My curious adventures with the Nine-Tailed Fox

Tetsuya's offer instantly illuminated the world of Naruto, who was entirely used to being ostracized and rejected. His sorrowfully slumped shoulders immediately straightened, and hope sparkled in his eyes.

"Really?"

Maintaining the seriousness on his face but with a slight softening in his eyes, Tetsuya nodded in confirmation. Unable to hold back any longer in the face of this tiny crumb of kindness, Naruto began jumping up and down with joy right where he stood.

"YAY!"

Although his innocent enthusiasm softened the mood of the environment, the anxiety within the young guard Akira was steadily growing. Leaning toward his friend, he whispered nervously in a tone only he could hear.

"Is this really a good idea, Tetsuya-san? The clan leader has strict orders, and the rotten elders leading the village won't be pleased about this at all."

Crossing his arms over his chest and carefully scanning the surroundings, Tetsuya replied in the same whisper.

"We aren't approaching him, Akira; he came to our gate of his own free will. Besides, since the ANBU hidden in the surrounding forest haven't made a move yet, it means there is no crisis. As long as we don't let the kid inside, I don't think Hokage-sama will say anything about this little shopping trip."

Then, he continued with a sorrowful and heavy tone mixed into his voice.

"Also... I owe an unpaid life debt to the boy's father. He saved me from the Tsuchikage's attack in the Third Great War... At least let me do this tiny favor for his only surviving son."

At these words, Akira fell silent for a moment, not knowing what to say. He was caught between the weight of the past and the dark politics of the village. Running his hands wildly through his hair in frustration, he let out a deep sigh.

"I just... hope this doesn't end up causing trouble for us."

Not wanting to drag it out any further, Tetsuya gave a brief nod of agreement and reached behind his back. He practically pulled out a notepad and a small pen from his ninja pouch. Then, he called out to Naruto, who was still spinning around in joy.

"Alright, kid. Calm down and tell me what you want."

The moment he was called, Naruto stopped instantly and nodded eagerly. Just as he opened his mouth to list his requests, he saw the expressions on Akira and Tetsuya's faces change abruptly. Both guards quickly straightened up and bowed their heads respectfully.

"Hokage-sama."

Hearing these two voices simultaneously, Naruto flinched and blinked. Bewildered, he pointed at himself.

"Hokage-sama? Me?"

At this childish question, a familiar, warm, and fatherly laugh rose from right beside him. Then, he felt a large, affectionate hand ruffling through his hair.

"Hahahaha! You are still too weak and young, Naruto. When you grow up, we will all see together whether you can carry that title or not."

Naruto flinched and looked to his side. Seeing the familiar, wrinkled but affectionate face, all his tension vanished, and a huge smile spread across his face.

"Grandpa!"

Hiruzen smiled calmly at the boy's genuine reaction. Yielding to his curiosity, Naruto tilted his head.

"Grandpa, what are you doing here?"

Trying not to give anything away, Hiruzen answered in a perfectly natural tone.

"Me? When I heard you came all the way out here, I wanted to come and take a look at what you were doing."

Hearing this, Naruto puffed out his chest proudly, as if he were doing the most important job in the world.

"I'm shopping, Grandpa."

Although he actually knew everything, Hiruzen stroked his beard, acting as if he were surprised.

"Oh? Is that so? But why aren't you doing your shopping at the shops in the village?"

This simple question cut off all of Naruto's current joy like a knife. His demeanor instantly became timid, and he averted his eyes. Truthfully, he didn't want to complain or snitch on anyone, but Altay, who was doing one-armed push-ups in the seal space within his mind, stepped in.

"Tell him exactly what you went through today, kid."

Naruto called out to Altay in his mind with hesitation.

'But big brother... would that be right?'

Altay chuckled softly at this innocence.

"It would be very right, kid. You are just a three-year-old, lonely child. If any other brat experienced even a thousandth of what you went through today, they would instantly run to their parents crying and complain. Since the Hokage wants to concern himself with you so much, tell him your troubles. Let's see what those despicable adults, who found the nerve to kick you out of those shops, will do when they remember that your guardian is the Hokage..."

Naruto didn't know what to do for a moment. By nature, he didn't like complaining about people, but he trusted Altay. Taking a deep breath, he raised his head and began to speak.

"Grandpa, today I experienced this..."

Naruto started recounting his experiences of the day from the very beginning. With Altay's unseen guidance, he didn't skip a single detail; he listed one by one which shops he went to, how he was violently thrown out, and the words the shopkeepers and surrounding villagers threw at him.

Listening to the boy with a warm smile at first, Hiruzen grew silent as the story deepened. This was the first time Naruto was directly telling Hiruzen what was being done to him. Even though the old Hokage knew the general situation in the village, he had decided not to take direct action until Naruto came and complained to him. There were two reasons for this: both to observe the boy's resilience in the face of hardship and to create a direct excuse to intervene. Punishing the civilians out of nowhere or interfering excessively in the boy's life could shake Naruto's trust in him, drive the child into unnecessary arrogance, and, worse still, deepen the rift between the public and the Jinchuriki. While weighing all these balances, Hiruzen hurled one of his most profound curses at Danzo and his other two elderly advisors in his mind.

As Naruto recounted what happened, the Uchiha guards standing watch at the gate, Akira and Tetsuya, also listened in silence. Their gazes grew colder; this corrupted state of Konoha, which acted so ruthlessly even toward children, made their stomachs churn. They couldn't help but look at the Third Hokage with disapproving and critical eyes. Tetsuya, in particular, felt deeply disturbed by this situation, but they chose to keep their voices down, as this matter could eventually touch their own clan. Finally, Naruto wrapped up his words.

"...That's why I wanted to come to the Uchiha clan and try my luck."

As he finished his words, the cloud of sorrow on his face dissipated, and he smiled excitedly.

"And they didn't kick me out or treat me badly like the others! They even told me I could buy supplies!"

He pointed at Tetsuya with his small hand.

"The big brother over there said he would write down what I want, do the shopping for me, and bring the supplies to me! Grandpa!"

While Tetsuya stood there with his arms crossed over his chest, showing no reaction whatsoever, Hiruzen smiled gently at Naruto and nodded.

"Ah. That is very nice, Naruto."

Then he turned his gaze to the Jonin-level guard before him. Having known almost all Konoha ninjas through years of experience, Hiruzen remembered who he was.

"Tetsuya, how are you? Are you on gate duty today?"

Without breaking his posture, Tetsuya spoke in a completely flat tone, neither overly respectful nor disrespectful. Like many ninjas in Konoha, he too had harbored a secret disappointment toward the way the Third Hokage managed the village in recent years. Being an Uchiha, his resentment was twofold.

"I am fine, Hokage-sama. I am here today upon the request of a friend. Also, I wanted to step away from the station work for a bit. You know, dealing with the people in the village can sometimes be difficult."

Instantly catching this veiled reproach, Hiruzen stroked his beard thoughtfully and let out a heavy sigh.

"You're right, dealing with people truly is difficult. Thank you for taking care of Naruto."

Tetsuya only nodded slightly in response. Hiruzen was lost in thought for a moment when he suddenly felt piercing stares on his back. As he slowly turned his head around, his eyebrow twitched violently. When the Uchiha guards also focused on the direction the Hokage was looking, they saw the trio of Danzo, Koharu, and Homura waiting in the shadows of the trees in the distance. The distant expression on their faces instantly gave way to obvious displeasure. Naruto, too, curiously focused on where they were looking. The moment he saw Danzo and the other two elders, he frowned, and a childish but clear anger settled in his eyes.

Hiruzen was exceedingly furious that this trio had come here despite his warning.

'I told you not to get involved in this, but you didn't listen, huh? Alright then, you asked for it!'

Choosing to completely ignore this dangerous trio in the distance, Hiruzen suddenly began to laugh loudly and cheerfully.

"Hahahahah! Since I've come all the way here, I should take a tour of the Uchiha clan. It's been a long time since I visited Konoha's strongest clan!"

The two guards flinched in surprise at this unexpected request. Hiruzen, noticing Naruto glaring angrily at his three friends in the distance, asked curiously.

"Are you okay, Naruto? Why are you glaring at those three fossils so angrily?"

Naruto flinched at this question, not knowing what to say, but Altay instantly stepped in his mind, his voice filled with a cunning smile.

"Kid, now repeat exactly what I tell you, word for word..."

Listening to the instructions Altay whispered, Naruto, somewhat nervously and clumsily, put this new strategy into action.

"Uhh... well..."

Naruto raised his little finger and pointed directly at Koharu, who was waiting in the distance. Seeing the Jinchuriki point at her from that distance, Koharu was baffled, unable to understand what was happening. Naruto spoke with a trembling voice.

"That old auntie was one of those who looked at me from the side of the street and mocked me when I was kicked today, Grandpa."

Hearing these words, Hiruzen's eyebrows instantly furrowed, and the fatherly expression in his eyes was replaced by an ice-cold glare.

"Are you sure, Naruto?"

Startled by this sudden and terrifying change on his grandfather's face, Naruto nodded cautiously. Hiruzen slowly turned his neck and glared coldly at Koharu in the distance. Koharu flinched suddenly under the Hokage's gaze, tensing up on the spot, unable to grasp what was going on. Inside Hiruzen, a deep disappointment and anger had taken over.

'So that's how it is, Koharu! I can understand the ignorant and foolish people of the village, but you know very well whose legacy Naruto is! I have absolutely no patience left for your schemes! I will teach you a lesson you will never forget. You must finally get it through your thick skulls who is the Hokage and who is merely an advisor!'

Seeing Hiruzen's gaze locked onto them from afar as if looking at an enemy, the three elderly bureaucrats were confused and anxious. Sensing the danger, Homura asked quietly.

"Koharu, what did you do? Why is Hiruzen glaring at you so angrily?"

Koharu, just as baffled as he was, replied in a cautious voice.

"I have no idea..."

Danzo, however, didn't care much about this tension; his one and only obsession was keeping the Kyuubi away from the Uchiha clan. But Hiruzen was about to make the very scenario Danzo feared most come true. When the old Hokage turned his gaze back to Naruto, he wiped the harsh expression off his face and put on his warm smile.

"Alright, don't you worry at all, Naruto. I will have a private talk with that old witch later."

Upon the Hokage calling an advisor an "old witch," the ANBU hiding around and the two Uchiha guards at the gate had to bite their lips to hold back their laughter. Hiruzen, paying no mind to this, continued speaking.

"Would you like to enter the Uchiha clan, Naruto?"

Faced with this offer, Naruto looked at Hiruzen with both surprised and curious eyes.

"Ah? Really? But big brother Tetsuya said the clan leaders won't allow outsiders to enter."

Hiruzen smiled confidently.

"That's right, if the clan leaders set a rule, it must be followed. But I am the Hokage, Naruto, and I am sure Fugaku won't refuse a small request from this old man."

Then he turned his head and addressed the experienced guard Tetsuya.

"Tetsuya, would you please go to Fugaku and inform him that I would like to take a little stroll through the Uchiha streets with Naruto? If I remember correctly, he didn't have duty this week; he should be at home."

Tetsuya nodded professionally. Even though the police force was entirely under Uchiha control, by the nature of the job, they regularly reported to the Hokage. In a military village like Konoha, knowing the whereabouts of clan leaders, in particular, was a vital matter. In the event of an enemy attack or emergency meetings, the ANBU needed to be able to reach them instantly. Of course, clan leaders could hide this information, but while Konoha was in this weak period, having just lost the Fourth Hokage, all ninjas of Jonin rank and above were required to report their locations. To keep the situation under control, Tetsuya turned and gave a signal to Akira.

"You go and inform our leader, I will escort Hokage-sama here."

Looking in bewilderment at everything that was happening and the trouble caused by a three-year-old child, Akira shook himself as if waking from a dream and nodded. Then, disappearing with a single rustle of wind, he set off toward Fugaku's house with all his might.

While Hiruzen waited at the gate with an extremely relaxed demeanor, he fell into a casual conversation with Naruto and Tetsuya. The three elderly advisors observing this entire scene from afar were trying to understand exactly what Hiruzen was planning. As for Danzo, a deep sense of unease had filled him...