"Lord Hokage!"
A Chūnin rushed into Sarutobi Hiruzen's rest area. At that moment, the old man had some rare free time and was practicing his calligraphy.
"What happened?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen glanced at his brushwork and asked.
"Naruto, that brat, has played another prank!"
"This time, he actually drew on the Hokage Monument!"
"And he used paint!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed upon hearing this, finishing his final stroke and saying:
"Go call Iruka, get that brat down."
"Yes!"
The ninja left, and Sarutobi Hiruzen continued to admire his calligraphy, though it felt like something was missing.
"Naruto!"
Iruka, who had been informed, was absolutely furious. As Naruto grew older, he had become more mischievous.
Now, he dared to paint on the faces of the Hokages on the Hokage Monument with paint?!
"Heh heh... Iruka-sensei..."
Twelve-year-old Naruto, seeing Iruka in front of him, gave a silly grin, trying to get out of trouble.
"You brat!"
"Do you even know what you've done?!"
"Go clean the Hokage Monument right now!"
Seeing he couldn't escape, Naruto reluctantly started cleaning the paint off the Hokage Monument under Iruka's long-accumulated pressure.
Iruka leaned against the Hokage Monument's railing, watching Naruto clean his "masterpiece" while his attitude softened.
"Finish quickly, and maybe you can get home sooner."
Hearing Iruka's words, Naruto pouted and said nonchalantly:
"Well, it's not like anyone's home. It doesn't matter if I go back or not."
Iruka froze for a moment and then pretended to think deeply:
"I heard Sakura's coming back to the village tomorrow."
"I wonder if she'd be mad if she found out how mischievous you've been, Naruto?"
"Eh?!"
"Iruka-sensei, don't tell Sakura, I'll clean it up right now!"
Naruto's eyes widened in panic, and he quickly got to work.
Iruka, watching Naruto seriously work, couldn't help but soften his expression:
"Good job, Naruto. Once you finish, let's go to Ichiraku Ramen. I'll treat you!"
"Yay!"
Naruto's enthusiasm increased, but his vigorous movements caused him to accidentally knock over the bucket of water, drenching Iruka with it.
"Naruto!"
"Heh~ heh~~"
The next day.
Ninja Academy.
Cicadas were chirping in the trees as the blonde-haired boy sat alone on the swing beneath the tree.
The shadow of the tree covered his entire body, and the entrance of the school was crowded with students' parents. The boy's blue eyes stared glumly ahead.
The shadow in the sunlight seemed like a sharp boundary, dividing him from the outside world into two completely different realms.
"Is that him?"
"Yeah, it's that kid. He's the only one who didn't pass..."
"Well, it's no surprise..."
"Why does Lord Hokage still keep him around..."
The murmurs of the adults ahead felt like sharp needles stabbing into the boy's heart.
The boy shifted his gaze to his feet as he gently rocked on the swing.
A warm, familiar voice suddenly rang out. Naruto looked up.
It was Mizuki, his teacher.
"Sorry, Naruto."
The man's gentle voice seemed to have a magical power that calmed Naruto's heart.
"Mizuki-sensei..."
The blue-haired man looked at the boy in front of him, his eyes flashing with an unnoticeable gleam.
Finally... he had found the opportunity...
That night.
The yellow figure raced through the forest at lightning speed.
Naruto, carrying a large scroll on his back, leaped from tree to tree.
The Book of Seals.
Mizuki-sensei said that if Naruto learned the ninjutsu from this scroll, he would definitely pass the graduation exam.
Then, he could become a ninja, just like Sakura!
But the first ninjutsu on the scroll was the shadow clone technique, which Naruto wasn't good at.
Naruto wanted to continue reading, but Iruka-sensei had somehow found out and chased after him, forcing Naruto to leave and find a safe place to continue studying the ninjutsu.
Whoosh!
A sharp sound of air being torn apart came from behind. Naruto instinctively dodged.
A shuriken, as large as half his body, embedded deeply into the tree trunk ahead!
"Eh?"
"That was easy to find, kid."
A familiar voice rang out, making Naruto widen his eyes.
That voice was...
The blue-haired man emerged from the darkness, bathed in moonlight. His expression was no longer gentle, but filled with coldness and madness.
"Mizuki... sensei..."
Naruto stared at Mizuki, unable to understand why he was being attacked.
A shuriken that big would've killed him if it had hit!
"Wh-why?"
"Mizuki-sensei, why...?"
Naruto stared blankly at Mizuki and asked.
"Hah? What are you talking about, you demon fox?"
"By killing you here, I'm just getting rid of a menace to the village, right?"
Mizuki sneered at the blonde boy, his words dripping with sarcasm.
Demon fox?
Me?
"Mizuki!"
At that moment, another voice echoed.
It was Iruka, running towards them.
"Iruka? Just in time."
"Naruto, do you know why the villagers all hate you?" Mizuki said, his lips curling into an amused smile, as if enjoying the situation unfolding before him.
"Mizuki! Stop it!"
"That's classified information from the village!" Iruka said urgently, rushing to stand in front of Naruto, his back exposed to Naruto's view.
"Classified?!" Mizuki laughed mockingly. "Don't fool yourself, Iruka! How can this be considered classified?"
"Everyone in the village knows that Naruto is the demon fox! Even Iruka, your parents were killed by Naruto!"
"And the Fourth Hokage! He was also killed by this brat!"
Hearing Mizuki's crazy outburst, Iruka's face turned pale with shock, and he hurriedly shouted:
"Stop! Don't say any more!"
"Am I lying?!" Mizuki sneered, continuing to gloat in front of Iruka and the stunned Naruto.
"Everyone knows that Naruto is the demon fox! Even the genius from the village, Sakura Haruno, has been intentionally getting close to Naruto, haven't they?"
"Or maybe she wants to exploit your power."
"Who would want to get close to a demon fox that everyone hates?"
Hearing Mizuki's accusations, Naruto was left in shock. For the first time, he felt truly lost.
He had heard the villagers' scorn, but this was the first time someone had openly called him a "demon fox." He instinctively wanted to run, to escape from this absurd world.
Why was he the demon fox?
Why did everyone hate him?
He didn't want to listen to Iruka or Mizuki anymore. He just wanted to run away.
It's all a lie! Everything is a lie!
In panic, Naruto ran as fast as he could, ignoring Iruka's desperate calls behind him.
Why? Why?
Why did Sakura, of all people, come close to him?
Didn't she also think he was disgusting?
At this moment, Naruto was completely confused, not knowing what to do or what choice to make. The villagers' attitudes were clear for all to see.
Why was it Sakura? Why did she, of all people, choose to be close to him?
"Naruto."
A cold voice rang out in the night.
Naruto instinctively looked up and froze. His breath hitched when he saw the person.
Sakura's pink hair fluttered in the night breeze. Her dark, intense ANBU uniform made her seem almost suffocating, and the cat mask she wore on the side of her face revealed her serene, emerald-green eyes.
The girl stood with her back to the moon, her figure high and aloof.
Surrounding her were three ANBU members, standing guard as if waiting for orders.
ANBU Team Seven Leader… Haruno Sakura.