Naruto, my father's name is Uchiha Madara.

Page 16

Naruto, who had been attacking wildly, suddenly fell silent.

And the strange red chakra on his body gradually dissipated, revealing Naruto's original form.

Meanwhile, as Danzo escaped, Madara, controlling Naruto in his four-tailed form, began his final performance.

The crimson chakra continued to surge, but its destructive power subtly diminished.

Every Tailed Beast Ball landed precisely on the open ground, and every claw strike avoided important buildings.

"Roar--!"

Four-Tails Naruto roared to the sky, his four tails lashing wildly at the ground, kicking up clouds of dust.

This seemingly out-of-control action actually perfectly concealed the fact that chakra was gradually being depleted.

Inside the sealed space, Nine-Tailed Fox lay on the water's surface, listlessly swishing its tail: "Hey, old man, that's enough of the act."

Madara's spirit crossed his arms, his Sharingan intently watching the situation outside: "What's the rush? The Anbu aren't fully in position yet."

"Tch," Kurama curled its lip, "I'm not going to waste my chakra like this."

As soon as Kurama finished speaking, a large number of footsteps could be heard outside, and the Hokage's direct subordinate Anbu arrived at the Uchiha camp.

The Dark Squad leader quickly scanned the battlefield: "Four-Tails form... but the destructive range is strangely controlled."

As if in response to his question, the "monster" in the center of the arena suddenly began to tremble violently.

The crimson chakra receded like the tide, revealing a scarred blond boy within.

The Anbu members, who were still on guard against Naruto's next move, watched as Naruto staggered a few steps and then "perfectly" fell face-down in front of them.

Inside the sealed space, the Nine-Tails' ears perked up: "Oh, that was a pretty realistic fall, wasn't it?"

Ban scoffed, "This kid's coordination isn't bad."

"Come on,"

Nine-Tailed Fox grinned, revealing sharp fangs. "It was clearly you, old man, who controlled it well."

"Speaking of which, making sure to get yourself covered in dirt before pretending to faint is quite cunning, isn't it?"

Ban's lips curled into a slight smile: "Basic battlefield etiquette."

When the medical team lifted Naruto onto the stretcher, no one noticed the fleeting smile that appeared on his lips.

Chapter 18 The Third Generation's Resolve

Inside the sealed space, Madara stood atop Kurama's head, looking down at the reflection of the outside hospital ward on the water's surface.

At this moment, the medical ninjas were carefully examining Naruto's body.

Nine-Tailed Fox idly stirred the water with its fingernails, trying to get the attention of the black hedgehog on its head.

Unfortunately, the other party completely ignored him.

Left with no other option, Kurama could only say, "Hey, old man. How long are you planning to pretend to be asleep? That brat's body can't take this kind of torture."

Madara's spirit continued to gaze at the outside world, his Sharingan reflecting the shadowy figures coming and going in the ward.

"What's the rush? The Third Hokage is having a secret meeting with Fugaku, waiting for them to discover Danzo's secret..."

Nine-Tailed Fox flicked its tail. "You've certainly planned this out well. But..."

It suddenly lowered its voice, "Aren't you afraid that brat will come after you when he wakes up? He hates deceiving his friends the most."

Ban's expression stiffened for a rare moment, but he quickly regained his composure: "This is a necessary part of his growth."

Kurama stood up and looked down at his reflection in the water: "Oh? Then why did you deliberately avoid all the Konoha ninjas when you were controlling his body? You didn't even hurt a single Uchiha dog?"

"..."

Nine-Tails, seeing the mark on its head, remained silent, a slight smile playing on its lips: "Why did the explosions all land so precisely in open areas? Why did it specifically protect the back of its head when it was 'unconscious'?"

As the scruffy fox got more and more excited, the blue Susanoo instantly materialized.

But this time, Nine-Tails was prepared. With a flick of its head, it threw the opponent away, and then jumped back to dodge the attack.

It grinned smugly: "See? Old man, you were just... "

"If you don't shut up, I'll make you sleep for a month." Ban's voice was unusually tinged with anger and embarrassment.

---outside world--

In the corridor outside the special ward, the Third Hokage stared at the severed arm in his hand.

The grayish-white arm looked particularly eerie under the light, and wriggling cells could be vaguely seen at the cut.

"Hashirama cells..." The Third Hokage's voice was hoarse, "Danzo, just how many things have you done behind my back?"

Fugaku Uchiha, standing to the side, said with a grim expression, "Hokage-sama, this is no longer just an operation targeting the Uchiha clan. Unauthorized human experimentation, even stealing the First Hokage's cells..."

The Third Hokage rubbed his temples wearily. "But the most urgent thing now is to check on Naruto's condition. I already feel bad for that kid, and now... sigh!"

The ward door suddenly opened, and the head of the medical team strode out: "Lord Hokage, the test results are very strange."

"What's weird?"

The head of the medical team looked at the report in his hand and said, "There are no signs of being controlled on Naruto, but the chakra flow indicates that he has indeed been in an intense battle."

The Third Generation and Fugaku exchanged a puzzled look.

It wasn't controlled? But the Nine-Tails did go berserk and launched indiscriminate attacks.

Why did the Nine-Tails go berserk? And there was no sign of the seal breaking.

But all the clues point to Danzo. Could it be that Danzo has mastered some special method of control?

On the other side, inside the sealed space.

Just as Madara and Kurama were facing off, unusual ripples suddenly appeared on the water's surface.

"Huh?" Madara turned his head sharply. "This is..."

A blurry image of chakra slowly emerged, gradually coalescing into the form of Uchiha Shisui.

Kurama immediately bared its teeth: "What are you doing, kid? I'm already having enough trouble with just one Uchiha here, and now you're coming..."

The illusory figure of still water smiled slightly: "Don't be nervous, this is just a little trick by Kotoamatsukami."

Shisui then looked at Madara: "Ancestor, the plan is progressing smoothly. The Third Hokage has ordered a full-scale search of Root strongholds."

Madara crossed his arms and snorted coldly, "Unnecessary. I told you long ago that killing Danzo directly would have been the easiest way."

Shisui smiled wryly: "But that would cause even greater chaos. The way we're doing it now allows us to eliminate Danzo's forces while also protecting the Uchiha..."

His words were abruptly cut off, and the phantom began to flicker erratically.

"Not enough chakra...?" Madara narrowed his eyes. "Tell Itachi I want to see results before sunset tomorrow."

The illusory image of still water bowed one last time before dissipating into the air.

As the first rays of dawn shone through the water, Naruto's consciousness finally stirred.

He sat up groggily, rubbing his eyes. "Dad... I dreamt I ate a huge bowl of ramen..."

Nine-Tailed Fox chuckled: "That wasn't a dream; you were still muttering about it while you were unconscious!"

Madara, seeing Naruto's sleepy appearance, suddenly reached out and pressed his hand on Naruto's head: "Kid, remember everything that happened today."

His voice was unusually gentle. "This is the truth of the ninja world."

Naruto nodded, seemingly understanding, then his eyes suddenly lit up: "Can we go eat ramen now?"

"..."

A black fist and an orange fox claw slammed into Naruto's head simultaneously.

"Ouch! Why is even the Nine-Tails attacking me?"

Nine-Tailed Fox angrily slumped back to the surface: "Because you and your son are equally infuriating!"

Ban watched the two figures arguing and then turned and walked deeper into the room.

But from an angle where no one could see, the corners of his mouth were slightly upturned.

That night, in the Hokage's office, moonlight streamed through the window onto the desk piled high with scrolls.

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, stood alone by the window, the embers of his pipe flickering in the darkness.

Recalling Naruto, who was still unconscious in the hospital room, his aged face looked particularly tired in the smoke.

"The Yondaime..."

He murmured softly, his fingers unconsciously tracing the windowpane: "I have failed you once again."

The blond youth from his memory seemed to still be there, entrusting the infant Naruto to him with a warm smile.

Now, that child has been drawn into a dangerous vortex once again due to the suspicion and conspiracies of those in power.

"Danzo..."

The third generation slammed his fist heavily against the window frame, shaking off the accumulated cigarette ash.

He remembered the grayish-white severed arm.

I recalled the Sharingan collection I found in the lab.

It also reminded me of the shocking scars on Naruto's body.

Although the medical report showed that they were all superficial injuries, each cut was like a knife etched into his heart.

"When did it start..." the old man's voice was terribly hoarse, "...that Konoha has become so reliant on such methods to maintain peace?"

The crystal ball was replaying the scenes from the daytime—

The image of Naruto in his four-tailed form screaming in agony is eerily overlapping with the scene from the night of the Nine-Tails six years ago.

The third generation's hands trembled slightly as he suddenly realized a terrifying truth—

The decision to conceal Naruto's true identity back then was perhaps a mistake from the very beginning.

"If only his identity as the son of a hero had been revealed sooner..."

"If we gave him more care instead of surveillance..."

"If we had resolutely stopped Danzo's human experimentation back then..."