Konoha, winter.
Snow began to fall over Konoha Village, the flakes drifting down like catkins and piling up into thick white quilts on the ground.
Under the heavy snow, Naruto pulled up his hood, opened an umbrella, and walked out of the house. He moved alone through the street, glancing around from time to time, carefully observing the passers-by.
If the villagers noticed him, he would be met with those indifferent faces—and the looks reserved for monsters.
Although Naruto claimed he didn't care about other people's stares, being looked at like that was still uncomfortable, no matter how tough you were.
After successfully reaching a small shop on the street, Naruto closed the umbrella, shook off the snow and water, and shouted inside,
"Boss, I want some rice, bread, and milk."
The shop owner, a middle-aged man, sat by the stove with gloves on, warming himself. Hearing the voice, he looked up and saw a customer who wasn't even as tall as the counter. He smiled and said,
"Why are you buying things by yourself, kid? Where's your adult?"
"There's something going on at home," Naruto replied calmly. "They asked me to come buy food—enough for a family of three for a week."
As he spoke, Naruto placed the scattered bills and coins on the counter and scanned the shelves filled with dazzling products.
The shop owner glanced at the mixed bills, stuffed them into the cash box, and prepared to pack the goods.
Just then, Naruto's hood slipped off, revealing bright blond hair, sky-blue eyes, and the three whisker-like marks on his cheeks.
The fox of the village?
The shop owner recognized him immediately and frowned.
Naruto slowly raised his head, met the man's gaze, and calmly pulled his hood back on, as if saying: What are you waiting for? Hurry up.
The shop owner hesitated, then, with a stiff expression, turned around and began packing the goods.
During that time, Naruto stood by the door with his hands in his pockets, bored, continuing to look at the shelves while thinking about what to eat tonight.
Soon, other villagers entered the shop. After noticing Naruto, they deliberately avoided him and began whispering among themselves.
"That little ghost is the incarnation of the Nine-Tails. I remember the Fourth Hokage died because of him… the village suffered huge losses."
"But he's just a brat. The Fourth Hokage was a war hero—could a kid really do that?"
Someone voiced a doubt, but it was quickly cut off by another person.
"You don't understand. That's the terror of the Nine-Tails. Even if he's just a little devil now, he has the power to destroy the world. He could go berserk and hurt people at any time."
"Exactly. Such a dangerous monster—how can the village allow him to stay?"
"The Third Hokage is too soft-hearted. He's afraid that if the fox leaves the village, it'll cause trouble elsewhere, so he keeps him here. We're the unlucky ones."
"So that's how it is… but how does a monster like that even have the face to live? If I were him, I'd cut my cock off and apologize to the world."
The surrounding villagers stared at this "Nine-Tails demon" with cold, disgusted eyes.
Three years had passed since the Nine-Tails' rampage that nearly destroyed Konoha.
The villagers hadn't forgotten the pain of that year; they had simply dumped all their hatred onto Naruto. As for whether a child could even cause such a disaster, they had never bothered to think about it.
Maybe what they really needed was just an excuse to vent the resentment piled up in their hearts.
Listening to these heart-piercing words, Naruto's expression didn't change, but when their discussion grew more animated, he coldly stared back at them.
Several villagers were startled by his sharp gaze. After steadying themselves, they hurriedly backed away, no longer daring to whisper in front of him.
Feeling bored, Naruto snorted softly, walked over to the counter, glanced at the packed cardboard box, and said flatly,
"Boss, there better not be any expired or rotten food in there."
The shop owner froze for a moment and quickly swore,
"Impossible. This shop never sells expired goods."
"It'd better be that way," Naruto said lightly. "If I find expired food, I'll report this place to the Hokage and the security forces."
With that, Naruto picked up the cardboard box—almost as tall as himself—and walked out without looking back.
When the villagers saw him approaching, they scattered like they were avoiding a plague god. After he left, curses like "bad luck" and "unlucky" floated through the air.
The villagers gathered around the shop owner again.
"Boss, why sell food to that monster? You're giving him strength to keep threatening us. A thing like that should just starve to death."
The shop owner glanced at them and said, "No matter what, it's still a life. This is Konoha. Even abandoned cats and dogs don't just get left to starve."
The villagers sneered. "Don't kid yourself. Those goods were probably underweight and about to expire. You're just greedy for the demon fox's money—just like a famous profiteer."
"How can you call charity profiteering?"
The shop owner defended himself guiltily, immediately drawing mocking laughter from the crowd. Everyone knew he was a well-known profiteer anyway.
...
Back home, Naruto slammed the cardboard box onto the ground, then grabbed his homemade fishing gear and headed out again.
He didn't even need to open the box to know what was inside—goods carefully selected by the profiteer boss.
Not expired, sure, but definitely leftovers from the same batch. Nothing good, that was for damn sure.
Still, it depended on the shop owner's mood. If Naruto caused trouble, next time the man would probably just claim the store was out of stock. And as a four-year-old kid, Naruto had no way to deal with that.
After all, he was the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki—the so-called demon fox who destroyed Konoha. Born to be hated and rejected.
Even if he was treated unfairly, the villagers would always side against him. Naruto wondered what Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina would feel if they saw this from wherever they were. They would probably feel relieved—after all, this was the village they died protecting.
When Naruto reached the river, the fast-flowing water still hadn't frozen. He cast the hook in and stared at the rippling surface, waiting for today's harvest.
If he failed like the last few days, there'd be no meat again tonight.
Whoosh—
A gust of icy wind made Naruto shrink his neck. Rubbing his hands together, he sighed.
It was true—he was Uzumaki Naruto. But inside this body lived the soul of a transmigrator.
In his previous life, he had been an orphan, a working-class nobody who grew up watching Naruto alongside Sasuke.
He stayed up all night binge-watching the finale, cursed the power rankings like crazy, and then—boom—everything went black.
When he opened his eyes again, he was greeted by the legendary scene of Namikaze Minato using the Reaper Death Seal… and became an orphan all over again.
Being an orphan wasn't new to him. He was used to living alone.
What he didn't expect was that starting life as Naruto would be this hellish.
In just four years, he had experienced nannies refusing to feed him, merchants hiking prices, and being bullied by packs of feral brats.
These things hurt more than lacking food.
With an adult's mindset, it was hard to endure this level of malice. He could only rely on the Uzumaki clan's absurd vitality to keep going.
It was hard to imagine how the Naruto in the original story could stay sunny and cheerful through all of this. Could Asura's chakra really affect personality that much?
Either way, he couldn't force himself to smile at villagers full of hatred.
Just as he was lost in thought, a fish took the bait. Naruto grabbed the rod and yanked hard, flinging a fresh, lively fish onto the snow.
"Fish soup tonight."
A rare smile appeared on his face. But as he prepared to cast again, he noticed the sky darkening and reluctantly headed home.
It wasn't that he was afraid of the dark—it was that staying up late would affect his growth. He really didn't want to end up short.
Night was the best camouflage. Under dim yellow lantern light, Naruto removed his hood and walked freely through the streets, breathing in the cold air without caring about anyone's eyes.
Soon, he stopped. Someone blocked his path at the intersection ahead.
It was a girl about his age, with dark blue hair, pale lavender eyes, and faint tears shimmering within them, making her look painfully fragile.
Her small face was filled with helplessness, as if she were lost at a crossroads of life.
Hinata?
Naruto wasn't completely sure, but those Byakugan eyes definitely belonged to the Hyūga clan.
He frowned slightly, scanning the dark corners of the street, wary of hidden observers.
The Hyūga clan's eldest daughter getting lost and running into the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki? No matter how you looked at it, it felt scripted as hell.
Just as Naruto was about to turn around and leave, Hinata's timid voice sounded behind him.
"C-can you help me? I… I can't find my way home."
Naruto paused, then turned back, stretched out his hand, and grinned with a fox-like smile.
"Of course."
Hinata hesitated, then placed her small hand in his. Naruto grabbed it and led the way, asking casually,
"What's your name? Are you related to Hinata? Your eyes look just like the Hyūga's. I'll take you back to the clan."
Naruto didn't push for answers. Hinata just nodded shyly, still unable to speak.
More than ten minutes later, Naruto brought her to the outskirts of the Hyūga compound. Upon seeing Hinata, the guards rushed over in panic.
Today was an important festival. No one expected the eldest lady to wander off alone.
Startled by the sudden movement, Naruto subconsciously tightened his grip on Hinata's hand, cold sweat forming on his palm.
Realizing it, he quickly let go and smiled awkwardly.
"Looks like you're home. I'll head back now."
Hinata opened her mouth as if to say something, but Naruto had already turned and walked away, leaving only his lonely back behind.
Though puzzled, the guards focused on escorting Hinata safely inside.
One of the jōnin guards frowned slightly—he seemed to recognize Naruto.
After walking a few hundred meters, Naruto heard movement behind him and turned around. The Hyūga compound was lit with lanterns and decorations, lively and warm.
His gaze drifted to the tall outer wall—three or four meters high—clearly separating warmth from desolation.
The liveliness belonged to others. Loneliness belonged to him.
Those who couldn't have excitement could only learn to enjoy solitude.
At that moment, a voice echoed in Naruto's mind:
"Hinata Hyūga's favorability toward you has reached Recognition. You have obtained: Winter Cold Gloves. The girl you helped hopes your hands will never be cold again."
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