Chapter 368: Chapter 366 : Truth Revealed!!
"Jinchūriki?"
Uzumaki Naruto murmured the word under his breath, but his mind was already racing with questions.
What...?
The words the Nine-Tails had spoken earlier were now echoed by Mizuki-sensei.
The Tailed Beast must be referring to the Nine-Tails itself—but what exactly was a Jinchūriki?
He didn’t understand.
No one had ever told him anything about it, but somehow, he felt it had something to do with him.
No... something deeply connected.
Thinking this, he couldn’t help but ask, "Mizuki-sensei, what are Tailed Beasts? And what’s a Jinchūriki?"
Over the years, Naruto had grown more careful. He didn’t mention the conversation he had with the Nine-Tails, instead choosing to watch Mizuki closely as he asked the question.
He wasn’t sure if what the fox had said was even true.
"Tailed Beasts... are powerful beasts made of chakra," Mizuki said seriously as he looked Naruto in the eyes. "And a Jinchūriki... is you."
The weight in Mizuki’s voice hit Naruto like a punch to the gut.
What?
Naruto still couldn’t process it.
Why? Why would he be something like that?
He couldn’t stop himself from blurting out, "Why? Why am I the Jinchūriki?!"
"Because... a Jinchūriki is someone who carries the power of a Tailed Beast within them. And you are the one who carries that beast."
Mizuki could see the confusion and turmoil in Naruto’s eyes, and his tone softened, tinged with distant memories.
"Back then... no one knew why the Nine-Tails suddenly broke free from its seal. Our Konoha shinobi fought to stop it, but many of them were lost in the battle. In the end, it was sealed away by the Fourth Hokage."
As Mizuki reached the end of the story, his voice was filled with emotion.
There was a trace of sorrow, and a quiet respect—for the Fourth Hokage.
"What nonsense is he talking about—saying I harmed Konoha?"
Kurama’s voice suddenly echoed in Naruto’s mind, likely stirred by the emotional waves in his heart and the conversation with Mizuki.
"Back then... I didn’t even know how I broke free from the seal. My body was being controlled. Tch—if I’d been in my right mind, I would’ve left Konoha long ago!"
Kurama grumbled inside Naruto’s consciousness.
That was his true feeling. He was originally just a carefree tailed beast.
But ever since Madara had turned him into a summoning beast, his days of freedom were gone.
First, he was forced to fight that freak, Hashirama Senju, under Madara’s control. Then, he was sealed by Hashirama and turned into a mere weapon—used to maintain the village’s balance.
No one ever cared about what the tailed beasts felt.
Even the ones that seemed to submit only did so on the surface. What they truly longed for... was freedom.
But Naruto wasn’t paying attention to Kurama’s complaints right now.
He looked at Mizuki with dazed eyes and asked softly,
"Sensei... is it because I’m a Jinchuriki that everyone avoids me?"
It was as if he had finally found a reason for his loneliness.
He was the host of a tailed beast. People feared he might lose control one day.
"That’s part of it," Mizuki replied, meeting Naruto’s eyes as he spoke in a guiding tone. "But... there’s more. The current Hokage—Lord Hiruzen—he’s been secretly pulling strings."
"Anyone who gets too close to you... gets warned off by him."
Buzz...
Naruto’s mind rang with a loud hum.
Even Lord Third... Grandpa Hiruzen... had a hand in this?
He was the one who made sure others stayed away from him?
Naruto couldn’t believe it.
Why?
Grandpa Hiruzen had always been so kind to him. Why would he do something like that?
"No... Grandpa Hokage was always good to me," Naruto said, shaking his head stubbornly. "There’s no way he would want people to stay away from me. That has to be a lie!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen... he was one of the people Naruto trusted the most.
"I don’t believe it—but it’s true!" Mizuki looked calmly at Naruto’s disbelieving eyes. With a faint smile, he shook his head and said,
"You’ve had no friends all these years. Back then, the Third Hokage hid the truth that you’re the Fourth Hokage’s child and also a Jinchūriki to protect you. Don’t blame the Hokage, Naruto."
"In those years, certain forces were targeting Jinchūriki to extract the tailed beasts from them."
To protect me?
To hide my identity?
Naruto muttered softly, but his eyes darkened with confusion.
Not long ago, Genya had said something strange to him.
He said that if the Hokage wanted to hide something, it would be easy. And if he wanted to spread something, that would be even easier.
After saying that, Genya looked at him with a trace of sympathy in his eyes.
At the time, Naruto didn’t quite understand.
But now... he did.
The fact that he was the host of the Nine-Tails—if Hokage Hiruzen truly wanted to hide it, it would’ve been simple.
But still... everyone in the village knew.
And they all kept their distance.
They all saw him as the demon fox.
And yet, the truth about him being the Fourth Hokage’s son was hidden flawlessly.
That couldn’t just be coincidence.
Naruto couldn’t help but wonder—was all of this part of the Hokage’s plan?
As he thought about it more and more, something clicked in his mind.
He turned to Mizuki and asked, "Wait a minute... then why didn’t Genya avoid me? Why did he stay by my side?"
"Uchiha Genya, huh?" Mizuki laughed, eyes flashing with a hint of sarcasm.
"He’s the heir of the Uchiha clan. I’m sure he was warned too... but he just didn’t listen to the Hokage."
"If you ever get the chance, go talk to him. He might just give you the answers you’re looking for."
Mizuki murmured under his breath, as if exposing a hidden truth.
"So... Genya was warned too?" Naruto repeated, his voice low. Over the years, he had come to understand just how powerful the Uchiha clan had become in Konoha.
Especially Genya’s Merchant Association—its influence now spanned the entire shinobi world.
Even when he had spent time with Lord Hokage, the old man had subtly tried to warn him. He said Genya was not someone to be trusted, that Naruto should avoid getting too close to him.
The thought alone sent a chill down Naruto’s spine.
"By the way... the Fourth Hokage died for the village. Back then... he didn’t want to sacrifice any other child to become the Jinchūriki, so he chose you," Mizuki continued, his voice slower now as if peeling back another layer.
"But considering who the Fourth was, and you being a Jinchūriki... the village should’ve given you quite a lot in compensation. At the very least, you should’ve been receiving several thousand ryō in monthly support."
"And the inheritance the Fourth left behind wouldn’t have been small either."
Mizuki spoke with conviction. But as he neared the end, he glanced at Naruto again.
"Yet... look at you. You’re clearly not living well."
Compensation? Monthly support?
Naruto repeated those words quietly, but all he could manage was a bitter smile.
If he truly was the Fourth’s son, just like Mizuki said, then his life shouldn’t have been this hard.
Just a few days ago, he’d seen the Third Hokage’s grandson, Konohamaru, growing up under the protection of elite shinobi servants in the village. And himself?
He could barely get by with the small allowance Lord Hokage gave him each month.
Every time Sarutobi Hiruzen handed him money, Naruto would feel genuinely touched—grateful that the old Hokage would go so far to take care of him.
But... now he finally understood the hidden truth.
He was the son of the Fourth Hokage.
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