"Mr. Roy, please forgive this guy. He's my teammate." Sasuke quickly turned around, a hint of anxiety in his voice.
Naruto looked blankly at Sasuke, not understanding why he had suddenly become so tense, and inwardly wondered why Sasuke was being so respectful to these two people.
Hashirama Senju watched this scene, a gentle smile appearing on his face, as if he saw a reflection of himself and Madara in their youth.
Roy narrowed his eyes slightly, a faint, hard-to-detect glint passing through them.
"The barrier is still intact." Roy frowned slightly. His gaze swept across the surrounding air, confirming the state of the barrier.
According to the barrier's effect, unless a Kage-level powerhouse specifically scanned this area, no one in the entire Hidden Leaf Village could possibly detect the anomaly here.
Yet Naruto had found this place so easily, which made him start to wonder.
"Naruto, how did you find Sasuke here?" Roy asked.
"Eh, old man, you know me? Haha, I just suddenly felt like Sasuke would be here, so I came looking."
Naruto said cheerfully, his face beaming, completely unaware of the seriousness in Roy's words.
He scratched his head, as if he thought it was nothing out of the ordinary.
"Idiot." Sasuke shot Naruto a fierce glare, feeling both angry and helpless.
He knew Naruto was carefree, but he never expected him to find this place with no clues and so casually expose their location.
Roy nodded. So this was what "bonds" meant.
"Hmm?" Just then, Hashirama suddenly paused slightly, as if he had noticed something important.
His gaze locked tightly onto Naruto, scrutinizing him carefully.
A moment later, an expression of realization appeared on his face. "I see. So it's the Nine-Tails? Like Mito, you're a Jinchuriki? And you're also from the Uzumaki clan."
Hashirama said slowly, a hint of emotion in his voice.
He finally understood why he felt a sense of familiarity from Naruto.
It was the chakra of the Nine-Tails, quite similar to the aura his late wife, Mito Uzumaki, had when she was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
"But why is his hair yellow? The Uzumaki clan usually has red hair, don't they?" Hashirama asked, a little puzzled.
"What is this?" Meanwhile, inside the sealed space in Naruto's stomach, the Nine-Tails's massive body jolted violently. Its eyes widened, filled with shock and fear.
"This chakra... this is the chakra of Wood Release... Hashirama Senju?"
The Nine-Tails's voice echoed within the sealed space, instinctively lowering as if afraid to attract the attention of the person outside.
A surge of past humiliation welled up inside it.
"Damn Hashirama Senju... wasn't this guy dead?"
The Nine-Tails cursed inwardly. The painful memory of being sealed by Hashirama surged back, filling it with both fear and resentment towards him.
Naruto, however, was completely unaware of the Nine-Tails's reaction inside him and just stood there grinning foolishly.
Sasuke frowned slightly, looking between Hashirama and Naruto.
"Old man, do you know about the Uzumaki clan?" Naruto's eyes sparkled with anticipation, a bright smile on his face. He hopped over to stand in front of Hashirama.
He was curious about his background, and every bit of information about the Uzumaki clan excited him.
"Ahaha, my wife was from the Uzumaki clan."
Hashirama laughed heartily, unable to hide his joy.
"Ah, so I do have relatives?" Naruto jumped up excitedly, his smile growing even brighter.
He had always felt lonely, believing he had no family.
"Well, about that... she went to a faraway place. She won't be back for a while."
Hashirama laughed loudly. Mito had long since passed away.
"Old man, have I seen you somewhere before? You feel really familiar." Naruto frowned slightly, his eyes filled with confusion.
He tilted his head, studying Hashirama carefully, trying to find some familiar trace on his face.
He still hadn't connected that the old man in front of him was the First Hokage.
"Well, that, I wouldn't know." Hashirama laughed it off, avoiding Naruto's question.
He didn't want to reveal his identity just yet, preferring to quietly observe this vibrant young man.
Watching the lively boy before him, Hashirama felt a stir of emotion.
He crouched down slowly, reached out, and gently patted Naruto's head.
His eyes were filled with admiration. He thought to himself, *As a Jinchuriki, to be this lively, it seems the village treats him well?*
In his memory, Jinchuriki often bore heavy burdens, their lives filled with pain and isolation.
But Roy seemed to guess what Hashirama was thinking and stepped forward.
"You'd be wrong about that. This kid used to be hated by the entire village. Everyone called him the demon fox."
Hearing this, Hashirama froze for a moment, while Naruto's body stiffened. The smile vanished from his face, replaced by a flicker of pain and memory.
The days of being shunned and despised by the villagers were a permanent wound in his heart.
"But this kid gained everyone's recognition through his own efforts." Roy spoke slowly, a hint of emotion in his voice.
He reached out and patted Naruto's head as well, his eyes filled with admiration and encouragement.
Hearing Roy's words, Naruto's previously dimmed eyes lit up again, and a proud smile appeared on his face.
"That's right! I'm the man who's gonna be Hokage, and everyone acknowledges me now." Naruto laughed loudly, his voice full of confidence and pride.
"Is that so? You want to become Hokage too?"
Hashirama looked at Naruto with keen interest, a gentle light shining in his eyes, then burst into laughter.
It was as if he saw his younger self, harboring a dream and determined to build a peaceful village. A sense of familiarity welled up inside him.
"That's right. I'm definitely going to make it."
Naruto's expression was firm, his fist clenched tightly.
"Haha, then I wish you success." Hashirama's face was filled with a kind smile as he gently patted Naruto's head once more.
Meanwhile, Roy secretly used a secret technique to inform Hashirama of Naruto's situation.
Details of Naruto's childhood, his parentage, his ordeals, and how he was treated—all became known to Hashirama.
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