Looking at Uchiha Fugaku, who remained silent, Kaito scratched his head. It seemed he had no choice but to explain things himself!
Well, no helping it—he liked the Fourth Hokage's character more, so he couldn't keep the Fourth Generation in the dark.
[Konoha Salted Fish]: Let me explain. Here's what happened. Back then, the Fourth Hokage used the Reaper Death Seal to seal the Nine-Tails. In reality, only half of the Nine-Tails was sealed away.
[Konoha Salted Fish]: The other half of the Nine-Tails was sealed inside his newborn son, Uzumaki Naruto.
[Uzumaki Naruto]: Me?
[Konoha Salted Fish]: That's right, it's you!
[Senju Tobirama]: And what does this have to do with Sarutobi?
[Konoha Salted Fish]: Hold on, let me finish. After the Fourth Hokage and Kushina died, some Anbu ninjas actually wanted to kill Naruto, but Sarutobi Hiruzen intervened and saved him.
[Senju Tobirama]: Huh? So the monkey actually did something good for once.
[Namikaze Minato]: As expected, Third Hokage-sama is a good person. If not for him…
[Uchiha Fugaku]: Hahaha! Are you kidding me? The Third Hokage, a good guy? You two are way too naive!
[Senju Tobirama]: Uchiha brat, what do you mean by that?
[Uchiha Fugaku]: If Sarutobi Hiruzen was really that noble, why didn't he show himself to you or the Fourth Hokage and Kushina when it mattered most?
[Senju Tobirama]: I…
Fugaku's words left Tobirama momentarily speechless. His heart skipped a beat. Could the monkey have done something more sinister?
[Konoha Salted Fish]: Ha! You really think the Third Hokage saved Uzumaki Naruto out of kindness? How naive can you be?
[Konoha Salted Fish]: Wrong! The truth is, Uzumaki Naruto was not adopted after the Nine-Tails attack. He was left as an orphan and was officially under the care of Konoha's administration, though he largely grew up alone.
[Konoha Salted Fish]: At first, the villagers simply ignored him, but over time, the people of Konoha began spreading rumors that Uzumaki Naruto was the Nine-Tails itself rather than just its jinchūriki.
[Konoha Salted Fish]: Because of this, Naruto was shunned by most of the village. While physical abuse wasn't explicitly shown, he was treated with cold hostility, denied service at stores, and constantly ostracized.
[Konoha Salted Fish]: By the age of three, Naruto had to learn how to take care of himself. He struggled with loneliness and had to steal or scavenge for food at times. Despite this, he remained resilient.
[Konoha Salted Fish]: Most of the village viewed him as the incarnation of the Nine-Tails because they didn't understand or accept the Third Hokage's order to keep the truth about his parents a secret.
[Konoha Salted Fish]: On the night of the Nine-Tails attack, countless people died, including Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina. However, because Minato sealed the Nine-Tails and saved the village, he was hailed as a hero.
[Konoha Salted Fish]: Unfortunately, while Minato was respected, Naruto—his own son—was despised because the villagers saw him as the reason for the tragedy.
[Namikaze Minato]: ? ? ? What do you mean, demon fox reincarnation? My son is the hero who carries the burden of sealing the Nine-Tails!
[Namikaze Minato]: Why is this happening? This isn't what I intended. I wanted him to be seen as a hero…
[Namikaze Minato]: Why? Why do the people of Konoha think this way? Did I make a mistake entrusting Naruto to them?
[Uzumaki Kushina]: Minato, it's not your fault. I believe Naruto wouldn't blame you.
[Uzumaki Naruto]: F-Father…? Father-sama…?
[Namikaze Minato]: Naruto, my dear son… This is all my fault. I never wanted you to suffer.
[Uzumaki Naruto]: No, Father! I don't blame you at all! It's really, really nice to see you!
[Uzumaki Kushina]: Naruto, my child… I'm so happy to see you here!
[Uzumaki Naruto]: Mom! Mom!!
[Uzumaki Naruto]: Hahaha! I'm not a demon fox! I'm not a demon fox! I have a father! I have a mother!
Upon witnessing this moment, everyone in the group was moved to tears. Some Konoha civilians and ninjas who had once resented Naruto began to feel a deep sense of guilt.
Naruto's peers were shocked upon learning his true identity, especially those who had bullied him in the past. At that moment, they wished they could disappear into the ground. The realization that the boy they had tormented was the son of Konoha's hero, the Fourth Hokage, filled them with shame and regret.
[Senju Tobirama]: Hmph… This shouldn't have happened.
[Uchiha Madara]: Tch, what else could it be? This news must have been spread by that old schemer, Sarutobi Hiruzen!
[Namikaze Minato]: Why? Why would Lord Third do such a thing?
[Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki]: Tsk, tsk. I don't know how you were ever Hokage, Hiruzen. Using your sensei's grandson as a scapegoat is already despicable, but using your predecessor's son? Unforgivable.
[Second Mizukage]: Exactly. The easiest way to suppress fear is to redirect it into hatred.
[Second Tsuchikage]: And by making Naruto the village's target, Hiruzen covered up the losses Konoha suffered due to his negligence in handling the Nine-Tails' attack.
[Fifth Mizukage, Mei Terumi]: Besides, isn't the identity of a Jinchūriki supposed to be a secret? If Hiruzen hadn't allowed it to spread, who would have dared to talk?
[Fourth Raikage, A]: That's right! The common people don't even know what a Jinchūriki is. If Hiruzen told them Naruto was the demon fox's reincarnation, then that's exactly what they'd believe!
As the great figures of the shinobi world pieced together the truth, their analysis laid bare Hiruzen's actions. Watching them connect the dots so effortlessly, Kaito couldn't help but sigh—anyone who rose to Kage status was truly no simple person.
Well… except for Senju Hashirama, Namikaze Minato, and Uzumaki Naruto. Those three were completely lacking in cunning!