Late in Konoha Year 61.
Swish.
The morning sunlight, cast by the gently drawn curtain, poured into the room, falling upon the small flowerbeds extending outside the window sill.
The few small pots of flowers bloomed vibrantly, with dewdrops hanging on the petals and leaf edges. Under the morning light, they presented a rich golden yellow, their color so bright it seemed ready to drip water.
Just quietly looking at them was enough to feel much of the gloom in one's heart dissipate, and one's mood brightened accordingly.
"Hoo..."
Uzumaki Naruto held a steaming cup of water, stood by the window, and took a sip of the hot milk in the cup. He let out a breath and turned his gaze to the broader scene outside the window.
After a period of reconstruction, Konoha was gradually regaining its vigorous vitality, no longer the bleak scene of tents and ruins following the disaster.
Looking around, new residential areas were orderly and neat. However, many houses were traditional wooden structures, with tiled roofs, sliding doors, and thin wooden lattice windows...
These complex, sturdy, and durable wooden residences were directly brought forth by Tenzo (Yamato), who frequently cast the "Wood Release: Four Pillars House Technique" (Mokuton: Renchūka no Jutsu) while expending large amounts of chakra every day.
Although these wooden houses appeared somewhat new and homogeneous, for the current people of Konoha, simply having a stable place to live was a blessing.
On the streets in the early morning, housewives in their home clothes carried bamboo baskets, greeting each other as they headed toward the gradually bustling market.
Some streetside shops had reopened. A sweet scent drifted from a dango shop with a warm curtain, and the diligent owner was wiping tables and chairs outside the door.
Occasionally, one could see an elder sitting on their front porch, leisurely sipping tea and watching a few children chase startled sparrows on the street, their laughter carrying far.
Further in the distance, one could see some taller buildings under construction. Including the Hokage Rock, scaffolding was everywhere, and sounds of hammering echoed.
Trees devastated by the war had also sprouted new, tender shoots, and birds chirped on the branches.
Naruto watched all this, a smile unconsciously curling the corners of his mouth upward.
But this smile did not last long; soon, the upward curve slowly drooped.
He recalled the sudden visit of the Third Hokage yesterday evening.
Every month around this time, Sarutobi Hiruzen would come to deliver his living stipend.
It used to be cash, but later, at his teacher's suggestion, Naruto asked Hiruzen to exchange part of the stipend for meat, eggs, and milk.
Naruto thought yesterday would be the same—Hiruzen was there to deliver the stipend and check in, as usual.
However, after Hiruzen sat down and chatted for a few moments, the topic gradually shifted to the brutal attack that had occurred not long ago.
The old man used a seemingly casual tone to carefully question Naruto about his experience inside the shelter at the time.
From the moment the enemy named Oyakata burst in, to how Hyūga Kawa finally stood up to protect everyone.
Naruto's sensitivity and intelligence instantly made him realize that there was a subtle, hidden look of scrutiny and suspicion in the Third Hokage's questions.
He was suspicious of Big Brother Kawa.
Not only that, Hiruzen then changed the subject, seemingly unintentionally probing him about the burst of chakra he unleashed in a moment of crisis.
And where he had learned the golden chains and the barrier they formed.
Naruto answered all of Hiruzen's questions one by one, without showing any dissatisfaction.
He said he didn't know where the chakra and chains came from. He only felt his mind go blank at the time, and then a surge of power erupted.
After unleashing that power, he fell unconscious, and he only learned of his transformation from others.
Yes, Naruto lied—for his teacher and the big fox.
Because the questions Sarutobi Hiruzen asked felt like cold needles, piercing the peaceful life Naruto had gradually been feeling lately.
Too much time had passed, so long that he had almost forgotten that in the eyes of many villagers and ninja, he remained an "anomaly" who had to be treated with caution.
And the Third Hokage's tentative, cautious approach, the way he measured his words as if assessing an unstable and dangerous object, forced Naruto to recall this fact.
He, Uzumaki Naruto, was a "special existence" that even the Hokage had to secretly guard against.
The sunlight outside the window was still bright, and the children's laughter was still clear, but Naruto felt that a layer of cold glass separated him from this thriving scene.
"..."
Naruto lowered his head, lifted the cup of milk, and drank it all in one gulp, as if trying to swallow down that feeling of dejection along with it.
Gulp! Gulp!
The warm liquid slid down his throat, yet it seemed unable to dispel the chill that spread from the depths of his heart.
Shaking off his thoughts, Naruto changed his clothes, carefully packed his bag, took a deep breath, pushed open the door, and headed toward the school.
The closer he got to the school, the livelier the streets became.
After being out of school for so long, many parents were gathered at the school gate to drop off their children.
A mother bent down, fixing a misaligned button on her child's clothes, softly instructing, "Pay attention in class, okay? And remember to eat all your lunch."
"I know," the boy replied, looking up.
Naruto silently walked past these small groups, his solitary figure standing alone against the backdrop of couples and families around him.
However, a subtle shift in atmosphere occurred wherever he went.
Parents who were chatting and laughing together would instinctively pause when they saw Naruto approach, their eyes flickering.
They subconsciously pulled their children behind them or steered them slightly away from his path.
The children's reactions were more direct. Some of the younger ones showed clear fear on their faces, tightly gripping their parents' clothes and hiding behind them.
Among them were even a few classmates who used to greet him when they saw him, but now they stood frozen, hesitant.
It couldn't be helped.
Many students were present in the shelter and had personally witnessed Naruto's Nine-Tails Chakra explosion.
That terrifying aura was too overwhelming for these children and ordinary villagers who were not yet ninja, leaving behind an indelible shadow.
Especially since the powerful invader later specifically demanded Naruto, even threatening the lives of others to get him.
In the eyes of many parents, their children were "implicated" by Naruto and narrowly escaped disaster.
"..."
Naruto saw everything. He quietly lowered his head and quickened his pace.
He could actually understand it.
He knew what kind of monster the big fox sealed inside him was, and he knew what kind of devastating disaster the big fox had brought to Konoha, even if it wasn't its intention.
It was like reading about the ultimate weapon called the "nuclear bomb" in a book, possessing the terrifying power to instantly destroy everything.
And this "nuclear bomb" also possessed sentience, capable of emotions including dissatisfaction and anger, making it completely uncontrollable.
Putting himself in their shoes, if he were an ordinary villager or ninja, facing a walking "human-shaped nuclear bomb" that could explode at any moment, he would inevitably be filled with fear and wariness, even if people repeatedly guaranteed it was unlikely to lose control.
Rationally, he could understand this fear and the necessary precaution.
However, understanding did not mean he could calmly accept it.
He might be able to force himself to ignore the looks and gossip of unimportant strangers.
But Sarutobi Hiruzen was different.
He was one of the few elders who had shown him warmth and care over the years, and in the deepest part of Naruto's heart, he was genuinely like a grandfather.
And it was this elder, whom he regarded as family, who was now scrutinizing him with the eyes one might use to look at a "dangerous object"...
Just then, a familiar voice came from behind him.
"Naruto!"
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