At this point, Naruto was only five or six years old—just having entered the Ninja Academy. Yet what he had already endured was enough to give many adults chronic hypertension.
Especially before Sarutobi Hiruzen's death—this wasn't merely cold violence anymore. When Naruto walked down the street, he would often be struck by a rotten egg or a decaying vegetable thrown from nowhere. Those were still minor incidents. Sometimes, what came flying at him were outright stones.
As for the ANBU assigned to "protect" him—unless someone was actively trying to assassinate Naruto, they would not intervene.
Under the twisted psychology of transferred hatred, the ANBU's resentment toward Naruto was in fact no weaker than that of ordinary civilians—if anything, it ran even deeper.
After all, during the Nine-Tails Incident, the ANBU had charged into battle alongside Sarutobi Hiruzen himself. Many had died. Many more had been crippled for life.
Under the grand banner of the Will of Fire, relationships among ANBU comrades were extremely close. And so, whenever an ANBU died at the hands of the Nine-Tails, the others would erupt in rage.
They couldn't kill the Nine-Tails.
So naturally, they redirected that hatred toward Naruto, the container of the beast.
Coupled with Sarutobi Hiruzen's deliberate indulgence, it was only natural that Naruto was never protected with genuine diligence.
"Got one!"
A malnourished little Naruto gripped his homemade fishing rod and pulled with all his strength. After a fierce struggle, he actually hauled up a fish weighing nearly two kilograms.
"A huge catch!"
Naruto's eyes sparkled. He dragged the fish ashore, pulled out a kunai, and began gutting it.
After a series of movements worthy of a professional fishmonger, the fish was fully cleaned.
A small campfire burned nearby. Naruto set up a crude grill and laid the fish over it.
But just as the fish was nearly done, Naruto rummaged through his food box—only to discover that his salt and seasonings were completely gone.
He sighed softly, pinched out the last remaining grains of seasoning, and sprinkled them onto the fish with great care.
At that very moment, a gust of night wind swept past—
And blew away the last bit of seasoning.
"Ahhh!! My salt!!"
Naruto cried out—but the tiny amount of seasoning was gone without a trace.
Furious, Naruto grabbed a stone and hurled it into the river. As water splashed up, he crouched down and began crying quietly.
Was Naruto poor?
Of course not.
As the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki, the village provided him with a monthly stipend—enough to keep him from starving.
But what use was money?
Under Sarutobi Hiruzen's arrangements, everyone in Konoha knew Naruto was the Nine-Tails' vessel, yet no one knew he was the Fourth Hokage's son.
Add to that the fact that he was just a child—someone anyone could bully—and Naruto was frequently met with glares and curses just for trying to buy things.
If that were all, Naruto might have adapted. After all, as Ashura's reincarnation, his psychological resilience was exceptionally strong.
The real problem was that adults didn't just curse him—they refused to do business with him.
As a result, Naruto's diet was severely unbalanced. No one would sell him vegetables. He could only go to large stores to buy convenience foods—instant noodles, mostly.
As for Ōtsutsuki Ichiraku… well, his real name was Teuchi. Ichiraku Ramen did serve Naruto, but anyone who had eaten ramen knew that a proper bowl with meat and vegetables wasn't cheap. At Naruto's allowance level, he could afford it only occasionally.
"What's wrong? Ran out of seasoning?"
Rokuro appeared beside Naruto, casually flipping the fish before it burned. He then pulled out a sealing scroll, unsealed it—
Inside was a complete set of tableware and an array of seasonings on the scale of a high-end restaurant kitchen.
Naruto stared, completely dumbfounded.
Rokuro took over the grilling, expertly adjusting heat, seasoning the fish, and finally even pulling out a few thin flatbreads and handing them to Naruto.
"Judging by your reaction… you know who I am?"
"Of course! You're Konoha's great hero—the strongest ninja of Konoha! The man who defeated the Raikage and the Tsuchikage—Uchiha Rokuro!"
Rokuro was mildly surprised.
In the original timeline, Naruto had idolized the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato. Whether due to Sarutobi Hiruzen's guilt-driven guidance or Naruto's own instincts, he had subconsciously worshipped his father.
But now
Compared to a Hokage who died the moment he was born, Naruto clearly admired Rokuro, a living legend.
"Haha, two Kage aren't much," Rokuro laughed.
"But you've got good taste. Since you recognize me as Konoha's strongest—mind if the strongest ninja eats half your fish?"
"Of course not! It's an honor!"
Naruto personally split the fish in half and ate with Rokuro.
As Rokuro looked into Naruto's clear eyes, he suddenly sighed.
"Little Naruto… do you hate Konoha?"
"I haven't interacted much with you, but I know enough. A bunch of ignorant fools turned their cowardice into rage and dumped it all on you."
"Do you hate them?"
Naruto stopped eating.
He stayed silent for a long time.
Seeing this, Rokuro leaned closer—like a devil whispering temptation.
"Do you want revenge on those who hurt you?"
"The mean vegetable seller on the street corner?
The drunken old man selling cooked food?
Oh—and that caretaker who takes Konoha's money to look after you, yet deliberately feeds you spoiled food?"
"Don't worry about being too weak. Your talent is absurd—so high that even I can't compare. Given time, you'll take my seat as Konoha's strongest."
"So what if you kill a few civilians? Konoha wouldn't even care."
Naruto's eyes slowly filled with fear.
"Do you want revenge?" Rokuro continued softly.
"Kill them. Drag their bodies into the Forest of Death and dump them. No clues. No witnesses."
Suddenly
Naruto snatched Rokuro's half of the fish and jumped to his feet.
"You're not the hero I know! You're a bad person! I'm not sharing my fish with you!"
Rokuro froze—then viciously grabbed Naruto by the collar and lifted him off the ground.
"You little brat, don't push your luck! I came because you're promising!"
"Kill those stupid civilians, join me—I'll give you wealth and power! From then on, no one dares bully you again. You'll be the one bullying others!"
"You're not Uchiha Rokuro!" Naruto shouted.
"You must be a ninja from another village in disguise! He's Konoha's great hero—he would never do this!"
Naruto flailed helplessly.
At that moment, the ANBU responsible for Naruto's protection rushed in
But Rokuro merely glanced at him.
The ANBU instantly fell into an illusion, frozen in place.
Up close, Naruto saw Rokuro's Sharingan.
The terrifying pressure of its dōjutsu turned his face pale.
Rokuro tossed Naruto to the ground.
His three-tomoe Sharingan evolved
Into the Mangekyō Sharingan.
A far more terrifying power enveloped Naruto.
Naruto's body trembled violently. He couldn't stand. His head buzzed, on the verge of blacking out.
Rokuro stared coldly into Naruto's eyes.
"One last chance."
"Kill those stupid civilians and follow me."
"Refuse—and I kill you, dig a hole, and bury you on the spot."
"Choose. My time is valuable."
Naruto struggled to stand—but his body wouldn't obey.
"I'll count. Three… two—"
"I—I won't do it!"
"No matter who you are, I will never harm people of the village!"
"Kill me if you want!"
Rokuro crouched before him, colder than before.
"Why?"
"They're bad people. Are they worth dying for? Are you stupid?"
"No matter what they did to me—if they're part of the village, I will never hurt them!"
Naruto raised his head with his last strength and stared fearlessly at Rokuro.
In that instant
Rokuro felt a surge of chakra surpassing jōnin level.
In terms of quality, it rivaled even the pressure of an Eternal Mangekyō.
Naruto could raise his head only because this chakra offset part of the dōjutsu's suppression.
"So this is Ashura's chakra…"
"No wonder the Sage's second son could stand equal to Indra."
"And once Sage Mode is added… it makes perfect sense why Ashura's reincarnation always suppressed Indra's."
"Looks like Naruto's excessive idealism—even bordering on saintliness—is entirely due to Ashura's influence."
"Faced with this chakra, add a few righteous speeches…"
"No wonder it's mockingly called 'Heavenly Mouth'."
"In the entire original story, only two people were immune."
"Madara—and Sasuke."
"Both were Indra's reincarnations. Their chakra quality matched Ashura's, so they weren't affected."
"Anyone else—even Nagato—didn't stand a chance."
"Ultimately, this world is all about chakra."
"Higher-grade chakra wins."
Having confirmed his theory, Rokuro deactivated the Mangekyō and burst into laughter.
"As expected of that man's son."
"Like father, like son."
"Naruto—you didn't disappoint me."
With the pressure gone, Naruto could finally move again, panting heavily.
Rokuro handed him a water flask.
"That was just a test."
"If you'd actually harmed the villagers, that would've disappointed me."
He pulled Naruto back down and handed him the fish.
The ANBU, freed from the illusion, had already fled to report to Tsunade.
Rokuro didn't care.
He chatted and laughed with Naruto. The boy was shaken at first—but quickly returned to his carefree self.
At this age, Naruto desperately craved friendship.
Anyone willing to be his friend—he would give his life for them.
That was why he clung so obsessively to Sasuke in the original story.
As a child, Sasuke had never looked at him with hatred.
That alone was enough.
Naruto was sensitive—he could tell who truly despised him.
Sasuke's mouth was foul and his face perpetually stiff—but he never mocked Naruto's origins.
At worst, he called him "dead last."
And to Naruto
That was just how close friends talked.
After finishing the fish, Naruto suddenly remembered something.
"Uchiha-senpai…"
"Call me Big Brother Rokuro."
"Okay! Big Brother Rokuro!!"
Naruto's face flushed with excitement.
"Big Brother Rokuro—earlier you said you were testing me."
"Does that mean… if I passed, you'll take me as your student?"
Rokuro froze.
He hadn't expected that.
Looking at Naruto's hopeful eyes, he found himself reluctant to refuse.
"Naruto… actually—"
"I know… it's impossible, right?"
"Being friends with you is already lucky."
"I was thinking too much. I'm sorry, Big Brother Rokuro."
Naruto's eyes reddened.
Rokuro reached out and rubbed his head
Naruto immediately burst into tears.
"You're a boy—why do you cry like a little girl?"
"I didn't say no."
"Eh?! You really will be my master?!"
Rokuro pondered.
"Honestly, Naruto… your identity is special."
"In theory, I can't be your teacher. Even spending too much time with you makes people unhappy."
"Who? Why would they be unhappy?"
Rokuro pointed to where the ANBU had stood.
"Do you know who that was?"
Naruto shook his head.
"That was ANBU—the Hokage's direct subordinates."
"They handle assassinations and espionage. Extremely dangerous missions."
"That's why they're all elites."
Naruto grew more confused.
"Then why was someone like that here?"
"Was he watching you?"
"No… you're Konoha's hero."
"Then…"
Naruto's eyes widened.
"…Was he watching me?"
Naruto wasn't stupid.
His foolish behavior had always been a cry for attention.
Like children who bully someone they like—only to make everything worse.
Rokuro smiled and reactivated his Sharingan.
"Want the answer?"
"I'll show you."
The dōjutsu flared.
Naruto's head spun
And when he regained consciousness, he found himself in a dark, oppressive place.
Water covered the ground, rising past his ankles.
"Where… is this?"
END OF CHAPTER
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