Naruto: I, Naruto, don't want to try anymore.

What does Chapter 10 have to do with me?

This is... Wood Release?!

Jiraiya's eyes widened as he stared at the towering tree behind Naruto.

Inside the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was drinking tea and watching the interaction between the two with great satisfaction, also spat it out.

Naruto has awakened the First Hokage's Wood Release?!

Looking at the scene inside the crystal ball, Hiruzen Sarutobi was completely astonished.

He was certain that the Fourth Hokage came from a commoner background, which meant he was from Kushina's side.

Speaking of which, the Uzumaki clan is indeed a distant relative of the Senju clan... but isn't your clan known for its bondage and imprisonment practices?

Ignoring his surprise, Hiruzen Sarutobi quickly summoned the Anbu and handed them a prepared document.

"Release the contents of the document immediately!"

"yes!"

Watching the departing figures of the Anbu, Hiruzen Sarutobi gave a bitter smile.

He was already prepared to reveal Naruto's identity, which was also the reason he decided to ease relations with the Uchiha clan.

On one hand, it was to establish a bond between the village and Naruto, and on the other hand, it was to appease the Uchiha and prevent them from causing trouble.

Furthermore, Minato was, after all, a hero of the entire village. During the Nine-Tails' Nightfall, the Uchiha clan could be considered as one of those protected by the Fourth Hokage, and the Fourth Hokage also greatly eased the relationship between the Uchiha clan and the village during his reign.

Whether it's due to the clan's inherent arrogance or a sense of moral obligation, this effectively reduces their covetousness towards the Nine-Tails.

The only thing that worried Hiruzen Sarutobi was that someone might use this opportunity to cause trouble, such as questioning the higher-ups' actions in concealing Naruto's identity...

He also had a solution for this. First, Naruto's guardian, Minato's mentor Jiraiya, was away from the village on a long-term mission.

Secondly... Danzo is a perfect scapegoat, isn't he?

The higher-ups concealed the identities of Naruto as the son of the Fourth Hokage and the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki to prevent the Fourth Hokage's enemies from targeting him.

However, some within the village coveted the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki's power, spreading rumors about his identity and attempting to corrupt him into darkness so they could seize control of the Nine-Tails' power...

Danzo had just come looking for him a few days ago because of Naruto, and he was capable of causing trouble right under his nose as Hokage.

Shifting blame is an art, and openly blaming Danzo is definitely not an option, even if the matter is indeed related to him.

Fortunately, he had enough experience in this area; as long as he found a pretext to remove Danzo from his position, the whole village would know...

This would not only give the villagers an explanation, but also provide Naruto with a satisfactory answer, and incidentally, it would also be an opportunity to completely crush Danzo's unwarranted ambitions...

Although it may damage the prestige of the higher-ups to some extent, how can a little bit of face compare to the importance of Wood Release and the Nine-Tails?

Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't treat Naruto like an ordinary child, but no matter what, Naruto was still a child after all, and his coldness was just childish behavior in his eyes.

As long as an explanation is given, time will eventually heal all wounds.

As a result, within half a day of the announcement, the entire village knew that Naruto was the son of the Fourth Hokage.

"Hey, have you heard? About that child..."

"I just heard about it too..."

"I never expected it to be the Fourth Hokage's son."

"It's said that in order to protect the village, the fourth generation had no choice but to seal the fox spirit into his newborn son..."

People were talking about it everywhere.

A small number of people had already guessed some of the truth based on Naruto's appearance, but most people still found it hard to believe.

Only when two figures, one large and one small, appeared at the end of the street did people fall silent and pretend to calmly observe the small figure.

Upon appearing on the streets of Konoha after a long absence, Naruto clearly sensed an eerie atmosphere unlike anything he had experienced before, and the malice that usually swept over him like a tidal wave had largely disappeared.

Glancing at Jiraiya beside him, Naruto could easily guess the reason for this situation.

"Where is the ninja tool shop?"

"It should be the area in the northwest of the village..."

Jiraiya chuckled, "I haven't been back in a while either, so I'm not entirely sure, but the weather's so nice, it's just a matter of walking a few more steps..."

Naruto ignored him and walked towards the northwest of the village on his own.

He was just there to buy a chakra test strip and didn't bother to expose Jiraiya's little scheme.

Jiraiya observed the attitudes of the people around him and nodded to himself.

It seems the old man has already revealed Naruto's identity, and the villagers' attitude towards Naruto has changed...

Although he had some complaints about the higher-ups concealing Naruto's identity, he had no time to complain now. If he didn't come back soon, Naruto would probably leave the village.

The two walked through the streets of Konoha, attracting curious glances from passersby.

"Naruto... Naruto?"

Just as the two passed by a dessert shop, a plump middle-aged woman behind the counter tentatively waved to Naruto, her smile tinged with apology: "Want some dessert—"

Before he could finish speaking, Naruto had already walked quite a distance.

Noticing the complicated looks from the people around her, the woman smiled awkwardly and put down the bag of desserts in her hand.

"Hey, Naruto!"

Jiraiya quickly walked to Naruto's side: "They're greeting you, that's very rude of you."

Naruto glanced at him: "Did I say my name was Naruto?"

"Don't lie to me, kid!"

Jiraiya gave him a knowing look: "You actually tried to fool an old man like me with a fake name..."

"Oh, sorry."

Naruto waved his hand, his tone devoid of any apology.

"well…"

Seeing Naruto's nonchalant attitude, Jiraiya couldn't help but sigh.

"Well... I should be the one apologizing. I'm sure you've figured out that I deliberately got close to you, Naruto... I'm actually your father's mentor."

"What does this have to do with me? I have no parents, and I don't acknowledge any so-called parents, so you don't need to feel sorry."

Naruto wasn't surprised by Jiraiya's confrontation, after all, he wasn't the original Crown Prince who would have easily taken the bait with a little teasing.

I'm completely impervious to reason and threats, so what, you think you can control me with the Will of Fire?

"Don't rush..."

Jiraiya chuckled and strode over to Naruto's side: "I'm afraid you don't know who your father is, do you?"

"It can't be a woman, can it?"

Naruto stopped and stared at Jiraiya as if he were an idiot: "The Fourth Hokage? Minato Namikaze? You mean this?"

"So you knew all along..."

Jiraiya's expression was complex: "Then you must have already seen him, right?"

"no."

Naruto shook his head and smiled sheepishly: "I was afraid of being disgusted, so after receiving the memories about ninjutsu, I directly erased their chakra."

"them…"

Jiraiya was taken aback, his expression gradually turning grim: "This is no joke, Naruto..."

Naruto shrugged, looking completely innocent. "So what? Kill me?"

"Why do you do this?"

Jiraiya looked at Naruto in disbelief: "Minato believes in you..."

"Are you deaf? Jiraiya..."

Naruto narrowed his eyes slightly: "I already said, what does this have to do with me?"

This is the second update today! Please vote with your monthly tickets and keep reading! Thank you everyone!

(End of this chapter)