage-sama! I think you still don’t understand!”
Mirai’s tone carried a hint of mockery.
He stared directly at Hiruzen.
Word by word.
“As long as I’m here, no one will ever threaten Naruto!”
Hiruzen’s body trembled, appearing even more aged, his wrinkled face almost sagging.
Finally, he sighed.
As if accepting the inevitable.
“He’s right. Naruto is the son of the Fourth Hokage.”
The crowd exploded.
An uproar louder than any before erupted around the Hokage’s office.
Earlier, Mirai’s words had only stirred a slight ripple in their hearts.
But now, Hiruzen’s confirmation changed everything!
The boy they had always called the demon fox was indeed the son of the Fourth Hokage!
The son of the hero who sacrificed his life to save this village!
The demon fox is the hero’s son?
“But why did everyone call him a demon fox?”
“Where did these rumors come from?”
“This is too strange!”
Many villagers were still filled with confusion.
If Naruto was the son of a hero, why was he treated this way?
As the son of the Fourth Hokage, shouldn’t he have enjoyed the best the village had to offer, raised as a hero’s child?
Why was Naruto treated the exact opposite?
And most importantly…
Why had the Third Hokage never intervened in this process? It was extraordinary!
“Because… of the Nine-Tails.”
Hiruzen’s eyes were filled with an unprecedented bitterness.
Now that things had reached this point, he had no choice but to reveal the truth.
Otherwise, these angry villagers might turn their rage against him.
“On the night of the Nine-Tails’ rampage, Minato and Kushina sacrificed their lives to seal the Nine-Tails into their son, Naruto.”
“This matter was too significant. If leaked recklessly, the consequences would be severe, so I ordered all information related to it to be sealed. But I never expected it would evolve into rumors of Naruto being the demon fox.”
“If Minato knew in his grave, he would definitely blame me!”
An uproar!
An absolute uproar!
The truth was finally out!
Upon learning the truth, the villagers found it hard to accept this reality.
They had always cursed the demon fox who killed the Fourth Hokage and his wife, only to learn it was their only son!
All these years, they had been bullying the hero’s son!
“I am… the Fourth Hokage’s son…”
Naruto stood in a daze.
So his parents, whom he had never met, were the heroes who saved the entire village?
The Fourth Hokage, whose face was carved on the Hokage Rock, is revered as a hero by the village!
He was never a demon fox!
But the son of a hero!
Tears welled in his eyes, and Naruto bit his lip, trying not to cry.
Uncle had said that a man shouldn’t cry.
But, but…
Tears like beads rolled down his cheeks, and he was almost sobbing.
Mirai knelt, gently wiping the tears from Naruto’s eyes.
“Don’t resent your parents. They were the ones who loved you most in this world, but the situation was dire, and they had no choice.”
“No, I don’t resent them.”
Naruto wiped his tears.
“I’m happy. I’m not the orphan they called me. I have parents, and they are the heroes who saved the village. I just… I just want to see them.”
“I really, really want to see them…”
The crowd fell silent.
Some quietly wiped away tears.
Others clenched their fists in guilt.
Mirai stood up and turned to Hiruzen.
“Third Hokage, letting the hero’s son suffer bullying in the village, what crime do you deserve for this?”
Crime???
Hiruzen’s face darkened.
What did he mean???
Was Mirai directly targeting him?
“As the hero’s son, Naruto should have received the best education and treatment, but he didn’t! Instead, he endured baseless bullying!”
“Don’t you, as the Third Hokage, plan to take responsibility?”
As soon as Mirai finished speaking, the surrounding villagers began to murmur.
“The Hokage does bear some responsibility for Naruto’s situation.”
“Yes! If Hokage-sama had revealed Naruto’s identity as the Fourth’s son from the start, how could we have treated him this way?”
The villagers began to pass the blame, their guilt over Naruto’s true identity, finding a new outlet.
Hiruzen’s teeth clenched, his Anbu looking around uncomfortably, seeing the shifting sentiments.
“What do you want as compensation?”
He took a deep breath.
The situation was beyond his control.
Mirai smiled coldly.
“I remember my brother Minato left behind a substantial inheritance, which you have appropriated. That should be worth about 10 billion ryo!”
As soon as he finished speaking, Hiruzen was visibly shaken.
“Minato’s inheritance couldn’t possibly be that much. Don’t overestimate it!”
Mirai’s face turned cold.
“So you really did take my brother’s inheritance?”
Hiruzen realized his mistake, noticing the villagers’ suspicious looks and his heart sank.
He had fallen into a trap.
“Minato’s inheritance was used to rebuild the village and compensate the families of the ninja who died that night. Not a single ryo went into my pocket, and it’s nowhere near 10 billion ryo.”
Hiruzen’s tone softened, his words carefully chosen.
A true master of politics, his explanation was flawless.
Mirai’s lips curled into a cold smile.
“Five billion ryo, as compensation for Naruto.”
Hiruzen’s face turned even grimmer.
“Mirai, do you know how much five billion ryo is? There’s no way I can come up with that amount.”
“Does Naruto’s suffering and the inheritance of the Fourth Hokage and his wife not even amount to five billion ryo?”
“If you can’t produce it, can’t the Sarutobi clan?”
Teeth gritted, Hiruzen stared at Mirai, anger flaring in his eyes.
He remembered Mirai’s declaration in the Hokage’s office when he first returned to the village: I will reclaim every bit of Minato’s inheritance.
Many clan members would face hardship if the Sarutobi clan had to produce five billion Ryo for compensation.
But now, the situation was beyond his control.
“I will have the compensation.
Delivered. Remember, this is for Naruto.”
He took a deep breath, his tone calm but his eyes smoldering with fire.
But Mirai’s gaze remained indifferent.
It was as if saying this was just the beginning.
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