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JST Chapter 369: Don’t Kill Your Grandpa, Outsmart Him
🕑 Added 2025-07-04 17:36:06 +0000 UTC“Kazuki-nii, what should I do?” Hearing the knock and voice outside the door—Sarutobi Hiruzen calling for him—Naruto asked Kazuki anxiously.
“Kazuki-nii, what should I do?”
Hearing the knock and voice outside the door—Sarutobi Hiruzen calling for him—Naruto asked Kazuki anxiously.
When it came to how he should face Konohagakure…
Naruto still hadn't made a clear decision.
Based on the words of Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina, it was already evident that Sarutobi Hiruzen was a hypocritical Hokage—very likely the one responsible for the hardships Naruto faced as a child, all for some hidden agenda…
But for Naruto, who had only ever received kindness from the Third Hokage since childhood, hesitation was inevitable.
Could that gentle, grandfatherly figure really be a bad person?
Little Naruto wasn’t stupid, nor was he stubborn.
Even though Uzumaki Kushina had flown into a rage when she saw Naruto’s situation, Minato—as his father—had still vaguely tried to speak in defense of the village and the Third Hokage...
That is, until Kazuki revealed a power far beyond their imagination.
Only then did Minato and Kushina temporarily set aside their disagreements and agree to let Naruto study diligently under Kazuki’s guidance...
However, even Kazuki hadn’t given Naruto a definitive judgment about Konohagakure or the Third Hokage.
He merely told Naruto that human nature was complex, and the Will of Fire wasn’t inherently right or wrong—it was up to Naruto to analyze and decide for himself.
But Naruto hadn't yet had the time to gather enough information or truly reflect on his answer—when Sarutobi Hiruzen came knocking at his door.
That’s what threw him into a panic, and made him instinctively turn to Kazuki for help...
“Brat, you’re still relying on Kazuki-sama for something like this? Are you kidding me?!”
The Nine-Tails, seeing that Kazuki had no intention of responding, growled angrily at Naruto. “That old man—he's been controlling you all along!”
“That little girl Kushina was absolutely right. The Third Hokage never saw you as the orphan of the Fourth Hokage. You’re just a vessel with Uzumaki blood—fit to carry my power!”
“Sure, your father was the Fourth Hokage. But he’s dead. And who exactly has spoken up on your behalf for the way you’ve been treated? Think about all the people you've met these past few years. Not one of your father’s old subordinates or so-called friends has stood up for you.”
“Let me tell you something—that’s the ugly face of the shinobi world! You really think there are others out there like Kazuki-sama? People who ask for nothing, who offer their strength out of pure interest or goodwill, just to let you and me grow freely, free from anyone’s control?”
The Nine-Tails glanced coldly at the faint, flickering Asura chakra nearby and sneered. “I’ll tell you this—there’s no one else like Kazuki-sama… Not even the Sage of Six Paths, who once saved the shinobi world, could do what he has.”
“Under His design, I am the beast who answers your call… and you are merely the template repeating the path of His second son.”
“We are not independent beings—just pieces on a board.”
The Nine-Tails’ voice grew increasingly heavy. At the mention of being a pawn, its crimson chakra flared like fire, radiating a thick aura of malice and overwhelming negative emotion.
Kazuki glanced at the Nine-Tails with some surprise.
Heh. Interesting...
It seemed his earlier words had stirred something deep within the beast. The Nine-Tails was clearly undergoing a profound internal reckoning—bordering on corruption. Its emotions were so unstable it looked close to losing control altogether.
In contrast, the much younger Naruto, still inexperienced in life, couldn’t yet process the complexity of human nature on his own...
“I–I’m not bothering Kazuki-nii!”
Naruto instinctively rejected the Nine-Tails’ accusation, his face flushing red. But then he stumbled, unable to express himself clearly. “I just… I just…”
The Nine-Tails let out a mocking laugh and tilted its head arrogantly.
“Pathetic little coward! If I were you, I’d kill that old bastard on the spot!”
“With Kazuki-sama by your side—and my chakra—who in this world could possibly stop you?”
Its voice was seductive, thick with temptation. The Nine-Tails' instincts as a Tailed Beast—to manipulate, to stir unrest—were on full display now, enticing Naruto with raw power and emotion.
But the moment it mentioned Kazuki...
Naruto suddenly shed his timid and hesitant demeanor. His voice rose sharply: “You’re wrong, Kurama! Kazuki-nii taught us to become strong on our own—not to recklessly beg for his power just to vent our emotions!”
“Are you saying he doesn’t know the real truth behind all this? He knows everything!”
“But more important than whether the village or the Third Hokage is right or wrong—I think what Kazuki-nii truly wants is for me to learn how to think for myself!”
Naruto shouted back at the Nine-Tails, defending Kazuki with passion.
Yes—during their recent time training under Kazuki, the Nine-Tails had already revealed its true name...
After all, if someone as powerful as Kazuki could openly share his name, what did a little fox like him have to lose?
Being constantly called 'Nine-Tails'... it began to feel dehumanizing. For a creature that had always refused to share its name with others out of pride, the repeated label had begun to sting. It made him feel like nothing more than a beast—unlike Naruto, who was treated as a person.
A strange sense of inferiority had crept in.
So, the Nine-Tails had deliberately found an opportunity to speak its name out loud—hoping that Kazuki, and maybe Naruto too, would use it from then on.
Though truth be told, it cared more about Kazuki. Naruto was just... incidental.
As Naruto fiercely argued with Kurama, his emotions surged—and in that moment, a trace of the Nine-Tails’ violent chakra clung to him.
Kazuki raised an eyebrow, then chuckled softly. “Alright now, Naruto, Kurama…”
The moment Kazuki spoke, both Naruto and the Nine-Tails immediately fell silent. The boy and the beast, who had just stepped onto the grand stage of debate, ready to battle it out for three hundred rounds, now looked at him eagerly—both hoping for his support.
“Power can solve 99% of problems,” Kazuki said calmly. “But no matter how strong you become, there will always be enemies you can’t simply crush by force. That’s when you’ll need to use your mind.”
“And using your mind… is something you have to train regularly.”
He continued slowly: “I’m not here to judge which of you is right or wrong. What I want to know today is this—how can you keep the Third Hokage away from Naruto, without resorting to violence or using my or Kurama’s chakra? Just through words—how do you get that troublesome old Hokage to back off and give Naruto some peace?”
“Kurama, do you have a good idea?”
A conflicted look flashed across the fox’s face.
If the answer were blasting Sarutobi Hiruzen to pieces with a Tailed Beast Bomb, then Kurama would be fully confident.
But to do it without fighting, to rely solely on words to drive off someone who had fixated on Naruto since he was a child—that was beyond a fox’s skillset.
Meanwhile, Naruto had fallen deep into thought.
What should he do?
Should he reveal the existence of Kazuki and the Nine-Tails? Or speak openly about the appearance of Namikaze Minato and Kushina?
Should he confront the Third Hokage about being the son of the Fourth?
His little head spun rapidly with ideas, but every solution he came up with clearly fell far short of what Kazuki was asking for…
“You already have enough intel to solve this,” Kazuki said quietly. “Naruto, Kurama, do you remember the Konoha Chronicle you both read?”
Naruto and Kurama exchanged confused glances and nodded.
Yes, they’d read it.
But… so what?
That book only recorded the deeds of past Hokage, some of their signature techniques, and brief biographies. There didn’t seem to be any vital intel in it...
“Tell me about the Second Hokage, Naruto,” Kazuki said with a faint smile tugging at his lips. “I recall you read that book very carefully.”
Naruto nodded firmly, his mind spinning as he tried to recall the details.
“The Second Hokage’s name was Senju Tobirama,” he began. “He was the younger brother of the First Hokage… and the teacher of the Third Hokage…”
“Known in the shinobi world as the Master of Forbidden Jutsu, he voluntarily sealed away many of those techniques at the First Hokage’s request—for the sake of humanity. In return, the village used him as a backup resource for managing shinobi capable of wielding such forbidden arts...”
Kazuki nodded slightly, then continued, “Alright. Aside from the official records of Konoha, has Kurama ever told you anything else about Senju Tobirama’s history?”
“Yes, he has…”
Naruto quickly answered: “Kurama said that many of the forbidden jutsu created by Senju Tobirama were actually sealed away by the First Hokage himself. Even his wife—Uzumaki Mito, the first Jinchūriki—was strongly opposed to them…”
“And Tobirama really hated the Uchiha. He kept looking for ways to suppress the clan.”
After speaking, Naruto looked toward Kurama for confirmation.
The fox gave him a surprised glance. “Not bad, brat. Your memory’s sharp—you remembered all those scattered bits I told you that clearly?”
“As for Tobirama, that’s about all I know... I still remember when I was sealed inside Uzumaki Mito—she would often scold Senju Tobirama, saying those jutsu of his completely defied human decency and would bring disastrous consequences…”
“Manipulating the dead, creating artificial Tailed Beasts, warping space-time, imprisoning souls…”
Kurama sighed from the heart. “Even for me, that was the first time I saw a shinobi with such a low moral baseline.”
“Honestly, I was lucky it was Uzumaki Mito who sealed me. If that guy had been my Jinchūriki, who knows what kind of torment I would’ve suffered!”
Kazuki listened to Kurama’s complaints about Tobirama with a faint smile.
I, Uchiha Kazuki, was once Tobirama’s Jinchūriki too… and I turned out just fine, didn’t I?
You’re just lazy, that’s all.
“These details we’ve gathered,” Kazuki said, turning toward Naruto and Kurama, “are more than enough.”
“With this intel, we can construct a psychological portrait of Senju Tobirama—step into his mindset and simulate the decisions he might have made.”
“You might not fully grasp it yet, so let me demonstrate. Think of it as a lesson—a class in how to use intelligence to stall an opponent you currently can’t defeat.”
“I won’t use chakra. I won’t use genjutsu. I’ll only use the information you and Kurama just pieced together…”
Naruto and Kurama’s eyes lit up in unison.
Nice! Kazuki–nii-san… Kazuki-sama was going to teach again!
The boy and the fox were already hopelessly hooked on his lessons.
And this time, it would be a special one.
To see someone as powerful as Kazuki defeat an obstacle—not through force, but by using information to step into Naruto’s shoes and make Sarutobi Hiruzen back off?
This was getting far too interesting.
Even Kaguya—who had remained quiet ever since arriving in this other world, weighed down by the guilt she felt toward Kazuki—couldn’t help but quietly perk up her ears, eyes focused intently on his every move.
Just what exactly is Kazuki going to do?
