Naruto had seen many normal-looking people in Konohagakure.
But aside from the Hokage, they all despised him, their cold gazes unforgettable.
The giant before him was the strangest person he had ever seen.
Yet, unlike the others in the village, Naruto didn't see hatred or indifference in Whitebeard's eyes.
He didn't care about the demon fox!
He didn't hate me!!
Thoughts raced through Naruto's mind. His nose tingled, and tears filled his eyes, streaming down his face uncontrollably.
Voices of others gossiping about him echoed in his mind like a nightmare.
"Get lost, demon fox! We don't sell to you! There's some expired milk in the trash if you want it. Haha! He actually went for it! Disgusting!"
"Hey, demon fox! Stay away from my kid! I've told you so many times, don't go near that demon fox, he'll bring bad luck to our family! You hear me? Don't play with him!"
"Demon fox, demon fox, demon fox. Today is Mother's Day, do you have a mom? Haha! We have moms!"
"Hey, you're not welcome here! Go away! Stay away from my shop!"
"Oh, the demon fox is crying? Tsk tsk tsk..."
Naruto knew these voices well; he heard them every night before bed, unable to shake them from his mind.
Accompanying the voices were cold stares, disgusted expressions, and rough actions.
Until—
"Naruto Uzumaki, be my son!" This phrase shattered all the voices and images.
Naruto's blue eyes widened.
Tears flowed uncontrollably.
"I, I, I..." Whitebeard was like a sudden ray of light piercing Naruto's dark childhood, brighter and more transparent than the Third Hokage, illuminating Naruto's heart.
Naruto remembered how the Hokage cared for him but never said he wanted to be family.
Naruto guessed it might be because the Hokage was too busy.
Or maybe his family didn't agree.
Or...
As Naruto hesitated, Whitebeard said helplessly, "It seems you don't want a family."
"No! It's not that!" Naruto hurriedly grabbed Whitebeard's pants, his indecision replaced by urgency.
"I, I, I..."
"I want a family!"
Naruto's tone changed from hesitation to pleading determination: "I want a family! I want to be your son! How should I call you?!"
"Gurararara!" Whitebeard lifted Naruto and placed him on his shoulder.
"My name is Edward Newgate! Many call me Whitebeard! And you, my foolish son, can call me 'Dad'!"
"Dad?" Naruto wiped his tears and whispered.
"Gurararara! Didn't you eat? Louder!"
"Dad... Whitebeard Dad!!!"
"Gurararara!" Whitebeard laughed heartily, "Naruto, remember! When you call me 'Dad', no one in this world can bully you anymore. From now on, you are a member of the Whitebeard Pirates!"
"Whitebeard Pirates?" Sitting on Whitebeard's left shoulder, Naruto was curious about this new term.
Whitebeard laughed: "Your dad is a pirate!"
Naruto's eyes widened: "Does that mean I'm a pirate too?!"
"Gurararara! Exactly!!"
Naruto mumbled: "That sounds better than being a demon fox."
Gurgle—
Naruto's stomach growled, his face flushing with embarrassment. He had come here to fish because no food was left at home.
Naruto would fish by the river when hungry, cooking and eating the fish on the spot.
He wanted to buy food.
But no one would sell to him.
"Hungry?" Whitebeard laughed, "Dad will take you to eat well! Big bites of meat, big gulps of drink! Oh, but you can't drink alcohol at your age, gurararara!"
Naruto quickly reminded, "Dad, no one in the village will sell to me."
The word "Dad" came more naturally to Naruto each time he said it, with no hesitation in his heart.
"They will sell!" Whitebeard's response was firm: "Just show Dad the way."
"Okay..."
Watching the giant who called himself "Edward Newgate" and "Whitebeard" take Naruto away, the heavily injured Anbu ninja's eyes filled with rage. He wanted to get up and stop them, but every movement caused excruciating pain from his injuries.
He felt he had failed the Third Hokage's trust. The Third had trusted him to watch over the Jinchuriki alone, and now the Jinchuriki had been taken!
If the Nine-Tails were released, causing another disaster, he would be a historical villain in Konoha.
"Damn it!!!"
...
"Dad, that's the residential area of Konoha!" Naruto excitedly pointed out, "See that direction? Walk for half an hour, and you'll reach my house!"
"And there! There's a very popular ramen shop called Ichiraku Ramen. Every time I pass by, I can smell the delicious ramen."
"That tall building is the Hokage Tower, where the Hokage works."
"And in the distance is the Hokage Rock, with the faces of all the Hokages carved into it! One day, my face will be up there too!"
Naruto chattered excitedly in Whitebeard's ear.
Whitebeard wasn't annoyed, instead laughing: "Naruto, do you want to be Hokage?"
"Yes!" Naruto nodded vigorously.
"If I become a Hokage, everyone in the village will welcome me, right?" Naruto's eyes were full of hope. "Hokage Grandpa is very popular, so if I become a Hokage, I'll be popular too."
"You're a kind-hearted fool." Whitebeard sighed, "It's rare to see such people on the sea."
A darker person with such a miserable childhood might have become a villain.
But Naruto was different.
He was so typical it made Whitebeard think he was a bit abnormal.
Then.
Whitebeard and Naruto entered Konoha's residential area. Their appearance was too eye-catching to ignore.
Not to mention Naruto, the demon fox, but Whitebeard's height of 6.66 meters made him a giant in Konoha.
...
...