"Boss, how much is this mask?"
On a snowy afternoon, pure white flakes drifted down from the sky. The streets, blanketed in white, bustled with people. A small child dressed in a black coat stopped before a mask shop. He bent down, picked up a mask from the stall, and asked casually.
"Damn brat, who told you to touch that?"
The shopkeeper jumped up as if burned, snatched the mask from the boy's hand, and pulled a cloth from his pocket. He scrubbed furiously at the place the child had touched, as though cleaning filth that could never be washed away. His eyes burned with hatred as he stared at the boy.
The child rose slowly under that gaze. Lifting his head slightly, a pair of blue eyes looked coldly at the man. Then he turned to leave.
Smack.
"Hmph, who would want something tainted by a demon fox. My misfortune to even let you touch it."
The mask struck the boy's back and fell into the snow.
Passersby who noticed began whispering, their eyes shifting toward the child.
"Careful, don't get close to that blond brat. He's a curse. The Fourth Hokage died because of him."
"That's right, he's the demon fox's incarnation. He eats people."
"Yes, years ago I almost got eaten myself. I saw the fox kill many with my own eyes. Even many strong ninja died because of it."
"Why does the Hokage let him stay in the village"
The boy seemed deaf to their voices. But when he stooped to pick up the mask, he paused. Painted on it was a smiling fox face.
Yet that smile felt like ridicule.
"Even a mask looks down on me?"
No. He shook off the thought. I just let them get to me again.
He picked the snow dusted mask from the ground and pressed it to his face. The chill of melted snow seeped against his skin. At that moment, two masked figures appeared before him.
"It's the ANBU."
Someone in the crowd recognized them. Fear scattered the onlookers. None dared linger when the Hokage's personal black ops arrived.
"Uzumaki Naruto, it's time to go home. The Hokage is waiting."
"Yes, I am Uzumaki Naruto. No need to remind me."
The wind stirred. Snow fell faster and heavier, swirling through the air.
He was Uzumaki Naruto, yet he was not of this world.
In his original world, he had been an abandoned infant who grew into a cripple, paralyzed from the waist down. With the help of his community, he struggled to learn a trade and barely survived in a city of skyscrapers. Just when he thought he had found a foothold, fate struck.
An earthquake came suddenly. Trapped in his wheelchair, he died while watching anime, unwilling and helpless.
At the end of his life, only one thought echoed in him.
"If only I could live a healthy life."
When he opened his eyes again, he was an infant. His wailing was short lived, for loneliness awaited once more.
He was Uzumaki Naruto. His parents, after leaving him with parting words, were gone. Before he could even glimpse their faces, an immense power was sealed into his frail body. Exhausted, he fell unconscious.
Four years had passed since then. The snow here was no different from the snow of his old world. Winters were just as cold.
Crunch. Crunch.
Stepping on soft snow, with a mask on his face, Naruto walked home. The ANBU trailed behind.
At a street corner, a refined dark haired child held hands with a ponytailed youth. Excitedly, the child pointed toward Naruto.
"Big brother, I want a mask too."
"What kind of mask do you like, Sasuke?"
The gentle voice belonged to the young man. His handsome face was marked with faint lines at the sides of his nose. Watching Naruto and the ANBU fade from sight, he crouched and turned his back to the boy. On his clothes was a crest shaped like a fan.
The child called Sasuke blushed, then laughed joyfully and leapt onto the young man's back. The same fan crest marked his own clothes.
"Hehe, Naruto, I never expected you to master every basic character at just four years old. And your comprehension is so high. You're a brilliant child."
An old voice, warm and kindly, rang out in a shabby building.
"What's so clever about knowing words? Hokage sama, you've spent so much time teaching me. I've seen other kids my age already practicing ninjutsu. They look like real geniuses."
The boy's tender voice silenced the room. On the second floor, an old man sat, watching the child carefully tidying his books.
He was Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage of Konoha.
"Naruto, do you want to be a ninja?"
"Yes, Hokage sama. I want to be one. May I?"
Naruto turned, answering naturally.
"Why do you want to be a ninja?"
"I heard ninjas can transform into someone else."
The Third Hokage fell into silence. That reason alone was not enough to let the child touch ninjutsu so early. After all, Naruto was also the Nine Tails jinchuriki.
Memories flashed through Hiruzen's mind. Since the night of his birth, this boy had never once cried. When he learned to walk and talk, he never showed the curiosity or innocence of a child. He never once asked about his parents.
At age three, he even requested to be taught reading. Every time Hiruzen looked at him, a vague unease stirred in his heart. Konoha could not risk another calamity like the one four years ago. To teach him ninjutsu now was too dangerous.
Just as Hiruzen was about to refuse, Naruto spoke again.
"Hokage sama, I heard the villagers say you are the strongest ninja."
"Little Naruto, do you want to be the strongest?"
"It doesn't matter if I'm strong or not," Naruto answered after a brief thought.
"Then why do you want to learn ninjutsu?"
"I want to transform into someone else. That way, when I go outside, people won't hate me. That way, I won't always be alone at home."
He walked to the window as he spoke.
Hiruzen's mind flashed to the Fourth Hokage, known for his kindness and warmth. At last, the old man's heart was moved.
"Naruto, since it's still early, I'll teach you how to refine chakra. And I'll teach you the Transformation Technique you just spoke of. But you must take it seriously."
"Thank you, Hokage sama. I'll do my best."
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