(As I have said, take it with a grain of salt.
The author might have overlooked some details, and there will be original supplementary plot points and settings.)
(Novels are meant for entertainment. Please temporarily store your brain; it will be automatically returned upon departure.)
(Brain Storage Area)
Konoha Village, blanketed in heavy snow, was eerily quiet. The bustling streets of yesteryear now only echoed with the soft rustling of falling snow.
The goose-feather flakes wove together densely into a white curtain, shrouding the entire village in a hazy silence.
Uzumaki Naruto, who was taking a stroll through the village after completing his afternoon training of twenty laps around Konoha Village, stepped onto the snow, walking unevenly along a remote path downstream of the River Naka.
This path was rarely traveled; even the accumulated snow was thicker than on the main street.
His ill-fitting winter clothes were already darkened by melted snow, and the fabric at his elbows and knees was worn white.
The cold wind drilled in through his sleeves and pant legs like fine needles, raising goosebumps on his exposed forearms and calves.
He subconsciously buried his face deeper into his scarf, his blue eyes flickering through the gaps in the knitted pattern, like two fish swimming beneath a frozen lake.
Occasionally, pedestrians stopped under the eaves of the main street, exhaling white mist, but as soon as he saw them from afar, he immediately turned into a side path.
The memory of being splashed with fish-washing water outside that fish shop three months ago was still vivid; the twisted mouth of the woman who cursed him as "bad luck" was colder than the ice shards landing on his neck.
He clenched the edge of his scarf, his knuckles red from the cold wind.
Since he attracted disgust wherever he went, he might as well proactively choose desolate places where no one passed.
Uzumaki Naruto had long since gotten used to this during the years since his Transmigration.
The crooked footprints on the snow were quickly covered by fresh powder, just like this boy who always took the long way around, perpetually outside the main currents of Konoha, walking his own solitary path.
The silence of Uzumaki Naruto's solitary walk in the snow was broken by the harsh clamor coming from a nearby alley entrance.
Several children wearing thick cotton coats formed a semicircle, cornering a small figure in the middle.
The tall boy leading them was pointing a finger almost at the forehead of the trapped person, shouting, "You're a daughter of the Hyuga Clan, so show us your Byakugan!"
The one surrounded in the middle was Hyuga Hinata.
The beige scarf made her small face look even paler.
Facing the finger pointed at her and the malice surrounding her, she was like a startled fawn, tightly pursing her lips, her slender shoulders trembling slightly.
Seeing that she didn't respond, the surrounding children also began to jeer cacophonously.
"If you don't want to, then don't look at us!"
A chubby boy stood with his arms crossed, his face full of mockery.
"Those eyes look so sinister!"
"What sinister?"
The tall boy sneered, maliciously concluding:
"These are simply monster eyes!"
Finally, all the children simultaneously shouted the insulting epithet: "You're a Byakugan Monster!"
This chorus of insults became the straw that broke the camel's back.
In Hinata's large eyes, the fear and grievance she had been suppressing instantly turned into tears.
She lowered her head, her small, thin body trembling even more violently. The tear drop at the corner of her eye, which was about to fall, finally succumbed to its weight, rolling down and leaving a wet streak on her pale cheek, quickly turning ice cold in the frigid air.
She bit her lower lip tightly, preventing herself from crying out loud, but her silent weeping was more heart-wrenching than any loud wail.
Just as the echo of "Byakugan Monster" faded, a solid, icy snowball, like a cannonball leaving the barrel, violently smashed into the face of the skinny, tall boy.
With a crisp "smack," the snow exploded on his nose bridge, sending ice shards flying. It not only interrupted his speech but also caused him to yelp in dismay, stumble backward, and fall onto the ground.
Everyone's gaze was instantly drawn over.
Uzumaki Naruto was standing nearby, having appeared without anyone noticing. He maintained his throwing posture, his right hand still dusted with snow, and his blue eyes burned with a fury that starkly contrasted with the cold weather.
His chest heaved, and the white mist he exhaled was rapid and forceful, like an enraged young beast.
"I'm talking to you guys!"
His voice was loud, carrying undeniable anger.
"You're all a bunch of mutt idiots!"
Before the stunned children could react, he swiftly bent down, scooped up a handful of cold snow from the ground, and squeezed it forcefully with both hands, instantly forming a second snowball, which he gripped tightly.
The children finally snapped out of their shock. The tall, skinny boy who had been hit wiped the melted snow from his face, pointing at Uzumaki Naruto with a mix of fear and rage, sharply voicing everyone's dread:
"It's the Demon Fox!"
This phrase was more piercing than the cold wind, instantly dropping the already tense atmosphere to freezing point.
Watching the skinny, tall boy clutch his face and retreat in panic, Uzumaki Naruto's eyes flashed with disdain.
A scoundrel who only bullies the weak and fears the strong. If they're this much of a scoundrel as children, they'll be thugs when they grow up.
Ever since his Soul Transmigration into this body, becoming Uzumaki Naruto, he hadn't wasted time in the same clueless way the original owner did.
Although no cheats like a System or Golden Finger had fallen from the sky, he possessed something far more valuable.
A mature mind from another world, and clear knowledge of the future plot.
After confirming his body could withstand Chakra extraction, the effort he put in was far greater than what his counterpart in the original timeline had exerted.
"Second one!"
Uzumaki Naruto let out a low shout. The snowball in his hand traced a sharp straight line, accurately striking the face of the stunned chubby boy next to him.
The chubby boy cried out "Aow!" and was left dizzy from the impact.
Immediately afterward, before the remaining children could react, Uzumaki Naruto quickly crossed his hands in front of his chest.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Accompanied by a puff of white smoke, two Shadow Clones identical to Uzumaki Naruto suddenly appeared, their eyes sharp and their movements perfectly synchronized.
This was not the Clone Jutsu taught at the Ninja Academy, but the Shadow Clone Technique he had won in a bet against Inuzuka Kiba.
Although there were only two Clones, they were more than enough to deal with the three bullying children in front of him.
"Run quickly!"
The only boy who hadn't been hit by a snowball cried out in a shaky voice. The three boys, who had been so arrogant moments before, were so terrified to see three aggressive Uzumaki Narutos charging at them that their Souls Flew Away and Spirits Scattered, and their last shred of courage instantly crumbled.
They bolted like startled rabbits, not even bothering to pick up their dropped cotton hats, scrambling and crawling as they vanished around the alley corner, leaving behind only a trail of frantic footprints.
Gazing at their pathetic retreating figures, Uzumaki Naruto had no intention of chasing them.
He had only intended to scare them away; achieving that goal was enough.
If he had actually beaten them up, the Third Old Man would be knocking on his door tomorrow.
He quickly formed hand signs again. With several soft "poof" sounds, the two Shadow Clones dissolved into white smoke and dissipated in the cold air.
The snowy ground returned to silence, leaving only Uzumaki Naruto and Hinata.
Uzumaki Naruto clapped the remaining snow off his hands, then turned around, his gaze falling upon the petite figure who was still keeping her head down.
He tried his best to make his voice sound calm as he asked, "Hey, you're not hurt, are you?"
Hearing this, Hinata's shoulders trembled slightly. She quickly wiped away the tear stains from the corners of her eyes with her sleeve, nervously clutching the hem of her clothes. Her voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz, still carrying a hint of lingering sob: "N-no..."
After a brief silence, as if suddenly summoning immense courage, she quickly took a small step forward and bowed deeply towards Uzumaki Naruto.
Her voice trembled slightly from excitement, yet it was unusually clear:
"Th-thank you very much!"
"I'm Uzumaki Naruto. I remember you're Hinata, the classmate in my class, right?"
Uzumaki Naruto had wanted to greet Hinata previously in class, but she seemed extremely shy, so after one or two attempts, Uzumaki Naruto gave up.
"Yes, I am Hyuga Hinata."