.........
Naruto clenched his fists as he listened to Inoichi's words. Crime... huh. "No one here would sell me anything if I looked like… myself," he said in a low voice. "No one in this village sees me as a human but as a demon, how can they possibly sell me something?"
He paused, looking down. "I know Sasuke gets respect, people even offer him discounts, so I thought… maybe if I looked like him, they'd treat me differently."
Just then, a nearby stall owner spotted Naruto and yelled, "Hey, you! You're not welcome here! Get lost!"
The sudden shout drew the attention of nearby villagers and customers. They turned to glare at him, their faces fully open with disdain. A few others began muttering, openly expressing their disgust.
"Go home, demon!" one stall owner barked.
"You're not wanted here," another spat.
"Why are you roaming outside, you monster !"
Naruto stood in silence, completely unmoved by their hatred. As this was an act, Naruto looked down, showing his disappointment to the village . But Ino and Inoichi weren't used to seeing it up close, and their expressions reflected pure shock.
Inoichi knew the villagers held deep resentment toward Naruto and often turned him away from their shops, but he had no idea it had reached this terrible extent.
Unsettled, Ino turned to Naruto. Her voice carried genuine confusion.
"What did you do to make everyone hate you so much?"
Naruto looked at her. "I didn't do anything. They've always been like this to me for a different reason, which I got to know recently."
Ino furrowed her brow, her curiosity intensifying. "Then what's the reason? Why would they treat you like that?"
Naruto's eyes met hers, a faint bitterness flickering within them. "It's been this way since I was born. They don't see me as human… They see me as a Monster."
[She too sometimes watched Naruto being treated badly, but she only thought it was because Naruto did silly things, but she did not expect it was that bad from the start of his birth.]
Ino's eyes widened, taken aback by the harshness of his words. She opened her mouth to ask more, but Naruto was already looking toward Inoichi.
"Do you really want to know the truth, Ino?" Naruto asked, his gaze turning back to her.
Ino nodded without hesitation. "Yes."
Before she could say more, Inoichi intervened. "That's enough, Naruto. This is not the place, nor the time." He cast a careful look around, his voice cautious but firm. "It's a village secret. It's not something that can be discussed in public."
Ino's frustration grew as she turned to her father. "A village secret? Dad, what kind of secret involves Naruto in this way? Why would the whole village see Naruto with hatred?"
Naruto scoffed softly, turning to Inoichi. "If the entire village knows, then how much of a secret is it, really?"
Ino's gaze flicked between her father and Naruto. "Dad… If the whole village knows it, It is not a secret anymore. I want to know, why everyone acting this way with Naruto?"
Inoichi hesitated. He wanted to control the situation and prevent the secret from leaking any further. Not to the students of the academy, at least.
The secret was supposed to remain hidden, and they had to make Naruto a hero. That is the wish of the one who sacrificed his life at that 9-tails calamity. But the secret somehow got leaked; we don't know who leaked it, though.
Inoichi looked around and then saw Naruto, who was silent and looking down at their curses. Inoichi finally realized just how deeply the village's resentment had poisoned Naruto's everyday life.
Exhaling slowly, Inoichi looked back at the boy.
Sensing Inoichi's internal struggle, Naruto spoke calmly. "Don't worry, Mr. Yamanaka. I won't press the matter here, in public," he said.
Gesturing at the people still staring in their direction. "But I'll ask one favor: help me get a black outfit for tomorrow's photo session. That's all I need from you."
Inoichi nodded, relieved. "Fine, Naruto. I'll make sure it's delivered to your apartment early tomorrow."
Naruto nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Yamanaka."
Turning to his daughter, Inoichi added, "I have some work to attend to. Stay with Naruto for a while."
Before either Naruto or Ino could reply, he walked away.
His thoughts were already racing toward the Third Hokage, who urgently needed to know about this public interaction and the dangerous level of resentment the Konoha villagers held toward Naruto.
Inoichi wanted to reduce the resentment Naruto was accumulating day by day, before it becomes worse for the entire village.
......
Now left alone with Naruto, Ino was silent for a moment, observing him with a mix of curiosity and deep sympathy. They walked together, leaving the shop behind. Slowly, the bustling market returned to its usual chatter.
While they were walking, Ino secretly glanced at Naruto.
Naruto caught her glance. "Still curious?"
Ino immediately looked away. Then sighed. "Of course I'm curious."
Ino bit her lip, nodding. "I don't get why everyone hates you. You don't seem like the kind of person they say you are…"
Naruto managed a faint smile. "Appearances aren't always the truth. But I'm used to their treatment."
He calmly glanced at Ino, whose frustration and desire to know the truth were clear on her face.
Naruto chuckled. "If you want the truth, then stop making that face."
"What face?"
"That frustrated face."
Ino instantly crossed her arms. "I'm not frustrated."
Naruto crossed his arms. "You are."
"I'm not."
"You are."
Naruto's lips curved slightly, leaving his hands free.
That smile made Ino pause.
For some reason, this Naruto felt completely different from the loud idiot she knew from the academy.
"If you are that desperate to know about my secret, how about you buy me a dinner?"
Ino blinked. "What?"
Her cheeks turned slightly red. "W-Who said I'm buying you dinner?!"
Naruto laughed softly. Naruto thought to himself.
'Getting a reaction from her was surprisingly easy.'
(...To Be Continued...)