"You!" Naruto's eyes widened as he pointed at Ganshi, shocked beyond belief. "I never expected you to be that kind of person!"
"Huh?" Ganshi's entire face turned into a black question mark.jpg. What did he just say?!
"I'll let you know, don't even think about getting any ideas about me—I already have someone in my heart, yeah, right, I'm already someone else's girl, so there's no need for you to waste your effort!"
Naruto was so worked up he started babbling. If Sakura got the wrong idea, it'd be a disaster! Hell, even his own mom would probably kill him for causing such a misunderstanding.
"I..."
Ganshi stiffened, nearly choking on his own rage. What the hell is going on here? Who the hell would ever want to get any ideas about him? He liked girls, okay?!
"I never thought someone who seemed so honest could be this perverted in their thinking—actually daring to have such twisted ideas about me!"
Naruto cautiously stepped back several paces, just in case Ganshi snapped and attacked him.
"I. Have. A totally normal sexual orientation," Ganshi took a deep breath, suppressing his urge to punch Naruto into minced meat, and said, "You totally got the wrong end of the stick!"
"Then what exactly did you mean by what you said earlier?" Naruto remained vigilant, after all—know people's faces, not their hearts. Better keep a cautious distance.
"What I meant by noticing you long ago was referring to your attitude toward life!" Ganshi explained. "I once saw you getting into a fight with someone from the Sand Village. Out of curiosity, I did a little digging on you afterward."
Chapter 241: The Spinning Rasengan [Part 3]
"According to my investigation, you've been called the Demon Fox since childhood in Konoha Village, and nearly everyone deeply disliked you. Yet you yourself never seemed to feel sad—why?"
Ganshi asked, filled with confusion, and beneath his gaze flickered an obscure trace of jealousy.
"Because I had friends by my side!" Naruto smiled. "Sure, there are many people in Konoha who dislike me, but there are also many who care for me. Why should I be sad over a group of people who hate me?"
"Just this reason?" Ganshi couldn't quite believe Naruto's words.
"When I was little, I really felt very sad and confused. I didn't understand why everyone excluded me, even calling me the Demon Fox."
As he recalled those days, Naruto realized for the first time how quickly time had passed. Those days when he was rejected and despised by everyone had long since drifted far away from him.
"Later, I met Sakura and others. Sakura told me something once—she said I'm Naruto Uzumaki, not some demon fox. That was the first time anyone had ever spoken to me like that. Then, I became good friends with Sakura, and gradually met more friends. Only then did I realize that besides those who hated me, there were many others who cared about me. It wasn't worth it to grieve over people who didn't care about me at all!"
"What was I even like back then?"
Being rejected by everyone in Konoha, that feeling as if the whole world hated him once pushed Naruto toward darkness. He was filled with rage, frustration, and sorrow, as if he had turned into nothing but a mass of negative emotions. This miserable state lasted for a long time until one day, when his stomach growled so much from hunger that he tried to catch some fish, only to be outsmarted by them and nearly drown in the river.
But he didn't die. Instead, Sakura saved him. That was the first time he felt warmth—no scolding, no whispering behind his back, no disgust. From then on, the days of loneliness began to fade away. More and more friends gathered around him, and more people started caring about him. Looking back now, if it hadn't been for Sakura back then, he'd either have died in that river or turned into a bitter person full of hatred toward the world.
"You know what? Truthfully, I really despise people like you!"
Ganshi clenched his fists, his eyes filled with endless jealousy. "Why can you smile so happily? Why are you called the Demon Fox yet still have people who care about you? Why do you get to live such a comfortable life?"
"Crash!"
With a hoarse roar, Ganshi threw a heavy punch straight at Naruto.
"Why does everyone hate me? I became this way because I saved others, so why am I still hated by all? Even those very people I protected look at me with disgust?"
A hideous grin spread across Ganshi's face, his eyes brimming with malice toward Naruto. "You can still smile even though so many people hate you. A foolish brat like you doesn't even deserve to live!"
"I don't know what you've gone through, but for me, the attitude of strangers has never mattered. My life was never meant to be lived for them."
A trace of fury flashed across Naruto's eyes. Relying on his Danger Sensor ability, he kept dodging Ganshi's attacks. "All I know is there are many people who care about me in this world, and many friends I must protect. It's because of them that I exist."
"Friends? What a ridiculous word!" As Ganshi attacked, an eerie cackle escaped his lips. "So those strange companions of yours are your friends, huh? How unfortunate—it seems I haven't encountered them yet. Otherwise, I would really enjoy killing them. Then, could you still laugh?"
Naruto's face darkened instantly. He raised his arm to block Ganshi's strike, his eyes flashing with a hint of killing intent.
"You want to kill my friends?"
"Oh? What's this? Getting angry?" Mockery twisted Ganshi's lips into a sneer. "You really want to protect your friends? Then pray they never run into me. Otherwise, they might just lose their lives. Especially those girls—I wonder how delightful it would be to make them suffer before dying!"
"If you dare harm my friends, then I'll kill you first."
For the first time since the battle began, Naruto struck back. His hands gripped Ganshi's arms tightly, forcing him wide open, then with one powerful kick, sent Ganshi flying backward.
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
Want to read the subsequent content in advance?
Please follow my Patreon:patreon/Tansnovel
Tans Novel - The Fastest-Updating Naruto Fanfiction Account
Read 100+ chapters in advance, with at least 3 new chapters updated every day! More free chapters! 20+ Naruto fanfictions!
Just three steps:
1. Download and open the "Patreon" app
2. Search for "Tans Novel"
3. Click on the collection and enjoy to your heart's content
<><><><><><><><>