The person Sarutobi Hiruzen referred to as the "cunning little fellow" was none other than Aburame Shigeo.
After delivering the scroll, Shigeo went to the top of the Hokage Rock, overlooking the entire Konoha Village.
He stood there for an unknown amount of time until a trembling voice suddenly sounded from behind him.
"You... Are you... Lord Shigeo?"
"Hm?"
Hearing the voice, Aburame Shigeo turned around to see a young shinobi with scars on his face, looking at him in shock.
Behind the young shinobi stood a blonde boy with goggles.
It was Iruka and Naruto.
Recognizing the two, Aburame Shigeo smiled immediately.
"Iruka, it's been a while. You've become a Konoha shinobi now? Time sure flies!"
"Lord Shigeo, you actually remember me?"
Hearing Shigeo call his name, Iruka became excited and nodded repeatedly.
"Yes, yes, it's been eleven years. We always thought you..."
"Iruka-sensei!" Before Iruka could finish, Naruto pointed at Aburame Shigeo and asked, "Who is this guy?"
"This is Lord Aburame Shigeo, a peer of the Fourth Hokage and a hero of Konoha!"
Iruka began telling Naruto about Shigeo's exploits, his face full of admiration.
"Lord Shigeo once single-handedly subdued the Nine-Tails during its rampage until the Fourth sealed it away. Later, he defeated forces from the Cloud and Mist Villages, ensuring they dared not set foot in Konoha. And eleven years ago..."
"Heh, that's enough, Iruka."
Aburame Shigeo interrupted with a smile, waving his hand gently.
"There's no need to dwell on the past. It was simply what our generation was supposed to do—not worth bragging about to the younger ones."
He then turned his gaze to Naruto, his eyes filled with warmth.
"Naruto, I'm sorry it took so long for me to appear before you. Actually, I am your father..."
"Father!" Naruto threw himself at Shigeo, hugging him tightly as tears streamed down his face.
Throughout his life in Konoha, Naruto had seen all kinds of looks:
The cold, hateful glares of the villagers, the serious yet caring looks from the Third Hokage and Iruka, and the mocking, disdainful looks from his classmates.
But never had he encountered a gaze like Shigeo's.
Gentle, pained, guilty, joyful... It was like a father looking at his long-lost son.
So Naruto was deeply moved, crying out "Father" without a moment's hesitation.
Shigeo, however, looked both amused and exasperated.
"While it's not entirely wrong for you to call me that, your real father might not be too pleased. Actually, I'm a friend of your father. You can just call me Uncle!"
"Uh..."
Realizing his mistake, Naruto's face turned bright red. He let go of Shigeo and tried to run away, only to be caught by the back of his collar by Iruka.
"Where do you think you're going? You're not leaving until you clean all the paint off the Hokage Rock!"
Shigeo laughed heartily.
"Haha, Iruka is right. A man takes responsibility for his mistakes. Running away is for cowards, Naruto!"
"Hmph, I won't run away!"
Naruto snorted, grabbing a cloth and bucket and reluctantly started scrubbing the paint off the Hokage Rock.
Seeing how slowly Naruto worked, Iruka scolded him again. "Hurry up! You're not leaving until it's spotless!"
"Whatever, it's not like anyone is waiting for me at home," Naruto muttered under his breath.
"..."
Perhaps moved by Naruto's words, Iruka remained silent for a moment before speaking again.
"Hey... Naruto."
"What now?" Naruto looked up, annoyed.
"Well..."
Iruka scratched his cheek awkwardly, clearly nervous.
"Once you're done cleaning, I'll treat you to ramen tonight."
"Huh?"
Hearing this, Naruto's earlier frustration vanished instantly, replaced by excitement.
"Awesome! I'll work hard then!"
With that, he began scrubbing the Hokage Rock with newfound energy, far more efficient than before.
Seeing this, Aburame Shigeo couldn't help but smile.
"Iruka, thank you for looking after Naruto all these years. On behalf of his parents, I thank you."
Iruka quickly waved his hands.
"No, no, Lord Shigeo, please don't say that. It's my duty as Naruto's teacher. But, um, why have you..."
He hesitated, realizing he might have touched on a sensitive topic, and quickly apologized.
"Sorry, Lord Shigeo, that was inappropriate. You must have been on an important mission to protect Konoha!"
"Yes," Shigeo replied with a smile and a nod. "Something like that. I can't say much now, but the Third Hokage will have an explanation."
"I understand!" Iruka promised solemnly. "Rest assured, Lord Shigeo, I won't reveal your whereabouts."
Shigeo waved his hand dismissively. "It doesn't matter. Plenty of people probably saw me entering the village."
"Oh, I see..."
...
As Aburame Shigeo and Iruka chatted atop the Hokage Rock, Naruto worked diligently below.
Time passed, and as the sky darkened, Naruto finally finished scrubbing all the paint off the Hokage Rock.
Putting down the cloth and bucket, he ran to Iruka excitedly.
"Iruka-sensei, I'm done! Can we go for ramen now?"
Iruka nodded and then turned to Shigeo.
"Lord Shigeo, you haven't eaten either. Why don't you join us?"
"Heh, I'll pass."
Shigeo chuckled and ruffled Naruto's hair.
"You two go ahead. I haven't been back in years, and I want to visit some old friends first. Is there a flower shop nearby that sells white chrysanthemums?"
"Uh... yes!"
Iruka paused for a moment before pointing in a direction.
"The Yamanaka Flower Shop over there has white chrysanthemums. It should still be open."
"Got it. Thanks!"
Shigeo thanked him and vanished in a flash using the Body Flicker Technique.
After Shigeo left, Naruto turned to Iruka with a puzzled expression.
"Iruka-sensei, why would Shigeo-uncle need white chrysanthemums to visit friends? Isn't it usually fruits or snacks?"
"..."
Iruka's face grew solemn. After a long silence, he finally explained.
"Most of Lord Shigeo's friends were comrades from the Second and Third Shinobi Wars. Many of them sacrificed their lives and have their names inscribed on the Memorial Stone. White chrysanthemums are for paying respects to them."
"Including my parents?"
Naruto suddenly looked regretful.
"Shigeo-uncle is my dad's friend, and I forgot to ask him who my parents are! Next time, I'll make sure to find out."
Iruka smirked mischievously. "Just don't go around calling people 'Dad' again!"
"Iruka-sensei, that's mean!"
"Hahaha..."
"Today I'm eating ten bowls of ramen!"
"What?!"