At first, Naruto thought the worst that would happen to him was being isolated and shunned, his life a little difficult. After all, he was the orphaned son of the Fourth Hokage. Even if, for certain reasons, his parentage couldn't be made public, there had to be many within the upper echelons who knew his identity. Plenty of Konoha shinobi had been indebted to the Fourth Hokage.
And Naruto himself wasn't just the son of a hero—he was also the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails. That was equivalent, in his past-life world, to being the sole designated wielder of a nation's nuclear arsenal. No matter how one looked at it, life shouldn't have been that unbearable.
At the very least, it shouldn't have sunk into utter misery… right?
But Naruto's hopes had been dashed. The reality of these five years had far exceeded anything he could have imagined.
In this village—where even foreign orphans, as long as they weren't suspected of espionage, could enjoy something resembling the warmth of family (at least on the surface)—Naruto had been treated as something less than human. He was hated, isolated, deprived of a stable livelihood. Often, to even stave off hunger, he had to forage for wild greens in the eastern forests of Konoha, or catch fish and shrimp from mountain streams.
That alone showed how harsh his life had been.
Naruto had come to suspect that the higher-ups of Konoha had all lost their minds.
Even putting aside his status as the Fourth Hokage's son—
just the fact that he was the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails should have been enough.
Did they really not fear that by treating him this way, he might one day bear a grudge… and seek revenge against the very village they were "protecting"?
And truth be told—
even leaving all that aside—
Naruto simply couldn't imagine how the original protagonist, after such a childhood, could still grow up spouting lines like: I will inherit the Will of Fire. I will become Hokage. I will protect the village and earn everyone's acknowledgment.
What a cosmic joke!
Could any normal person with a normal mind even think that way?
In that moment, Naruto had truly wondered if the original was brain-damaged.
To call him a fool would be an understatement.
In this life, Naruto had no intention of being such a saint—or an idiot.
Whether the original's naïveté came from some saintly nature, the influence of Asura's chakra inheritance, or even—he couldn't help but consider this possibility—if it had all been the doing of that damned old snake Danzo, using Shisui's Mangekyō genjutsu, Kotoamatsukami, after the Uchiha massacre… none of that mattered.
One thing was certain:
this Naruto would not foolishly chase after others' recognition, or dream of becoming Hokage to protect Konoha.
To him, that was the biggest joke of all.
Live.
And then—avenge.
That was Naruto's true goal.
Not just against enemies outside the village, but even against certain people within it.
But Naruto also understood, better than anyone, that until he had the power to protect himself, such thoughts must remain hidden. Even the faintest hint of his true intentions would spell his doom.
Because once discovered—
he believed it wouldn't even take the poisonous viper Danzo to make a move.
Even the seemingly kind and grandfatherly Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, would strike him down without hesitation.
For "the greater good."
For "the safety of Konoha."
To the old man, nothing was more important than the village's survival. Not family. Not blood. Not even the orphaned son of the Fourth Hokage.
Naruto knew this with absolute clarity.
And so—he must learn to disguise himself.
Perhaps in some areas he could advance a little faster. But in terms of personality, dreams, and ideals, it was best to stay in line with the original Naruto from the story.
Not just because the Third Hokage occasionally came to "visit" and "care" for him.
More importantly—because of the constant surveillance by ANBU, always lurking in the shadows around him.
Naruto understood perfectly well: he had to maintain the composure and discipline of an actor, at all times.
As for how he could even sense the ANBU—
that, perhaps, was one of the few benefits of his transmigration.
From a young age, he'd discovered that his perception was abnormally sharp—especially when it came to sensing malice directed at him. Once he learned to refine chakra, his perception grew even clearer.
Of course, given his current weakness, the range and precision of that sensing ability were still poor. But because he was only a five-year-old child, the ANBU didn't bother to conceal themselves with advanced techniques while watching him.
That was why he could detect them at all.
Still, even knowing, Naruto had to pretend he knew nothing.
He couldn't afford to let slip even the slightest hint of awareness.
Until he grew strong, the only protection he had was the stubborn will of the Third Hokage. On this point, Naruto was clearer than anyone else.
In the original story, it wasn't until Naruto became a genin that the ANBU surveillance was finally withdrawn. That was partly because Kakashi became his jonin instructor—but also because, after twelve years of observation, Hiruzen Sarutobi had finally deemed him safe.
Therefore, until he became a shinobi—until he had power of his own—Naruto must remain inconspicuous.
As for the future?
He already had a clear plan.
But that could wait.
For now—
"One step at a time. Build a solid foundation first."
As he ate his meager lunch, Naruto pondered his short-term plans.
For the first two or three years, once he was old enough to move around on his own, his top priority had been training his body and finding ways to feed himself properly. Thanks to the villagers' "care," his diet had been not only poor in quality but also lacking in quantity.
That had forced him to forage wild greens and catch river fish just to survive. In fact, the thing he had spent the most effort on in the past five years… was simply securing the nutrition necessary to keep growing.
Why was the original Naruto so short?
It was nothing but childhood malnutrition.
A shinobi's strength lies in their body.
On this point, Naruto had no illusions.
Now, at age five, he had finally reached a point where he could at least maintain basic nutrition.
The next step was obvious: begin true shinobi training.
And only a short while ago—
Naruto had finally succeeded in refining chakra.
That meant he had already taken the first, most crucial step on the path of a shinobi.
"From here on out—it's time to train."
After finishing his lunch and tidying up, Naruto pushed open the door and headed out once more.
Walking along the backstreets, he made his way toward the eastern forest.
It was the same place he had spent the last few years foraging and fishing. Because of the wild beasts that roamed there, ordinary villagers rarely ventured close.
But Naruto—though still a child—knew he was under ANBU surveillance.
So there was no need to fear.