novelraw Chapter 375 Public Opinion
Chapter 375 Public Opinion
Konoha Village, Sarutobi clan residence.
A typical Japanese-style courtyard house, with the main house and side houses standing separately, along with a well-maintained garden. The owner of the house would almost never be at home during this time of year, because his work was so demanding that it was comparable to that of a "black-hearted company," and he could only drag his tired body home when he went to bed.
However, at this moment, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had taken off his Hokage robes and changed into comfortable casual clothes, was in his bedroom.
He sat on the tatami mat with his back to the sliding door, staring intently at a crystal ball in front of him that emitted a faint halo.
An unnatural blush spread across her face, her gaze was focused, and the scene reflected in the crystal ball, with its flowing light and shadow, didn't seem to be any serious ninjutsu reconnaissance footage...
"Grandpa! Are you there?! How many things have you been hiding from me?!"
The grandson's shouts, clearly filled with dissatisfaction, suddenly came from the hallway outside the door, piercing the eardrums.
Hiruzen Sarutobi shuddered, hurriedly retracting the crystal ball using ninjutsu and stuffing it under the covers, quickly adjusting his posture.
"Konohamaru, didn't I already say that?" He cleared his throat and spoke as calmly as possible towards the sliding door, "Many things will become clear to you as you grow older..."
The sliding door was pulled open rather roughly with a "whoosh," and Konohamaru's puffed-up face appeared first. Behind Konohamaru followed Naruto Uzumaki, who looked utterly helpless.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze passed over his grandson and landed on Naruto, his serious expression instantly turning into a casual smile.
"Oh, Naruto's here too," he greeted. "How are you doing? Jiraiya, are you settling into your new role and the new treatment you've given me?"
Naruto's distress was obvious. "...To be honest, I'm a little scared. In this situation... is there any way to get them to stop being so 'enthusiastic,' and... um, stop harassing my normal life so much?"
Naruto has basically pieced together the whole picture of how things escalated.
First, the Fifth Hokage, Jiraiya, publicly announced his dual identity: son of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, and a direct disciple of the Fifth Hokage. This alone was enough to ignite a buzz.
Secondly, in his announcements and subsequent speeches, Jiraiya vigorously promoted Naruto's heroic performance in the "Konoha Collapse Plan" not long ago.
He single-handedly fought against the rampaging One-Tailed Shukaku, saving countless villagers and ninjas and protecting the village. This perfectly linked his identity as the "son of a hero" with his achievements as a "hero of his time."
Then, the most crucial element is the "memories" that circulate spontaneously among the villagers and are constantly being supplemented with details. More and more people begin to talk about it publicly or privately, recalling what kind of life Naruto spent in the village.
The stark contrast arose and quickly escalated. The orphans of the fallen heroes, instead of receiving the comfort and honor they deserved, endured years of neglect and suffering in ignorance and prejudice.
However, after learning about his origins, this child did not resent the village. Instead, he chose to inherit his father's will, stepping forward in times of crisis to save countless people who had hurt or ignored him, and even saving the entire Hidden Leaf Village.
Driven by feelings of guilt and resentment over the "injustice suffered by heroes," some villagers who had participated in the passive-aggressive violence began to subconsciously search for "reasons," attempting to exonerate themselves from the past or to find a "responsible person" for this enormous injustice.
The conclusion quickly points to a ready-made and substantial target: why didn't the Third Hokage announce Naruto's identity as the "Son of Hokage" sooner?
If everyone had known from the beginning that Naruto was the Fourth Hokage's son, a descendant of a hero, who would have treated him that way? Naruto should have enjoyed the treatment and honor of being the orphan of a hero, instead of growing up in loneliness.
Following this line of thought, the "reasons" were constantly explored and "rationalized." The Fourth Hokage sacrificed himself to protect Konoha and became a hero, but the Third Hokage hid the identity of the hero's son.
Even the family home of Naruto's parents, which should have been inherited, was not returned? Even after the Fourth Hokage's sacrifice, the Third Hokage returned to the position of Hokage, while the son of a hero remained unknown? There were even rumors of a demon fox.
Thus, amidst various intentional and unintentional discussions, speculations, and emotional outpourings, a series of rumors that were extremely detrimental to the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, began to circulate. These rumors even took the form of conspiracies, with their target being the Third Hokage.
It was as if all his past contributions to the village, all his genuine protection, were easily ignored or erased in the face of this collective sentiment against the "injustice suffered by the son of a hero."
"Seriously!" Konohamaru's face flushed red. "Naruto-nii just told me! He said you were never jealous of the Fourth Hokage, and you didn't intentionally make him suffer like that! If that's the case, why didn't you refute those people who were talking nonsense?! Are you just going to let them misunderstand you like this?!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at his agitated grandson and gave a wry, apologetic smile.
"Konohamaru... things... sometimes can't be explained simply by whether it was intentional or unintentional. Whatever the reason, the life Naruto experienced in the past is a reality that did happen. I can't deny that."
"As for those rumors... it was all my fault that you were implicated and heard those unpleasant things. I'm sorry."
In fact, when Jiraiya decided to publicly announce Naruto's background and vigorously promote his achievements, Hiruzen Sarutobi had already foreseen that his reputation might take a sharp turn for the worse.
He understands human nature, especially the psychology of the collective. When people are overwhelmed by intense guilt and sympathy for the "smearing of heroes," they often desperately need an "explanation," a "reason" that can share the responsibility and make them feel better.
In order to allow Jiraiya, the new Hokage, to fully unleash his abilities and to avoid any unforeseen complications, the Third Hokage had already made a decision in his mind: he was prepared to bear the blame brought about by these rumors.
"Then! Grandpa, what exactly was your reason for doing this?!" Konohamaru was clearly not convinced by the vague apology and pressed on relentlessly, "Why did you hide Naruto's identity? There has to be a real reason! Tell me!"
"...Konohamaru, there are some things...you don't need to know yet."
Naruto, watching this scene from the sidelines, couldn't help but feel a headache coming on. He didn't entirely agree with his grandfather's approach of keeping everything bottled up inside and bearing it all alone.
"The Third Hokage... Grandpa," Naruto interjected, "What's wrong with just explaining a little? Konohamaru isn't an ignorant child anymore. He has the right to know part of the truth, at least to know that you're not the kind of person they're talking about. It's better than letting him overthink things or believe the rumors."
He glanced at the Third Hokage's still silent profile, and waved his hand helplessly. "...Fine, I know persuading him is troublesome. If all else fails, I can explain it to Konohamaru myself."
He abruptly changed the subject, returning to his most pressing issue. "But right now, is there any way to stop the villagers from harassing me so 'enthusiastically'? I mentioned it to Jiraiya-sensei, and he just chuckled and said, 'Isn't this great?' But it's so annoying! I'm even afraid to leave my house normally!"
"Huh?" Hiruzen Sarutobi turned to look at Naruto, slightly surprised. "You... don't like this?"
He was indeed somewhat surprised. Based on his observation of the mirror image, Naruto's fan base was quite impressive, including many young and lovely girls.
If this kind of treatment were given to Jiraiya, he would probably be so happy he'd be ecstatic, practically strutting around in the streets every day.
"This isn't a matter of liking or disliking!" Naruto's voice rose slightly, revealing a rare hint of frustration. "If this continues, I won't even be able to live and train normally in Konoha! Every time I go out, I'm surrounded by people, and my house is piled high with things I don't need, given to me by complete strangers. What is this?!"
"...Naruto," the Third Hokage finally spoke slowly, seeing the genuine trouble on Naruto's face, "It's not that I don't want to help you. It's just... I'm no longer the Hokage. For the villagers and most ninjas now, my words no longer carry much weight. They're more willing to believe the 'facts' they've witnessed firsthand and the announcements issued by the current Hokage."
He paused, then offered a suggestion that wasn't exactly a solution: "This media storm is mainly because the news broke out in the last two days, and the momentum is strong. Perhaps... after a while, people's enthusiasm will naturally cool down, and the situation will improve? Forcibly suppressing or explaining it now might have the opposite effect."