I, Naruto Uzumaki, don't need your approval.

Mikoto nodded, then looked at Fugaku reproachfully: "Sasuke is still a child, what's the point of talking about loyalty? Besides, Naruto is Kushina's child, he has a name."

"Does anyone in the village know that he is Shuimen's son?"

Fugaku expressed his disdain, then said, "However, I support Sasuke becoming friends with him. When Sasuke wakes up, tell him to bring Naruto to the clan more often, and that the Uchiha welcome him."

"Welcome him? You want to use the Nine-Tails' power to increase your bargaining power."

Fugaku glanced at Mikoto and said in a low voice, "Isn't Hiruzen Sarutobi also deceiving him all along, using the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki to stabilize his position as Hokage? Naruto is just a pawn in a different environment."

"If I become Hokage, I will at least tell Naruto that he is the Fourth Hokage's son."

Chapter 37 I can stop the coup by myself.

A few days later, during lunch break.

Shikamaru brought the shogi to Naruto's side and invited him to play.

Naruto glanced at the unfamiliar chessboard and said jokingly, "Why is Shikamaru asking me to play shogi? I don't know any of the rules. Why don't you go find Choji instead?"

"Choji is unwilling to use his brain and has lost to me many times. You are more willing to use your brain than him."

Shikamaru squinted and said with a smile, "Besides, if you don't understand the rules, you can learn them slowly. People always need to learn to grow."

Naruto wasn't sure who had sent Shikamaru, but he was also interested in shogi.

Half an hour later.

After all of Naruto's pieces were captured, Shikamaru finally showed a happy smile: "Naruto, you lost again. This is the fifth time you've lost to me."

Naruto scratched his head, looking at the chessboard with some worry: "I guess I'm still not good at shogi."

Shikamaru laughed and said, "It's already pretty good for a beginner. I was beaten many times before I could barely grasp the rules. Naruto, you still haven't learned how to calculate. Calculation is the most interesting part of the game."

"Ninjas are like chess players; only by mastering information about both their own and the enemy's can they achieve victory in battle."

Looking at the confident Shikamaru, Naruto suppressed a laugh and thought to himself: Battles between ninjas require intelligence on both sides, but battles between Gundams are different. Rather than being a player or a pawn, he would prefer to be an outsider.

Moreover, he is really not good at shogi; if it were chess, the result would be completely different.

After winning a few times, Shikamaru got a little sleepy and took the Go board back to the classroom.

Naruto sat down in the shadows, holding a medical book in his hands, glancing at Shikamaru's back out of the corner of his eye.

Dealing with someone as clever as Shikamaru is a hassle. He could just be direct, but he always uses these roundabout ways to remind me to follow the rules. If I were a hot-blooded idiot, wouldn't it just go in one ear and out the other?

Just then, a group of third and fourth grade students gathered under the shade of a tree in the distance, discussing something with great interest, and their voices reached Naruto's ears.

"You've heard that the security forces have clashed with people again."

"Isn't that normal? The garrison has always been violent in its enforcement. Many times, it's just a small matter that they turn a blind eye to, but they insist on taking people to the garrison for detention and fines. Who can tolerate their temper?"

"Exactly, they are harsh on the villagers, but lenient on their own people. It's such a discriminatory treatment."

"No, this was a conflict between the security forces and the ninjas. It's said that other ninja clans were also involved. In the end, it was only after the Hokage intervened that the situation was prevented from escalating further."

"As far as I know, this is not an isolated incident; it has happened several times in the past few days."

"Konoha has three scourges: the demon fox, the caged bird, and the police force. Can't the police force just behave itself like the other two?"

Naruto ignored the discussions around him and paid no attention to these kids who were just spreading rumors.

They've even brought up the three scourges of Konoha. Isn't Konoha only known for its three ninjas who are involved in gambling, prostitution, and drugs?

However, even children know about the conflict between the security forces and Konoha, and the Uchiha's reputation is completely ruined.

Unlike Naruto's composure, Sasuke, who happened to be passing by, could not accept the Uchiha being insulted and revealed a dangerous glint in his eyes.

After being glanced at, the older students immediately fell silent. They were no match for Sasuke in a one-on-one fight, and they were also afraid of the power of the Uchiha clan, so they could only run away with their tails between their legs.

Sasuke didn't chase after them, but sat down next to Naruto and said with considerable dissatisfaction:

"Naruto and the others are calling you a demon fox behind your back, why don't you go over and give them a good beating?"

"They're not wrong. I am the incarnation of the fox spirit. This was confirmed by the Hokage himself. They probably speak ill of me behind my back because my parents died at my hands."

Sasuke was stunned for a moment, then said, "You really are... the Demon Fox? Are all those rumors true? You really killed a lot of people."

Naruto turned a page of the book, looked at Sasuke, and said with a smile:

"You're really easy to fool, but I do have some connection with the fox spirit. He lives inside me. As for why I don't cause trouble for those people, it's because I think it's a waste of time. I shouldn't waste my time on these fools."

After a pause, Naruto looked at Sasuke: "But, did you come here to get unilaterally humiliated by me again?"

Sasuke's expression changed slightly: "No, it's not that. I just felt that you were a bit lonely reading alone, so I took pity on you and came to keep you company so that you wouldn't be isolated by others."

Naruto's eyes turned playful: "But I wasn't isolated. It was those people with prejudice who were isolated. I have many friends: Hinata, Shikamaru, and Choji."

Upon hearing this, Sasuke immediately deflated and stood there somewhat at a loss.

He would never admit that the real reason he came here was because he didn't have many friends at school.

Aside from those infatuated girls, his only friend was Naruto, and he was even more lonely than Naruto.

Seeing Sasuke remain silent, another arrogant fox jumped out and commented as a bystander:

"Naruto, this kid has feelings for you. If he were a girl, it would be a sure thing. But he's just a kid. There's no possibility between kids."

Naruto mouthed "Get lost" to Kurama: "I'm not gay, you old pervert."

Nine-Tailed Fox said with a grin, "You always call me 'Demon Fox' when you're out there. I was just joking around, and you got all worked up. You really are a brat."

Naruto hung up Kurama's voice call with a gloomy expression. For some reason, Kurama's demeanor was becoming increasingly strange.

At this moment, Sasuke, who had been pondering for a long time, said, "Naruto, there's one more thing. My parents approve of you as a friend and would like you to visit their home more often. I wonder if you have time?"

Upon hearing this, Naruto gave Sasuke a deep look.

After pondering for a moment, he shook his head and said, "I'm sorry, Grandpa Hokage won't let me go to the Uchiha clan's territory for the time being. I will go if I have the opportunity."

Considering the current state of the Uchiha clan, Naruto was almost certain that Fugaku's purpose in inviting him was quite simple.

They want to use their visit to subtly influence others and ultimately use them to threaten higher-ups.

Unfortunately, neither he nor the Third Hokage would give Fugaku a second chance. Although Fugaku was strong and had a good temperament, he had a fatal flaw: indecisiveness.

They were unwilling to accept the current situation where the Uchiha were treated differently, yet they were also unwilling to gamble with their lives and fortunes.

Ultimately, he lost everything due to his indecisiveness, proving himself to be an incompetent leader.

Hearing Naruto's polite refusal, Sasuke was somewhat disappointed, but he didn't show it. He just put on a cold face and said, "Let's train together after school. I've learned a few new ninjutsu."

The Nine-Tails' voice rang out again: "Naruto, the malice emanating from you just now clearly increased."

Naruto glanced at Kurama. Having a tailed beast beside him that could distinguish between good and evil was troublesome.

"Nine-Tails, you also harbor a lot of malice."

The Nine-Tails said with disdain, "I am a tailed beast, and the malice on my body comes from you humans. Over the past thousand years, I have been corrupted beyond recognition by you humans."

"Then aren't you very dirty?" Naruto gave him a disgusted look and distanced himself.

Nine-Tails snorted coldly: "You brat, you're no different. But I'm looking forward to the day you leave Konoha. Maybe we can find a place with pure and simple people to live in."

……

Inside the Hokage's office.

The Third Hokage, unusually relaxed, neither worked nor observed Naruto. Instead, he smoked a pipe and examined the portraits of past Hokage on the wall, letting nicotine numb his senses.

Ever since Naruto left the Uchiha clan's territory that day, the security forces have become much bolder in their actions.

Not only are they secretly procuring weapons and explosive tags, but their enforcement of laws against villagers and even ordinary ninjas is becoming increasingly violent.

Logically speaking, the Uchiha's act of deliberately offending the public is actually beneficial to the Hokage's faction. With the Uchiha as a foil, their higher-ups can have a better image.

But if someone were to ignite the Uchiha powder keg, the entire village would be affected.

Just then, a knock sounded on the door, and a weary-looking Shisui walked into the Hokage's office.

Shisui... What's he doing here?

The Third Hokage, pipe in hand, exhaling wisps of pale purple smoke, gazed at the young Uchiha who had inherited the Will of Fire, and slowly said:

"Shishui came because of the conflict between the guards and the villagers, right?"

Shisui nodded, as if he had made up his mind, and said, "Not entirely. I came to apologize on behalf of the security team. I suspect that the clan wants to launch a coup at the Hokage Building."

"coup?"

The Third Hokage's expression changed drastically, but he quickly regained his composure and looked at Shisui, saying:

"Since you're willing to tell me all this, you certainly don't want a coup to happen. However, what do you need me to do to help you stop this coup?"

“You don’t need me at all. I can handle the coup on my own. I just hope you won’t make things difficult for the people.”

The Third Hokage frowned and gave Shisui a deep look: "Stop the coup, you alone? Even if it's just me and the Anbu working together, we're not confident we can stop the Security Force's coup."

Shisui lowered his head and said in a calm tone:

"Lord Third Hokage, I don't need to deal with everyone. Controlling Captain Fugaku alone is enough."

“Captain Fugaku is the mastermind behind the coup. If we change his will, we can make him stop the coup. And I happen to have mastered the eye technique ‘Kotoamatsukami’, which can modify the will of others.”

Chapter 38 Attribute Counters and Counter-Counters

Kotoamatsukami, a ninjutsu that alters the will of others!

Upon hearing Shisui's self-disclosure, the Third Hokage was already in a state of shock. His gaze toward Shisui was no longer one of admiration, but rather one of deep apprehension.

Shisui had the ability to modify Fugaku Uchiha's will, and therefore he also had the ability to modify his own will.

Although Shisui is on my side now, what if Shisui turns to someone else in the future and uses Kotoamatsukami on me?

The ability to stop water is far too dangerous.

Shisui noticed the Third Hokage's silence and, assuming it stemmed from the Third Hokage's lack of confidence in his abilities, explained:

"The Third Generation Lord is worried that the illusion will be seen through by the clansmen. There is no need to worry about that. As long as I stay by the Captain's side, I can subtly modify his will without the other clansmen being able to detect it."

Upon hearing this, the Third Hokage's gaze turned strange, and he was momentarily at a loss for words.

Is this praising Shisui for being too honest, or expressing some fear of Kotoamatsukami? After all, you always hang around the Hokage Building; you wouldn't be trying to subtly influence my will, would you?

After pondering for a while, the Third Hokage, who couldn't find a topic to talk about, said, "Shisui, your eyes should be the Mangekyou Sharingan. It is the Uchiha and Konoha's good fortune that these eyes are on you."