Konoha, Summer, Year 51.
Three-year-old Naruto Uzumaki stuffed a few coins of pocket money into his pouch and walked out of his lonely little home.
"Can I play with you?"
Not far away, two children were laughing and chasing each other. Naruto watched, his eyes full of envy. Summoning his courage, he walked over and asked timidly.
"Okay!" the boy replied with a smile.
"Really? That's great!" Naruto's face lit up, his heart swelling with joy.
But in the next moment—
"Let's go. Stop playing."
"Mom, I still want to—"
"That's enough! And listen, don't you dare go near that demon fox kid again."
Naruto froze.
"What's a demon fox? Can't we still play?" the boy asked innocently.
"The demon fox is a terrible monster that eats people…"
Before the boy could finish, his parents rushed over, dragging him away, repeating warnings not to approach "that child."
Naruto opened his mouth, wanting to stop them.
But no words came.
It wasn't the first time this had happened.
And so, Naruto had learned silence.
The sky seemed to dim above him.
Walking down the narrow street, Naruto lowered his head, avoiding the stares of passersby. He could feel it again—their hatred, disgust, and unspoken malice burning in their eyes. Those looks made him shudder, like they wanted him erased from the world.
He didn't understand why.
But if he wanted to survive, he had to endure.
At the entrance of a shop, Naruto paused. His eyes locked onto a fox mask hanging on display. He clutched the coins in his pocket, excitement flickering in his chest.
"Uncle, that one—"
"I'm not selling to you. Get out, you plague child!"
The shopkeeper's smile vanished. His face twisted in contempt as he shoved Naruto back, his tone dripping with venom.
"Why? I have money! Why won't you sell it to me?" Naruto shouted, waving his coins, his small hands trembling with anger.
"I'll sell to anyone I please—but not to you! You're a demon fox. Just leave! You bring nothing but bad luck!"
The man's expression warped into something monstrous, his words like teeth sinking into Naruto's chest. The boy's breath caught, his body stiffened, the world darkening around him.
Then came the voices.
"That's him?"
"Shh, don't get close. The demon fox might come out."
"Damn it, that monster killed the Fourth Hokage! Why did the Third let him stay in the village?"
"Kill him! That cursed fox has taken too many lives. I want revenge!"
A crowd had gathered, their whispers growing into shouts, their glares sharpening into blades. Naruto trembled, fear clawing at his chest as if the whole world had turned against him.
Smack!
An egg burst across his face.
Naruto wiped at the slime, his small hands clutching the shell. His eyes stung, his vision blurry, but anger welled up inside him like fire.
"I'm not a demon fox!" he screamed. "I'm not a curse! I have a name—Uzumaki Naruto! Why do you all look at me like this? I didn't do anything wrong! I just wanted to buy something. Why… WHY do you treat me like this?"
His voice broke. His body shook. His blue eyes widened and narrowed, pupils shifting faintly—turning into vertical slits.
"Look at his eyes! He really is the demon fox!"
"Monster! Kill him before it's too late!"
Debris rained down—eggs, vegetables, sticks, even rocks. Naruto staggered under the weight of their hatred.
A stone struck his forehead. Blood trickled down, staining his face, turning his vision red. The crowd's twisted faces warped further in his eyes—hideous, monstrous.
Who's really the monster here?
Naruto's lips trembled, caught between a sob and a bitter laugh.
"Stop!"
An ANBU appeared in a blur, scooping Naruto away before the mob could close in.
Curled in the masked shinobi's arms, Naruto fell silent.
Later, his wound was treated. He was returned to his home, where he lay on his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. His blue eyes were empty, hollow.
"...Naruto."
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, arrived, having heard the news.
At the sight of him, Naruto finally stirred.
"Grandpa Third… I'm not a demon fox, right?"
Hiruzen's expression softened. He sat by Naruto, resting a kind hand on the boy's head.
"No. You're not a demon fox. You're Uzumaki Naruto."
Naruto sniffled, his small voice trembling.
"Really? I'm not… some monster?"
"Of course not," Hiruzen said warmly. "I know what happened today. I'll make sure the villagers stop this talk. From now on, you'll be able to go out without fear. Just eat well, sleep well, and grow strong. When you enter the Academy, you'll make many friends. You'll see—you'll be much happier then."
Naruto nodded slightly, comforted by the Hokage's words.
Satisfied, Hiruzen left the home, never realizing the seed of doubt that still lingered in the boy's heart.
"Why do they hate me so much?" Naruto whispered to himself. "It's… It's not fair."
With that question burning inside, Naruto drifted into uneasy sleep.
Above the shinobi world, a meteor streaked across the night sky.
Beside Naruto's bed, a small sapphire statue glimmered faintly.
"Di—binding host… activating Wishing System."
"Di—host brainwaves detected. Wish confirmed. Wishing System is now active."
"Drip, wish granted…"
In Naruto's mind, light erupted.
A clear voice rang out:
"As Heaven moves with strength, the noble man strives for self-improvement.
As Earth bears with vastness, the noble man embraces all with great virtue."
Naruto stirred in his sleep, unconsciously murmuring the words.
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