“You!”
The mask shop owner was instantly enraged by Naruto’s provocation.
His eyes widened with fury as he lashed out with a vicious kick toward the three-year-old.
Before his foot could connect, however—
Whoosh!
An ANBU ninja appeared between them in an instant, catching his leg.
“Stop.
This matter ends here.”
Cold sweat immediately broke out across the shopkeeper’s forehead.
Anyone capable of running a business wasn’t a fool.
He could hate the jinchūriki all he wanted, but he absolutely could not openly attack him.
Doing so could be treated as an act of treason.
“Hmph.”
Seeing that, Naruto couldn’t be bothered to say anything more.
He simply snorted coldly, turned around, and walked away.
The ANBU ninja nodded to another ANBU nearby.
The second ANBU resumed shadowing Naruto.
As for the first, he turned to the mask shop owner.
“Come with me.
Lord Third Hokage wishes to see you.”
The shopkeeper’s legs immediately gave way as he was escorted off.
________________
It wasn’t long before they arrived at the Hokage’s office.
After hearing the report, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, smiled kindly at the trembling shopkeeper.
“Mr.
Ishigami, I’d like to apologize on Naruto’s behalf.
I hope you’ll forgive him.
The village will compensate you for any damages he caused.
Go back and calculate your losses, then submit the amount.”
“N-No, that’s not necessary!” the shopkeeper hurriedly replied.
“It was all a misunderstanding.
Besides…
I was the one at fault first.
I insulted Naruto-kun.
I acted too impulsively.
I don’t deserve compensation from the village.”
He knew exactly when to back down.
“I see.” Hiruzen nodded.
“Very well.
Since you insist, I won’t press the matter.
However, don’t force yourself to endure any losses.
If there is any damage, be sure to report it.”
“Thank you, Lord Hokage, but there truly wasn’t any.”
“Very well.
You may leave.”
“Yes, Lord Hokage.”
The shopkeeper let out a long sigh of relief before respectfully taking his leave.
________________
After he was gone, Hiruzen spoke.
“Shinnosuke.”
“Lord Hokage.”
A figure appeared in a Body Flicker.
It was Sarutobi Shinnosuke, Konohamaru’s father, who was still alive at this point in time.
“Issue another order,” Hiruzen instructed.
“No merchant is allowed to refuse to sell goods to Naruto.”
“Understood.”
Shinnosuke nodded and immediately departed.
Hiruzen then stood up.
“It’s about time I went to meet Naruto.”
He shook his head lightly at the ANBU who had delivered the report.
These were all his trusted subordinates.
There was no need to keep everything hidden from them.
As for outsiders, however…
The truth remained carefully concealed.
The Will of Fire was not to be questioned.
________________
Meanwhile, Naruto had already returned home.
His brows were tightly furrowed.
Although knocking over the mask display had allowed him to vent some of his anger…
There was no doubt that such behavior would draw Hiruzen Sarutobi’s special attention.
I still let my emotions get the better of me.
Naruto sighed inwardly.
But what was done was done.
Regret served no purpose now.
Besides…
The more he thought about it, the less worried he became.
After all, he was only a three-year-old child.
Wasn’t it perfectly normal for a three-year-old to have an unpredictable temper?
Besides…
isn’t this exactly what they’re trying to achieve?
Treat me like this until I fall into darkness…
then have Hiruzen Sarutobi become the only light in my world.
With that realization, Naruto’s thoughts became much clearer, and he quickly relaxed.
“Time to go fishing.”
Carrying his fishing rod along with one large wooden bucket and one small one, he headed out again.
________________
At the same time…
“Hiruzen!”
Having heard about Naruto’s sudden outburst, Danzō Shimura, who had always wanted control of the jinchūriki, intercepted Hiruzen outside the Hokage’s office once again.
“You’ve seen it now, haven’t you?
The jinchūriki is uncontrollable.
Only Root can completely control him.”
“Hmph.” Hiruzen looked at him calmly.
“Danzō, what exactly has he done that’s uncontrollable?
Did the Nine-Tails’ chakra leak out?”
“It’ll be too late once it does!” Danzō replied coldly.
“A child who explodes after being insulted once is only a step away from letting the Nine-Tails’ chakra seep out.”
“This is nothing more than childish impulsiveness,” Hiruzen answered.
“In fact, it’s the perfect opportunity to teach him the Will of Fire.”
“Hiruzen…
you’ll regret this.”
“Danzō.”
Hiruzen looked directly at him.
“I’m the Hokage.”
Once again, Danzō left empty-handed.
________________
By then, Naruto had already arrived at the river.
He lay prone on the bank, feeling around for river snails.
Knowing how dangerous the water could be, he had no intention of wading into the river.
After collecting two or three jin of snails nearby, he lit a small fire.
He picked out the smaller ones, roasted them, and used them as bait.
Fishing, after all, depended on one of two things—
Skill.
Or luck.
Whether in his previous life or this one, Naruto had never been much of an angler, so skill was out of the question.
But as the protagonist, Uzumaki Naruto possessed extraordinary luck.
For example, in Tanzaku Town, he’d once turned a single coin into a huge windfall.
Now, that same fortune seemed to be working again.
His fishing gear couldn’t have been more primitive.
Even the roasted snails had been prepared casually.
Yet before long, he had already caught two or three jin of fish.
Naruto couldn’t have been happier.
Just then—
Another bite.
He immediately pulled on the rod.
This time…
It wouldn’t budge.
Instead, the tremendous force from the fish yanked Naruto forward, causing him to stumble toward the river.
“Careful!”
An elderly, kindly voice rang out.
The next instant, an old man caught hold of Naruto before he could fall into the water.
Naruto paid no attention to anything else.
He clung tightly to the fishing rod with all his strength.
After a fierce struggle, he finally hauled his catch onto the shore.
It was a large fish weighing three or four jin.
“Whew…”
Watching the fish flop wildly on the riverbank, Naruto let out a long breath.
“Thank you, Grandpa.”
The first moment he saw the old man, Naruto had already recognized him.
It was none other than the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
“You managed to catch such a big fish.” Hiruzen smiled warmly.
“That’s impressive.”
“It was just luck.”
Naruto smiled back.
“There are another two or three jin of fish in your bucket as well.” Hiruzen glanced inside.
“Not a bad harvest.”
“Mm.”
Naruto grinned happily.
“That takes care of tonight’s dinner and tomorrow morning’s breakfast.”
As he spoke, he lifted the large fish and placed it into the bucket.
“Fish caught fresh from this river must be delicious.” Hiruzen sighed nostalgically.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve had a bowl of fresh fish soup.”
“I’ve never made fish soup before.”
Naruto looked at him sincerely.
“If you know how to cook it, I’d be happy to treat you.”
And he truly meant it.
If Hiruzen was willing to cook for him, sharing a meal was hardly a problem.
As for the fact that Hiruzen had clearly heard—and deliberately ignored—that Naruto barely had enough food for breakfast and dinner…
Naruto couldn’t be bothered to point it out.
After all…
He was still living under someone else’s roof.
“Haha, then I’ll gladly accept your invitation.”
Hiruzen chuckled.
“My cooking is actually quite good.”
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