Chapter 530: The 'Truth'

Fujin was slightly surprised. He thought, 'He is willing to give me the squad that was supposed to be given to Asuma? If I can guide one of those squads, my influence in the village will increase considerably. Along with those kidnapped orphans that I'll be looking after and my seat on the council, I could be a major contender for Hokage post the Fourth Great Ninja War.

Unfortunately, the position of Hokage will be quite meaningless by then. There isn't much I can gain from it. Besides, if I have to look after a group of Genins, then it'll take up a major portion of my time. And, time is something I am extremely short of! It'll eat into my training time and I won't be able to visit Phantom Haven easily until they graduate. It will also interfere with several of my future plans.'

Fujin replied, "I am still very busy with my training, Grandpa. And, I will also have to look after the orphans very soon as the construction is almost complete. While I would have liked to guide promising young kids, I can't accept that responsibility for the time being."

Hiruzen sighed and said, "That is a pity but I understand. Continue focusing on your training."

"I will" Fujin replied with a smile and disappeared from the room. Hiruzen muttered internally, 'Such dedication towards training is very good. If only he had been a few years older...'

Hiruzen's expression became serious as he thought, 'That said, I didn't expect Fujin to be so interested in the Scroll of Seals. Was he interested in a particular jutsu or did he just want to learn dangerous jutsus to expand his jutsu repertoire?'

Hiruzen couldn't be sure. He stopped thinking about it after a while. Though Fujin was brazen, he had just taken advantage of an opportunity and hadn't tried something by himself. Despite the greed he usually displayed, Hiruzen didn't think that Fujin would do something like what Orochimaru did. Of course, if he knew that Fujin was the one responsible for the tense situation the village was in for the last couple of months, who knows what he would have thought?

As Fujin left the office, he thought, 'That was a shame. I was hoping Hiruzen would give me the scroll. Of course, it wouldn't be for safekeeping, but rather to give me an opportunity to learn the jutsus inside. Oh well, I guess he doesn't want me to have access to the darker jutsus like the Edo Tensei. Knowing what happened with Orochimaru, I am not surprised with his decision.'

Fujin was hoping that Hiruzen would provide him with the same opportunity as Naruto. Though Hiruzen hadn't, Fujin wasn't offended. After all, Hiruzen had helped him a lot and even provided him with all the information on the Flying Thunder God jutsu along with several other jutsus.

The matter of refusing to train the kids was also a missed opportunity. Though Fujin realized it, one person had limited energy and time. After weighing his options, he could only give up on it and continue forward on his original path without thinking about it for a second time.

Later that day, Naruto arrived at Fujin's house. Fujin opened the door and said, "Already received the headband? Congrats on passing, Naruto."

Naruto smiled and said, "Thank you, Fujin. It was thanks to you."

Naruto was genuinely grateful. Not only Fujin had taught him Wind jutsus and improved his chakra control, but he had also provided him with an opportunity to graduate after he had failed and even defended him when Mizuki was trash-talking about him.

Fujin chuckled and said, "Don't worry about it. Come on in."

Naruto entered Fujin's house. Fujin said, "I was planning to treat you outside, but I guessed that you have a lot of questions. So, let's eat at home today. I made some fried chicken and prawns."

Naruto's eyes immediately lit up. He had come to love those two dishes during the last year. While ramen was still his favorite, he loved eating those two dishes as well. Of course, the most important point was that Fujin was willing to answer his questions. After all, Iruka wasn't entirely clear on the situation either and didn't want to talk much about it with Naruto.

After arranging the plates, both sat down to eat. Naruto became nervous. He asked, "Is what Mizuki said true?"

Fujin spoke while eating, "In a way, yes. But not entirely. He is too weak to know important details. I suppose even Iruka doesn't know everything."

Naruto was surprised at how dismissive Fujin was about his academy teachers. He recalled Fujin having the same attitude earlier that day. Naruto nervously asked, "So, what is the truth?"

Fujin answered, "Twelve years ago, the Nine Tailed Beast attacked our village. The attack was devastating for our village. We lost many experienced Jounins. Lord Fourth lost his life while defeating him as well. Our village was in a difficult position for several years due to those losses."

Naruto's expression became grim upon hearing that. He wasn't completely aware of how devastating that attack was on Konoha. Fujin continued, "As its name implies, the Nine Tailed Beast is a Tailed Beast."

Naruto asked curiously, "What is a Tailed Beast?"

Fujin replied, "A Tailed Beast is a gigantic beast that contains a massive amount of chakra. We humans can never reach that level of chakra, though there are always a few exceptions. As a result, they are extremely powerful and can be very destructive. In all, there are nine Tailed Beasts in this world, each having a different number of tails. It goes from One Tail to the Nine Tails that attacked our village."

Naruto was surprised. He asked loudly, "There are nine such Tailed Beasts?"

Fujin nodded and continued, "A Tailed Beast can't be killed. If it is killed, it'll just revive a few years later. As a result, Lord Fourth didn't kill the Nine Tailed Beast. He instead sealed it inside you. So, you're not the Nine Tailed Beast who destroyed the village. Instead, you are the one who is keeping the Nine Tailed Beast sealed."

Naruto was surprised to hear that. Fujin smiled and said, "So, it can be said that you are the one keeping the village safe from the Nine Tailed Beast. I suppose you can be considered a hero for doing so."

A smile appeared on Naruto's face as he heard it. However, it quickly disappeared as he asked, "But if that's the case, why does everyone in the village hate me?"

Fujin replied, "Just like Mizuki, they don't know the entire truth. Even if they are told so, they may still be afraid of the Tailed Beast inside you. It is very dangerous after all. Most people will still be scared of it.

Unlike Lord Fourth, you are still a little kid. What if you aren't able to hold the beast back and it breaks loose? Of course, it isn't a worry as Lord Fourth's seal should be very strong. But it isn't unnatural for them to be afraid. Do you remember those people who smiled back when you looked at them?"

Naruto nodded. Fujin said, "Those are the ones who know that the seal won't break and recognize that you are a hero for keeping the village safe."

Naruto understood what Fujin was saying. However, he could still see the unfairness. After all, he hadn't done anything and yet so many hated him. Naruto asked dejectedly, "Why did Lord Fourth seal him inside me?"

Fujin shrugged and answered, "How can I know? I was only four years old back then. Perhaps you were the only one nearby. Or perhaps Lord Fourth saw something special in you and believed that you would be the best host for the Nine Tailed Beast and do something miraculous when you grew up. It's tough to know the real reason. Perhaps Lord Hokage might have some idea."

On hearing the second guess, Naruto's eyes lit up. Though there was no guarantee for it to be true, Naruto hoped that it was the case. Of course, that was the reason why Fujin said it. Naruto asked, "But how can I convince everyone that I am not the Demon Fox?"

Fujin replied, "Just keep doing what you are doing. Train harder, become stronger and keep striving to become the Hokage. Eventually, everyone will realize the truth."

Naruto nodded with determination on hearing that. Fujin sighed internally and thought, 'It is so tempting to tell him to stop thinking about others. Unfortunately, I have no idea what will happen if I undo Hiruzen's work. Besides, even though Naruto struggled in his life until now, his days will get better very soon. As satisfying as it would be, there's not much point in driving him towards taking revenge on the ones that mistreated him.'