Chapter 8: The Hokage's Questions
What will come, will come sooner or later.
Naruto had expected the Third Hokage to summon him eventually. He just hadn't anticipated it happening so quickly.
Letting out a slow breath, Naruto nodded to Iruka and walked through the doors of the Hokage Administration Building. Behind him, Iruka turned and headed back toward the Ninja Academy. It was clear the Third Hokage had instructed Iruka to deliver Naruto and then leave—this meeting was meant to be private.
Inside the Hokage's office, the air was thick with the scent of old parchment and incense. Naruto spotted the Third Hokage immediately, seated behind his grand desk, signing documents with practiced efficiency.
"Grandpa Hokage," Naruto called out as he stepped forward. "I'm here."
Hiruzen set down his brush and looked up. His aged eyes narrowed slightly, a flicker of sharp assessment hidden beneath his usual grandfatherly warmth. Then, a kind smile spread across his face.
"Naruto, my boy. I heard you passed the graduation exam. This old man is very happy for you."
Naruto smiled back, playing the part of the cheerful, pleased child. "Thanks, Grandpa!"
They exchanged a few minutes of light conversation—how was he feeling, was he eating well, was he excited to become a genin. Naruto answered each question patiently, his outward demeanor exactly what the Hokage expected to see.
Then, Hiruzen's tone shifted. It was subtle, but Naruto caught it immediately. The pleasantries were over.
"Naruto," the Hokage said, leaning forward slightly, "I called you here because I need to ask you about something."
He paused, his gaze steady on Naruto's face.
"Iruka told me that Mizuki informed you about the Scroll of Seals. Tell me… did you see Mizuki last night?"
As he spoke, Hiruzen's eyes never left Naruto's expression. He was watching for any tell, any crack in the mask.
Naruto had anticipated this line of questioning. Mizuki was dead—killed in the forest behind Konoha. The Hokage hadn't said so directly, but Naruto knew. A Chūnin dying under mysterious circumstances, with no identifiable killer, was not a small matter. The village's leadership would naturally investigate.
So Hiruzen was testing him, trying to gauge his involvement.
But Naruto was ready. He tilted his head, feigning confusion.
"No, Grandpa Hokage. Mizuki-sensei told me to get the scroll and wait for him in the forest. But I waited for a long time, and he never showed up. Eventually, Iruka-sensei found me instead."
His story matched Iruka's report perfectly. And it all hinged on one simple truth: no one would ever believe that Naruto—the dead-last who couldn't perform a basic Clone Technique until last night—could have killed a trained Chūnin. It was unthinkable.
Hiruzen's sharp, hawk-like eyes studied Naruto for a long, uncomfortable moment. He searched for deception, for any sign that the boy was hiding something.
But Naruto's expression remained open, innocent, and utterly untroubled.
Finally, the Third Hokage's gaze softened. The warmth returned to his face, as if a cloud had passed from the sun.
"I see," he said, nodding slowly. "That's all I needed to know. You may go back to the academy, Naruto. Your Jōnin instructor should be arriving soon to collect you. He is one of the village's finest elite Jōnin. Learn well from him."
He paused, adding with a slightly more serious tone, "And Naruto… the matter of the Scroll of Seals is a village secret. Don't speak of it to anyone outside this office."
Naruto nodded obediently. "I understand, Grandpa Hokage. I'll head back now."
He turned and walked out of the office, closing the door quietly behind him.
The moment Naruto left, a figure emerged from the shadows in the corner of the room. Shimura Danzō stepped into the light, his cane clicking softly against the wooden floor. His single visible eye tracked the door through which Naruto had just departed.
"Sarutobi," Danzō said, his voice flat and cold. "What do you think?"
The Third Hokage's expression had changed. The kindly old man was gone, replaced by the hardened, calculating leader of the Hidden Leaf. His eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
"I suspect this may be the work of Orochimaru," Hiruzen said slowly. "Danzō… you haven't had any dealings with him lately, have you?"
Danzō frowned. "You think Orochimaru killed Mizuki?"
"Hmph. What else am I supposed to think?" Hiruzen's voice was sharp. "Don't think I'm unaware that Mizuki intended to steal the Scroll of Seals and defect to Orochimaru. And the condition of Mizuki's body… there were no signs of a struggle. That means his killer was so powerful he couldn't even fight back. There are very few people in Konoha capable of such a feat."
Danzō didn't argue. His own conclusions aligned with Hiruzen's. It seemed both of them had already decided the murderer was Orochimaru—the rogue Sannin who had once been Hiruzen's own student. And since Mizuki had stolen only a decoy scroll, worthless and empty, there was no reason to dig deeper.
The matter was, as far as they were concerned, closed.
——————————
Back at the Ninja Academy, the classroom had grown quiet.
Most of the newly graduated genin had already been collected by their assigned Jōnin instructors. Only a handful remained, including Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno, both waiting with varying degrees of impatience.
When Naruto walked back through the door, both of them looked up. To his mild surprise, neither made a snide comment. They simply watched him return to his seat.
Sakura offered a small, tentative smile. "Naruto, you're back. Our Jōnin instructor isn't here yet."
Naruto gave a slight nod in acknowledgment but didn't say anything.
Sakura's smile faltered slightly at his silence, but before she could try again, the classroom door slid open with a creak.
A man stepped inside. He wore the standard Konoha flak jacket over a dark blue shirt, with a forehead protector tilted low over his left eye. His silver hair was wild and gravity-defying, and his visible eye was curved in a lazy, almost sleepy squint. A small smile played at the corners of his mouth.
This was Naruto's Jōnin instructor—the famed Copy Ninja, Hatake Kakashi.
Naruto had expected Kakashi to be late. Everyone knew about his chronic tardiness. But it seemed today, for once, the timing had worked out. Naruto had barely sat down before Kakashi arrived.
The silver-haired Jōnin raised a hand in a casual wave, his eye crinkling with amusement.
"Yo. Sorry I kept you waiting." He tilted his head, taking in the three young genin before him. "I'm your instructor, Hatake Kakashi."