Chapter 298: Hidden Scars
The villagers were shocked into dead silence by Satsuki's sudden fury and that undisguised hostility in her words. One female villager's complexion became extremely ugly. She instinctively wanted to quietly slip out of the crowd, fleeing this scene that left her with nowhere to hide her shame.
"Stop right there!"
Satsuki's cold voice rang out as she immediately pointed toward that female villager trying to slink away.
"Just now! You were the one who said... you wanted to 'understand Naruto better,' right?" Satsuki's tone was full of sarcasm. "What a coincidence... Your child is in the same year as us at the Ninja Academy..."
She paused, reciting word by word the vicious words from memory: "'Why did heaven give that demon fox brat such high ninja talent? This world is truly unfair.'—Such words, when picking up your child after school before, I heard plenty coming from your mouth!"
Think time could wash everything away? Think whispered slander wouldn't be remembered by anyone? Fury burned in Satsuki's heart. I remember it all, every sentence, every word, along with your ugly faces at the time!
Under the crowd's focused gazes, the female villager's cheeks instantly flushed bright red, then turned deathly pale. She never imagined her idle gossip in the crowd years ago would be remembered so clearly by this little Uchiha girl and exposed nakedly before everyone.
Satsuki didn't stop. Her voice trembled slightly from agitation as more memory fragments surged up, transforming into blade-like words.
"'Monster, he's the one who killed the Fourth Hokage... Actually ran into him on the road, how unlucky—will it spread disease?'"
"'Why is that demon fox actually allowed to become a ninja? If that kind of guy becomes a ninja, he'll definitely betray the village, right?!'"
"'Don't play with him! Someone without parents to discipline him, that's why he's so unaware of himself...'"
She recited those whispers full of malice and prejudice that had once surrounded Naruto. With each sentence, her eyes grew colder.
"All this time... I've remembered everything extremely clearly! Back then in the crowds, the voices calling him 'monster' and now the voices shouting 'hero'—they're coming from the exact same mouths!"
The more Satsuki spoke, the more agitated she became, her chest heaving violently. Even the corners of her eyes uncontrollably welled with tears. Why... why could they so easily forget the harm they inflicted? Why could they so matter-of-factly demand forgiveness?
Naruto was completely stunned. He'd never seen Satsuki lose emotional control like this, so fiercely defending him. In his impression, she was always calm and proud.
"Not expected by any of you, not understood, then saddled with false accusations... Naruto's childhood... Back then, even just wanting to buy something, he'd be cursed at by you while being driven out like shooing away flies..."
Her voice choked up. Images surfaced in her mind of young Naruto being roughly shoved from shops yet still trying to act like he didn't care—that lonely figure made her heart feel squeezed by an invisible hand, pain almost preventing breath.
"Why? Why must he protect people like you!"
"He even... stopped me when I wanted to teach you lessons..." Recalling Naruto's somewhat helpless yet abnormally carefree smile then, Satsuki's voice shattered. "He smiled and said... he didn't care... so... so I..."
"The wounds are still bleeding... yet you rush to use the name of 'gratitude' to pour salt on those unhealed wounds?!" She practically roared this sentence.
"In the past, you detested that Naruto called 'demon fox'... Now you want this Naruto called 'hero' to forgive you..."
Her gaze swept across every face showing shame, embarrassment, or defiance. Finally, using all her strength, she demanded:
"'Monster'... 'Hero'... But what about the real Naruto? That Naruto who ignored your disgust, then chose to save people simply because of his kind nature—the real Naruto? Where is he?! In your eyes, what exactly does he count as?!"
"As perpetrators yet also the rescued party, don't put on that nauseating appearance of wanting mutual understanding! Don't be so excessive toward kind people anymore!"
After saying this, Satsuki tightly grasped Naruto's hand behind her, ignoring all the complex gazes around, resolutely walking straight through the crowd without looking back. That group of villagers completely shocked by her momentum and words—not one dared step forward to obstruct, only silently clearing a path.
---
Naruto and Satsuki's figures completely disappeared around the street corner as the observing crowd slowly began stirring again. Some feeling truly ashamed lowered their heads, slipping away soundlessly.
Those remaining gathered in small groups, faces showing complex expressions as they began whispering.
"What should we do now..." A middle-aged man's face was filled with unease and remorse.
"Sigh... maybe wait a while before trying again? Going now would only be more awkward." His companion beside him sighed.
"But... surely can't... demand we all hang ourselves in atonement." A woman muttered quietly, seemingly somewhat defiant toward Satsuki's fierce accusations.
"Naruto-sama probably wouldn't require that... but that Uchiha girl beside him is another matter." Another person worriedly continued, gaze still looking toward the direction the two had left.
Just then, a somewhat sharp voice interjected: "But that Uchiha girl can't represent all of Naruto-sama's thoughts, right? We want to apologize—does she need to interfere so broadly? Maybe she's jealous we can get close to Naruto-sama...?!"
Bang!
Before the words finished, this loose-mouthed villager's face solidly received a heavy punch! The tremendous force sent his entire body flying backward, slamming hard against the nearby wall. He didn't even manage a groan before directly passing out.
"Who was it?!"
"Are you okay?!"
The crowd immediately erupted in commotion and panic. They frantically dragged the unconscious person from the wall, looking around in alarm, trying to find whoever had suddenly struck from within the crowd.
However, looking around, every face showed similar confusion and surprise. They simply couldn't find anyone who looked like they'd taken action.
Not far away, in a concealed alley's shadows—
Kushina Uzumaki, who'd been secretly following, forcibly suppressing the impulse to rush forward and acknowledge her son, originally only planning to quietly take one look before silently leaving, could no longer restrain the tumult raging within. She desperately covered her mouth, as though only this way could stop that wail about to burst from her throat.
An impulse to cry out loud crashed like a tsunami against her imprisoned soul. However, the Impure World Reincarnation body couldn't squeeze out even a single tear.
If souls could break through this dust shell, even without physical form, Kushina's soul would already be flowing with rivers of tears.
She'd originally felt relieved and happy that her child had such a beautiful friend beside him, a cute pet, and seemed to be living a relatively peaceful life...
But just now, Satsuki's blood-crying accusations one after another had completely shattered the "peaceful life" constructed in her mind.
Those nakedly exposed childhood details filled with isolation, insults, and prejudice viciously pierced her maternal heart.
So... her own child... after she and Minato left, lived that kind of life...?
That brief relief was mercilessly shattered by reality, replaced by boundless heartache, fury, and overwhelming guilt!
Kushina slowly stood up, movements somewhat stiff from extreme emotional impact. She walked toward the opposite direction from where Naruto had left.
She knew this was impulsive, but uncontrollable fury burned in her chest. If she didn't do this, Kushina's soul would never find peace!
Right now, she was going to the Hokage Building!