Naruto Uzumaki, the Hero of Konoha, the Hero of the Shinobi World, the Hero of the Fourth Great Ninja War.
The ninja known throughout the entire shinobi world as the youngest and strongest shinobi in history—Naruto Uzumaki.
Naruto Uzumaki wore a black jacket with red stripes, with the left sleeve folded up. As for his right hand, which he had lost after his battle with Sasuke Uchiha, it had been replaced with an artificial hand made from Zetsu's cells. The sleeve of his jacket remained open to provide more comfort for his bandaged hand.
He also carried a kunai pouch on his back, wore burnt-orange pants, and black shinobi sandals that extended above his ankles.
His cold blue eyes gazed at the horizon, his slightly tanned skin and sun-blond hair shining under the sunlight. The six whisker marks—three on each cheek—were given to him while he was still in his mother's womb, as she was the host of the Nine-Tailed Fox before him.
All of this created his distinctive appearance, making him truly unique. However, the two things that seemed out of place were his cold gaze and the absence of his usual bright, infectious smile.
It was well known that Naruto Uzumaki always overcame hardships with his infectious smile. When you saw him smiling at you, you knew that everything was going to be okay.
But not this time.
Naruto Uzumaki sat atop the Hokage Monument, precisely on the head of the Second Hokage. His usual smile was nowhere to be found as he looked over the village.
At eighteen years old, Naruto Uzumaki felt empty. He simply gazed at the horizon, with the only sound being the wind blowing around him, giving him a fleeting sense of freedom.
Why was the ninja known for his smile sitting still, with such a dull and cold expression, internally enjoying the feeling of the wind against his face?
The answer was simple.
Naruto Uzumaki had always been cold toward himself. It was illogical for people to think that the boy who had always been isolated, scorned, ignored, and despised—treated with disgust and irrational hatred from the very first hour of his life—would have a perfectly stable psyche.
A long time ago, Naruto Uzumaki had adopted a mask.
Not just any mask. A mask in the form of a smile that never faded. It was almost laughable how everyone believed that someone with such a broken mind could genuinely smile.
The only reason he chose this mask of smiles was that he realized people became less hostile toward him when they grew tired of their own cruelty—when they saw they couldn't break him.
If only they knew that they had succeeded long ago.
Naruto Uzumaki had hated his life for as long as he could remember.
And if you were wondering how someone with such a shattered psyche could stay alive without ending their suffering—well, the answer was simple.
It wasn't that he hadn't tried. In fact, he had attempted many times.
The only reason he was still alive was the seal placed on him by the Hokage back then. The seal that contained the Nine-Tailed Fox was designed so that if Naruto were to die, the Kyūbi would disappear forever.
No matter how hard Naruto tried to end his suffering, it was futile, because the Kyūbi wouldn't allow him to die back then.
Since the war, Naruto's relationship with the Kyūbi had improved significantly. They had achieved synchronization, which enhanced Naruto's healing abilities to an unprecedented level.
Even if the Kyūbi, known as Kurama, left his body, Naruto would be back to normal within minutes, completely unharmed.
This was despite the fact that having a Tailed Beast removed from a Jinchūriki's body normally caused immediate death, with excruciating pain beyond measure.
Although many people—especially the Konoha 10 plus Sasuke—considered Naruto a friend, he didn't really care. It wasn't as if they had made life any easier for him while he was growing up.
They had bullied him, mocked him for everything he did or said. No matter how hard he tried, no one ever saw the sad child he truly was—not the adults, not his peers, no one.
But he had long since accepted the reality that he simply didn't care.
He saved Konoha and the world out of duty—nothing more.
Even though he despised his life, he was never a traitor. You could blame it on his Uzumaki blood, which always prioritized loyalty above all else—except for one fundamental rule: family comes first.
As for why he saved the shinobi world? Simple.
Because he couldn't die.
He needed a place to live, and destroying the world would only cause him more trouble.
Oh, how much Naruto Uzumaki wished he could reset his life the way he wanted.
A life where he wasn't burdened with being a Jinchūriki. A life where he could just be a regular shinobi among other shinobi—or even a simple, unemployed civilian with no heavy responsibilities . . END OF CHAPTER
To be continued
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