Chapter 1: I Am Uzumaki Naruto
The village of Konoha lay eerily silent beneath the heavy snow; once-busy streets now heard only the hush of falling flakes.
Goose-feather snow wove a seamless white curtain, wrapping the entire village in hushed, blurred silence.
Fresh from his afternoon laps around Konoha, Uzumaki Naruto trudged along an unfrequented path south of the Naka River, each step sinking deeper than the last.
The trail was so neglected that the snow here lay even thicker than on the main streets.
His ill-fitting winter clothes, soaked dark by melted snow, had gone threadbare at elbows and knees.
Needles of wind slipped through sleeves and pant-legs, raising goosebumps across every patch of exposed skin.
He instinctively buried his face deeper into his scarf; within the plaid weave, two blue eyes glimmered like fish beneath frozen water.
Whenever he spotted pedestrians exhaling white puffs beneath distant eaves, he veered into the nearest side-street.
Three months ago, outside this very fish-shop, a woman had doused him in fishy water; the memory of her snarled insult still stung colder than any ice-chip.
He clenched the edge of his scarf, knuckles reddened by the biting wind.
If every road led only to rejection, better to choose the desolate paths no one else would tread.
In all the years since his soul had crossed into this body, Naruto had long since grown accustomed to such treatment.
The crooked footprints vanished beneath fresh snow, just as this boy who always took the long way round remained forever outside Konoha's pattern, tracing his own solitary orbit.
The silence was suddenly shattered by a shrill commotion drifting from a nearby alley.
Several children, bundled thickly in cotton, had formed a semicircle around a smaller figure.
The tallest boy jabbed a finger almost against the trapped girl's forehead, shouting, "You're a Hyuga—show us your Byakugan!"
At the center stood Hyuga Hinata.
Her butter-yellow scarf only accentuated the pallor of her small face.
Confronted by accusing fingers and malice, she resembled a frightened fawn, shoulders trembling, lips pressed tightly together.
When she still refused to respond, the other children joined in.
"If you don't want to, don't look our way!"
A chubby boy folded his arms, sneering.
"Those eyes are seriously creepy!"
"Creepy?"
The tall boy sneered, delivering the final verdict with deliberate cruelty.
"Those are monster eyes, plain and simple!"
Finally, the entire group chanted in unison the insult they had rehearsed: "White-Eyed Monster!"
The chorus of abuse became the last straw.
Within Hinata's large eyes, fear and grievance, held back until now, suddenly brim over.
She lowered her head; her thin frame shook even harder as a single tear, unable to bear the weight, slid down her pale cheek, quickly chilled by the winter air.
She bit her lip to stifle any sound, but the silent tears were more heart-wrenching than any loud sob.
Before the echo of "White-Eyed Monster" had even faded, a solid snowball shot through the air like a cannonball, striking the tall, thin boy squarely in the face.
A sharp crack rang out as the snow burst across his nose, ice shards flying everywhere, cutting short his words and sending him sprawling backward onto the ground.
Every gaze immediately shifted toward the source.
There stood Uzumaki Naruto, still poised from the throw, right hand flecked with snow, blue eyes blazing with anger far hotter than the winter cold.
His chest rose and fell rapidly, each white puff of breath urgent and forceful, like a young beast roused to fury.
"Hey, all of you!"
His voice rang out, carrying undeniable anger.
"You really are a bunch of idiot bastards!"
Before the stunned children could react, he bent down, scooped up a handful of cold snow, and with a quick squeeze, formed a second snowball, gripping it tightly.
Finally recovering from their shock, the tall boy wiped snow from his face and, trembling with both fear and rage, pointed at Naruto, shrieking the word that broke the last restraint:
"It's the Nine-Tails!"
The word cut through the air colder than any winter wind, instantly freezing the already tense atmosphere.
Naruto's eyes flashed with contempt as he watched the tall boy cower backward.
Cowards who preyed only upon the weak—if they were bastards now, they'd still be bastards when they grew up.
Ever since his soul had transmigrated into this body, becoming Uzumaki Naruto, he had not wasted a single moment like the original.
Although no system-like cheat had fallen from the sky, he possessed something far more valuable.
A mature mind from another world, along with clear foreknowledge of future events.
Once he confirmed his body could handle Chakra extraction, the effort he invested far surpassed that of his original counterpart.
"Second!"
With a low shout, the snowball shot forward in a straight line, striking the still-dazed chubby boy squarely in the face.
The boy let out a yelp, spinning in circles.
Before the remaining children could react, Naruto's hands flew through a rapid sequence.
Pop! Pop! Pop!
With faint puffs of white smoke, two Shadow Clones identical to Naruto appeared, eyes sharp, movements synchronized.
This wasn't the ordinary bunshin taught at the Ninja Academy, but the Shadow Clone Technique he had won in a bet with Inuzuka Kiba.
Although only two clones, they were more than enough to handle the three bullies before him.
"Run for it!"
The only boy left unscreamed, voice cracking, and the three who had been so arrogant moments ago scattered in terror, fleeing like startled rabbits, tumbling over themselves as they vanished around the corner.
Naruto made no move to pursue them; he had only intended to scare them off, and that had been accomplished.
If he had actually beaten them, the Sandaime would have paid him a visit the next morning.
With a simple hand seal, the two clones dispersed into white smoke, vanishing into the cold air.
Silence returned to the snowy alley, leaving only Naruto and Hinata.
Brushing snow from his hands, Naruto turned toward the small figure still standing with head lowered.
He softened his voice as much as possible and asked, "Hey, are you hurt?"
Hinata's shoulders trembled slightly; quickly wiping away tears with her sleeve, she clutched the hem of her coat tightly, voice barely audible, still trembling with lingering sobs: "N-no…"
After a brief silence, as if mustering tremendous courage, she suddenly stepped forward and bowed deeply toward Naruto.
Her voice, though still trembling with emotion, was unmistakably clear.
"Th-thank you very much!"
"I'm Uzumaki Naruto; I remember you're in my class—Hinata, right?"
Back in class, Naruto had wanted to greet Hinata, but she always seemed so shy that he eventually gave up.
"Yes, I'm Hyuga Hinata."
[end of chapter]