“Slurp~ Slurp~”
“Chug chug chug!”
“Burp…”
“So full!”
Naruto finished his second bowl of ramen, broth, and all. He patted his now full belly, his little face showing pure satisfaction and happiness.
It had been a long time since he’d felt this happy.
Being with Grandpa Hokage also made him happy.
But Grandpa Hokage was always lecturing him.
Every time, it made him sleepy.
Whitebeard’s Dad was different!
Dad never lectured him. From Whitebeard, Naruto truly felt what “fatherly love” was.
‘Whitebeard Dad is the only father I’ll ever have!’ the five-year-old Naruto thought.
“Gu ra ra ra! Naruto, are you full?” Whitebeard laughed: “At your age, you need to eat more to grow big and strong!”
“Huh? Dad, is this not enough?” Naruto asked, puzzled.
Today’s meal was as much as he usually ate a whole day! Naruto had never eaten this much before.
Whitebeard downed another bowl of ramen as if it were jelly.
He grinned: “If you don’t eat more, you’ll never grow to be three or four meters tall!”
“Three or four meters tall?!” Naruto was amazed: “Can people really grow that tall?”
Whitebeard ruffled Naruto’s hair with his fingers and laughed: “When I was your age, I ate at least 200 pounds of meat every day, and I could eat half a cow. If you can eat that much, you’ll grow that tall.”
“200 pounds?” Naruto blinked his blue eyes.
He couldn’t quite grasp that amount.
“Alright!” Naruto said with determination: “I’ll eat 200 pounds of meat every day from now on! I want to be at least three or four meters tall too!”
Kakashi: “…”
Listening to this “father and son” talk about such things.
Kakashi wanted to comment: How can you teach a child this way? Is it possible for a child to eat 200 pounds of meat daily?
But Naruto and Whitebeard were having so much fun.
He felt like a third wheel.
Hearing the laughter between Whitebeard and Naruto, Kakashi momentarily saw his father, Sakumo Hatake, in Whitebeard, which startled him.
‘Am I envious?’ the thought crossed his mind.
‘No! No way! Who would miss someone like that?’
Kakashi quickly denied it.
…
“Take them to Konoha Hospital, but don’t inform the Uchiha clan yet. Once they’ve recovered, take them back to the Uchiha district.”
Outside Ichiraku Ramen, Hiruzen, holding a pipe, spoke seriously.
“Yes, Lord Hokage!”
Three Anbu ninjas, wearing different but somewhat similar masks, appeared silently.
They followed Hiruzen’s orders without question.
They picked up the three Uchiha clan members and disappeared with a few leaps.
Hiruzen didn’t pay much attention to the three Uchiha.
He frowned deeply, looking at Ichiraku Ramen.
He saw a massive figure, more imposing than Enma, the Monkey King.
Keep in mind…
Enma was a summoned beast!
“What clan emblem is that?” Hiruzen saw the symbol on Whitebeard’s white cloak, the emblem of the Whitebeard Pirates.
But Hiruzen didn’t recognize it.
”Who is this person? Which village is this ninja from? Could the ‘Dad’ Naruto mentioned in the crystal ball be referring to him?”
With this thought, Hiruzen’s eyes darkened.
For five years, Konoha had protected the Jinchuriki very “well.”
Five years, with no incidents.
The reason is that he, as the Hokage, appears when Naruto is most lonely, becoming Naruto’s only bond.
We are gradually making Naruto recognize the Hokage.
And I am making Naruto recognize Konoha!
But now it seemed that a stranger had intruded on the bond, something Hiruzen couldn’t accept.
The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki was too important.
Konoha had to keep that power tightly controlled!
With this in mind.
Hiruzen hid the gloom on his face, forcing a smile.
He walked towards Ichiraku Ramen.
“Ichiraku Ramen is really lively today!” His sudden voice caught everyone’s attention: “Oh? Naruto? Haha! What a coincidence!”
“Lord Hokage.” Kakashi wasn’t surprised by the Third Hokage’s arrival.
Naruto was almost taken away.
If the Third Hokage didn’t show up…
That would be surprising!
“Grandpa Hokage!” Naruto turned around, surprised to see the familiar, kind face. He was delighted: “Are you done with work? I haven’t seen you in almost half a month!”
“Haha, I’m done! Grandpa rushed over as soon as I finished because I care about you, Naruto!”
Hiruzen looked at Naruto’s messy hair.
His heart tightened a bit.
Usually, he was the only one who ruffled Naruto’s hair.
Now, someone else was doing it…
He was the first!
Hiruzen smiled and asked: “Naruto, what happened outside? Why does the street look like this? And who is this unfamiliar friend from another village?”
He was referring to “Whitebeard”!
Naruto missed the underlying hostility in Hiruzen’s tone.
He happily said: “Grandpa Hokage, you’re just in time! I have great news to share with you!”
Naruto’s words were shocking: “Grandpa Hokage, I have a father now! I have a family!!”
Crack—
Hiruzen’s pipe cracked in his hand, his friendly smile becoming somewhat stiff.
“Naruto, what do you mean?”
Hiruzen said: “Naruto, I told you before that you have parents. Your parents… were heroes of Konoha.”
“But they’re dead!” Naruto pouted, then smiled brightly: “This is my new father! His name is… um… uh…”
Whitebeard’s name was a bit long.
Naruto felt embarrassed.
“It’s Edward Newgate!” Whitebeard gave Naruto a light flick on the forehead: “You foolish son, you only remember my nickname but not my name?”
“Ouch! It hurts! I’m sorry, Dad!” Naruto clutched his head, quickly apologizing to Whitebeard.
Whitebeard looked down at Hiruzen.
Their eyes met.
“Gu ra ra ra!” Whitebeard sneered: “So you’re the irresponsible guardian of Naruto? You look respectable, but you can’t even take care of a kid properly!”
Hiruzen: “…”
……
……
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