What's it like to be feared—and quietly hated—by an entire village? Naruto now had a front-row seat.
With his admission notice in hand, he strutted through the gates of the ninja school and immediately got VIP treatment at the registration office.
No student dared stand in his way. Parents? Forget it. Even the Chunin teacher looked unusually "friendly," practically tripping over themselves to get him registered.
Meanwhile, the villagers whispered behind his back:
"Isn't that the demon fox of the village? How can the Third Hokage just let him enroll?"
"It's fine if he strolls around town, but in school? What if something happens?"
"Even if a ninja teacher is there… it's the incarnation of the demon fox!"
"And look at him… so handsome, and an orphan… he probably wouldn't steal anything… right?"
After Naruto officially enrolled, the Chunin teacher kept quiet—but the parents were steaming. They couldn't wrap their heads around the idea that the demon fox who terrorized the village could now sit next to their kids in class. If he went berserk again… well, they didn't even want to imagine it.
The Chunin teacher knew enough to stay silent. Naruto wasn't a demon fox, just the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki—a secret the village wasn't ready to reveal. Rumors of the demon fox might fly around, but rules were rules. Ninja secrets were not for casual chit-chat.
Eventually, the Third Hokage had to step in with a mix of carrots and sticks, and the parents finally simmered down. His instructions were simple: keep your distance from Uzumaki Naruto, don't provoke him, and tell the teachers if danger shows up.
From a distance, Naruto watched the entire spectacle with a smug grin. Who says you need subtlety? Waiting for everyone to calm down and signing up alone? Boring. He preferred theatrics.
Kyuubi, feeling the flood of malicious perception from the villagers, opened one eye and said:
"Little ghost, you're evil. They hate you, and you just had to parade in front of them."
Naruto shrugged, smirking. "It's not evil… it's practical. Besides, they seem to have forgotten that this is a ninja school. The students are basically mercenaries who lick blood off their swords for breakfast."
Kyuubi raised an eyebrow. "Hmm… I see. Since you said you want to leave Konoha, you've gotten a lot more confident."
Naruto looked at the fox seriously. "Maybe it's because I finally have a goal. Once I have direction, all the ridicule and hate just become fuel."
Kyuubi snorted, went back to sleeping, and apparently gave his seal of approval.
After registration, the honorary principal, the Third Hokage, gave a speech about the Will of Fire. In Naruto's mind, the Will of Fire was basically "chicken soup for ninja souls," something to nod politely at while secretly wishing for training time instead.
Kyuubi, who apparently woke up somewhere mid-speech, muttered:
"Don't you want to perform for Hokage? You're acting like a wallflower."
Naruto shook his head. "Nope. The more I perform, the more obvious my flaws are. The best disguise? Not trying to disguise yourself at all."
The fox huffed. "Fair point… but you might still want to listen. The Third Hokage isn't all wrong—helping each other, burning your youth for the next generation… decent chicken soup, if you like that sort of thing."
Naruto snorted. "Sure, but the old man believes it himself, so maybe he's just feeding himself nonsense."
Kyuubi went silent. Not because Naruto mocked the Will of Fire, but because it reminded him of… ancient memories. The Six Paths' guy who made the Tailed Beasts had once said something similar: chakra bridges hearts. But after thousands of years, Kyuubi had learned humans didn't get it… and humans certainly didn't get tailed beasts. Especially when ninjas treated them as weapons.
For centuries, it seemed only Naruto, this kid, actually tried to understand him as a friend.
The speech dragged on for an hour. Naruto daydreamed, the other elementary students squirmed, and the Hokage eventually wrapped it up with a few last words.
Later, Naruto got a crisp notification:
"Nine-Tails Lama's favorability has reached: Trust. Adaptation to Tailed Beast Chakra greatly improved. You can now use Nine-Tails Chakra at will. You are officially a friend."
Naruto grinned in the sealed space. Of course Kyuubi liked him—they had shared life-and-death experiences—but the system granting him free control over Tailed Beast Chakra was a nice bonus. Now, in a sense, he could be called a perfect Jinchuriki. Except, you know… still a little hipless in other areas.
He left Kyuubi to his sleep, quietly leaving food behind. Kyuubi opened one eye, wolfed it down, and watched Naruto with curiosity—probably thinking of some scheme to mess with him later.
Feeling pumped, Naruto bolted toward the classroom.
He was the last student to arrive, instantly catching everyone's attention. Sideways glances? Check. Whispering? Check. But Naruto didn't care.
Is my outfit ugly? he wondered. Red-bottomed, gold-trimmed robes weren't as flashy as a Royal God Robe, but they fit him perfectly. Add a little "I work out" charm, and he was basically a rare sunny boy… second only to the cold-faced Sasuke in the corner.
Could it be his "demon fox" aura?
Shrugging, Naruto plopped down, pulled out his textbook, and started flipping pages. Chatting with classmates? Meh. Boring. Better to get a head start on learning than waste precious time.
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