A sharp collective gasp swept across the entire ninja world.Even Naruto himself instinctively sucked in a breath and clamped his legs together. No matter what anyone said, he was still a boy. In moments like this, even Genma-sensei would probably have to look away and pretend he hadn't seen anything.
Kushina's delighted voice rang through the chat room without the slightest restraint."Well done! Beautifully done!" she shouted. "Naruto, from now on, if anyone dares bully you, hit them back just like that! Make them—"Her voice cut off mid-sentence.Muted again.
Sasuke gave a cold snort. "I'll say it again. A bunch of trash that bullies the weak and fears the strong. He deserved it."Kankuro folded his arms and looked thoughtful. "That mask shop owner's mentality is exactly the same as most people's. They only dare humiliate Naruto because they think he has no power to fight back."Gaara's voice followed, quiet and murderous. "Kill them all."The chill in those words made more than a few Konoha villagers go pale.
And then, on the black-bordered screen, a new figure appeared.In the middle of the crowd stood a young girl, staring at the scene with puzzled, troubled eyes. "Why… why is everyone treating that child like that?" she asked softly. "What did he do wrong? The shopkeeper was clearly the one who threw the mask in front of him. He started it first.""How pitiful…"A branch family Hyuga beside her immediately tugged at her sleeve. "Lady Hinata, we should return now.""But…""Lady Hinata, you must not get involved with that child."The girl was pulled away before she could say anything more.
"Hinata, you met Naruto when you were little?" Kurenai asked in surprise.Hinata's entire face flushed bright red at once. She lowered her head, fingers twisting together in embarrassment. Kurenai couldn't help smiling. She was used to Hinata blushing at the smallest thing, but even she hadn't known it went back that far.Ino and Sakura, who had come closer without anyone noticing, exchanged a look."So this really happened?" Ino asked.Hinata nodded shyly. "Yes… but it wasn't that day. I met Naruto a few days later."That single answer told everyone enough.
At that moment, Kiba suddenly cut in through the chat room."That mask shop owner… I remember him now," he said. "There was a time Naruto got tricked into going to the cemetery to 'make new friends.' They told him to buy a mask, pretend to be a ghost, and go looking for corpses."Choji immediately backed him up. "That's right. There could've been enemy remnants there too. Those idiots tricked Naruto because he barely had any friends."Iruka's face darkened. "I remember that night as well."The atmosphere changed instantly. The people who had once treated that story like a joke no longer found it funny.
On the screen, the mask shop owner's scream ripped through the air."Ahhhhhh—!"Every man present, from academy student to veteran shinobi, flinched and instinctively stepped back. Several unconsciously pressed their knees together. The sound had been far too vivid.The shop owner curled on the ground, tears streaming from his eyes, his whole body shaking as pain spread through his lower abdomen like a living thing."Damn you… you wicked fox demon… I'll kill you!"Naruto looked down at him with cold, pitiless eyes, then stepped forward and kicked him square in the face.The shop owner could only grit his teeth and take it.
Because of the Third Hokage's order from the day before, none of the villagers who hated Naruto dared rush forward now.Or rather, that was only part of it.The bigger truth was uglier. Most of them were exactly the same kind of people as the mask shop owner. They liked joining in when the target couldn't fight back. Faced with a child who had just proved he could hurt them, even if only in the crudest way possible, they immediately lost their nerve."Kill me?" Naruto mocked, lips curling into a sneer. "Fine. I'm right here."He turned and swept his gaze across the crowd."Come on."No one moved."What, not coming? Then I'll keep going."His smile grew sharper. "Don't worry. Every last one of you will get your turn someday."With that, he drove another vicious kick into the place the mask shop owner was desperately trying to protect.The scream that followed sounded like a pig being slaughtered.
Naruto snorted coldly, then noticed the fallen mask lying nearby.He walked over and kicked that too.Then, without the slightest hesitation, he charged straight into the man's shop. One shelf after another crashed to the floor. Masks tumbled everywhere, rolling, shattering, breaking apart. Naruto grabbed them by the handful and hurled them at the owner sprawled outside.The man's heart bled at the sight, but even then he didn't regret provoking Naruto. What he regretted was not stomping the "fox demon" to death the instant he had the chance.
"Weren't you calling me blind?" Naruto growled, his temper surging again. "Then why didn't you dodge?"He looked ready to rush back in and continue the beating.That was when the shinobi monitoring him finally stepped in.Whoosh.A masked ANBU appeared between them and said flatly, "That's enough."Naruto turned his head and looked at him, eyes cold. "Where were you when he attacked first?"The man's exposed gaze was icy. "I said, that's enough."Naruto took a step forward and raised his hand.The next instant the ANBU vanished from the spot and reappeared several feet away, dodging on pure instinct.It was obvious even he was wary of the Egg-Crushing Fist now.
Naruto paused.The shinobi's movement was too fast for him to follow. He knew right away that if he kept forcing the issue, he would only be the one to suffer. So he gave a final contemptuous snort and turned away.He was not in the mood to waste any more time here.The ANBU let out a breath of relief as he watched Naruto's lonely figure disappear into the distance.He had not expected the brat to act so directly. By the time he realized what was happening, the mask shop owner had already hit the ground. If he'd been even a moment slower, the man might really have been crippled for life.
The gathered villagers reluctantly split apart and made way.What else could they do?Attack the "fox demon" right in front of the ANBU? After everything they had just witnessed? After watching that child's gaze linger again and again on the part of the body no man wanted targeted?The answer was obvious. The crowd gave way so fast it was almost comical.Only after Naruto had left did the ANBU turn his attention fully to the mask shop owner, whose clothes were soaked through with cold sweat."The Hokage's order was issued less than a day ago," he said coldly. "And you still dared violate it."Then he seized the man and hauled him upright."You're coming with me to see the Hokage."
As he said that, the ANBU's gaze slid over the crowd.A "civilian" standing near the back quietly turned away, slipped on an animal mask, formed hand seals, and vanished in a flicker. When he reappeared, he was already dressed in ANBU uniform and moving after Naruto with leisurely ease.The villagers never noticed a thing.
Meanwhile, Naruto had already headed into the hills behind Konoha.Once he reached the wooded slope, he finally found the kind of sturdy branch no little boy could resist picking up. As he walked, he tied the fishing line securely to one end and fastened the hook with painstaking care.Then he followed his memory, searching slowly and methodically, until he found the river behind the village.Anko frowned. "Eh? Didn't the fishing line and hook in the gold-bordered world just happen to be lying around on the road?"Kurenai nodded. "He reached the river at almost the same time in both worlds. So yes… it looks like in the gold-bordered world, those things were deliberately placed for him to find."That realization made more than a few people shiver.
Because it meant the difference between the two Narutos had never only been about intelligence or temperament.Someone had been guiding one of them from the shadows.Someone had carefully left just enough help, just enough convenience, just enough little nudges, to make sure that Naruto in the gold-bordered world survived—while still remaining ignorant, still remaining harmless, still remaining easy to shape.The Naruto on the black-bordered screen had none of that. He had only himself.And because he had only himself, every step he took was sharper.
Naruto crouched beside the riverbank, his eyes moving quickly over the current.He did not rush to cast the line.Instead, he studied the water first, watching how it flowed around the rocks, where it slowed, where shadows gathered under the roots of overhanging trees. Then he looked down at the mud near the edge and found tiny spiral shells clinging there, just like he had hoped.He remembered the things he had overheard in the market. Balanced nutrition. Meat and vegetables. Growing boys. Stronger bodies.Those words had stuck in his mind.If fish alone were not enough, then he had to find whatever else the mountain and river could offer. No one was going to teach him. No one was going to hand him a book or explain which things were edible and which things would kill him. He could only learn by watching, by guessing, by surviving.So he watched.And guessed.And survived.
Back in the arena, Naruto stared up at the screen in silence.His counterpart in the black frame seemed smaller than him, younger somehow, even though they were the same person. But that Naruto's back looked straighter. His eyes looked clearer. Every movement felt deliberate.That strange feeling in Naruto's chest returned.It wasn't simple admiration. It wasn't jealousy either.It was the uncomfortable, aching realization that this other self was living the same life—but living it with his eyes open.Neji, still beside him, watched the screen with narrowed eyes.He understood now why so many people were beginning to place their hopes on the black-bordered Naruto. It was not just because the boy was clever. It was because he had already learned something most adults in the shinobi world never did.If no one would protect you, then you had to protect yourself.If kindness existed, you cherished it.If malice came for you, you remembered its face.
And on the riverbank, little Naruto finally cast his line.The hook splashed into the moving water and vanished beneath the surface.He settled into a crouch, eyes fixed, body still.The wind stirred the trees. The river ran on. Somewhere beyond the hills, Konoha continued spinning in its vicious little circle of hatred, cowardice, orders, and manipulation.But here, for the moment, Naruto had carved out a space of his own.A fishing rod in hand.Mud on his sandals.A stomach that still ached with hunger.And a mind that had already begun learning the most important lesson of all—Nobody was coming to save him.So he would save himself.