Chapter 12
The sudden clearing of a large section of the street indicated that people had noticed Uzumaki Naruto's presence.
The passing villagers, like robots receiving a collective command, all stopped and stared at Naruto with negative gazes.
These gazes generally contained emotions such as fear, disgust, and hatred.
Clearly, the trauma of the Nine-Tailed Demon Foxs Attack lingered to this day.
Even after many years, the pain caused by the Nine-Tailed Demon Foxs Attack was still evident.
Such a bustling street suddenly fell silent due to Naruto's presence.
The surrounding hawking seemed to disappear.
Even the merchants who were originally shouting vigorously stopped their calls, glaring at Narutowith the same eyes as the passersby.
Nine-Tailed: "..."
The wind picked up, rustling a dry leaf.
The winter wind was very cold.
Naruto, dressed in an orange short-sleeved tracksuit, stood out from the crowd.
Nine-Tailed: "Your eyes are even more annoying!"
If the passersby's gazes were a normal human reaction...
Then... Uzumaki Naruto's eyes were overtly cannibalistic.
In the Nine-Tailed's view, Uzumaki Naruto looked down from above, seeing all living beings as if they were ants.
This arrogance... was even greater than that of the Uchiha Clan.
The last person to look at others like that was Uchiha Madara.
No!
Uchiha Madara, at least, saw others as mere commoners.
Uzumaki Naruto... in his eyes, these guys should just be bipedal creatures!
Clatter.
Under everyone's gaze, Naruto took a step.
Then he naturally walked past the scene.
Pedestrians automatically made a path for him.
What followed... was all sorts of discussions and whispers from behind.
"Nine-Tailed Demon Fox..."
"Monster..."
"He's out again..."
Soon, Naruto arrived in front of a Mask Shop and stopped there.
The dazzling array of masks caught Naruto's attention.
Many of these masks could be used to cosplay Anbu Ninja, or... villainous bad guys.
Due to Naruto's appearance, the already sparse customers in front of the Mask Shop immediately vanished.
This greatly angered the Mask Shop Owner.
He was a man around 40 years old.
He made a living on his meager income.
And because he had been single for many years, his temper was not very good.
Seeing Naruto, he immediately began to drive him away: "Get out, kid!"
The Mask Shop Owner's shout seemed to open a switch, or perhaps it was an outlet for the public's emotions.
Everyone's lips curled into a smile, revealing the dark side of human nature.
They were looking forward to... the Mask Shop Owner teaching this "Nine-Tailed Demon Fox" kid a lesson.
"I'm just passing by." Naruto turned his head, then turned to leave.
Thud!
Something was thrown at the back of Naruto's head.
It was a mask.
Owner: "Take this mask and get out! No customer will want it after you've touched it!"
The owner, he was surprisingly nice.
Naruto stopped and looked at the mask lying at his feet.
Detested by all, this was probably Naruto's current reputation in Konoha.
—It was negative.
"Naruto-kun~."
Standing in the crowd, watching this scene, were not just unrelated passersby.
Hinata, who had come shopping with her maid Hyuga Natsu, was also among the onlookers.
Seeing Naruto suddenly treated this way, Hinata's heart almost broke.
"Why... are they treating Naruto-kun this way~?"
Hinata was puzzled.
But she subconsciously took a step, wanting to go forward and help Naruto.
"Hinata-sama!"
Slap.
Hinata's arm was suddenly pulled.
She looked back and saw... the cold, serious expression on her maid Hyuga Natsu's face.
That usually pretty and gentle face, for some reason, had become somewhat terrifying at this moment.
"Don't bother with him."
Hyuga Natsu's tone was cold and solemn.
During the Nine-Tailed Demon Foxs Attack, the Hyuga Clan's compound also suffered some damage.
Although it was only minor damage to houses because it was on the outskirts.
But many clan members sacrificed their lives while fighting the Nine-Tailed.
The branch family maid, who believed Naruto was the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, naturally stood on the side of the villagers without hesitation.
"Why?"
Hinata didn't understand.
The children of the new generation did not know about the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox.
And most children were simply told by their parents not to approach Uzumaki Naruto.
"Hinata-sama, you absolutely must not come into contact with him!"
Hyuga Natsu hesitated for a moment but still didn't give a reason.
Because the Third Hokage had given orders that no one was allowed to mention the Nine-TailedDemon Fox incident.
Over time, it turned into whispers behind people's backs.
"But..."
Hinata turned her head back and saw Narutostanding still, pondering whether to pick up the mask.
And the Mask Shop Owner, still chattering and cursing.
Hyuga Natsu: "In any case..."
"Hey! That's a bit much, isn't it?"
Just then, a loud, childish voice broke the atmosphere of the scene.
"???"
Everyone looked towards the source of the sound.
They saw a child suddenly standing on the utility pole opposite the Mask Shop, with his hands in his pockets.
Being able to jump to such a high place proved that he was not an ordinary child.
Sako, with a proud expression, looked down at the scene below with disdain.
"In broad daylight, making things difficult for a child, is this your way of treating customers as an adult?"
Sako's words immediately sparked whispers in the crowd again.
"..."
And seeing this peer who suddenly appeared to help Naruto...
His/Her excessively beautiful face immediately made Hinata feel a strange sense of crisis... Hiss hiss... The faint sound of blood rushing was heard.
Veins bulged, crawling up her eye sockets.
Hinata, who involuntarily activated her ByakuganBloodline Limit, quickly understood the other person's characteristics.
"It's a... girl..."
Chapter 11. Sako Who Wants Naruto as a Friend
The Mask Shop Owner, who was already somewhat angry, became even more furious when he saw someone speaking up for the "Nine-TailedDemon Fox."
Running into this kind of trouble first thing in the morning was really bad luck.
Just as he was about to burst into curses, he suddenly noticed the "Fan" emblem hanging on Sako.
Seeing that emblem, the Mask Shop Ownerimmediately backed down a bit.
"It's Uchiha..."
A low murmuring voice rose from the crowd.
The Uchiha Clan was Konoha's true prestigious clan, also known as the elite clan.
As one of Konoha's founders, their reputation was legendary.
Especially their powerful Bloodline Limit, the Sharingan, which even ordinary people had heard of.
What's more... the Mask Shop Owner immediately felt two unfriendly gazes coming from the crowd.
He saw two Uchiha Clan Police Force Ninja looking at him with cold expressions.
The Police Force's duties, in addition to apprehending bad guys and criminals... also included patrolling the streets of Konoha, and they spent a lot of time dealing with vendors.
The authority they had established over the years immediately made the Mask Shop Owner realize that he had run into trouble.
Regardless of the reason, these annoying Uchihawere meddling.
But ultimately, they were beings he couldn't afford to offend.
So, the Mask Shop Owner immediately turned around and grumblingly returned to his shop.
This could be considered a temporary concession.
"..."
Naruto picked up the mask from the ground and naturally looked towards the crowd.