I'm not that Naruto Uzumaki

Hokage's Office

A massive engraving adorned the ceiling, shaped like a leaf, with a swirling pattern at its center. The Third Hokage sat in his office chair, taking a deep drag from his pipe, as if savoring its taste. A few seconds later, he exhaled a series of white smoke rings, which grew larger as they drifted toward the swirl at the center of the leaf.

At this moment, he was like a workaholic, meticulously reviewing administrative documents gathered from across the village, along with intelligence reports from various sources.

As Hokage, he didn't need to be proficient in everything. He simply had to delegate the right tasks to the right people and manage them effectively.

However, since the Fourth Hokage had previously held this position, power had been deliberately decentralized before his departure. To curb the Hokage's authority, he had distributed significant power among the village's prominent clans and the three senior advisors.

As a result, the Fourth Hokage himself had virtually no real power.

The Third had originally planned to step down gradually, overseeing matters from behind the scenes as an advisor while handing over power in stages. After all, the Sarutobi clan was still present in the village…

But everything he had arranged was destroyed in a single night, four years ago.

Now, power was so heavily fragmented that even though he had once again assumed the title of Hokage, reclaiming the authority that had been given away was proving immensely difficult.

The thought gave him a headache.

Just as he set down a document, a knock came at the door—someone had arrived.

"Come in," the Third Hokage said calmly. Despite the neutrality of his tone, his voice carried great authority.

With his permission, the door opened, and two people entered.

The Third Hokage lifted his gaze. "Shikaku and Gekko Hayate, huh?"

"Lord Hokage, I heard you wanted to see me," said Nara Shikaku, the pineapple-haired head of the Nara clan.

The Third Hokage nodded slightly, picked up a document from his desk, and handed it over. "Take a look at this first."

Shikaku stepped forward and accepted the document. His pupils contracted as he caught sight of the seal on the cover—Confidential: Jinchūriki. His mind flashed with thoughts as he pulled out the stack of reports and began to read.

It didn't take long before his brow furrowed.

The file contained records of Naruto's surveillance from infancy to the present. Despite the seemingly extensive number of pages, Shikaku finished reading surprisingly quickly.

A moment later, he carefully returned the documents to their folder and handed them back to the Hokage.

"What's your take after reading Naruto's file?" the Third Hokage asked.

Shikaku was silent for a moment before replying, "Possible early intelligence."

"Oh? Possible?" The Third Hokage's gaze sharpened—he caught the subtle implication in his strategist's words.

Shikaku pondered briefly before explaining, "Yes. Precocious children aren't uncommon—take my son, Shikamaru, for example. But Naruto doesn't exhibit any of the typical traits of early intelligence."

"While early intelligence refers to a child's advanced perception and understanding of the world, such children usually display three distinct characteristics."

"One, they have a wide range of interests and pursue them with focus."

"Two, they show creativity and originality in thought, with an exceptional imagination."

"Three, they ask many questions and are not satisfied with superficial answers."

"From what I've seen in these reports, Naruto exhibits none of these traits. Instead, he appears unusually composed and calm—too much so. That's why I can only say possible early intelligence."

The Third Hokage fell silent. Then he turned his gaze toward Gekko Hayate. "Hayate, what's the status on Naruto?"

"Cough… cough…"

After a brief coughing fit, Hayate pulled a small note from his pocket and began to read:

"At 7 a.m., the target left home and used the Transformation Jutsu to enter the village center. He walked along the same streets he usually visits. Around 9 a.m., he arrived at the Full Marks Ninja Tools Shop. He stood outside for two minutes before entering. He exited fifteen minutes later."

"There was no sign of him purchasing any tools. After leaving the shop, he followed his usual route home. On the way, he encountered Miss Hinata Hyuga, who was lost."

"The target voluntarily escorted Miss Hinata home. Afterward, as per your instructions, I went to inform Shikaku. En route, I received reports from other watchers that the target had returned home. No abnormalities detected."

Hearing Hayate's detailed surveillance report on a four-year-old child, Shikaku's expression turned slightly uncomfortable. But upon recalling the boy's identity, he could only sigh inwardly.

The Third Hokage remained silent after listening to the report. He stood from his chair and looked toward a framed picture on the wall.

It was a portrait of the Fourth Hokage.

He had read the medical reports—Naruto hadn't inherited his mother's signature red hair, but he had perfectly inherited the Uzumaki clan's constitution.

The Uzumaki naturally possessed immense chakra reserves and extraordinary vitality.

Naruto had only learned to mold chakra yesterday evening, yet by this morning, he was already capable of using the Transformation Jutsu. This meant he had also inherited the Fourth Hokage's prodigious talent.

This had to be controlled.

Because Naruto wasn't just a child with terrifying potential—inside him lay another, even greater power.

If Naruto grew up and failed to control his abilities, if he accidentally triggered that power, it would be a catastrophe.

"For the peace of Konoha, I hope you don't hold this against me."

After a long look at the Fourth Hokage's portrait, the Third Hokage made his decision. His expression grew heavy as he walked to the window, gazing out with deep contemplation…

Meanwhile, within the Jinchūriki's sealed space, the Fourth Hokage and his son were locked in a standoff.

"Naruto! You must believe me—the Nine-Tails cannot be trusted! The moment you step beyond the seal's gate, it will seize your consciousness and take control of your body!"

Minato Namikaze stood sternly in front of Naruto, his eyes fixed intently on the fox behind the bars.

"Gahaha! Kid, getting scared now? I told you—humans and Tailed Beasts can never truly understand or trust each other." The fox sneered. "Just look at your father! Tell me, have you ever heard of a Tailed Beast breaking its promises? Meanwhile, I've seen centuries of humans betraying one another. Especially Konoha's betrayal of Uzushio… That was truly disgraceful."

Minato's eyes widened. "Nine-Tails! Stop twisting the truth!"

"Heh. Twisting?" The fox could feel Minato's growing anxiety—it was satisfying. Smirking, it laid its head down and closed its eyes, refusing to speak further.

How had things come to this?

After Naruto expressed his differing views on Tailed Beasts, he had begun discussing the details of his seal with both his father and the fox.

Minato explained that the seal was an improved version of the Eight Trigrams Seal, specifically designed for Naruto. As he grew, the seal would allow him to gradually extract and use the Nine-Tails' chakra for himself.

But Naruto rejected this idea—he believed relying on an unwilling power was too risky. If the fox refused to cooperate, then he didn't want its power at all. To him, setting the fox free was a better option—provided, of course, that he could survive the process.

The fox found the whole conversation ridiculous.

Trust?

No human had ever willingly freed a Tailed Beast.

So it had made a challenge—if Naruto truly meant it, then he should step inside the cage.

"Father, move aside," Naruto said firmly. "The distrust between humans and Tailed Beasts was caused by humans to begin with. To me, there's no difference between the two."

Minato turned around, his face stern. "I won't let you go in."

Naruto sighed. "Father, you should remember what I said earlier."

Minato's heart sank.

"You're already dead."

Minato's face darkened—he understood Naruto's implication.

"A person has to start somewhere."

Naruto took two steps forward.

Step.

One foot crossed the threshold.

"This is my starting point."

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