Senju Tobirama: Bastard!!!
Senju Tobirama: When did I ever teach you things like this?!
Senju Tobirama: Orochimaru, think of something—Edo Tensei me right now! I'm cleaning house!
Namikaze Minato: No. I don't understand.
After seeing Sarutobi Hiruzen personally voice his inner thoughts on the black-framed screen,
Kushina still hadn't spoken.
Minato assumed she had been muted again.
From her very first attempt to speak, it had been far too "intense,"
so intense that not a single sentence made it through.
Naturally, Minato wasn't about to waste this opportunity.
At this moment, he finally understood how Tobirama had felt earlier.
And this time, he wasn't forcing the words out.
Inside the chatroom—
Minato's latest message made Kakashi inexplicably uneasy.
He was nervous—so nervous his palms were sweating.
"Kakashi, what's wrong with you?" Might Guy immediately noticed something off about his best friend.
Kakashi wiped away sweat that didn't actually exist on his forehead.
"I'm fine."
Truthfully, Kakashi had no idea how he was supposed to face Minato and Kushina.
What he didn't consider was—
Why hadn't Minato and Kushina been questioning him relentlessly?
After all, before their deaths, Kakashi had still been trapped in a depressive slump,
like a scarecrow abandoned in a rice field.
Kakashi, at least, was managing.
Someone else, however, was panicking like a rat in a sewer.
Terrified that the black-framed screen would suddenly switch to his footage—
If that happened, the chatroom would be spectacular.
Everyone's words would surely be… very pleasant.
Sarutobi Hiruzen covered his face, pretending not to see or hear anything.
At this point, anything he said would just be excuses.
And indeed—
they would be excuses.
The voices condemning him grew louder and louder,
yet Hiruzen remained silent, as if mute.
Even with Orochimaru deliberately provoking him at his side, he said nothing.
Orochimaru merely smiled.
"Sarutobi-sensei, the real show is only just beginning."
"What a pity. I originally wanted you to die as a hero."
"But now it seems many people think you're not worthy of that."
"Even the Second Hokage thinks so."
The black-framed screen continued.
[The next day.]
[Little Naruto wakes up.]
[No sadness. No lingering grief.]
[He slept comfortably—deeply.]
[Meanwhile, the ANBU ninja outside his room had been feeding mosquitoes all night.]
[Stretching comfortably, little Naruto goes to wash up.]
[But the moment he gets up, he freezes.]
[There are many new things in the house.]
[A refrigerator, for example—appearing overnight.]
[He opens it. Inside are milk and some fruit.]
['Hmph. I'm guessing this was ordered by that "Third," right?']
[Without thinking too much, he finishes washing up, takes the milk and bread that mysteriously appeared, and eats breakfast.]
Tenten: "Wait—if I remember right, Gold-Frame Naruto didn't even know where last night's food came from, did he?"
Rock Lee: "Yes. I remember Gold-Frame Naruto wolfed it down without ever wondering where it came from."
Yamanaka Ino: "Oh no—Black-Frame Naruto suddenly feels kind of cool~!"
Ino: "Such a smart kid… huh? Smart? Why did that come out so smoothly?!"
Sakura glanced helplessly at Naruto below.
The rookies had known each other since childhood—
they understood better than anyone just how large the gap was between Black-Frame Naruto and Gold-Frame Naruto.
If Naruto were like this… would he still recognize us?
Would I still get to give him instant noodles? Sakura couldn't help thinking.
Hinata froze for a moment, then wondered—
In the black-frame world… would Naruto-kun have gone out walking that night too?
She clenched her small hands nervously.
Sasuke shot a glance at Black-Frame Naruto.
"This guy… no way… impossible!"
"A dead last can't possibly surpass an Uchiha like me!"
Soon, Black-Frame Naruto finished breakfast.
[After eating, little Naruto grabs the fishing line and hooks and heads out immediately toward the back mountain.]
[Before leaving, he'd already prepared himself for the possibility of catching nothing.]
['If I remember right, the river doesn't just have fish… there are snails too. I'll look for them later.']
[Thinking this, he quickens his pace.]
[Passing through the morning market, he glances over.]
['Someone once said meat and vegetables together are more nutritious… yesterday those kids looked about my age, but they were stronger than me. Is that because of balanced nutrition?']
Ino: "That's right. Naruto was always skinny growing up—barely noticeable among the boys."
Ino: "This might sound harsh, but while people hated him, besides calling him 'dead last,' they also called him 'shorty.'"
Sakura: "Naruto always ate instant noodles… I thought he liked them."
"I didn't realize he had nothing else to eat."
Tenten: "That won't do. Those have no nutrition."
Rock Lee: "Guy-sensei says if you don't eat meat, you won't build muscle."
Shikamaru Nara: "Then that means Naruto was… malnourished."
Uchiha Izuna: The kids are right.
Izuna: A shinobi who can't guarantee daily energy intake… he's an Uzumaki, isn't he?
Senju Tobirama: Not just that. The Fourth was likely Senju blood as well—after integrating into Konoha, they stopped using the Senju name.
Izuna: Did I ask you?!
Izuna: If not for those two bloodlines known for physical vitality, this wouldn't be mere malnutrition.
Izuna: "Shorty"? A normal child would already be skin and bones, sallow-faced—Nine-Tails or not.
Hinata blinked.
Not eating enough… malnutrition?
Then am I also…?
[Little Naruto walks quickly, thinking nonstop.]
[He's like a blank sheet of paper, desperate to fill it with knowledge.]
[He filters out useless curses and murmurs, only listening for what matters.]
[Still, many things are beyond his ability to resist at this age.]
[News of his appearance spreads quickly.]
[Those who missed yesterday rush over.]
[Many regret not being there to attack the damned fox.]
[The crowd grows. Naruto frowns slightly.]
[Being surrounded by malice makes him uncomfortable.]
[Fortunately, he ignores them—his priority is fishing.]
[And in doing so, he realizes that as long as he doesn't experience intense negative emotions, the 'whispering' doesn't appear.]
[Splash—]
[Lost in thought while walking quickly, a mask suddenly falls in front of him.]
[He frowns. Stopping or detouring isn't an option.]
[He lifts his foot, preparing to step over it.]
[But of course—if nothing goes wrong, something will.]
["Are you blind?!"]
[Bang—]
[Naruto's vision goes black as a powerful shove sends him flying.]
[His balance was already off from changing steps—this sudden violence drops him hard onto the ground.]
[The force is heavy. His first thought: this was deliberate.]
[He looks up.]
[A middle-aged man stares down at him coldly.]
[The fallen mask is now back in the man's hand.]
["Blind, damn fox—kid!"]
["If you stepped on my mask, could you afford to compensate for it?!"]
[Malice becomes tangible.]
[Anger flashes in Naruto's eyes.]
[The whispering begins.]
[But this time, Naruto isn't restrained.]
[He stands up without hesitation.]
["You damn brat—are you mute?!"]
["Apologize!!!"]
[The mask shop owner roars, raising his hand to strike.]
[Naruto suddenly looks up, staring at him.]
[Hm?]
[The mask shop owner's heart jolts.]
['Red eyes?!']
['Damn it—this kid can't possibly… impossible! He's just a child!']
['Huh? Why are they blue again?']
[The man freezes—frightened by the pressure Naruto just released.]
Uchiha Sasuke: "Hmph. A bunch of bullies who only pick on the weak—pathetic."
Before Sasuke's words even finish—
[Naruto seizes the moment of hesitation.]
[He charges forward, mustering all his strength, and throws a punch.]
[He knows his strength is small.]
[So he strikes the most fragile spot—just like he once saw.]
[Crack—]
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