Mastering the Elements - Chapter - 79

It started with footsteps outside the Pottaru Estate—more than usual. By mid-morning, it became clear: half the market district had found an excuse to pass by the gates.

From the kitchen window, Mikoto folded her arms and frowned. “They’re not even hiding it anymore. Look at them… pretending to buy fruit from the stall across the road just to stare in here.”

Naruto, still chewing on a piece of toast, looked up. “Huh? Why?”

Mikoto turned her gaze back to him, lips pressed into a line. “Because apparently, you’ve transformed overnight from that boy with strange powers to the son of the Fourth Hokage.”

Naruto tilted his head. “I’ve been here the whole time. They could’ve looked whenever they wanted.”

“That’s the point,” she said dryly. “They didn’t want to until your last name suddenly became important.”


By the time Naruto stepped outside, the air was thick with whispers.

“There he is.”

“He really looks like Minato-sama.”

“I heard he can fight jōnin already.”

“Of course he can. It’s in his blood.”

Naruto tightened his jaw. It’s not in my blood—it’s in my hours of training…

He tried to ignore it, walking toward the academy to check in with Iruka-sensei, only to find a crowd of teachers waiting at the gates.

“Ah, Naruto-kun!” one called out. “We always knew you had potential.”

Another clapped him on the shoulder. “The son of Minato-sama… why, it explains everything! Your quick learning, your stamina—just like your father!”

A third teacher chuckled. “We used to suspect your… ah… abilities were due to something else, but now it’s obvious—it’s the Namikaze talent.”

Naruto stopped in his tracks. “What’s obvious is that none of you were saying that last year when you called me a ‘reckless troublemaker.’”

Awkward silence.

Iruka cleared his throat and stepped forward, smiling faintly. “Naruto, we’ve all seen your progress. You’ve worked hard—”

“Yeah,” Naruto cut in, “and that’s why I’m good at what I do. Not because of my dad. Not because of some fox. Because I worked for it.”

Some of the teachers shifted uncomfortably, but a few nodded, chastened.


Later at the Academy Training Ground

Hinata and Midori were already sparring when Naruto arrived. They stopped the moment they saw him.

“You’ve got an audience,” Midori muttered, jerking her chin toward the edge of the field.

Sure enough, a small group of civilians and low-ranking shinobi were watching, whispering excitedly.

“Is that really him?”

“They say he took down three chūnin in a spar last month.”

“Maybe he can use the Flying Thunder God technique!”

Naruto groaned. “They’re going to watch me train now?”

Hinata gave him a sympathetic smile. “They’re curious. It will pass.”

Midori smirked. “Or… you could show them just how good you are.”

Naruto raised an eyebrow. “You just want me to embarrass you in front of a crowd, don’t you?”

Her smirk didn’t falter. “Try me.”


For the next hour, Naruto fought Midori and Hinata together—dodging, countering, and controlling the pace so precisely that it felt like a dance. Gasps rippled through the onlookers every time he blurred out of the way or ended a sequence with a clean, decisive strike.

When they finally stopped, Naruto walked over to the crowd.

“Enjoy the show?” he asked bluntly.

They nodded eagerly.

“Good,” Naruto said, “because this—” he pointed to the training ground—“isn’t the Namikaze in me. It’s the result of years of sweat, bruises, and not giving up. Remember that before you write me off as someone who just ‘inherited’ it.”

The crowd went silent. A few even looked guilty.


Harry found Naruto sitting alone in the courtyard, idly tossing a shuriken into the air and catching it.

“They think it’s all because of him,” Naruto muttered.

Harry sat down beside him. “People like easy explanations. It’s easier to believe you were born great than to accept that greatness takes effort.”

Naruto glanced at him. “You don’t believe that.”

“No,” Harry said with a small smile. “I know exactly how much work you’ve put in. And I also know Minato would be proud—not because of your blood, but because of your choices.”

Naruto was quiet for a moment, then smirked. “You think he’d be jealous that you’re my dad now?”

Harry chuckled. “Only if he saw how good you are at pranks.”

Naruto grinned for real, the weight on his shoulders a little lighter.



The first signs came the morning after the news broke.

When Naruto walked into the academy courtyard, the usual chatter died for a moment—then erupted. Girls who had barely noticed him before suddenly giggled behind their hands. A few waved enthusiastically. One bold classmate even ran forward, offering him a small wrapped box.

“Uh… thanks?” Naruto said, scratching his head as the girl all but shoved the gift into his hands and skipped away.

From the far side of the yard, Hinata and Midori froze. Both were carrying their bento boxes toward the benches, and their eyes locked on the sight of Naruto being surrounded by more girls.


“Midori,” Hinata said softly, “please tell me I’m imagining this.”

“You’re not,” Midori said flatly, narrowing her eyes. “And I don’t like it.”

They started walking faster. But before they could reach him, another girl—this one from the year below—was tugging on Naruto’s sleeve.

“Naruto-kun! I made you cookies! Will you eat them during lunch?”

“Eh? But I already—”

“Please?” she asked, clasping her hands.

Midori’s jaw tightened. Hinata’s eyes were cool, unblinking.


By the time the two reached him, Naruto had somehow accumulated two gift boxes, a paper bag, and a pink envelope. He looked utterly bewildered.

“Uh… what’s going on?” he asked.

“I’ll tell you what’s going on,” Midori said, stepping right into his personal space. “Some people think they can just waltz in and—”

“Midori,” Hinata said calmly, though her tone had an edge. “We need to speak with you. Now.”

Naruto blinked. “Uh… okay?”

Hinata grabbed one arm. Midori took the other. Together, they dragged him away from the crowd and behind the training hall.


“Alright,” Midori said, crossing her arms. “You explain this.”

“Explain what?” Naruto asked.

“Don’t play dumb,” she said. “Since when do you let other girls feed you cookies?”

“I didn’t eat them!” Naruto protested. “They just… gave them to me! I didn’t ask!”

Hinata exhaled slowly. “Naruto… you know the pact.”

Naruto tilted his head. “You mean… the ‘you two are my girlfriends and you’re sharing me’ thing?”

“Yes,” Hinata said without hesitation.

“And?” Midori added.

“And…” Naruto’s eyes darted between them. “…I didn’t do anything!”

“That’s not the point,” Midori shot back. “The point is, they’re circling like vultures because you’re suddenly popular.”

Hinata nodded. “Before, they laughed at us for liking you. Now, they all want what we already have.”


Naruto rubbed the back of his head. “So what am I supposed to do? Ignore everyone?”

“Yes,” Midori said instantly.

“Midori…” Hinata sighed. “He can’t ignore everyone. But he can make it clear where his loyalty is.”

Midori grinned. “Oh, I like that idea.”

Naruto frowned. “How am I supposed to do that?”

Midori’s grin turned sharp. “Easy. You’re eating lunch with us—in front of everyone. No sneaking off. No accepting mystery cookies.”

Hinata stepped closer and fixed him with a steady gaze. “And when anyone asks if you’re available, you say, ‘No. I’m taken.’”

Naruto blinked. “Isn’t that a little—”

Midori leaned in until her face was inches from his. “No. It’s perfect.”


When the bell rang, Naruto carried his bento into the courtyard, Hinata on his right, Midori on his left. The girls who had been waiting to approach him froze as the trio passed.

They sat down in the very center of the courtyard. Hinata opened her bento, smiling warmly at Naruto. Midori unwrapped her lunch with exaggerated care.

And then, as if on cue, Midori reached over and put a piece of tamagoyaki in Naruto’s mouth.

Naruto choked slightly. “M-Midori!”

“What?” she said sweetly. “Just feeding my boyfriend.”

Hinata followed suit, offering him a neatly cut piece of rice ball. “Eat, Naruto-kun. You need energy.”

All around them, whispers broke out.

“They’re really… together?”

“Both of them?”

“That’s… unfair.”

Naruto swallowed, cheeks flushed. Mission accomplished, Midori thought smugly.



The streets of Konoha had never felt this crowded to Naruto.

It wasn’t that there were more people—just that now, every single pair of eyes seemed to follow him. Vendors leaned over their stalls to wave. Parents nudged their children forward to bow. Old shinobi veterans gave him knowing smiles and hearty pats on the back.

He’d never been treated badly in recent years, not since being adopted into the Pottaru family. But this… this was different.
It was suffocating.


“Ah, the son of the Fourth Hokage!”
“Splitting image of Minato-sama, isn’t he?”
“Do you think he’ll be Hokage too?”
“No doubt about it! With his bloodline, it’s only natural—”


By the time Naruto reached the academy, his jaw was tight from forcing polite smiles.

They don’t even see me, he thought bitterly. They see Dad.

During sparring breaks, more people showed up just to watch him train. Academy students stood at the fence, whispering. A few jōnin even crossed their arms, observing him with critical eyes, as if silently measuring him against the legacy of Minato Namikaze.

And every praise felt like a chain.
"Of course you’re talented—look who your father is."
"Expected from the Fourth’s son."

Not one word about the hours he had bled and sweated in training, the nights he’d studied with both Jiraya and Harry, or the training he’d taken on with Itachi.


That evening, he trudged toward the quieter part of the village, hands in his pockets, when a familiar voice called out.

“Oi, Boss!”

He turned to see Konohamaru jogging toward him, grinning as usual.

“You look like you swallowed a frog,” Konohamaru said, stopping in front of him.

Naruto snorted. “It’s nothing.”

“Yeah, right.” Konohamaru tilted his head. “So… now do you get what I feel?”

Naruto blinked. “Huh?”

“You remember,” Konohamaru said, crossing his arms. “‘Honorable Grandson.’ Everywhere I went, people called me that. Like I didn’t even have a name. Like being the Hokage’s grandson was my whole identity. And you…” He gestured at Naruto’s face. “…used to call me that on purpose, just to tick me off.”

Naruto’s eyes widened, then he rubbed the back of his neck. “…Right. I did.”

Konohamaru smirked. “Not so funny now, is it?”


They sat on the edge of the training field’s log fence as the last rays of sunlight dipped behind the rooftops.

“It’s weird,” Naruto admitted. “I thought… after everyone knew, it’d be easier. You know—no more secrets. But now… it’s like I’m not even Naruto anymore. I’m just ‘the Fourth’s kid.’”

Konohamaru nodded. “Exactly. People stop talking to you and start talking to the idea of you. They’re thinking about your dad—or in my case, my grandpa—and what they can get out of it. Or what they expect you to be.”

Naruto sighed. “Feels like they’re all looking ahead, planning what I should do in the future. But the only people who don’t… are my family. Dad doesn’t even care if I’m a shinobi.”

Konohamaru chuckled. “Guess we’re the same. My grandpa didn’t care either. Said I could be whatever I wanted—just not a lazy bum.”

That finally made Naruto laugh, tension easing a little from his shoulders.


“Y’know,” Konohamaru said after a moment, “the trick is to remember you’re not living for them. You’re living for you. The rest of the world can deal with it.”

Naruto looked at him for a long moment, then smirked. “You actually sounded smart just now.”

“Oi! I’m always smart!” Konohamaru grinned, then hopped off the fence. “Come on. Let’s go prank someone. That always makes things better.”

Naruto grinned, following him. “Yeah… that sounds good.”

And for the first time all day, the weight of the Namikaze name didn’t feel quite so heavy.