[Gate of the Ninja Academy]
As usual, Naruto waited until everyone had left before lowering his head and slowly walking home.
On both sides of the street were families enjoying laughter and warmth, with parents preparing meals and eating together with their children.
This formed a stark contrast with Naruto, who was walking home alone with an empty stomach.
Guu~
Naruto's stomach let out a protesting sound.
There happened to be a small shop on the side of the street, selling rice balls.
Naruto sniffled and couldn't help but walk over to the side.
He dug into his own pocket but only found a single 50 yen coin.
'Grandpa Third, when are you coming?'
"Get lost! You monster! Don't block my business!"
When Naruto walked over, two villagers who had been choosing rice balls immediately left upon seeing him.
The shop owner also looked furious and quickly drove Naruto away, waving a broom at him twice.
Naruto stepped back two steps, barely avoiding being hit.
"I... I came to buy something," Naruto tightly held the coin in his hand and said loudly.
The shop owner, with a face full of disgust, waved the broom, "I don't do business with you! You monster! Get lost!"
"I'm not!… Grandpa Third said I'm not a monster!", Naruto argued.
In the eyes of these ordinary villagers, the Third Hokage was just a kind old man who was too soft.
So ordinary villagers weren't really afraid of the Third Hokage, "It's only because the Third Hokage is soft-hearted that he let you live. Otherwise, you'd have been killed already, you…"
This villager clearly didn't understand what a Jinchuriki was; he only knew that Naruto was related to that disaster years ago.
But he still remembered the Third Hokage's gag order and didn't say anything more.
He suddenly fell silent, because he saw ANBU wearing masks in the distance.
The ANBU made two hand signals to him; although he didn't fully understand them, he still took a box of rice balls from the counter and threw it at Naruto's feet, "Hurry up and leave. Don't stay here."
Naruto picked up the already squished box, then placed the 50 yen coin on the counter, and ran away without looking back, "I paid for it!"
He had seen it earlier, this rice ball box was exactly 50 yen.
The shop owner threw the coin on the ground in disgust, as if it was dirty.
———
Because of the delay, some villagers had already finished eating and were out for a walk.
Naruto had to tightly hold his rice ball box and hurry home.
The more people there were, the more panicked he felt, because many kids, especially when adults were around, would bully him even more brazenly.
What he feared most came true, some kids who had just finished dinner happened to spot Naruto.
"It's you again, monster!"
"So disgusting! I ran into you again!"
"Get lost!"
One of them picked up a rock and threw it. The others followed suit, picking up rocks and throwing them too.
Naruto's embarrassed dodging made the group of kids burst into laughter.
The unrestrained laughter made Naruto both angry and anxious.
But Grandpa Third had told him not to cause trouble, so he could only lower his head and run.
Two rocks hit his back, making Naruto wince in pain and fall to the ground.
The rice ball in his hand dropped and rolled on the ground.
"Hahaha…"
"Look at this guy, he even has a rice ball to eat."
With malicious voices, Naruto saw a foot stomp down and smash the rice ball flat.
"You must've stolen it! You monster!"
Naruto's blood boiled and he shoved the chubby kid in front of him to the ground, "I bought that! I'm not a monster!"
"Ow!"
"You dare fight back? Get him!"
The four kids swarmed him, punching and kicking Naruto.
The four ANBU nearby all watched indifferently, it was just kids fighting.
["Why don't you fight back?"], a voice rang by Naruto's ear.
While protecting himself, Naruto replied, "Grandpa Third will be angry."
["Why listen to him?"]
"Only Grandpa Third is good to me. He gives me money to buy food."
["If you fight back, the Third Hokage will show up immediately."]
"Really?"
["Really."]
Naruto suddenly threw the chubby kid on top of him off.
"Ah!"
Naruto punched the chubby kid twice.
The kid screamed in pain, "You dare hit back? Everyone, beat him up!"
The five of them quickly got into a scuffle.
Obviously, Naruto alone couldn't beat four people and was soon pinned down.
A big bump had already formed on Naruto's head, and his face was covered in bloody scrapes from the ground.
That voice sounded again in Naruto's ear, ["Pick up the rock and smash it."]
But Naruto's mind was groggy and he didn't move.
However, his body moved on its own.
Naruto grabbed sand from the ground and threw it backward.
"Ah! My eyes!", The chubby kid in front was instantly hit in the face.
"Help! What are you doing?", the chubby kid shouted angrily, not realizing the sudden silence around him.
BANG!
Thud!
"ARGHHHH!", The chubby kid let out a heart-wrenching scream.
Naruto had picked up the rock that was thrown at him earlier and smashed it on the chubby kid's head.
Blood immediately gushed from the kid's head.
The other kids who were bullying Naruto were terrified:
"Monster!"
"The monster's going to eat someone!"
"Run!"
These kids who were used to seeing Naruto beaten bloody were now frightened seeing their friend covered in blood.
The chubby kid crawled in panic while screaming, "HELP, HELP…"
At that moment, Naruto said nothing, picked up the rock again, and smashed it onto the chubby kid's head.
The kid stiffened, then collapsed, unable to move anymore.
His voice also weakened.
"Help…"
The nearby ANBU, who had found Naruto's counterattack amusing at first, now stopped laughing.
After all, in the past two years under the Third Hokage's guidance, Naruto had rarely fought back.
But very soon, they couldn't laugh anymore.
After knocking the chubby kid down, Naruto didn't stop, instead straddled him, picked up the rock, and slammed it down with all his might.
Boom!
The chubby kid passed out.
But Naruto once again raised the rock and smashed it down violently.
BOOM!
The kid twitched. Blood on the ground had already spread.
With no expression on his face, Naruto raised the rock again and fiercely smashed it down.
At that moment, several figures appeared and immediately held down Naruto's hands.
An anxious voice shouted, "Stop! Are you trying to kill him?"
Naruto raised his head and looked at the suddenly appearing ANBU. In his eyes was a deep, bone-chilling hatred.
The ANBU felt a chill run through their bodies.
In the next moment, Naruto closed his eyes and fainted.
The ANBU squad leader shook his head, treating what he had just seen as a hallucination.
Now he just felt a massive headache, 'No other shifts had any problems.'
'Why did trouble start as soon as it is my shift? Naruto has fought back before, but never to this extent.'
'What the heck happened today?'
"Captain, that chubby kid is seriously hurt, barely breathing."
"Get him to the hospital now, no deaths allowed."
"Inu-Hachi, go inform the Third Hokage immediately. I'll take Naruto home first."
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