Chapter 1 – There's a Marine Admiral Inside Me
"You're a white-eyed monster!"
A few kids had a little girl cornered. She was shaking, on the verge of tears, her pure white eyes wide with fear.
Suddenly—
"How scary~" a new, annoyingly relaxed voice cut in. "A bunch of boys ganging up on one girl. Really, really scary~"
The bullies turned. Leaning at the alley entrance was a blond boy who looked like he was asking for a punch. He had spiky golden hair, orange sunglasses pushed up on his head, and was wearing a loud yellow-and-white striped suit. He stood there with a smirk that just made you want to wipe it off his face.
"Who the hell are you?!" the biggest kid spat. "Mind your own business, or— y-you… you're the fox demon?!"
The blond boy's smirk vanished. In a flash, he was in front of the speaker. A sharp kick to the stomach sent the boy flying before he could finish his sentence. Without pausing, the blond kid pivoted and delivered two more swift, powerful kicks. The other two bullies yelped as they tumbled through the dirt.
For a four-year-old, it was unreal. He was a bit taller, sure, but the skill in those kicks was what really did it—clean, efficient, and strong.
"Tossing around hurtful words so casually," the boy said, his annoying, drawn-out tone returning as he watched them scramble away. "That's the scary part, you know?" He turned his back on their cries.
"And just so we're clear—I'm Uzumaki Naruto. Not the Nine-Tails. Got it?"
He walked over and offered a hand to the girl on the ground. She looked up with her pearlescent eyes—Hyūga Hinata. The encounter felt inevitable to Naruto. Even changing so much, some meetings were just fated.
Not that it was bad. Hinata was sweet and would grow up kind—his type, honestly. But she was still way too young right now.
He pulled her to her feet. "Listen," he said, his voice losing its playful edge. "Backing down just because you're scared won't make them stop. People only respect strength. Truth only matters if you can back it up."
"You need to get stronger. This world isn't kind to gentle people unless they have the power to protect that kindness."
The little Hyūga girl stared, then nodded slowly, her cheeks turning pink as she kept looking at his face.
He walked her most of the way home, making sure to avoid the main gate. Not giving that Hyūga branch family member a chance to jump out and humiliate him. He wasn't a masochist—why would he knowingly walk into trouble?
On the way back, Naruto avoided the main roads, instead traveling via rooftops and narrow paths of back alleys, Naruto made his own way back home.
Calling his place "home" felt like a stretch. It was a single, small room—maybe twenty-five square meters—empty, quiet, and utterly lonely.
As soon as he entered, Naruto paused briefly, then greeted casually:
"Oh? Third Hokage-sama. Not busy today? Got time to deliver supplies to me personally?"
The unexpected visitor was sitting in Naruto's chair. At his feet was a large pile of chicken, duck, fish, meat, fruits, vegetables, and daily necessities.
"Really, thanks so much."
As he spoke, Naruto casually took out a teacup, brewed some tea, and handed it to the Third Hokage, whose expression was complicated.
Although he disliked the fact that the man had entered without permission, Naruto didn't show it on the surface.
He hadn't grown strong enough yet to oppose him.
After all, he's none other than The Third Hokage of Konoha—Hiruzen Sarutobi.
The pinnacle of Konoha's power, both politically and militarily.
At this moment, he was staring at Uzumaki Naruto with conflicted eyes—a four-year-old who acted more like a seasoned old fox.
Hiruzen didn't know where things had gone wrong. This was the child he had watched grow up, yet there was no sense of closeness at all.
Two years ago, Naruto had even forced his hand through a hunger strike, demanding regular and sufficient living supplies every week or else he would starve himself to death.
That was not the situation Hiruzen wanted to see.
A Jinchūriki must be under the Hokage's control!
This situation had to change.
Thinking of the frustration he felt back then when he had no choice but to give in, Hiruzen's resolve hardened.
He withdrew his complicated gaze and put on a kindly, false smile.
The Hokage put on a kind, grandfatherly smile. "Naruto, I heard about the incident today. We must not raise our hands against our fellow villagers. They will be your comrades one day."
"Comrades?" Naruto repeated, his eyes sharpening. "Do comrades call you a monster? Do they look at you like you're dirt? Hokage-sama, people like that… they're supposed to be my comrades?"
Sarutobi's smile tightened. "They… do not know the truth, Naruto. You mustn't blame them."
"Then tell them the truth," Naruto said, holding the Hokage's gaze. "Tell everyone I'm Uzumaki Naruto, not a Nine-tailed demon."
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked away, his eyes finding the floorboards suddenly interesting. He couldn't, and wouldn't answer that, avoiding the question entirely.
"Naruto, you seem bored lately. I know you've been training taijutsu on your own, but you also need to read more, understand?"
"Besides delivering supplies today, I also brought you some books."
He placed the prepared books in front of Naruto.
"You can't just train your body—your spirit and mind need to keep up too."
"Oh~ thank you, Third Hokage-sama," Naruto raised an eyebrow and accepted politely.
The atmosphere instantly turned awkward. Unable to endure the silence, Hiruzen stood up.
"Naruto, I'll come visit again when I have time."
And with that, he left.
Naruto simply nodded, waved slowly, then began organizing the supplies and cooking.
Luckily, he knew how to cook. Otherwise, he'd have starved long ago.
After a relatively lavish dinner, Naruto picked up the books.
"The Will of Fire."
After eating, he finally picked up the book. The Will of Fire. He flipped through a few pages, then tossed it aside onto his bed.
It sounded nice. But the people running Konoha had long stopped living by it. Did they really think such a naive, simple-minded ideal could sway him? He almost laughed.
In his last life, he'd been from Earth, a guy who just happened to be a huge Naruto fan. A truck running a red light had ended that, and he'd woken up in the Naruto world—specifically, inside Kushina's womb. He'd been asleep so much as a newborn that he'd never even seen his parents' faces.
By the time he could talk and walk, he'd figured out who he was. Uzumaki Naruto. The protagonist.
Knowing the full story—the truth behind his parents' deaths, the hidden forces that made his childhood a living hell—he'd had zero interest in playing the dutiful, love-starved son for the Third Hokage. His worldview was already set by a modern education. The "Will of Fire" couldn't compete.
If things went as he expected, he'd probably end up walking the path of the so-called "sinicized Naruto" — reconcile with Kurama, get incredibly strong, and eventually turn Konoha's hypocrisy to ash.
But when he was two years old, something unexpected occurred.
One time, surrounded by villagers' hatred and hostility, just as Naruto was about to retaliate, a cultivation space appeared within his mind.
Inside that space stood a man.
He was huge, nearly three meters tall, draped in a white coat over a yellow suit. He stood with his hands in his pockets, looking bored and amused all at once.
His name was—
Borsalino Kizaru.