But the broom didn't land on Naruto's head as it had in the past. Just as the old man swung, a flash of light cut through the air. A kunai slashed through the broomstick, severing the wooden handle. The broom head fell to the ground, kicking up a small cloud of dust.
"My broom! You brat!" The convenience store owner's anger flared up, clouding his judgment. He was too focused on his damaged property to realize the implications of Naruto fighting back. Raising his hand, he attempted to strike again, "You troublemaker, you always bring bad—"
His rant was abruptly cut short as Naruto grabbed his wrist and swept his leg out from under him, sending the old man crashing to the ground. With another swift motion, Naruto brandished his kunai.
The store owner looked up, ready to hurl more curses, but the sight of the kunai lodged in the ground, just inches from his nose, froze him in place. The blade quivered slightly, humming with a tension that was both delicate and deadly.
For a moment, the old man was speechless, his mind racing with fear. He felt a sharp pain shoot through his body as his arm twisted at an unnatural angle, not broken but strained to the point of agony. The terror of being hunted overtook the anger in his mind.
"W-What are you going to do?" he stammered, his voice trembling.
Naruto's eyes remained cold as he looked inside the shop, his gaze fixed on the clock. "I'm here to buy something. Don't worry, I'll pay. Now, do you welcome my business?"
The store owner gritted his teeth. "I don't welcome—"
Naruto twisted his arm further, forcing the man to reconsider. Sweat poured down the store owner's face as he quickly changed his tone. "Yes, yes! You're welcome! Please, feel free to buy whatever you want!"
With a cold smirk, Naruto released him, pulling the kunai from the ground and pocketing it. He then walked into the store.
Three years ago, he wouldn't have responded this way. But in the three years he spent in the Soul Society, Naruto had learned that sometimes, using force was the quickest way to resolve certain issues.
In the Rukongai, food wasn't a necessity for most souls, but for those with spiritual power, hunger was very real, and food was expensive. To survive, Naruto had resorted to theft during his first six months, taking food from others. Only after he found a steady job did he stop stealing, and he spent the next year paying back what he had taken.
Naruto walked through the store, selecting what he needed: a piece of meat, two potatoes, some seasonings, and a bag of rice. The total came to less than 600 ryo—market price. He wasn't taking advantage of the situation.
But the moment Naruto left, the store owner hurriedly closed his shop and ran to report the incident to the Konoha Military Police Force. He was furious. That damn brat had learned some tricks at the ninja academy and now dared to attack him. What would he do next?
At the Hokage's office, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was reviewing paperwork when a ninja knocked and entered the room. "Lord Hokage, that Uzumaki brat has caused trouble again!"
Hiruzen didn't seem surprised. "What did Naruto do this time? Another prank?"
The ninja's tone was harsh. "He got into a fight with a convenience store owner and injured him."
Hiruzen's expression grew serious. Naruto was known for his pranks, but this was different. A fight? Injuring someone? This was a significant escalation from his usual antics.
"Where is Naruto now?" Hiruzen asked.
"He went home," the ninja replied.
Hiruzen nodded, relieved that Naruto hadn't run off. "I'll talk to him. This behavior is unacceptable."
Naruto's apartment was close to the Hokage's office, located in a low-cost housing area in the village center. Hiruzen arrived there quickly and knocked on the door, his mind filled with concern.
Naruto had always been a troublemaker, but this was the first time he had crossed a line like this. He had always been careful not to hurt others, despite the way the village treated him. What had changed?
The door opened, and Naruto greeted him, wearing an apron and holding a kitchen knife. His eyes lit up when he saw Hiruzen. "Old man Hokage!"
Despite everything, Naruto was genuinely happy to see him. Hiruzen was the only person in the village who had ever shown him kindness. But now, more than ever, Naruto had questions—questions about why he had ended up in the Soul Society, why he had returned, and why three years had passed for him but not for the village.
Hiruzen looked past Naruto into the apartment. The space was tidy and clean, with ingredients neatly arranged on the table and a pot of rice cooking on the stove. It didn't look like Naruto's usual mess at all.
The Hokage was momentarily taken aback by the change, but he pushed the thought aside. The priority now was to address the incident. He smiled gently and asked, "Naruto, I received a complaint today. A store owner said you attacked him. What happened?"
So, it was about that. Naruto responded calmly, "He attacked me first, not the other way around."
Hiruzen nodded. "And why did he attack you?"
"I went to buy some groceries," Naruto explained. "But before I could even say anything, he tried to hit me. I just stopped him and made sure he couldn't do it again. I paid for what I bought."
Hiruzen felt a wave of relief. It wasn't as bad as he feared. Naruto hadn't gone out of his way to hurt anyone—it was self-defense. Still, he couldn't condone violence. "Naruto, I understand, but you know you can always come to me if you have problems. Fighting isn't the answer, no matter the reason."
Naruto hesitated. Two sets of memories flashed in his mind.
The first was from the Soul Society, where he had to steal to survive, and how he was chased and cursed by the shopkeepers. But later, when he repaid his debts, the shopkeepers had understood. They told him that surviving, even through harsh means, wasn't wrong, and they appreciated that he made things right.
The second memory was older, involving the Third Hokage himself. Whenever Naruto was bullied and tried to fight back, Hiruzen would always appear, comforting him with kind words. At the time, it had felt warm, the only kindness he received in the village.
But now, looking back, those bullies were never punished. They faced no consequences and continued to torment him. The comforting words, in retrospect, seemed like a way to teach him to accept the mistreatment without complaint.
Naruto found that he preferred the harsh honesty of the shopkeepers in the Soul Society to the empty reassurances of the Hokage.
"Do I have to run to you every time I want to buy something?" Naruto interrupted Hiruzen's lecture.
Hiruzen was taken aback. "Naruto, that's not what I meant—"
Naruto's tone grew firmer. "They might listen to you when you're around, but as soon as you leave, they go back to treating me like garbage. I have to buy a lot of things all at once because I never know when I'll be allowed back. But I always pay for what I buy. If that old man got hurt trying to attack me, that's his own fault."
"Am I the problem here?" Naruto's voice rose as he continued. "Am I supposed to just let them hit me? Am I supposed to live off instant ramen forever? Is it wrong for me to want to eat something normal for a change? Is it wrong for me to catch my own food because no one else will sell to me?"
His frustration, long bottled up, exploded in a barrage of questions, each one striking like a thrown shuriken. Hiruzen stood there, stunned, struggling to respond. He wasn't sure how to answer. He hadn't expected Naruto to suddenly rebel after all these years of quiet endurance.
"Naruto, they might have some misunderstandings, but the village is a community—"
Naruto cut him off again. "Old man Hokage, if they're the ones with the problem, then go fix their problems. Why are you here trying to fix me, the victim?"
With that, Naruto slammed the door shut, cutting off any further conversation. He didn't want to talk to the Hokage anymore—not about his suspicions, and certainly not about his secrets.
The ninja who had accompanied Hiruzen shouted, "Naruto Uzumaki, how dare you talk to the Hokage like that? Get out here and apologize!"
But Hiruzen stopped him with a raised hand. "Leave it. This is my fault."
He sighed heavily, feeling a deep sense of guilt as he stared at the closed door. Inside, he could hear the sound of a knife chopping on a cutting board. It was a sound that filled him with a strange mix of emotions—sadness, regret, and perhaps a touch of fear for what the future might hold for the boy he had failed to protect.
He couldn't shake the feeling that he had let the Fourth Hokage down, and even more so, he had let Naruto down.
(End of Chapter)