Naruto had seen many people with normal appearances in Konoha Village.
But except for the Hokage, all of those people despised him, and he couldn't forget those cold, indifferent looks.
The giant before him was the weirdest person he had ever seen in his life.
But unlike the others in the village, Naruto didn't see any disgust or hate in Whitebeard's eyes.
He doesn't care about the demon fox!!!
He doesn't hate me!!!
Various thoughts rushed through Naruto's mind in the blink of an eye, and he felt his nose tingling. Hot tears welled up in his eyes, and they gradually rolled down his cheeks.
Uncontrollable images flooded his mind, and it felt like there were voices whispering insults in his ears, haunting him like a nightmare.
"Get lost, Demon fox! We won't sell you anything in our shop! There are a few boxes of expired milk in the kitchen trash can if you want! Hahaha... This brat actually went for it? So unlucky!"
"Hey, demon fox! Stay away from my child! How many times have we told you not to get close to this demon fox? It will bring bad luck to our family, do you understand? Don't play with him!"
"Demon fox, Demon Fox, Today is Mother's Day, do you have a mother? Hahaha... We have mothers!"
"Hey, you're not welcome here! Go away! Don't get near my shop!"
"Wow, is the demon fox crying? Tsk, tsk, tsk..."
Naruto knew what those voices were. He heard them every night before going to bed, and they never left his mind.
Along with the voices, there were also memories of cold looks, expressions of disgust, and rough actions.
Until...
"Uzumaki Naruto, be my son!" This sentence, so out of place, shattered all the voices and images!
Naruto's blue eyes widened.
He couldn't control his tears.
"I, I, I..." Whitebeard was like a sudden burst of light in Naruto's dark childhood, a light brighter and clearer than the Third Hokage's, illuminating Naruto's heart.
Naruto remembered that although the Hokage cared for him a lot, he had never said he wanted to be his family.
Naruto imagined that perhaps the Hokage was too busy.
Or maybe the Hokage's family didn't agree.
Or...
Just when Naruto was hesitating, Whitebeard said helplessly,
"It seems you don't want to have a family."
"No! That's not it!" Naruto hurriedly grabbed the hem of Whitebeard's pants, and all his confusion was replaced by urgency.
"I, I, I..."
"I want to have a family!"
Naruto's tone changed from initial hesitation to a determined plea.
"I want to be your son! How should I call you?!" !
"Gurararara!" Whitebeard lifted Naruto up with one hand and placed him on his shoulder.
"I am Edward Newgate! Many people call me Whitebeard! And you, my foolish son, can call me 'Pops'!"
"...Pops?" Naruto wiped away his tears and said weakly.
"Gurararara!" Haven't you eaten? louder!!!"
"Po... POPS!! Whitebeard Pops!!! ! !
"Gurarararara!" Whitebeard's laughter was exceptionally cheerful and hearty.
"Naruto, remember this! When you call me 'Pops,' there will be no one in this world who can bully you anymore. From now on, you are a member of the Whitebeard Pirates!"
"Whitebeard Pirates?" Naruto sat on Whitebeard's left shoulder, full of curiosity about this new term.
Whitebeard smiled and said, "Your pops is a pirate after all!"
Naruto's eyes widened immediately.
"So, so, so... Does that mean I'm also becoming a pirate?!" !"
"Gurararara!" That's right!"
Naruto grumbled, "It sounds better than being called a fox."
**Gurgle, gurgle...**
The sound of Naruto's empty stomach was embarrassingly loud. He had come to this place to fish because there was no food left at home to cook.
Usually, when he was hungry, Naruto would bring his homemade fishing rod to the riverside and grill the fish he caught right there.
He also wanted to buy something to eat.
Unfortunately, no one was willing to sell to him.
"Are you hungry?" Whitebeard chuckled, "I will take you to eat something good! Eat meat and drink wine heartily! Oh, by the way, you, little guy, shouldn't drink alcohol casually when you're growing up, goo Gurarararara!"
Naruto quickly reminded, "Pops, no one in the village will sell me anything."
The word "Pops" flowed smoothly from Naruto's mouth.
There was no doubt in his heart
"They will sell!" Whitebeard responded firmly, "Just show me the way."
"Okay,"
Naruto watched in amazement as the giant who called himself "Edward Newgate" or "Whitebeard" accepted him as his son.
And just like that, they left.
The badly injured Anbu gritted his teeth, feeling helpless. He wanted to get up and stop them, but any movement would aggravate his injuries and cause excruciating pain.
The pain made him grimace.
He felt that he had let down the Third Hokage's trust in him. The Third Hokage had entrusted him with guarding the Jinchuriki, and now he had allowed the Jinchuriki to be taken away!
If the Nine-Tails were unleashed, causing another chaos like the Nine-Tails Attack, wouldn't he be considered a criminal in Konoha's history?
"This cannot be allowed!" !!
.....
"Pops, we're approaching the Konoha residential area!" Naruto was excited, his emotions returning to normal.
"Can you see that direction? It's about half an hour's walk from there to my home!"
"And there! There's a fantastic ramen restaurant over there called Ichiraku Ramen, it's always bustling with customers! Every time I pass by, I can smell the delicious aroma of ramen."
"The tall building over there is the Hokage's Building of our Konoha Village. The Hokage grandpa used to say that he worked there."
"In the distance is the Hokage Rock, with the faces of the past Hokages carved on it! Someday, I want my face to be up there too!"
Naruto chattered non-stop in Whitebeard's ear.
Whitebeard didn't show the slightest sign of annoyance. Instead, he laughed heartily and said,
"Naruto, do you want to become the Hokage?"
"Yes!" Naruto nodded vigorously.
"As long as I become the Hokage, the people in the village will welcome me, right?" Naruto's eyes were full of hope. "The Third Hokage is very popular with them, so if I become the Hokage, I'll be welcomed too."
"You're such a kind and silly kid," Whitebeard sighed with emotion.
"In the vast ocean, it's rare to see someone like you."
If it were someone with a dark psyche, experiencing such a tragic childhood, they would probably have turned into a villain long ago.
But Naruto was different.
He was just too normal, so normal that Whitebeard always felt like there was something abnormal about him.
Later on,
Whitebeard and Naruto entered the Konoha residential area. The two of them were so conspicuous that they couldn't be ignored.
Not to mention Naruto, who was called the "demon fox," just Whitebeard's towering height of 6.66 meters made him unique in Konoha Village.
He could be called a giant!
.....
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