Chapter 2: Sarutobi Hishirazu

“Don’t be afraid, I’m just an old man passing through.”
‘Is he a cat? Not a sound at all.’
Naruto lay on the ground, startled, his wide eyes fixed on the old man, unsure of this stranger’s origin.
He didn’t recognize the newcomer—silver hair, a face full of wrinkles, clearly advanced in years. His frame was thin and frail, hardly the type to possess great strength.
The stranger turned toward the grilled fish.
Rumble~
His stomach sounded lively.
‘So he’s just hungry, not here to cause trouble.’
Naruto relaxed slightly, got up, picked up the grilled fish he had dropped, and handed a fresh one to the old man.
“Grandpa, here’s a grilled fish for you.” Naruto said warmly.
Regardless of whether this man was friend or foe, treating him politely could never be wrong.
Besides, Naruto was inherently a kind soul.
“It looks delicious, thank you.”
The old man took a bite and praised, “This is truly very tasty.”
Naruto felt oddly like the president of Brazil praising the national football team.
Did he not know if the grilled fish was good or not?
Glancing again at the white-haired old man, Naruto felt a pang of sympathy.
This was likely a lonely elder, perhaps suffering from dementia, maybe even disoriented, wandering lost in the forest late at night, hungry, and now encountering him.
Naruto broached a topic: “Grandpa, what if the village had a community canteen where orphans and lonely elders like us could eat free meals? Wouldn’t that be wonderful?”
The old man, Sarutobi Hiruzen, eating the grilled fish, looked at Naruto with a mix of surprise and puzzlement.
Me? A lonely elder?
“If we could eat regularly, we wouldn’t have to go hungry now and then...” Naruto continued eagerly.
Then he shifted gears, “Grandpa, you’re so old and wise—do you know what a ninja is?”
“A ninja, huh.”
Sarutobi Hiruzen pondered, memories flickering in his eyes. “A ninja is the protector of the village and comrades, the inheritor of the Will of Fire.”
He looked deeply into Naruto’s eyes. “Youth are the hope of the future. Wherever the leaves of Konoha flutter, the fire burns endlessly. The flames will continue to light the village, nurturing new leaves to sprout...”
This made Naruto think the old man might be a retired official propagating the village’s ideals.

With the topic open, Naruto pressed on, curious: “Grandpa, how strong are ninjas? Do they live forever if they become ninjas?”
Sarutobi Hiruzen, about to deliver a lesson, paused at the question.
He expected Naruto to be curious about the Will of Fire, but the boy focused only on strength and immortality.
Then again, he was just a child—somewhat understandable.
“Powerful ninjas can move mountains and fill seas.”
Recalling the battles between the First Hokage and Uchiha Madara, the overwhelming might still sent chills down his spine.
“As for immortality, even the founding ninja did not possess such ability.” For some reason, the mention brought to mind his student Orochimaru.
He added earnestly, “The meaning of life lies not in its length, but in its quality. To protect the village and comrades...”
Naruto nodded, taking it in.
He had once thought ninjas were like martial artists from a past life, mainly for self-cultivation, capable of beating ten men. He had even planned to start a business, using his advanced commercial sense to become the richest man in this world.
But now, becoming a ninja seemed far more promising.
When the old man finished, Naruto finally asked the real question: “What is chakra?”
“Chakra is a type of energy inside the body.” Sarutobi Hiruzen explained simply to the three-year-old child.
Energy? Like magic or spiritual energy?
Rumble~
As Naruto was about to inquire further, the old man’s stomach growled again.
“Here, Grandpa, eat this.”
Naruto handed him another grilled fish.
This old man was a good person, greatly helping Naruto understand this world, so he was enthusiastic.
He ate four out of five grilled fish and drank a large bowl of mushroom soup.
During the meal, Sarutobi Hiruzen considered and then taught Naruto the chakra refinement technique.
There was no need for much hesitation; if the Fourth Hokage were here, he would have taught Naruto already.
So, let this old man do it in his stead.
Naruto was overjoyed, even a bit excited.
It was so easy to step onto the ‘path to immortality’—too smooth. The emotional rollercoaster he experienced today felt like a wild ride.
Suddenly, Naruto seemed to understand something.
He glanced at the old man, hesitated, but curiosity about his parents outweighed the risks. Tentatively, he asked, “Grandpa, do you know my parents?”

“Your parents were heroes,” Sarutobi Hiruzen said with certainty.
Really? I don’t believe it.
Naruto looked silently at the old man flickering in the firelight.
If he were three years old, he might believe it, perhaps even be comforted joyfully—but he carried the soul of a man in his twenties, which would not let him accept such claims so easily.
The people he met during the day were still fresh in his mind. If his parents were truly heroes, wouldn’t these people show gratitude or at least some respect?
But now?
Some whispered behind his back, others watched coldly, and some looked as if they wished to kill him.
He couldn’t understand it—it was utterly baffling.
Was this old man really suffering from dementia?
Naruto wanted to ask why so many hated him, but he dared not.
This old man seemed a bit forgetful; if Naruto asked, maybe the man would remember something and hate him too, just like the others.
Then he would have no one left to talk to.
This old man was his only link to information about this world.
At that moment, Naruto felt as if the village had turned him into a CPU.
Hated and despised by the entire village, abandoned by the world, and now, someone treating him kindly was like a drowning man clutching a lifeline.
If this isn’t a CPU, then what is?
Seeing Naruto’s mood darken, Sarutobi Hiruzen pointed to the stars in the night sky and said, “Look, those stars and the suns in our world are the same. Amazing, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, yeah.” Naruto nodded in agreement.
“This world is vast beyond imagination. Compared to it, human existence is truly minuscule.”
He made a silly gesture that made Naruto laugh.
‘What a fun old man, like a mischievous elder who knows how to cheer people up.’
“Our trivial joys and sorrows are truly insignificant.”
Naruto understood the truth in that and, looking at the starry sky, felt somewhat lighter.