“Uzumaki Naruto, from today onward, this will be your home.”
The masked shinobi spoke coldly to Naruto, who had just turned three years old.
Then, with a thud, he tossed down a sum of money.
“This is your living allowance for this month.”
The moment he finished speaking, the ANBU ninja vanished from Naruto’s sight with a whoosh.
Naruto didn’t pick up the money immediately.
Instead, after the masked ninja had left, he quietly closed the door.
Only then did he bend down and pick up the money from the floor.
After counting it, he curled his lip in disdain.
One thousand ryō…
Heh.
What a fortune.
Yes—the Naruto standing here was no longer the original Naruto.
He was a transmigrator from Huaxia on a planet known as Blue Star.
In his previous world, there had been a famous shonen anime called Naruto.
As Naruto grew wildly popular, countless analyses and reinterpretations followed.
The youthful passion faded, leaving behind only the cold realities of politics, power struggles, and manipulation.
Even someone like him, who had originally been nothing more than an ordinary fan, could spend hours discussing those fan analyses.
Among the most frequently talked-about topics was the protagonist Naruto’s treatment.
That included his monthly living allowance of one thousand ryō.
One thousand ryō was not the equivalent of one thousand yuan.
When a single bowl of ramen cost sixty or seventy ryō, one thousand yuan would be worth six or seven times as much.
In other words, one thousand ryō wasn’t even enough to equal two hundred yuan a month.
That standard of living was appallingly low, especially for someone with no family assets or income.
But that wasn’t something Naruto could change right now.
So after the icy look in his eyes faded, he simply climbed into bed and went to sleep.
Although Naruto couldn’t sense it himself, as a well-educated young man from Huaxia who had transmigrated into this world, he didn’t need to think very hard to know that countless eyes were undoubtedly watching him at this very moment.
Anything he did would be scrutinized.
He might as well lie down and do nothing.
“Lord Hokage, Uzumaki Naruto has been delivered to his new residence.”
Naruto’s guess was correct.
At that very moment, the ANBU member who had escorted him was reporting in the Hokage’s office.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, together with Danzō Shimura, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane, were observing Naruto through a crystal ball, watching how he behaved after being moved out of the Sarutobi residence.
“Hmph, Hiruzen.
Did you see how the jinchūriki behaved?
Leaving the only place he’s familiar with, yet he neither cried nor made a fuss.
At such a young age, he’s already this calculating.
Once he grows up, he definitely won’t be controllable.
You should hand him over to Root immediately.
I guarantee I’ll return to you a powerful weapon that will never betray Konoha,” Danzō said coldly.
“Danzō, don’t forget that Naruto is the Fourth Hokage’s son.
The Fourth gave his life for Konoha, and this is how you intend to treat his child?” Hiruzen replied angrily.
“Hiruzen, everything I’m doing is for Konoha.
I’m sure the Fourth Hokage would understand.”
“Hmph.
Danzō, I will not let you lay a hand on Naruto.
Agreeing to let him live on his own, as all of you requested, is already the greatest concession I’m willing to make.”
“Hiruzen, we didn’t force you to let him live alone,” Homura Mitokado said.
“Only by allowing the jinchūriki to live independently can we determine whether he’ll lose control and adjust our strategy accordingly.
Everything we’re doing is for Konoha.”
“Our teacher sacrificed his life by entrusting Konoha to us,” Koharu Utatane added.
“We have the responsibility to protect it.
The tragedy of the Nine-Tails’ attack three years ago must never happen again.”
“Hmph.
You have your responsibilities, and I have my own plans.
Don’t forget…” Hiruzen said coldly, “…I’m the Hokage.”
“Hiruzen, you’ll regret this.”
Every time Hiruzen declared, I’m the Hokage, Danzō burned with anger.
Especially after the Fourth Hokage’s death, when the old man shamelessly reclaimed the position of Hokage, his resentment had only deepened.
Yet no matter how furious he was, he could do nothing before Hiruzen.
When it came to the office of Hokage, he had always been completely suppressed.
For Naruto, however, Hiruzen keeping Danzō in check was undoubtedly a good thing.
________________
After enjoying a good night’s sleep, Naruto got out of bed.
He began inspecting the house.
He found that clothes and furniture had already been prepared.
There was also enough food in the refrigerator to last several days, so there was no urgent need to buy groceries.
More importantly, Naruto already knew what kind of treatment awaited him in the future.
Because of that, he needed to make preparations in advance.
Looking at the underwear in the wardrobe, he briefly considered cutting a pair apart and using it to cover his face.
But doing something like that would be far too suspicious to those monitoring him.
With a helpless shake of his head, he gave up on the idea.
He locked the door and headed outside.
The moment he stepped onto the streets—
“Hey, look at that child.
He has six whisker marks…”
“Don’t those whiskers remind you of the Nine-Tails from three years ago?”
“Could he be…?”
“That’s right!
No ordinary human has six whisker marks!”
“It’s him.
It has to be him!”
“My husband was killed because of him!”
“My father too…”
“My older sister as well…”
In an instant, every gaze directed at Naruto became filled with hatred and fury.
Naruto paid them no mind.
But before long, the situation spiraled out of control.
“You damned Nine-Tails!
Give me back my son’s life!”
An elderly woman could no longer contain her rage.
She grabbed a stone and hurled it at Naruto with all her strength.
Naruto was only three years old.
Even with the memories of an adult, he couldn’t dodge in time.
Smack!
The stone struck him squarely on the forehead, and blood instantly poured down his face.
That was already the result of him trying to evade it.
Had he failed to move at all, it would likely have hit him in the eye.
“Beat him to death!”
“Kill that Nine-Tails demon!”
The old woman’s actions immediately incited the crowd.
A rain of stones came flying toward Naruto.
He could only raise both arms to shield his head.
The rest of his body was left completely exposed.
Stone after stone slammed into him.
They were thrown with frightening force.
These people genuinely wanted him dead.
Among them were even students from the Ninja Academy who had failed to become shinobi.
Naruto felt as though the bones in his arms had been fractured.
Fortunately, he crouched down in time and wrapped his arms around his head, avoiding even greater injury.
“Stop!”
The ANBU assigned to monitor Naruto finally arrived, albeit belatedly.
They shouted at the attackers.
But they did nothing more than shout.
Once everyone stopped throwing stones, they simply took Naruto to Konoha Hospital.
As Naruto held his head, his eyes remained utterly emotionless.
________________
When the Third Hokage learned of the incident, he merely issued two orders.
First, no one was to call Naruto the Nine-Tails anymore.
Second, no one was permitted to use lethal force against him.
He never appeared before Naruto himself.
In fact, according to Naruto’s memories, Hiruzen had never personally met him up to this point.
Even when Naruto had been living in the Sarutobi household, it had always been caretakers who looked after him.
Naruto understood.
Hiruzen was waiting for the right moment—
A moment when he could descend into Naruto’s life like a ray of light, illuminating the darkness in his heart.
But that moment had not yet arrived.
ADD TO COLLECTION.