Chapter 13: Foolish Hokage
Sarutobi Hiruzen was known by many titles.
The Third Hokage
Second Shinobi God
The Professor
Sensei of the Legendary Sannin
He was the leader of his village. Both with power and prestige, but he knew he was too old now to lead his village. He placed his hopes in a successor only for the man to die saving said village. All that's left of him was the son he left behind. Though for the life of him, he just couldn't face the son of his now deceased successor.
Uzumaki Naruto, the jinchuriki of the Nine Tails and also the son of the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato and the princess of the Uzumaki Clan, Uzumaki Kushina. Thinking back, he always knew the boy to be more mature for his age.
It seemed that due to the severity of his situation and his harsh upbringing, he was forced to mature faster than his peers.
It broke his heart, but what can he do.
He's watched the boy grow from afar. He see's him as his own grandson but it seems that reality was harsh. The boy looks at him with indifference and no longer calls him "Grandpa" but instead "Lord Hokage". Those words itself are like blades piercing his heart.
Of course Hiruzen tried to mend their relationship, after the boy was kicked out of the orphanage he was beyond pissed. He fired the workers and punished them. He was going to replace them but realized it would only repeat. So instead of leaving Naruto in such an environment, he believed it be best to just have the boy his own apartment.
He paid for his bills out his own pocked and would often visit him but only for it not to last long. His former teammates and friends... if he could call them that, advised him to stop as it was a show of favoritism.
Despite being 'advised' it was more of being driven to a corner. He lamented and regretted giving his 'friends' too much power. It's already too late to take it back, the village have already adapted and if he were to usurp them out of that power now, it would only lead to trouble.
He... truly was foolish. A foolish Hokage.
Before he realised it, there was already a rift between him and his 'grandson'
Though despite that he would often spend his free time watching over the boy. Surprised at his own intelligence, he was in a league of his own compared to his peers. Not to mention the boy himself awakened his bloodline's ability.
One of the Uzumaki clan's kekkei genkai, the Adamantine Sealing Chains.
He was ecstatic, at the very least now Naruto had a way to control what was sealed within him. It was like the Uzumaki clan were made to shoulder the tailed beasts. One of his worries were now gone, if he were to pass away, at the very least he wouldn't have to worry about the boy.
Hiruzen of course knew that this grandson of his snooped around his office. He would grin as he watched the boy avoid anbu and elite shinobi alike. He was more than certain that apart from the Adamantine Sealing Chains, that the boy also awakened the other Uzumaki clan ability.
Mind's Eye of the Kagura, an ability that allows one to sense chakra from exceptional distances in great detail. A simple but terrifying ability.
He smirked and wondered if he should hide various manuals in the office for the boy. As he was pretty much banned from interacting with the boy because of his teammates, he should at least do this much.
Of course he kept everything about the boy a secret, He didn't trust anyone with this information. Who knows what Danzo would have done to get a jinchuriki with Adamantine Sealing chains. Not only that but a he was a child, foolish and naive. The ripe time for brainwashing and for Danzo to poison his views. It was also due to this fear that he let every person who knew Minato and Kushina to be banned from interacting with Naruto.
The human heart was fickle, he knew at least that much. If his friends can change and turn on him, what's to say about others? Minato and Kushina were loved by their peers. They had many friends as they were great people, but many of those friends also lost family members during the Nine Tails attack.
Mothers, Fathers, Brothers, Sisters, Husbands, Wives, Daughters, and Sons. Who knows if they grew resentful? This was a village of shinobi, they were trained to hide their emotions through a façade. Hiruzen could only ban shinobi from interacting with Naruto as assurance.
Then that brings the question, Is Naruto Happy in Konoha?
He knew the answer to that. No he wasn't, as far as he knew, the boy had no one to lean on. No friends of his own, he acts indifferent to those around him, seemingly trying to blend in with the crowd.
He has no attachment to the village.
Then, an incident with a certain heiress happened. He smiled a little as he remembered watching the interaction from his crystal ball. A seemingly fated meeting between a redhead and a blonde, it seemed familiar. It happened with Minato and Kushina as well.
His grandson saved the Yamanaka heir and it seemed his deep impression on her left her smitten. How did he know, well he might have secretly watched the girl to see what she would tell her parents. To his surprise it seemed that she had now fallen for Naruto and was no longer infatuated with Uchiha Sasuke.
He further peeked on the Yamanaka family, hearing the conversation of the mother and daughter duo then the conversation between the Yamanaka head and his wife.
Hiruzen stroked his beard before taking a deep puff out of his pipe.
Maybe Inoichi indeed held no ill will towards Naruto.
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The next day, Hiruzen called Inoichi to his office. He sent his anbu away before speaking to the Yamanaka clan head, it seemed that Inochi also knew why he was called in.
"This is about Uzumaki Naruto, right Hokage-sama?"
"Yes, Yes it is... but worry not, I'm not here to punish you. I'm merely here to ask your honest opinion of the boy..." Hiruzen asked.
"..." Inoichi was silent for a moment before he spoke, "I particularly never had interacted with the boy personally. I've seen him from afar but that's about it, though I've heard many things from my wife..."
Hiruzen nodded and only signaled the man to continue.
"I pity him" Inoichi spoke "From what my wife tells me, the boy is shunned by the villagers, vendors refusing to sell him anything and even if they do, it's overpriced, faulty, or expired. I... I just can't accept why you wouldn't help him"
"I know who his parents are... a large majority of the high ranking jonin and chunin from previous generations do, and I can't accept the fact that their son is being treated like that after they gave up their lives away for the village... it's just frustrating" The clan head said truthfully.
"Is that so?..." Hiruzen said as he took a puff from his pipe before exhaling the smoke.
He was just about to reply to Inoichi when an anbu responsible for watching Naruto appeared. "Hokage-sama, the jinchuriki caused trouble at the academy" was all the anbu said before he disappeared.
Closing his eyes, he stood up and decided to visit the academy. He turned to Inoich and asked, "Do you want to go with me as well?"
Inoichi was caught surprised before he nodded and accepted. With that the two men left to find out what happened.
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Chapter End
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I know most people paint Hiruzen in bad light, because of all the shit he did and his inability to control Danzo. But I have plans for him in my fanfic, I want him to have a supporting role as he had so much potential.
He could teach Naruto shit! Motherfucker taught the damn Sannin, If only he taught Naruto in the og man. Smh
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