Sakura's words seemed to jolt Naruto out of his spiral.
He blinked, then thought back.
Yeah… he did have friends — Iruka-sensei, Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba… even Sakura and Sasuke, in their own ways.
Maybe… he hadn't been as alone as he always believed.
Maybe he'd just been too focused on the wrong things.
The villagers avoided him, yes — but his friends didn't.
As Naruto's expression softened, Arata spoke again, his tone calm but pointed.
"You know, Naruto… maybe the villagers don't dislike you because you're the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki."
"Maybe they just think you're annoying — always pulling pranks, causing chaos, making a mess of the village. You can't blame people for getting tired of that."
Naruto froze.
It wasn't an accusation — but it hit hard anyway.
When he thought about it, Arata had a point.
Sure, people feared him for what was sealed inside him… but disliking him? That was something he'd earned on his own.
He thought pulling pranks would make people notice him.
It did — just not in the way he wanted.
All it did was make their fear worse, feeding their image of him as the demon fox's vessel — wild, dangerous, unpredictable.
Arata was right.
He'd only made things harder for himself.
And he knew it, even if he didn't want to admit it.
Arata continued, his voice steady and logical.
"Look — the villagers being cautious around you makes sense. You're the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki. They're afraid you might lose control one day."
"But fear and hatred aren't the same thing. If you stopped causing so much trouble, maybe they'd realize you're not as bad as they think."
"Ask yourself — Shikamaru, Iruka-sensei, Sakura, Sasuke — they all know what you carry inside you. Do they hate you?"
Naruto hesitated.
"…No."
"Exactly," Arata said. "That's because they've spent time with you. They know who you really are."
"But most villagers haven't. All they know is the kid who paints the Hokage Rock or floods the street with frogs."
"If that's the only side they see, that becomes their entire picture of you."
"In a way, you're the one who's been feeding their fear."
Naruto lowered his gaze, silent.
"Honestly," Arata added with a wry smile, "if all they do is ignore you instead of attacking you, I'd say the villagers are pretty kind."
Naruto didn't respond — but he was listening.
His fists trembled slightly at his sides.
Arata softened his tone.
"You just need to learn to control the Nine-Tails' power. When you turn that strength into something that protects Konoha, no one will ever reject you again."
Naruto's head snapped up.
"Control the Nine-Tails? That thing's a monster — evil! How could anyone control it?"
Arata sighed quietly.
"You really don't know, huh?"
"That 'monster' inside you, Naruto, is the strongest of all nine tailed beasts."
Naruto frowned, glancing down.
"I know… I felt it once. When I was little, it broke loose. That power… it was terrifying. Evil and enormous."
Arata was surprised.
So he still remembers that.
He nodded.
"Every tailed beast is a weapon of war — a force meant to protect its village. But the risk is real. A jinchūriki can lose control, and that's why most people keep their distance."
"You're lucky, though. Compared to other villages, Konoha treats its jinchūriki well."
"In some villages, they're locked away. Watched every hour. Some are even… killed by their own people."
Naruto's eyes widened.
Arata continued quietly, matter-of-factly.
"The First Hokage's wife was the first Nine-Tails host — she rarely even left the compound."
"The second was Uzumaki Kushina, and before she married the Fourth Hokage, she was constantly under ANBU surveillance. She even lived inside a sealed barrier."
"But you?" Arata's tone grew faintly amused. "You grew up free. You've wandered all over Konoha since you were little — even graffitied the Hokage Rock."
"Do you realize what that means?"
"You defaced the village's most sacred monument — the faces of its Hokage — and the only punishment you got was being told to clean it."
"That's not just luck, Naruto. That's protection. The Third Hokage was looking out for you."
Naruto's mouth opened slightly, speechless.
He'd never thought of it that way.
Arata's gaze turned serious again.
"You think the villagers hate you — but in truth, you've had more freedom than most jinchūriki ever dream of."
"Their fear is normal. But no one's ever tried to hurt you, have they?"
Naruto shook his head slowly.
"That's because they're not your enemies," Arata said softly. "They're just… afraid of what they don't understand."
Naruto's voice came out small.
"The Fourth Hokage… he sealed the Nine-Tails to save everyone, right?"
"He gave his life for the village. He's… my hero. I want to be like him someday — a hero everyone respects."
Arata smiled faintly.
"The Fourth Hokage gave his life to seal the Nine-Tails inside you, Naruto. Have you ever wondered why he chose you?"
Naruto froze.
He'd… never thought about it that way.
"He must've believed in you," Arata continued. "He must've believed that one day you'd be strong enough to master the Nine-Tails' power — and use it to protect the village."
"That's the only reason he would entrust something that dangerous to a newborn."
Naruto stared at him, wide-eyed, voice trembling.
"You really think… that's what he wanted?"
"You think the Fourth Hokage… actually believed in me?"
For the first time, real hope flickered behind his eyes.
Arata nodded.
"If he didn't, then why would his seal allow the Nine-Tails' chakra to flow into you — not destroy you?"
"Why is your chakra so huge, even compared to Sasuke's?"
Naruto blinked.
"Wait — my chakra's bigger than Sasuke's?"
Sasuke, who had been quietly listening the whole time, froze.
Arata smirked.
"Much bigger."
Sasuke shot Naruto a look, somewhere between disbelief and mild irritation.
Naruto, meanwhile, beamed like a kid who'd just won a lifetime supply of ramen.
"Really?! I have more chakra than Sasuke?!"
For the first time that night, he actually laughed — a bright, boyish sound that eased the tension in the air.
Sakura couldn't help but smile too.
Even Sasuke, though he rolled his eyes, didn't argue.
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