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Chapter Two – Seeds of Hatred
Naruto stares at the giant fox behind the bars, his small fists clenched, his blue eyes wide with both fear and curiosity.
Kurama's deep, rumbling voice echoes in the chamber:
"Do you even know who your parents are, boy?"
Naruto freezes. His heart races. He's always wondered — always dreamed of warm faces waiting for him.
"You… you know them?" His voice trembles, hope filling his eyes.
A slow, wicked smile spreads across Kurama's muzzle.
"Oh yes… I know everything. You were chosen… no, sacrificed… by the Fourth Hokage himself. He sealed me inside you before he died."
Naruto's world stops. "T-The Fourth Hokage? But… why me?"
"Because your parents let him," Kurama replies smoothly, his crimson eyes glowing in the darkness. "They gave you up without hesitation. They knew exactly what this village would do to you… how you'd be treated… and still, they agreed. They abandoned you, little jailor."
Naruto stumbles back, shaking his head. "No… no, that's not true! They wouldn't… they couldn't…"
Kurama leans closer, his fangs glinting.
"Everything you've suffered… every beating, every hateful word, every night alone… it's because of them. They never cared for you. They gave you away the moment the Fourth asked."
Naruto's knees hit the cold water. His mind flashes — the villagers' screams, the stones thrown, the loneliness that cut deeper than any wound.
"Then… the Old Man…" Naruto whispers, eyes wide.
"Yes… your precious Third Hokage knew. He watched. He knew the truth all along, and yet… he said nothing. He let you suffer, because it was easier that way."
Something in Naruto snaps. His blue eyes burn with betrayal, his fists shaking as tears fall into the water.
"He knew… all this time… and never told me?!" His scream echoes through the sewer.
Kurama leans back into the shadows, satisfied, his deep laughter fading as he curls up to rest.
"That's right, boy. Hate them. Hate them all…"
The water ripples violently as Naruto suddenly finds himself thrown out of the seal. He jolts awake in his small apartment bed, sweat dripping, chest heaving, anger clouding his heart.
But somewhere deep inside, the fox grins. The seed has been planted. The son of the Fourth Hokage now bears hatred for his own parents… and distrust for the village he once clung to.
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