"People at birth, are naturally good. Their natures are similar; their habits make them different..."
Naruto recited softly. He didn't fully understand what it meant, but the rhythm rolled off his tongue smoothly, and before he knew it, he'd read the entire thing.
Following the main text was a section of detailed explanations.
At his age, curiosity was at its peak.
Simple, easy-to-grasp life lessons, stories like Mencius's mother moving three times—these tales from another world fascinated young Naruto. He was quickly drawn in, completely absorbed in the book.
Before long, he'd flipped all the way to the final page.
Then, a gentle voice echoed in Naruto's ear:
"Lesson complete. Starting pop quiz. There are twenty short questions in total, five points each. Please listen carefully."
"Question 1: Briefly explain the story of Mencius's mother moving three times."
Naruto grinned confidently. "Too easy! I just read that part! It means during the Warring States period, Mencius's mother moved their home three times to find the best environment for her son to study in. One time when Mencius skipped school, she broke her weaving loom to teach him a lesson…"
"Question 2: Explain the meaning of 'If a child doesn't study, it's inappropriate. If you don't learn when you're young, what will you do when you're old?'"
"It means that kids who don't study are messing up. If someone doesn't learn when they're little, they'll grow up not knowing how to live or think properly. And if that happens, there's no way they'll be successful when they're older."
...
The pop quiz wrapped up quickly, and Naruto got every question right.
"Congratulations, Naruto Uzumaki. You scored a perfect 100. You're a very smart child. You've earned a special reward: two hours of entertainment. Balance of work and rest is important—keep it up!"
Right after the voice finished, the blank space around Naruto shifted—and a TV appeared in front of him.
"Hahaha! I knew I was a genius!" Naruto chuckled, basking in the praise.
Then the TV turned on and started playing the cartoon Black Cat Detective.
Naruto immediately shifted all his attention to it.
Even though it was his first time watching TV, he quickly became absorbed, eyes glued to the screen. By the end, he was even singing along with the theme: "Aaah, Black Cat Detective~!"
...
The next morning.
Naruto blinked his eyes open groggily. The room had no magic book. No TV.
"It was a dream…" he muttered, a little disappointed.
Then he remembered what Grandpa Third told him yesterday—he was now allowed to go outside normally.
"If it's all been cleared up, maybe I'll finally make some friends starting today!" he thought happily, rushing to brush his teeth and throw on clothes before dashing out the door.
But reality hit him like a bucket of ice water.
The adults no longer attacked him. They no longer called him the demon fox to his face. Instead, they used a much colder, more painful method:
They completely ignored him.
No matter what he said, no one answered. They just stared at him with blank, cold eyes—or acted like he wasn't even there at all.
If Naruto tried to do something, their indifference would shift into suspicion and wariness.
After the Third Hokage's warning, they didn't dare shout or raise weapons anymore—but casual shoves and cold shoulders? No one stopped those.
Faced with this suffocating atmosphere, even Naruto, young and innocent as he was, felt a deep chill welling up from his chest.
From that day on, he barely left the house anymore.
He discovered that even if he didn't fall asleep, just by relaxing his mind, he could return to that magical space.
There, no one scowled at him. He could learn fascinating things from books. If he passed the pop quizzes, he'd get praised—and even be rewarded with cartoons.
So why bother going out and getting hated?
If it just made him and everyone else upset, he might as well stay home.
Time passed.
A full year went by.
And in that year, Naruto's life changed quite a bit.
He no longer stayed holed up indoors all day. He still didn't go out during daylight, but at night, when fewer people were around, he'd sneak outside for a bit to stretch his legs and follow the exercise routines from his class schedule.
Naruto knew that as a growing kid, he needed to stay active if he wanted to grow taller.
After PE, it was usually already late into the night.
That was when Naruto would go to the shopping district and sneak into closed stores to take what he needed—food, supplies, clothes, or daily necessities.
Thanks to his naturally strong body, it wasn't difficult for him.
Of course, he always paid.
No one knew he was the one taking the items, but people need to have self-respect and self-discipline.
He had money. The problem wasn't that he couldn't afford things—it was that no one would sell to him. So he had no choice.
After "forcefully buying" what he needed, Naruto would go home and cook.
After reading Balanced Diet and Nutrition, Naruto learned that living on instant noodles and expired milk wasn't healthy.
Poor nutrition could stunt his growth, just like not exercising.
Using recipes from The Complete Chinese Cookbook, Naruto started turning his groceries into easy, nutritious, and delicious meals.
At first, he messed up a lot from inexperience. But over time, he got the hang of it—and now, he hardly ever messed up a dish.
After eating, he'd crawl into bed.
And once again, he'd enter that magical space.
His body rested, recharging energy, but his mind stayed wide awake and free to roam.
There, he could keep learning, or chill out—watch some TV, read a novel he earned by finishing his lessons, or play on a console packed with all kinds of games.
A year later, Naruto still didn't have any friends.
But he didn't feel lonely.
Every day felt full.
To Naruto, each day was full of new discoveries, fresh and exciting.
But while Naruto thought that way... not everyone shared the feeling.
Once again, it was time for the Third Hokage's monthly visit to deliver his living allowance. Hiruzen set the envelope down, then looked over at Naruto—sitting quietly by the window, lost in thought, not even noticing him come in.
The old man opened his mouth to say something—but stopped short.