I, Uchiha Hikaru, have joined the chat group.

Chapter 7: What are the thoughts of the Fourth Hokage?

"You're not welcome here, get out!"

"What bad luck, seeing something disgusting first thing in the morning..."

Amidst the shopkeeper's grumbling, Naruto Uzumaki clung to the doorframe, a tearful, ingratiating smile on his face: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I just wanted to buy a mask. I can pay you, double... no, triple!"

As if to prove himself, Naruto freed one hand, pulled out a handful of change from his pocket, and looked at the man in front of him with a pleading expression.

But the shop owner didn't even glance at it.

"I already said I wouldn't sell to you, and you're offering double... Hmph, who dares to take money from a fox spirit?"

As they were talking, the shopkeeper suddenly shoved Naruto hard, causing him to stumble and fall to the ground. The change in his hand scattered out like shattered glass. Several coins rolled into the sewer and disappeared with the sound of water splashing.

Several passersby quickly moved away, as if afraid of running into Naruto.

"It's that brat again... How come he's still alive?!"

"Hmph, the murderer who killed the Fourth Hokage... Run, run! Good boy, don't go near him, you hear me? He'll bring bad luck to the family!"

"I really don't understand why the Hokage still wants him to stay in the village..."

A barrage of cold, hateful gazes fell upon Naruto. His small figure sat there blankly, head bowed, looking as if he had done something wrong. His heart felt like it was being squeezed, and a feeling of grievance spread through him, but he dared not cry.

His past experiences taught him that doing so would only invite more ridicule.

[Nameless: Fourth Hokage, what are your thoughts?]

As Naruto was being kicked out of the shop, Uchiha Hikaru started a group live stream.

So those few minutes of footage were witnessed by several people in the chat group.

Bulma was the first to lose her temper.

[Bulma: Wow, these people are disgusting! How can they use such vicious words to insult a child? Aren't they afraid of divine retribution?]

[Bulma: And he's the child of Eternal? Wasn't Eternal a hero who sacrificed herself to protect the village? Why are her descendants being treated like this?]

As the most idle and curious person in the chat group, Bulma had chatted quite a bit with Minato Namikaze over the past two days and knew a little about the Fourth Hokage's life. Therefore, she found Naruto's current predicament rather perplexing.

Even the gentle-natured Tanjiro couldn't stand it.

[Iron-headed kid: No matter the reason, treating a child like this is going too far!]

Minato Namikaze remained silent until Hikaru Uchiha asked him about his "thoughts," at which point he seemed to react, displaying a complex mix of emotions.

[Yongdai Mei: I...]

[Eternal Sister: I know that Jinchuriki living in a village will definitely face discrimination from some people, just like Kushina did... But Naruto is still so young, how can these villagers...]

[Yongdai-mei: Ms. Guang, could you please help me persuade them?]

"..."

Uchiha Hikaru let out a soft breath, then took a step.

I walked straight past the indifferent onlookers and arrived at the other side of the long street.

Naruto noticed her approaching and instinctively shrank back before he could even get up. A pair of small hands, red from the cold wind, pressed against the ground, with a small pool of blood beneath them—the wound he had inflicted on the shop's door frame when the shopkeeper pushed him away, which showed no signs of healing yet.

Uchiha Hikaru leaned slightly forward and extended a hand to the blond-haired boy in front of him: "Need any help?"

"!"

Naruto Uzumaki suddenly raised his head, his bright blue eyes wide open, his face filled with disbelief.

After a brief moment of astonishment, the onlookers erupted in a frenzy.

"Little girl, don't go near that brat! He's a fox demon! He'll bring bad luck!"

"...Hmph, I don't think she's any decent kid either. Her clothes are so strange, and she helped that monster in front of so many people. She's probably an orphan with no one to guide her!"

"Pah! Monster!"

A teenager suddenly spat in this direction.

He was already standing very close, and when he spat, the spittle flew directly towards the hem of Uchiha Hikari's skirt. Just before being splashed, Uchiha Hikari took a step to the side, glanced at her feet with disgust, and then looked up at the child.

The latter was startled by her gaze, but because her parents were standing beside her, she remained firm: "What are you looking at? This monster is a scourge of the village; wherever he goes, business suffers. And you dared to help him... Get lost, or I'll have someone beat you up!"

"……Oh."

Uchiha Hikaru suddenly smiled.

The next moment, she flashed and rushed in front of the boy before he could react, slapping him across the face!

With a loud "smack," the boy, as if punched hard, was sent flying through the air. After landing, he rolled several times, spitting out a mouthful of blood mixed with a few teeth. His face swelled up at a visible speed.

"You brat, how dare you hit my son..."

The father of the teenager was stunned for a few seconds before belatedly realizing what was happening, and immediately started cursing.

but……

The words of rebuke quickly caught in his throat.

Murderous intent.

A palpable killing intent emanated from Uchiha Hikaru's cold eyes. For a fleeting moment, the father of the boy felt as if he were surrounded by a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood, his entire body trembling involuntarily, almost kneeling down to beg for mercy.

Two members of the secret service, who were also hiding in the shadows, also sensed this murderous intent.

The two men exchanged a glance, then sprang from their hiding place, shouting anxiously, "Stop!"

"This is Konoha Village. Anyone who kills someone here, no matter who it is, will be thrown in jail!"

"Oh?"

Uchiha Hikaru tilted his head, shifting his gaze to the two ANBU members: "When they were bullying children here, you did nothing. I only slightly punished them, and you jumped in... What, do you think I look easier to bully than them? Or... are you actually looking forward to seeing this child being bullied?"

"..."

The operative, caught off guard by what he'd just said, paused for a moment, then forced a defense: "It was just a squabble between the children, you really went too far..."

"besides."

Uchiha Hikaru ignored their response, his aura rising as his black hair fluttered slightly: "Who gave you the courage to order me around?!"

"!!"

……

Hokage Building.

Having just finished processing a batch of documents, Hiruzen Sarutobi picked up his pipe, took a few deep drags, and a contented expression appeared on his face.

(End of this chapter)