"Ah… um, h-hello…"
'Regret. Regret. I totally regret this!'
Just as Fugaku was deep in thought and about to take Naruto and Sasuke home, giving up on the idea of signing them up, an unexpectedly familiar, soft and delicate voice rang out. It was like a magic spell that snapped Naruto out of his daze. As if he were being threatened by some kind of danger, he yelped in panic—so loudly that it completely cut off whatever Fugaku had been about to say.
"Waaaah—! D-Dad…! Daddy!"
Startled by Naruto's loud outburst—an instinctive reaction driven by his fear that Kurama might really take over his body—a timid little girl standing nearby jumped and hid behind her father like a frightened animal. After a long silence, she finally mustered up the courage to peek out again, her little face still half-hidden behind her father's figure. Her expression was one of sincere worry and guilt, as though she believed she had done something terribly wrong.
"I… I'm sorry… I didn't mean to bother you…"
"Hahaha, you little thing… I told you not to be so nervous, didn't I?"
"Mm…"
At that moment, everyone turned their attention toward the source of the voice. Before long, they clearly recognized the man standing protectively in front of the girl, shaking his head with a soft chuckle as he comforted her with a doting smile—none other than Hyuga Hiashi, current head of the Hyuga Clan.
And the timid girl calling him "father" could only be one person—his treasured daughter and the next heir of the Hyuga Clan, Hyuga Hinata.
"Byakugan… so this shy little one is your precious daughter, huh?"
Because Hinata had been raised like a noble young lady and rarely left the inner quarters, even Fugaku—who held equal status to Hiashi—was meeting her for the first time. Unable to help himself, he gave her a thorough once-over. His gaze made the already shy Hinata shrink back behind her father again. With a teasing tone, he turned to Hiashi, whose expression had grown increasingly smug.
"Looks like all that bragging you did about her wasn't just talk. She's just as adorable as you said. From the way things are going, if you're really willing to marry off your one and only daughter for that matter, it's already as good as settled."
"…????? Dad, what did I do wrong this time?????"
"Ahem, nothing, nothing at all… sigh, what a pity… tsk… why couldn't you have been born a girl? That would've been perfect..."
"…?????"
Of course, Naruto's loud voice didn't just grab the attention of Sasuke and the others nearby…
Because he couldn't control his volume in his panic, Naruto's shout ended up echoing across the entire Ninja Academy. In the next moment, nearly everyone present turned their heads in curiosity toward the source of the noise.
"That… that damned fox demon?! Why is it here?!"
"He's here to register for school?! Are you kidding me?!"
"I haven't seen that thing for a year—I thought it had finally died… Guess not. Figures the pests live the longest!"
"Exactly! And even if that demon has the right to apply, what if it goes berserk again during class and starts killing people? Are we really going to let our kids study alongside it?!"
"Yeah! If something happens, who's going to take responsibility?! I say we file a protest with the Ninja Academy right now and get that brat kicked out!"
"Kick him out!"
"Kick him out!"
"Kick him out!"
The villagers, suddenly spotting the child they had always feared and hated, immediately turned cold and hostile. Years of pent-up frustration from waiting in long lines with no signs of the academy teachers in sight now erupted all at once, channeling into cruel, discriminatory curses that echoed in every direction.
As the angry outcry swelled, even those who didn't know the full truth—Hiashi included—were stunned at first. But as they realized that the so-called "monster" these people raged about was none other than the calm, unfazed Naruto standing right beside them, they quickly caught on.
"Wh-what…?"
Even the gentle and graceful Mikoto, who had no idea about Naruto's true identity, trembled with fury upon witnessing the scene.
"To say such things about a child… How can they not feel ashamed of themselves?"
"So this is… what Naruto has been enduring all these years…"
Fugaku, who knew the truth, was deeply shaken by the overwhelming hostility. Though he had heard rumors that the villagers treated Naruto badly, they were just that—rumors.
After Naruto defeated Danzo and focused on training with Sasuke, he rarely gave the villagers a chance to say anything. Only now, standing right in the middle of it, did Fugaku finally feel the full weight of what Naruto had suffered all this time.
'These self-righteous bastards… They don't deserve the peace Minato and Kushina gave their lives for. They don't deserve the gift this boy risked his life to grant them by purging the village's rot!'
As rage surged in his chest, Fugaku clenched his fists. His aura spilled out uncontrollably, and under the pressure of his overwhelming strength, it was as if invisible hands had suddenly clutched the throats of every ignorant villager present. Their smug expressions twisted into choking silence, leaving them gasping like worms underfoot.
"Listen up, you bastar—"
"Shhh… Fugaku-ojisan, don't forget our promise."
Just as Fugaku, burning with righteous fury, was about to reveal Naruto's true identity to clear his name, Naruto gently tugged on his pants leg, stopping him. Fugaku turned his head and saw Naruto smiling at him with eyes full of calm warmth.
"But Naruto! These fools have gone too far—!"
"C'mon now, relax, Fugaku-ojisan. It's no big deal. I'm used to it. Let them talk—what, is it going to cost me a limb?"
Compared to the outraged Fugaku, Naruto remained far more composed—so much so that he ended up comforting the furious clan head instead. He shrugged with a carefree smile, as though he weren't the one being insulted. But in the depths of his eyes, a fleeting cold gleam of mockery flashed by.
'These people have nothing to do with me. They're just background extras I've never crossed paths with. I'm not an idiot—why should I care what strangers think? What, just because they want me to die, I'm supposed to throw a tantrum and hang myself?'
"Well… when you put it that way, it does make sense… tsk, but I still—"
"Don't worry, Fugaku-ojisan. They'll get what's coming to them soon enough."
Seeing Fugaku calm down—though still gritting his teeth—Naruto felt a warmth rise in his heart. After pausing for a moment in thought, he grinned and teased:
"Don't forget, we're still in the middle of the Ninja Academy entrance exam… If Gramps, the Third Hokage, wasn't lying, this academy has a reputation for being 'unconventional'—totally unorthodox."
"Entrance exam? How do you kn—"
Fugaku's irritation vanished as surprise took over. He was about to ask when Naruto knew this information, but then a wild thought crossed his mind. Staring blankly for a second, he slowly looked down at the boy smiling up at him.
"Wait… don't tell me… this whole exam thing was your doing?!"
"Mm-hmm. That's exactly what I'm telling you."
With a cheeky grin, Naruto confirmed his guess, saving himself the effort of explaining it aloud.
"Though I only made a teensy little suggestion… in any case, the theme of this round is pretty straightforward—'Those who do good will be rewarded; those who do evil will face retribution.'"
"Just wait and see, Fugaku-ojisan. These people who can't wait to show their ugly faces? They'll be tasting the consequences real soon."