The Third Hokage, burdened with endless official duties, was faced with yet another new problem.
In his effort to maintain a kind and approachable image within the village, he now had to personally deal with complaints from the parents of troublemaking children—cleaning up the mess caused by Naruto after he beat up some of their kids.
"Lord Third, you have to do something about that wild child! Just look at what he did to my son!"
"If that brat isn't properly disciplined, who knows what bigger trouble he might cause next? The village is already a mess because of him."
"Lord Third, I say it's best to exile Naruto from the village. His very existence is a curse on us all..."
Even the powerful Third Hokage struggled to deal with the relentless complaints of these parents. Still, he kept a polite smile on his face and said:
"I understand how all of you feel, but it's normal for children to get a little hurt when they play. Doesn't that just show how full of energy they are?"
"Besides, from what I've heard, it was your children who provoked him first—teaming up to bully a little girl. Naruto stepped in and fought back in self-defense. That's what I'd call justified."
Justified?
The parents couldn't accept that. They frowned and said:
"My son is so well-behaved at home. There's no way he'd bully anyone. He was just playing with the girl."
"Exactly! It was Naruto who barged in out of nowhere and attacked my son without reason."
Having been pestered long enough, the Third Hokage began to lose his patience. He reminded them:
"It's perfectly normal for kids to scuffle. I get that, and I'm not against it."
"But that little girl your kids bullied is from the Hyuga clan. Her father is the head of the Hyuga family."
The daughter of the Hyuga clan leader...
Suddenly, the parents fell silent. Their arrogant bluster disappeared like cold water dousing flames.
The Nine-Tails orphan had no family—there were no consequences for venting their resentment on him. But the Hyuga were one of the village's noble clans. They could easily ruin these parents' lives. Offending them was out of the question.
Now they were worried that their kids' bullying of Hinata might bring retaliation from the Hyuga.
The Third Hokage smiled and said soothingly, his voice like music to their ears:
"Don't worry. I'll make sure the Hyuga clan leader doesn't pursue the matter. But you must also take better care in raising your children. We all live together in this village—we should get along in harmony."
The parents quickly caught on and nodded in agreement:
"You're absolutely right, Lord Hokage. Harmony is best. Thank you so much for handling this. Sorry to have troubled you earlier."
The Third Hokage replied with a smile:
"Mediating disputes among villagers is part of my duty as Hokage. We older branches must be more tolerant toward the young saplings of this village."
"You said it, Lord Hokage!"
As they left the Hokage Tower, the parents nodded repeatedly and shot their children sharp glares—those kids had nearly landed them in serious trouble.
It was clear that those boys would be getting another round of "loving discipline" once they got home.
Watching them leave, the Third Hokage returned to his office and lit his pipe in front of the portraits of the previous Hokage.
He was quite pleased with how he handled the situation. Not only had he defused the complaints, but he had also upheld his image and demonstrated the village's compassion.
As he exhaled a puff of smoke, he began to reflect on Naruto's actions during the incident.
Although Naruto called himself the Nine-Tails and often leveraged his "authority" as a bluff, he never actively sought trouble—he only retaliated against villagers who bullied him.
According to ANBU reports, Naruto had even stepped in to save Hinata from being bullied, which greatly satisfied the Hokage.
Despite his rebellious mouth, Naruto had clearly been influenced by the Will of Fire.
Opening the window, the Third Hokage glanced at the modest stack of paperwork on his desk, then called out to his attendant in the next room:
"Handle the documents for me. I'm going to take a walk through the village."
"Yes, Lord Third," the attendant replied respectfully.
Removing his ceremonial robes, the Third Hokage vanished in an instant. A moment later, he reappeared on the village streets, transformed into the image of a kindly old man from next door.
Since Naruto had grasped the spirit of the Will of Fire, it was the perfect time to reinforce it—to guide him firmly down the right path and turn him into an exemplary jinchūriki, someone who would shine for the village.
Even before he arrived, the Third Hokage could already smell food in the air. Looks like he wasn't too late.
Naruto was good at cooking, and sharing meals was a great way to bond. Letting a jinchūriki feel the warmth of family was part of the Hokage's job, after all.
"Naruto, I came to see you."
The Third Hokage pushed open the door and saw Naruto standing on a stool, cooking.
Naruto noticed him, surprised, but smiled politely:
"Grandpa Hokage, you're here. Want to stay for a meal? I've got plenty of ingredients."
"Oh, I couldn't possibly impose..." the Third Hokage said, feigning modesty.
Yeah right, you're real comfortable imposing... Naruto thought, but didn't say it out loud. Instead, he added some brightly colored mushrooms to the pot and stirred.
Ten minutes later, lunch was ready: grilled fish, steamed egg custard, and mushroom soup.
Once everything was served, the Third Hokage couldn't wait to dig in. He devoured everything like a man who hadn't eaten in days.
But halfway through the meal, the Hokage suddenly felt dizzy.
Could it be... a genjutsu trap in the room? he thought, instantly alert—until he spotted the brightly colored mushrooms in the soup. Realization dawned.
"Naruto, are you feeling dizzy? And… are you sure those mushrooms were okay?"
Naruto looked at him, hand on his forehead, and said, "A little, yeah. Maybe the mushrooms weren't fully cooked. Or maybe they were poisonous. But it's fine. A little stomach pain for a few hours—I'm used to it."
"You're used to this?! Can't you tell if mushrooms are poisonous?"
Naruto replied earnestly, "Why do you think I'm asking, Grandpa Hokage? This is how I test mushrooms. I always use this method. I guess today just wasn't my lucky day."
The Third Hokage was speechless. But by now, his stomach was already in turmoil.
For the next two hours, he and Naruto took turns rushing to the bathroom.
Finally, pale-faced and exhausted, they recovered and stared at the pot of mushroom soup with lingering dread.
Naruto asked tentatively, "Grandpa Hokage, should we keep eating? I mean... it really did taste good."
The Third Hokage shook his head while healing himself with the Mystic Palm Technique.
"Naruto, I'll bring you a book on wild plants. Stop picking random stuff to eat—it's far too dangerous."
"You've been lucky so far not to eat anything truly toxic, but luck won't protect you forever."
Naruto nodded, then added, "In that case, could you also bring me some books on ninja training? Once I become a ninja, I won't have to worry about things like this."
The Third Hokage looked from the soup to Naruto, then said:
"Alright. But promise me you won't tell anyone about this food poisoning incident."
Naruto was destined to become a ninja. Starting early with training would be good for him, and it might keep him from wandering the wilds unsupervised.
Still, the Hokage thought to himself—I really was this close to being taken out by a bowl of mushroom soup.
If the other Kage ever found out he got poisoned by a kid who wasn't even a genin, his reputation would never recover.
---
Fun Fact: Sometimes mushrooms are poisonous not because they're u
ndercooked, but because they're inherently toxic. Cooking them won't help. Always buy mushrooms from reputable markets.
(End of Chapter)
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