Naruto: I, who fooled the ninja world, was hailed as a savior.

Chapter 145 You mean, Yun Chuan took the initiative to contact Naruto?
"...The target showed no unusual contact or behavior, and their main activity area remained in remote streets within the village and their residence..."

Sunlight streamed through the windows, bathing the offices in the Hokage Building in a golden-red hue.

The air was filled with a faint smell of tobacco and the distinctive scent of paper and ink. The mountain of files and documents occupied most of the desk, making the atmosphere even more oppressive.

The figure wearing the ANBU mask knelt on one knee in front of the desk. Although his face was concealed, his signature silver-white hair and lifeless, dead fish eyes clearly identified him.

—Kakashi Hatake.

"However, due to the increasing rumors circulating in the village recently, his mood has remained low. Although there are no obvious abnormalities in his health, his nutritional intake is below the standard..."

Kakashi's voice came through the mask, trying to be as calm and businesslike as if he were reading a document that had nothing to do with him.

Wearing a divine robe, Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind his desk, the sparks from his pipe flickering as he gently turned it in his fingers, listening quietly to the daily monitoring report on Naruto.

"..." His brows furrowed slightly, and he said in a low voice, "The rumors about the nine-tailed fox?"

The source of these rumors is still unknown, and it is unclear whether someone is deliberately spreading them, but he still subconsciously thought of Danzo.

However, Danzo's current focus is still on the Uchiha clan, so it's unlikely he would do something he knows would anger him.

"So, it was just a spontaneous act by the villagers?" Hiruzen Sarutobi wondered to himself.

Just then, Kakashi paused, as if he was choosing his words carefully.

He slightly raised his lowered head, his exposed eye looking at Hiruzen Sarutobi. His gaze remained calm, but a subtle emotion flickered in his voice:

"This morning, the target was on the main road in the village when he unexpectedly collided with Hyuga Kumokawa, a member of the Hyuga branch family."

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi's finger, which was lightly tapping his pipe, paused almost imperceptibly, and a wisp of ash silently drifted down.

"Subsequently, Hinata Kumokawa took the initiative to contact the target, and the conversation involved the villagers' rejection of the target due to his identity."

Kakashi continued in his monotone voice, "Hyuga Kumokawa publicly refuted the rumors against the target and took the target to Ichiraku Ramen for a meal."

"The meal lasted about thirty minutes. After the meal, Hinata Kumokawa personally escorted the target back to his residence."

"..."

After he finished speaking, the office fell into a brief silence.

The only sound was the faint hissing of the tobacco burning in the pipe.

A moment later, Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly raised his eyelids, and through the rising smoke, his seemingly cloudy eyes met Kakashi's single eye.

"so."

His voice was deep and calm, yet carried an invisible pressure as he asked, "Did Yun Chuan take the initiative to contact Naruto?"

“No.” Kakashi’s answer was concise and forceful, without any unnecessary bias. “Hyuga Kumokawa has indeed been going to Ichiraku Ramen at that time every day recently.”

"According to his colleagues in the Anbu, his route was no different from before. It was Naruto who panicked and ran into him because of the villagers' words."

Hiruzen Sarutobi narrowed his eyes slightly, a movement that deepened the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes.

"What exactly did Hyuga Kumokawa say and do during the contact?" His voice remained calm, but Kakashi could sense the undercurrents surging beneath the calm surface.

Kakashi recounted the events as they happened, including how Yun Chuan questioned the villagers, emphasized "trust and family," and the details of taking Naruto to eat ramen and sending him home.

He described it as objectively and calmly as possible, without any personal emotional bias.

After everything was said, a deep silence fell.

"call……"

Hiruzen Sarutobi held his pipe and slowly took a drag, letting the pungent smoke swirl in his lungs before exhaling. The rising wisps of smoke blurred his eyes, making them appear deep and unfathomable.

Yun Chuan, that child...

Judging from his behavior and words, there seems to be nothing wrong with him.

Given his current level of goodwill towards Yun Chuan, he wouldn't have the slightest suspicion if anyone else were helped by Yun Chuan.

However, when it comes to Naruto, who is a very special Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, he can't help but think about it.

Is it simply an overabundance of sympathy?
Or is there another motive?
No, that's not right. Given Yun Chuan's personality, it's not surprising that he would do these things and say these things.

Moreover, Kakashi and Tenzo's concealment could not have escaped Yun Chuan's notice. If they really had any other intentions, they could have found other opportunities to contact Naruto alone.

So, is it out of sympathy and dissatisfaction with Naruto's current situation?
Several thoughts flashed through Hiruzen Sarutobi's mind in an instant.

"……I see."

After a long silence, he finally spoke slowly, his voice carrying a hint of barely perceptible weariness and depth: "Continue to carry out the monitoring mission, and record the details of Naruto's daily life, no matter how small."

"Also, do not interfere unless absolutely necessary."

"Yes." Kakashi Hatake silently breathed a sigh of relief and bowed his head to accept the order.

"In addition, there are two other points."

Hiruzen Sarutobi turned his gaze to the window and said softly, "Regarding the recent rampant rumors about the fox spirit, issue appropriate warnings to the villagers who are spreading them, and do it discreetly."

"Also, regarding Naruto's nutrition..."

He paused abruptly, and Kakashi Hatake, who hadn't heard a sound for a while, looked up and asked, "Third Hokage?"

"It's alright." Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed. "I'll go myself. Because of the unrest outside these past few years, I've indeed neglected Naruto a bit." He had originally wanted Kakashi to allocate an extra portion from his allowance each month to Naruto under the guise of 'orphan allowance' to improve Naruto's meals.

But perhaps out of his own indebtedness to Naruto, or perhaps out of the instinctive desire for control of a person in power, he still wanted to make amends to Naruto while also becoming the person Naruto could rely on.

For a child who has been rejected for a long time and longs for warmth and companionship, the sudden kindness will undoubtedly be grasped tightly like a lifeline.

Even though this is not the scene he wanted to see, since it has happened, he still has to make use of it.

"Naruto seems to be of school age now," Hiruzen Sarutobi thought to himself. "He should be able to make friends after he enrolls."

While he was thinking, he waved his hand, and Kakashi's figure disappeared silently from the office.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat alone in a chair, gazing out the window at the peaceful Konoha, yet his brows were tightly furrowed.

Although he didn't want to doubt Hyuga Kumokawa deep down, Kumokawa's interactions with Naruto always felt like a thorn stuck in his heart.

He wasn't suspicious that Yun Chuan would do anything to Naruto, but he suddenly felt that he wasn't close enough to Yun Chuan and that he had indeed neglected to build relationships with the younger generation in recent years.

Given Yun Chuan's current talent and strength, even if he doesn't intend to take him as a disciple, their relationship shouldn't be limited to just superior and subordinate.

"Should we recruit him into the Dark Division?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes flickered slightly as he suddenly thought of the Uchiha child and Danzo's recent movements.

Root discovered a spy secretly colluding with Kirigakure, and Danzo planned to use that spy to test Itachi Uchiha's true worth.

As the Hokage, he was naturally aware of this matter, which was why Danzo had borrowed Uchiha Shisui from his subordinates.

That spy was, after all, a Jonin and also an Anbu ninja. It wouldn't be safe for Itachi to go alone, so it was understandable to add Shisui.

And the spy's name is...

"Kohinata Mukai".

Hiruzen Sarutobi murmured the name, thinking to himself, "Danzo has been making more and more moves lately. Why not let Yunchuan participate in the mission as well, and see what Danzo is really up to?"

Kohinata Mukai is a distant relative of the Hyuga clan. Although he did not awaken the Byakugan due to his thin bloodline, he is still related to the clan by blood.

This would also allow them to test whether Hyuga Kumokawa is truly loyal to the village, whether he has truly abandoned his clan's prejudices, and whether he is qualified to join the Anbu and continue to be given special training...

With this in mind, Hiruzen Sarutobi made a decision.

It's decided: Itachi Uchiha, Shisui Uchiha, and Kumokawa Hyuga.

Let these three people go and deal with Kohinata Mukai.

Just then, he seemed to remember something, took out a crystal ball from the drawer, formed a hand seal, and injected chakra into it.

The art of telescopes.

The image gradually appeared in the crystal ball, showing what Naruto Uzumaki's house looked like.

In the scene, Naruto Uzumaki is lying in bed, breathing steadily, with drool dripping onto the pillow. He's sleeping soundly, and there's nothing unusual about him...

boom!boom!
The office door was banged on so hard that Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned.

He knew that no one would be so offensive unless it was something important, so he decisively said, "Come in."

The moment the words left his mouth, an ANBU ninja pushed open the door and walked in, his chest heaving violently.

"Lord Third Generation! Urgent military intelligence!"

The ANBU ninja knelt on one knee, his voice hoarse and urgent, filled with undisguised horror, and even a slight tremor, as he presented a sealed scroll stained with mud and blood.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart sank. All his thoughts were forcibly suppressed by this sudden change. He abruptly stood up and grabbed the scroll.

He quickly broke the seal and unfurled the scroll.

The information on the scroll was written in an extremely hasty and even terrified hand.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze swept rapidly across the words, his face turning ashen and solemn at a visible speed, finally turning into a horrified paleness.

Hanzo stormed into the rear base of Sunagakure, using power far exceeding that of his younger days, turning that area into a complete wasteland. Now he has once again declared war on Konoha and Sunagakure.
Furthermore, a meteorite tore through the clouds without warning and crashed precisely into the core area of ​​the battlefield in the Land of Rain?!
The meteorite impact triggered a massive shockwave and earthquake, wiping out almost all Konoha and Sunagakure ninjas in the central battlefield area, leaving no trace of their bodies!
Only a few reconnaissance squads and logistics personnel on the very edge of the battlefield survived, but they were too far away and suffered severe mental trauma, so the intelligence they brought back was extremely limited and chaotic.
"Meteorite? Are you kidding me? How could that be?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's knuckles turned white from gripping the scroll so tightly that veins bulged on the back of his hand. His voice trembled almost imperceptibly as he asked, "Has the source of the information been confirmed?"

"Confirmed, Third Hokage!" The ANBU ninja's voice was hoarse. "The intelligence was sent out by an intelligence agent who survived on the edge of the battlefield, and other survivors also corroborated it..."

At the end of his speech, his voice became smaller and smaller.

Hiruzen Sarutobi swayed and almost lost his balance, only managing to steady himself by bracing himself against the corner of the table. He felt as if the scroll in his hand was incredibly heavy.

The situation was clearly very favorable before, but now the entire army has suddenly been wiped out.

The culprit, however, was a meteorite?
Why? Why is it such a coincidence?

Could it be man-made?
But how could anyone possibly do such a thing?

In a daze, Hiruzen Sarutobi raised his extinguished pipe to light it, only to find his fingers trembling uncontrollably.

Finally, he slumped down and put down his pipe, as if he had aged ten years in an instant, letting out a heavy sigh that seemed to carry the weight of the entire village.

"how so……"

(End of this chapter)