hapter 45: He's Gaslighting You, Naruto
Haruko, your name has been appearing on my desk quite often lately. You've been performing very well.
Teuchi, who was cooking ramen nearby, heard this and immediately broke into a bright smile: 'Haha, Hokage-sama, you flatter him!"
'Dad, don't stir things up... Do you really think he's here to praise me?"
Haruko felt sweat on his back, becoming increasingly vigilant.
'No, no, no, I'm not just being polite, " the Third Hokage waved his hand. 'From your mission evaluations during your internship to your performance at the border station, and then the annihilation of the Evil God Cult in the Land of Hot Springs... I've heard about all of it."
'You flatter me, it was all thanks to my teammates and seniors taking care of me. I was just there to make up the numbers."
'You're too modest, " the Third Hokage said with a smile. " Anko Mitarashi and Iwasho said your Chakra control exceeds that of a Chunin; Uchiha Shisui and Iwasho were even more exaggerated, saying you can learn Ninjutsu just by glancing at it. What's more interesting is..."
He paused, his eyes gleaming as he stared fixedly at Haruko.
'According to Yui Iwashiro's report, you once fought a Jonin alone at the border, and your opponent was that famous 'Double Bloodline' Mei Terumi from the Hidden Mist. You actually held out until reinforcements arrived and only suffered minor injuries."
Teuchi became more excited the more he listened: 'Really? Haruko, you're that amazing?"
'That's a misunderstanding, a huge misunderstanding, " Haruko quickly waved his hands, looking terrified. 'That woman probably saw I was just a Genin and didn't use her full strength right away. Plus, with the Earth Release I learned from Senior Iwasho, I just burrowed into the ground and threw shuriken to stall for time. In the end, I only survived because I played dead and the reinforcements arrived in time."
Hearing that Haruko had once been on the verge of death, Teuchi's playful expression vanished.
The Third Hokage, on the other hand, gave Haruko a deep look, seemingly evaluating the truth of his words, and then smiled.
'Being able to make good use of available resources shows your excellent on-the-spot judgment. You can proficiently use nature transformations of five attributes and even develop corresponding life-oriented Ninjutsu... With this talent, isn't being a cook a bit of a waste?"
" Hokage-sama, you don't understand, " Haruko said with a straight face. 'Cooking is the most important thing in life. Besides, life-oriented Ninjutsu doesn't have much lethality. In a fight, it can only bully ordinary people; it's hard enough just dealing with a Genin. I only developed them to be lazy."
'Hahahaha, you kid, you're quite humorous."
The Third Hokage laughed: 'To develop new Ninjutsu just to be lazy—not everyone has that kind of creativity."
Haruko picked up the cooked ramen and placed it in front of the Third Hokage.
'Your ramen."
'Thank you." The Third Hokage picked up his chopsticks. 'Young people should have some drive. A talent like you will eventually become a Jonin and a pillar of the Village."
'Pillar my foot! Old Man, you just want to assign me work; I won't fall for it!"
Haruko rolled his eyes significantly in his heart.
'I still have a big gap compared to those seniors; I still need to continue working hard."
'Hard work is a good thing, but don't belittle yourself. A talent like you..."
'Uncle Teuchi, Brother Haruko, I'm here!"
A loud voice came from outside, followed by a blonde figure rushing in.
Uzumaki Naruto.
As soon as this kid entered, the increasingly tense atmosphere was instantly broken.
Haruko secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
'This kid came at the perfect time."
'Eh?! Old Man Third? Why are you here too?"
A kind smile instantly appeared on the Third Hokage's face, and his entire demeanor changed.
He was just a Hokage scrutinizing a subordinate, but now he had become a grandfather caring for his grandson.
This speed of changing faces... even the Oscars would owe him an award.
Hiruzen Sarutobi waved with a smile: 'It's Uzumaki Naruto. Tired from training today? Come, sit next to grandpa."
'Hehe, Grandpa, you came to eat ramen too!" Uzumaki Naruto didn't stand on ceremony and sat down with a thud. 'I learned shuriken throwing today, although it's still a bit crooked."
'Is that so? That's great! Uzumaki Naruto, you have to remember, as long as you work hard, everyone will acknowledge you."
'Yeah! I will definitely become the Hokage!"
Haruko watched the scene of this 'grandfather-grandson' affection—a textbook example of gaslighting—from the sidelines.
'He's gaslighting you, you silly kid!"
Looking at Uzumaki Naruto's foolish expression, so easily swayed and fired up, eager to shed blood and sacrifice himself for the Village right now, Haruko felt conflicted.
To say the Third Hokage was completely acting didn't seem quite right; that kind of gratification couldn't be faked.
But to say he genuinely cared for Uzumaki Naruto... Uzumaki Kushina's inheritance still hadn't been given to Uzumaki Naruto.
Perhaps the Old Man wanted to wait until Uzumaki Naruto was an adult to give it to him? After all, wealth shouldn't be exposed, and it would indeed be dangerous for a child to hold so much money. But it was also possible that he had just swallowed it.
And then there were the 'demon fox' rumors all over the Village. They said it was a forbidden topic, yet the whole Village knew, keeping only Uzumaki Naruto in the dark.
'Well then, to celebrate your progress, today's ramen is on me."
'Wow! Thank you, Old Man Third!"
Watching how happy Uzumaki Naruto was, Haruko's assessment became even more complicated.
Regardless, the Third Hokage was indeed good to Uzumaki Naruto. Resources were provided, he was usually very indulgent, and he often cleaned up Uzumaki Naruto's messes.
'Perhaps, it's a bit of both. It's just that the Third Hokage is a leader first, and a good grandfather second. But that has nothing to do with me."
After Uzumaki Naruto drank the soup dry, wiped his mouth, and ran out satisfied to continue chasing his " Hokage dream, " the shop quieted down again.
'Haruko." Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Uzumaki Naruto's disappearing back and suddenly spoke, 'What do you think of that child, Uzumaki Naruto?"
Haruko shrugged: 'One of the customers who spends the most in the shop. He eats a lot, isn't too much trouble, he's pretty good."
'Oh? You're not afraid of him?" The Third Hokage smiled. 'You must have heard plenty of rumors about him in the Village."
'About him being a demon fox? Not to mention the absurdity of how a person could be a demon fox. Even if it were true, so what? Even if a real demon fox came, as long as it eats ramen and pays, then it's a customer."
'Treating a demon fox as a customer... Come to think of it, you really did come from outside the Village and didn't experience 'that incident'."
The Third Hokage nodded, seemingly satisfied with this answer. Immediately after, he changed the subject as if just making casual conversation:
'Speaking of which, before you wandered into Konoha, were you always alone?"
Haruko brought out the story he had repeatedly refined for Konoha: 'I've been in the slums since I can remember, and started wandering when I was a bit older, going wherever there was food. I was lucky enough to be taken in by Old Man Teuchi, otherwise, I'd probably still be in some corner fighting wild dogs for bones right now."
Although there were some discrepancies with the story told to the Kaguya Clan, the Third Hokage couldn't possibly check his story against the Kaguya Clan.
At worst, he could just admit the story told to the Kaguya Clan was made up; besides, the other party probably already guessed it and just didn't care.
'Sigh, a pitiful child indeed." The Third Hokage sighed, feeling a bit emotional.
'Alright, alright, Hokage-sama, stop picking at the wounds of young people."
Teuchi, who hadn't spoken until now, suddenly interjected.
'Dad is still the most reliable!" Haruko gave a Spiritual thumbs-up.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was stunned for a moment, then laughed dumbly: 'Alright, alright, I was just rambling."
He stood up and took out his wallet to pay the bill.
'Oh, right, Haruko."
Before leaving, the Third Hokage seemed to suddenly remember something and looked back.
'I heard from Anko Mitarashi that you refused to participate in this Chunin Exams?"
'Ah, that." Haruko scratched his head, looking like a salted fish, 'I don't think I'm capable enough. A Chunin has to lead a squad and be responsible for other people's lives. I don't feel I'm qualified yet, I need more experience."
'You say that as if you'd definitely pass if you participated... We'll let it slide 'this time'. But young people should still have a bit more spirit."
The Third Hokage left this meaningful remark, didn't say anything more, and walked slowly into the night with his hands behind his back.
Haruko, however, fell into deep thought.
During this conversation, the Third Hokage didn't mention the Uchiha, nor did he mention Feng Ye.
With Anbu surveillance, it was impossible for him not to notice Haruko getting close to Uchiha Itachi, and impossible not to know there was a woman from the Kaguya Clan in the shop.
But he didn't ask a single word about it.
'What are you thinking about? People are already far away." Teuchi patted Haruko on the shoulder.
'Nothing."
If he couldn't figure it out, he wouldn't think about it.
Anyway, he had passed today's test, as for tomorrow...
Tomorrow's problems can wait until tomorrow.
Want To Read More Chapters? Check Out 80+Advanced Chapters At PA Treon
patreon.com/SloppyGuy