In the woods, beside a quiet river and a field of green grass, Naruto lay on his back with his arms behind his head, gazing lazily at the sky.
It was a fine day sunlight warm but not scorching, the breeze soft and pleasant perfect for a picnic or camping trip.
Even before his transmigration, he had always enjoyed solo motorbike tours and camping. There was something freeing about escaping the chaos of city life, something serene in the solitude.
Perhaps for the original Naruto, loneliness had been a burden. But for this Naruto, it was a kind of luxury.
He despised managing interpersonal relationships. Compared to that, he preferred the fleeting encounters along a journey no strings attached, no ulterior motives, just a moment of camaraderie, a shared drink, a cheerful evening, and a clean goodbye at sunrise.
Unburdened, unshackled and no need to bring gifts or return favors.
It satisfied the need for emotional connection while skipping the drain of social obligations.
"They said write a love song that pleases both the vulgar and the refined~"
(Don't like that? Then we'll switch it!)
A dogtail grass stem dangling from his lips, Naruto hummed idly to himself, one leg bouncing in time. He was utterly at ease.
From afar, came the distant sounds of laughter and chatter. A group of kids were playing "Ninja Games" in the woods a local version of hide-and-seek and tag, just dressed up in shinobi trappings because they lived in Konoha.
Rustle…
A cluster of bushes shook, and out popped a pineapple-haired kid with half-lidded, dead-fish eyes. Spotting Naruto, the kid gave an awkward smile.
"Ah didn't expect anyone here. What a coincidence, huh…"
"I'd say it's exactly what it looks like," Naruto replied, tilting his head slightly to eye the boy with curiosity.
The other boy paused at the undertone, scratched the back of his head, and sighed. "Guess there's no fooling you… I'm Nara Shikamaru. You?"
"Monkey D. Luffy."
"…Right."
The twitch at the corners of Naruto's mouth made Shikamaru roll his eyes inwardly.
This guy does not play by the rules…
"Just kidding. Name's Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto."
Naruto sat up, his tone still casual. "So. You got something you want from me?"
Shikamaru chuckled sheepishly. "Well… not really. Just wondering if you wanted to join us."
"You don't strike me as the enthusiastic type."
Naruto shook his head lazily and lay back down again. "With the kind of scheming opportunists we have around, the best defense is distance. Otherwise, when they die from their own stupidity, you'll be the one covered in blood."
Shikamaru's eye twitched. Yep… can't hide a damn thing from this guy.
He'd come here on his father's orders. Hokage-sama had expressed concern that Naruto seemed too isolated, and asked them to befriend him to form a bond, at least on the surface. It was basically a mission.
Shikamaru had reluctantly accepted. He wasn't a fan of troublesome tasks, but he wasn't about to say no to the Hokage either.
How hard could making a friend be, anyway?
Then he arrived, and immediately regretted it.
Lonely? This guy was thriving in his solitude.
And calling people "scheming opportunists" was that supposed to include the Hokage? Was he even allowed to hear this kind of thing?
In the Hokage's office, Nara Shikaku was wincing, his face twitching with every word.
"Scheming opportunists, huh…"
Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled a slow puff of smoke from his pipe, sighing with weary resignation. "Perhaps… I really am getting too old…"
Just like you, Minato. That sharpness he inherited it.
Clearly, Naruto had already seen through the upper echelon's intentions, and he wasn't shy about showing his disapproval. Hiruzen, for his part, could do nothing but sigh.
If he were twenty years younger, he never would have let the rumors about the "Nine-Tails Boy" run rampant. But after the Nine-Tails' attack, Konoha was riddled with both internal fractures and external threats.
The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, had died. Of the Legendary Sannin, one wandered, one defected. The Uchiha Clan's growing unrest had reached a dangerous tipping point. The recent conflict with Kumogakure had barely ended, and the other hidden villages still watched like hungry wolves.
All that nonsense about "too many enemies to reveal his parentage" was just that nonsense.
Konoha couldn't afford another war. They couldn't redirect internal conflict. No one among the high ranks could be held accountable for the Nine-Tails' attack. So the people needed a scapegoat and that scapegoat became Naruto.
If the village had acknowledged Naruto as the Fourth's son, they would've had to admit the higher-ups had failed in their duties. That they had let a hero's child suffer in silence.
Still, if revealing the truth could help build a bond between Naruto and the village, Hiruzen was willing to take that blow to his reputation.
But not yet.
Two pressing matters had to be resolved first: the succession of the Fifth Hokage, and the looming crisis with the Uchiha. The former, especially, could not be delayed.
Otherwise, the village could erupt into civil unrest or worse, fall to foreign powers.
Regrettably, the most promising of the younger generation, Kakashi, remained mired in depression. His own son, Asuma Sarutobi, was competent but not exceptional. The rest? Largely mediocre.
The old guard had lost their edge. The young hadn't found their footing.
Konoha looked prosperous on the surface, but beneath that, it was a mire dragging everyone down with it.
Hiruzen stared into the depths of his pipe, then murmured, "I never considered myself power-hungry… but after all these years at the top, maybe I've rotted a little, too."
Shikaku quickly interjected, "Hokage-sama, Naruto's just a child. He doesn't understand "
"No, Shikaku."
Hiruzen gave a wry smile, tapping the desk with calloused fingers. Then he let out another sigh, this one tinged with something softer.
"…Let's start with a bond. Just one."
As he spoke, the crystal ball flickered, showing a young girl with blonde hair and bright blue eyes bounding into frame. A chubby boy followed closely behind.
"Shikamaru! You lazy bum! You're the one who said we should play ninja, and now you disappear? We've been looking everywhere for you!"
The girl, fiery and full of spirit, was waving her little fists furiously. But then her eyes drifted sideways and locked onto Naruto, still lying by the riverside.
Her gaze froze. She inched forward, step by step, until she was right beside him. Her large eyes stared unblinking at his face, enraptured. For a girl of just three, she was already showing alarming signs of being a romantic.
"Hi! I'm Yamanaka Ino. What's your name?"
Naruto kept his eyes shut.
Play dead. Stay cool. Be the mysterious loner.
When she got no response, Ino poked him in the arm.
Naruto: "…"
Can't this girl be a little more… reserved?
"…Uzumaki Naruto."
She was about to shake him harder when he finally opened his eyes.
Ino beamed. Just as she opened her mouth to speak again, the chubby boy plopped down beside her.
"Hi, I'm Akimichi Chōji. Naru-do… wanna share some chips?"
"Sure."
Naruto reached into the bag, took one, and smiled warmly.
Akimichi Chōji his favorite side character from the original story. No contest.
Pure-hearted. Kind. Honest.
Making friends with someone like that was a blessing in any life.
Chōji grinned. "You ate my chips. That means we're friends now!"
"Mm. Okay."
Naruto's smile remained gentle. "No matter how our paths diverge, we'll always be friends."
Shikamaru, who'd just started to relax, tensed again.
Clearly, that sentence's real weight was in the first half…
"How old are you, Naruto?"
"What do you like to do for fun?"
"Do you… have a crush on anyone?"
Ino bombarded him with questions by the riverside, circling him like she was conducting a full background check. Her cheeks were red, and she kept covering her face with both hands between questions.
Naruto glanced at Shikamaru, who promptly looked away.
This counts as mission complete, right?
Honestly, things had gone better than expected. But friend or not, Naruto kept his stance clear: feelings were one thing, principles another.
If anyone tried to use friendship as leverage to question his values they'd be in for a rude awakening.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, the three kids' parents came to pick them up, and the chatter around Naruto finally quieted.
He activated the Adamantine Sealing Chains and swept them through the river, catching a few fat fish. After cleaning and gutting them, the riverside filled with the rich, savory aroma of roasting fish.