Naruto carried his bag of ramen, feeling complicated.
Natsume knew he was the Nine-Tails, but still treated him normally. It was so strange, and so rare, that Naruto didn't know how to react.
"Let's go."
Natsume picked up a box of ramen.
"Huh?"
Naruto snapped out of it, confused.
What did he just say? I wasn't paying attention…
"I'll take you to a store that'll actually sell you stuff."
Natsume repeated.
"Really?"
Naruto looked at him in disbelief.
It wasn't that he couldn't buy things—just that he couldn't buy good things.
Like milk.
He always got near-expired milk.
In his previous life, Natsume's mom also liked buying near-expired milk because it was cheap.
As long as you drank it before the date, it was fine.
But Naruto had to pay full price for it.
Plus, as a kid, he wasn't careful—so his milk would spoil before he drank it. In the original story, he got diarrhea from expired milk and thought it was his own fault.
Clearly, nobody had ever taught him basic life skills.
"Of course," Natsume replied.
He was talking about his own casino.
After nearly three years of business, he'd set up a branch in Konoha.
As the owner, Natsume could easily have the Gunma casino boss take care of Naruto.
Even if Hiruzen Sarutobi found out, it didn't matter.
He was Tsunade's apprentice.
Not Danzo's, not Orochimaru's, not an Uchiha.
If Sarutobi tried to mess with him, Tsunade would fight back.
And Tsunade represented the Senju clan. If there was a rift, Sarutobi's reputation would take a hit.
He was the so-called strongest Hokage, but if he targeted the descendants of founding heroes, the other clans would lose faith.
Even Sarutobi wouldn't be that dumb.
"Hurry up."
Natsume stood at the door, waving.
Naruto looked at him, eyes red-rimmed, but he didn't cry. He rubbed his eyes and replied loudly, "Coming!"
They arrived at the Gunma Casino.
Naruto was a bit bewildered.
He didn't know what gambling was, but this place was so fancy—was he really allowed here?
"We'll use the back door."
Natsume glanced at the kimono-clad hostesses, then led Naruto around to the back.
He was too young for that kind of thing.
But then he remembered Naruto would later develop the Sexy Jutsu… Maybe he was a natural-born perv.
"Boss, what brings you here?"
A middle-aged man hurried out, greeting Natsume warmly.
"Masahiro, can't I come?"
Natsume smiled.
"Of course, you're always welcome."
Masahiro quickly apologized for his awkward phrasing.
He had to be respectful; since becoming manager of the Konoha branch, his family had gone from poor to rich—thanks to Natsume.
Naruto was shocked.
Such a big, luxurious place, and the boss was this ten-year-old big brother?
He was stunned.
"Naruto, this is Masahiro."
Natsume turned, "If you ever need anything, just ask him."
Masahiro paused for a moment—he recognized Naruto as the rumored Nine-Tails, but still smiled, "Don't worry, little brother, whatever you need, we have it."
His tone and attitude were genuinely kind.
For him, the Nine-Tails stuff didn't matter compared to a word from Natsume.
After all, Natsume was his benefactor.
Naruto stood in a daze, wanting to thank him, but tears rolled down his cheeks.
"Sorry…"
He wiped his eyes, "You're the second person to treat me so well. I'm happy, but I don't know why I started crying."
Natsume sighed.
How miserable.
If an adult suffered daily abuse, most couldn't take it.
Even online harassment is hard for many to bear.
Naruto was only three, and his humiliation was all face-to-face, yet he still stayed cheerful. That was impressive.
Maybe that was Sarutobi's answer—
As a vessel and weapon, Naruto needed to be stable.
And he wasn't the only one treated this way.
The One-Tail jinchuriki, Gaara from the Sand, had it even worse.
Even dogs would cry for them.
Not even dog training was this cruel.
Natsume gave Masahiro a look, and Masahiro left.
"Who was the first? Why didn't they buy you things?"
After a while, Natsume asked casually.
"It's an old man—I don't know who he is," Naruto replied, wiping his tears. "He's nice to me—he visits me and gives me money sometimes."
"What does he look like? Maybe I know him. Then you could find him any time."
Natsume's question brightened Naruto's eyes.
Whenever he felt lonely, he thought of that old man's kindness.
But he didn't know where he lived and couldn't find him.
"Let me think… He's not very tall, has white hair and a beard, sometimes smokes a pipe."
The description was vague, but Natsume already knew the answer. He was just asking to avoid suspicion.
"Sounds familiar…"
He pretended to ponder.
Naruto looked at him with hope.
After a moment, Natsume suddenly realized, "Come with me."
He took Naruto out to the street, pointed at the third face on the Hokage Rock, and asked, "Does he look like this?"
"Whoa, he really does!"
Naruto could hardly believe it.
He was only three, but he knew about the Hokage Rock.
The faces of four Hokage were carved there.
So the old man who visited him was the Third Hokage?
He was moved.
His dream of becoming Hokage was right!
Hokage Grandpa was awesome!
Natsume saw the change in Naruto's face and guessed his thoughts.
Sarutobi really was clever.
A child couldn't resist that kind of manipulation.
The so-called child of destiny was just a pawn in someone else's game.
Naruto had a good heart, but that was about it.
Remember when he promised Nagato he'd fix the Rain Village? It only got worse.
Nagato would roll in his grave if he knew.
"So he's the Third Grandpa!"
Naruto said excitedly.
The only person nice to him was the Hokage.
Suddenly, other people's attitudes seemed less important.
"The Hokage himself?"
Natsume acted surprised. "If he's the Hokage, then why didn't he stop people from treating you badly?"
Naruto's smile froze.
Right.
The Hokage was Konoha's leader.
Everyone listened to him.
If he said something, people would stop being nasty.
If he was so kind to Naruto, why didn't he stop them?
"Maybe Grandpa Hokage is just too busy to notice."
Naruto quickly thought up a reasonable excuse.
"Next time you see him, you should remind him," said Natsume, letting the matter drop.
He knew Hiruzen stopping the rumors wouldn't help.
It would just turn open hostility into cold indifference.
That was even harder to bear.
A single conversation couldn't change Naruto's view, but now that Naruto would come to the Gunma Casino for shopping, their chances of meeting were much higher.