Naruto: Traveling Through Time Starting with Seizing the Dragon Vein

Moreover... Danzo has already done it, so why should the village waste its energy on "restoring the truth"?

What about the Hidden Cloud Village and Hidden Stone Village, which are eyeing us covetously from the outside?

The third-generation leader pondered for a long time, a cigarette dangling from his lips, before finally sighing. He realized that indecisiveness was not good for either side.

Indecisiveness leads to disaster.

Never mind, we'll make it up to that child properly later when peace is restored.

I just hope that Minato...Kushina...can forgive this old man.

The old man was only doing it for Konoha…

In the dim light, the Third Hokage's voice was weak and listless:

"Danzo...you'll regret this."

Danzo turned around and walked towards the exit, which was as dark as he was.

"I will bear all the consequences, all for the sake of Konoha."

The door was closed.

Hiruzen closed his eyes in anguish. After a long while, he gave his final command as a "good person" in a hoarse voice:

"Send word to the Anbu... This matter is off. Naruto's living expenses will be doubled and will be paid monthly from my personal account..."

"..."

All of this about the Hokage's office naturally did not reach the ears of the Third Hokage and his wife, Minato.

Outside the Hokage's office, in a quiet corridor of a residential area.

A blond-haired handyman (Minato Namikaze) wearing a large mask was sweeping fallen leaves with his head down, looking happy.

Meanwhile, in the lounge not far away, an ordinary-looking red-haired nanny (Kushina Uzumaki) was holding Naruto, who was fast asleep in her arms, and singing a lullaby with a smile.

For them, this moment felt like forever, a time of happiness and peace.

The Will of Fire still burns brightly within them.

They didn't know why Uchiha Tsukuyomi had sent them to Konoha, but they were satisfied to see the Third Hokage taking care of the children they had left behind after their "disappearance."

As expected of a third-generation master.

Of course, that guy Yue sent them here...

Perhaps he really is a good person?

Chapter 94 The Fourth Generation Couple: Why?

A week later.

Inside a special detached house in Konoha Village, which is under close surveillance by the Anbu.

The early spring sunlight streamed through the window and fell on the tatami mats, while fine dust particles floated in the air.

"Oh, Naruto, be good, eat more so you can grow tall..."

Kushina Uzumaki, disguised as a commoner nanny, lovingly placed a warm pacifier into the mouth of the blonde baby in her arms.

Meanwhile, Minato Namikaze, disguised as a handyman, was meticulously wiping the wooden floor with a rag.

His movements were very light, but his gaze never left the mother and child inside the house.

This is the only day of the week they can legitimately spend time with Naruto.

They could only get one day shift a week; the rest of the time, they could only do rough work such as cleaning and moving supplies around the perimeter of the compound.

"Eeya~" Little Naruto, having eaten and drunk his fill, stretched out his chubby little hand and giggled as he grabbed a strand of Kushina's hair that was hanging down in front of her chest.

Kushina's eyes instantly reddened. She lowered her head and gently pressed her cheek against Naruto's delicate forehead, greedily savoring the hard-won warmth.

However, the wall clock mercilessly pointed to five o'clock in the afternoon.

"Click".

The paper door was pulled open without any ceremony, and two middle-aged female caregivers with indifferent faces walked in.

They were personally selected by the Third Hokage from among trusted civilians to be specifically responsible for nighttime care.

"Time's up, Nanako (Kushina's alias), you can go home now." The head caregiver glanced coldly at Kushina, her tone impatient.

Kushina tightened her grip on Naruto's hand, a surge of reluctance welling up within her, but she knew that her current status prevented any abnormalities from arising.

"Okay, the baby just finished drinking milk and needs to be burped..."

Kushina lowered her voice and tried to explain the precautions.

"Alright, we have more experience taking care of children than you. Hurry up and put your things down and go outside. The Anbu leader is still watching outside." Another caregiver stepped forward and awkwardly "carried" Naruto away from Kushina's arms, or rather, "snatched" him away.

Naruto suddenly left that warm embrace and was held by a pair of cold hands. His little mouth twitched and he burst into tears.

“Naruto…” Kushina’s heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively reached out, but Minato grabbed her wrist from outside the door.

Minato lowered his head, gripping his wife's hand tightly. A hint of pain flashed in his azure eyes hidden in the shadows, but he still shook his head at Kushina without showing any emotion.

It cannot be exposed.

The "Eight Thousand Spears" shackles that Uchiha Tsukuyomi placed on them were secondary; once the Anbu discovered the clues, they would even lose the opportunity to visit Naruto once a week!

Kushina bit her lip until it bled, tasting the blood.

She lowered her head and let Minato pull her out of the room like two of the lowest servants.

As the paper door slammed shut with a loud bang, Naruto's cries were mercilessly shut out.

As night fell, the sudden cold snap of early spring made the air in Konoha feel particularly damp and chilly.

Minato and Kushina did not leave the mansion; their task for the day was to clean up the fallen leaves and trash in the backyard.

The two of them silently swept the floor with brooms in hand.

However, as the night deepened, the noises coming from the main house were like rusty, dull knives, cutting into the hearts of the young parents, one cut at a time.

"Waaaaahhhhhhh!"

Naruto's cries sounded especially heart-wrenching in the quiet night.

He seemed to have wet himself or was hungry, and kept crying.

Minato and Kushina hid in a blind spot in the backyard, staring intently into the house through the crack in the paper door.

"It's so annoying, why does this little monster cry so much?" A caregiver covered his ears in disgust.

"Ignore him, let him cry." Another caregiver sneered, her eyes filled with undisguised resentment. "If it weren't for the Hokage's strict orders, who would be willing to take care of this fox spirit incarnation? My brother was trampled to death by this monster on the night of the Nine-Tails!"

"Exactly! I heard he's not some ordinary orphan at all, but a wicked fox spirit in disguise! It's only because the Third Hokage was merciful that he gave him double the allowance. If you ask me, he should have been thrown into the back mountains to be fed to the wolves!"

"Alright, alright, keep your voice down, there are still secret agents outside."

As he spoke, the caregiver stood up, didn't even glance at Naruto, grabbed a blanket, and roughly covered Naruto with it.

"Shut up! If you cry again, I'll throw you out!"

The caregiver muttered a vicious curse under his breath before sitting back down by the fireplace.

In the cradle, the infant Naruto, only a few months old, couldn't understand these vicious curses at all.

He just felt cold, hungry, and scared.

He waved his little hands, trying to grab something warm, but could only scratch in vain in the cold air.

But outside the window.

"Crack!"

Minato gripped the rough wooden handle of the broom tightly.

Why did it turn out like this?

Just yesterday and the day before, the caregivers only kept their distance from Naruto, but in the last few days, it has suddenly turned into this deep-seated hatred.

How could the Third Generation make such a choice?

Kushina's body trembled, and the anger in her eyes almost burned away her reason.

She now desperately wants to expose her identity and demand an explanation from the third generation.

“Minato…” Kushina turned her head, “Our Naruto… what did he do wrong?”

Minato didn't speak, but simply glanced at the Hokage Building, a symbol of the Will of Fire.

With his intelligence as the Fourth Hokage, combined with the situation and careful consideration, he could roughly guess the mastermind behind the rumor and the cruel reason for doing it.

The village suffered heavy losses during the Nine-Tailed Night, and the despair and anger of the common people were on the verge of spiraling out of control. The higher-ups needed an outlet to vent their frustrations, divert internal conflicts, and maintain the stability of the village.

An infant who knows nothing and happens to have the Nine-Tailed Fox sealed inside him is undoubtedly the cheapest "scapegoat".

He was able to conceive of this kind of cold-blooded political maneuvering.

But he couldn't accept it!

There are many ways to shift the blame, so why... must Naruto bear the consequences? Why should an immature child have to take all of this responsibility?

Minato raised his head and looked through the gaps in the leaves at the towering Hokage Rock in the distance.

His stone-carved face, Minato Namikaze, was bathed in the bright moonlight, looking so majestic and so wise and powerful.

But at this moment, Minato felt that the stone face was the greatest mockery of his life!

In his mind, the words that Uchiha Tsuki had said in the basement of Loulan resurfaced like a curse.

Fate cannot be changed, but the process of achieving the ending is controllable... All endings are written by us.

He reached out and pulled the trembling Kushina into a tight embrace.

"Fate...the ending...we will write it...Project Destiny..."

"We need to do something, Kushina."

The old Konoha needs to change and become a new Konoha.

Just as Minato and Kushina's feelings were undergoing a subtle change.

The snow in all areas has completely melted.