Hiruzen Sarutobi was feeling the weight of his years more acutely these days.

As the Hokage of Konoha, his responsibilities were vast, and they seemed to grow heavier with each passing day.

That was why he cherished his rare moments of leisure, when he could wander through the village like an ordinary elder, enjoying the respectful bows of villagers and the curious glances of fellow ninjas.

He was making his way slowly towards Naruto's apartment, planning a surprise visit.

The gentle sounds of daily life in Konoha provided a soothing backdrop as he strolled.

Suddenly, his peaceful reverie was interrupted by a loud boom!

"Oh no!"

Hiruzen’s heart skipped a beat, his old warrior instincts kicking in. He pinpointed the sound almost instantly—it was coming from Naruto's apartment. With a swift motion, more agile than one might expect from his aged frame, Hiruzen leaped onto Naruto’s balcony.

The sight that greeted him made his jaw drop.

Naruto was in a fighting stance, reminiscent of the academy style but distinctly more refined.

Hiruzen's sharp eyes caught the subtle glow of chakra around Naruto's ankles—a brilliant, pulsing blue that seemed to store an immense energy.

No way, Hiruzen thought, his mind racing as he watched Naruto vanish in a blur, reappearing instantly in front of a training dummy.

The force of Naruto’s punch was colossal, reminiscent of a young Tsunade.

The dummy didn’t just fall apart—it exploded, straw and fabric bursting outward like a firework display of destruction.

As Naruto sighed and reached for another dummy from his storage scroll, he finally noticed Hiruzen.

"Oh, Jiji, what are you doing here? Wait, you’re on my balcony, that means..." Naruto’s expression shifted from surprise to mock accusation as he pointed at Hiruzen. "You are a peeping tom!"

"What?" Hiruzen could barely conceal his surprise, both at the accusation and Naruto’s explosive new technique.

"Naruto, I am not a peeping—" Hiruzen paused; the words were true, but no one needed to know that, and then continued, "Tom."

"Okay then, why are you on my balcony?"

"I heard the exploding sound and I jumped to check if you were okay," Hiruzen explained, his concern genuine.

Naruto’s smiled in response.

"Don't worry, I'm just training."

"About that, how did you do that?"

"Oh, you mean my punch?" Naruto explained, his voice casual.

"So, I was practicing my tree walking last night."

Tree walking? Hiruzen's mind raced. Was someone training Naruto outside the academy? Jiraiya was nowhere near Konoha, Kakashi was scared to approach Naruto, and most of the village's ninjas wouldn't dare train the Jinchuriki.

It couldn't be that man, could it?

"So, I fell down," Naruto continued, snapping Hiruzen out of his thoughts.

"And I was just laying there when I noticed I'd left a hole in the bark. I thought, why not combine that with my taijutsu? And here's the result."

Naruto held up the dummy's head in his palms, and as Hiruzen watched, a surge of chakra escaped Naruto's hands.

The energy enveloped the dummy's head, causing it to compress like a squeezed orange. Within seconds, the pressure became too great, and the head burst apart, fragments of straw and cloth shooting out in all directions like shrapnel from a grenade.

Hiruzen couldn't suppress a laugh as he watched Naruto's expression twist into one of annoyance.

"Why are you laughing, old man?" Naruto asked, his tone a mixture of confusion and irritation.

"No, if I had a nickel for every time someone used chakra control to gain explosive strength, I'd have two nickels—which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice," Hiruzen explained, amused by the odd coincidence.

Naruto looked puzzled, not quite following.

"Do you know who Tsunade is?" Hiruzen shifted the topic to something more instructive.

Naruto snapped his fingers a few times as if trying to place the name. "Legendary Medical ninja," he finally said.

"Yes, she was my student," Hiruzen said, pride tinged his voice.

"Really?"

"Yes, well, when she was a Genin, she sucked at chakra control," Hiruzen chuckled.

"But she's a medical ninja," Naruto pointed out, confused.

"Not everyone starts off at the top, Naruto. Yes, she grew up to be a legendary Medical ninja, but when she was a Genin, she sucked at chakra control because she was from the Senju clan. She actually used the same chakra control failure phenomenon to create her signature super strength. I think it's a similar phenomenon but both of you have a different approach to it. Tsunade made her chakra control so strong that she could actually regulate this phenomenon to boost her overall strength, and you are expelling chakra out explosively to create a powerful current of force," Hiruzen explained, hoping to spark a realization in Naruto.

"Can I meet her?" Naruto asked eagerly.

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

Hiruzen sighed, a hint of melancholy in his voice.

"She isn't in the village, Naruto."

"Lame," Naruto grumbled, his disappointment evident.

"Naruto," Hiruzen began, taking a more serious tone.

"Yeah?"

"How are you able to use the Taijutsu of the Senju clan?" Hiruzen asked, curiosity piqued by the boy's unusual abilities.

Naruto paused, his face blank as panic surged inside him.

He quickly glanced at the system, his mind racing.

[ Skill: Senju Clan Taijutsu - Flash Fist ]

[ Level 1 ]

[ Description: A Taijutsu style developed by the Senju Clan, focusing entirely on speed to create a fighting style that counters the rival Uchiha clan's Sharingan. The swift movements are designed to be too fast for even the Sharingan to track and copy, making it an effective combat technique against their historical adversaries. ]

[ Passive Enhancements: ]

- [ Increased Speed: Boosts movement speed and reaction speed by 25%. ]

[ Active Boosts: ]

- [ Flash Step: A concentrated burst of chakra from the user's ankles enables high-speed movement, allowing them to close in on opponents or escape from tight situations rapidly. ]

Fuck, what do I do?!

What do I say?

I just unlocked this skill.

In a swift decision, Naruto activated Spirit Possession, steadying his voice as he asked, "Would you like to come inside?"

The way he spoke was noticeably different—calm, composed, almost detached. It was as if someone else was speaking through him.

Guess Sherlock is influencing me more than I realized, Naruto mused internally, noticing Hiruzen's puzzled expression.

Hiruzen blinked, caught off guard. "Sure."

As Naruto led the way, Hiruzen caught a glimpse of something in Naruto's eye—a flash of what seemed like the sharp intelligence of Shikaku, the commander of the Jonin council. Hiruzen shook his head, dismissing the thought as he followed Naruto inside.

"Do you want some tea, Jiji?" Naruto asked, reverting to his usual tone and demeanor.

Hiruzen chuckled softly to himself.

Maybe the stress was indeed getting to him.

After all, there was no way Naruto, of all people, could have intelligence rivaling Shikaku.

Most members of the Nara clan couldn't match that man's intellect.

Perhaps Inoichi's recent paranoia filled musings were influencing his judgment more than he realized.

Hiruzen entered the house, removing his shoes beforehand.

He crossed the spotless floor, peering into the kitchen at the neatly organised dishes on the washing rack.

"You've been taking care of yourself, I see."

Hiruzen looked around Naruto's modest living space as the young ninja spoke, his gaze landing on an old game console he had given Naruto some time ago.

"You still have that?" he asked, a touch of surprise in his voice.

"Yeah, I use it from time to time. I played a round or two with Hinata and Tenten," Naruto replied as he moved toward the kitchen.

Hiruzen's thoughts were interrupted by a memory of Inoichi's words about no one really knowing the real Naruto.

It's not that Naruto is hiding anything; it's that we never managed to see past the loudmouth prankster who wanted to be Hokage, Hiruzen realized, his eyes wandering from the small garden to the poetry books on the table, then to the small TV and the gaming console.

Naruto is as complex as any of us, yet we've reduced him to a few simplistic labels:

He loves Ramen.

He likes pranking

He wants to become the Hokage.

----------------------------------------

Naruto reentered the room, carrying a tray with a teapot, two mugs, and a dozen biscuits—an unusual combination, Hiruzen noted, but intriguing nonetheless.

"Naruto," Hiruzen prompted, encouraging the boy to continue as he took a biscuit.

"I reverse-engineered the Senju Taijutsu style," Naruto declared, causing Hiruzen to blink in surprise.

"How?" Hiruzen asked, genuinely curious.

"Simple, I read up on how the Senju fought, like the Uchiha, and most of those battles talked about how fast the Senju were, especially Tobirama and Hashirama. I figured since the Academy Taijutsu is just a watered-down version of their fighting styles, something must have been missing for the Taijutsu to water boarded," Naruto explained, his tone growing more boisterous.

Hiruzen snorted. "Watered down, not boarded, Naruto. Dattebayo."

Naruto laughed, his spirit possession subtly influencing everything from his speech to his posture, even the jokes he made, all designed to keep Hiruzen from growing suspicious.

"So, I just needed speed, I theorized. And the fastest jutsu I had was the substitution jutsu, so I combined the two. Judging by your reaction, I reinvented the Senju clan Taijutsu, didn't I, Jiji?"

"You sure did," Hiruzen said, quickly gulping down some hot tea to mask his astonishment. Naruto had not only rediscovered the Senju clan's Taijutsu but also Tsunade's secret technique.

Setting his cup down, Hiruzen smiled warmly. I made a mistake underestimating you, Naruto. You truly are on the path to becoming the Hokage.

"I forgot to ask, but what about the tree climbing?" Hiruzen inquired.

"Oh, I was training with Tenten to get better control over my chakra so I can perform the clone jutsu and finally graduate," Naruto answered.

Hiruzen sighed in relief, glad that Naruto wasn't being secretly trained by someone like Danzo. It was just Naruto, being his inventive self.

With a bright grin, Naruto looked up at Hiruzen and asked, "Jiji, don't you think I deserve a reward?"

Hiruzen chuckled, amused by Naruto's cheeky demeanor.

"Sure, what do you want? Ramen? A jutsu maybe?"

Naruto's grin widened, but his eyes held a hint of serious curiosity.

"I have this burning question inside me. Can you answer it?" he asked.

"What's the question?"

"I…" Naruto frowned and clenched his jaw. "I want to know what's so special about me, sir."

"What do you mean?"

"You visit me every month. Just me. There are so many orphans in the village but I'm the only one you personally give their stipend. Why?"

And there was the crux of the matter. Hiruzen shrank back at the pleading light in Naruto's eyes.

He could not tell Naruto the truth.

Not yet.

But if he were to lie to him, the trust he had managed to build over the last few years would burn to ash.

Unfortunately, his duty as Hokage superseded his guilt.

"You certainly don't ask easy questions," said Hiruzen.

"As for your monthly stipend, what can I say? You are a special boy."

He eked out a laugh, reaching to ruffle his hair.

Unconcealed hurt flashed across Naruto's face and Hiruzen's hand froze halfway across the table – the distance between them felt greater.

"Alright then."

He reached within the folds of his robes and slid a thousand Ryo across the table.

"I think you also deserve this as your reward. Make sure it lasts."

He turned to leave as quickly as possible, swallowing thickly as the door slammed behind him.

The setting sun's orange and purple hues lit the sky.

Nebulous, dark clouds curved around the village while looming shadows crept after Hiruzen. Their cries of, "Have a good evening!" or "Hello, Lord Hokage!" fell on deaf ears.

He was locked in conflict with his guilt. It was a raging sea storm, with waves that rose and crashed against his flimsy resolve. Like he would a dinghy, all he could do was hold firm against its cracked wooden edges, praying that it remained steadfast.

He cursed Danzo's name again.

It felt hollow to him, though.

Danzo may have been the one responsible for the villagers ostracizing the boy, but the blame for Naruto's ignorance landed squarely on his shoulders.

But as per usual, Hiruzen would lament. He would suffer in silence; perhaps even break out a case of sake if it became too much to bear sober.

Because Naruto could not know the truth – not yet.

And if that meant taking all of the boy's enmity onto himself, then so be it. Hiruzen had done – and would continue to do – grislier things for the sake of the village.

----------------------------------------

[ Spirit Possession has been deactivated ]

Naruto's eyes were fixed on Hiruzen's cup as he took a deep breath.

Discovering his ties to the Uzumaki clan had answered so many of his questions, yet now it seemed to unravel even more mysteries.

"The Uzumaki clan. October 10. My birthmarks. Is it all connected to something greater?" Naruto wondered silently.

"What is Jiji hiding from me that ties all these things together?"

He sighed, his gaze dropping to the biscuit in his hand.

Absentmindedly, he took a bite, his thoughts turning to the silent system in front of him.

"What about you? Got any answers for me?" he asked, hopeful yet skeptical.

The system remained silent.

"Of course," Naruto murmured, a hint of resignation in his voice. "Like everyone else, you offer silence to my questions."