"Did you already know that the old man and Naruto would meet? Is that why you were waiting there in advance?"
In the room, Kakashi looked at Itachi, who was sipping tea, and asked in confusion.
"???"
Hearing Kakashi's question, Itachi looked utterly perplexed.
He didn't know anything about it. All he knew was that Naruto liked going to that area, so he decided to stake it out.
"That was unexpected. I just wanted to observe the boy. I didn't expect the story to unfold in such an interesting way."
After some thought, Itachi decided not to overplay his hand. He didn't want Kakashi to think of him as overly godlike—it might not be a good thing.
In truth, he found Naruto's current state quite intriguing.
That fleeting power—was it the Asura chakra hidden within Naruto?
But why hadn't the will of Asura manifested?
Wasn't it often said that Naruto's lack of corruption was largely thanks to Asura's will guiding him?
Naruto's behavior today was strange—his smile and expression carried an odd hint of malice.
In any case, Naruto had thoroughly piqued Itachi's interest.
It wasn't just about activating the Hashirama cells in his body. Naruto's future now seemed genuinely fascinating.
The current Naruto must be significantly different from the Naruto in the original story.
And if the fate of the main character had shifted, how should he position himself in this altered narrative?
The situation seemed increasingly ominous.
This direction reeked of an impending collapse of the story's structure...
However, Itachi had no intention of stopping it. Instead, he found himself eager to see how it would all unfold.
After all, back then, all he wanted was to save Tenzo, but he almost lost his life in the process—utterly absurd.
When the first group of Konoha personnel arrived, they exchanged puzzled looks.
"Lord Hokage..."
Before long, Hiruzen Sarutobi arrived, clad in battle attire and wielding his golden staff. He rushed to the scene.
As he arrived, he noticed a few Hyūga clan members using their Byakugan to search the area. He felt slightly reassured.
"What's the situation?"
Clearing his thoughts, Hiruzen asked gravely.
"Lord Hokage, there's no one here. All that's left are two sets of footprints—one large, one small—a few fish from the sewer, a puddle of blood and shattered bones, and two dead ANBU members. We found no trace of the Nine-Tails... or its jinchūriki."
Hyūga Hiashi bowed slightly as he reported, his tone respectful.
Just as Hiruzen was about to order a thorough search of the forest, an ANBU operative approached him and whispered something in his ear.
Hiruzen's eyes flashed with surprise but quickly regained their composure.
"Dismissed. Go back and eat your meals."
After a moment of silence, Hiruzen's golden staff vanished as he waved his hand, signaling everyone to return.
Seeing Hiruzen's demeanor, the crowd felt reassured.
The Nine-Tails hadn't appeared, and they feared the jinchūriki might have been abducted.
But judging by Hiruzen's reaction, it didn't seem like anything major had happened; otherwise, he wouldn't have sent them back so quickly.
The shinobi, along with the clan leaders and their members, gradually dispersed in an orderly manner.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Back at home, Naruto took a shower.
He scrubbed off the black grime from his hands and legs.
"Grrr... grrr..."
After putting on his patched-up, worn clothes, his stomach growled loudly, reminding him it was time to eat.
Naruto sighed.
He walked to the fridge, took out a carton of expired milk, and instinctively brought it to his mouth for a big gulp.
But just as he was about to drink it, he stopped.
He hurled the expired milk to the floor with force. The carton burst open, spilling its contents everywhere.
Without hesitation, he walked out of the house.
He'd had enough of expired milk.
Today's events had completely overturned his resolve and way of thinking.
No way he was going to live like a pathetic loser anymore. He was going to eat fresh instant ramen—and add an egg! He'd drink milk that wasn't expired!
"Boss, give me two bags of chips and a carton of milk."
Naruto muttered as he walked through the street, lost in thought.
Soon, he arrived at a shop near his house.
"Alright, customer—wait, no."
The shopkeeper, initially rising to greet Naruto, stopped mid-sentence when he saw who it was. His demeanor turned icy and hateful.
"Oh?"
Naruto heard the shopkeeper's words and saw his cold, expressionless face. A faint, sinister smile appeared on Naruto's lips, his tone filled with eerie malice.
...
The shopkeeper felt a chill run down his spine at Naruto's demeanor, and his mood soured to the extreme.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had initially sensed the Nine-Tails' chakra and immediately ordered the Anbu to evacuate the villagers to the shelters. However, the chakra vanished as quickly as it had appeared, leading him to cancel the order.
As long as Naruto didn't fully lose control or have the Nine-Tails extracted, the threat he posed to the village remained minimal and within manageable limits.
"Such bad luck! You filthy brat, I'm not selling you anything. Now get lost!"
The shopkeeper grabbed a broom beside him and, glaring at the young boy, hurled insults at him while preparing to chase him out of the store.
He had already rehearsed excuses in his mind if the Hokage questioned him later.
...
Naruto, initially planning to bide his time and burn the shop down later that night without jeopardizing his broader plans, froze at the word "filthy brat."
His blood pressure spiked instantly.
If he had to endure even this, what was the point of becoming stronger? Why not just wait to die or become a farmer?
Naruto's face turned icy cold as he moved slightly forward.
In the next moment, his small figure appeared in front of the shopkeeper, delivering a straight punch to the man's gut. The shopkeeper flew backward, crashing into the shelves behind him, scattering goods all over the floor.
"Murder! The demon fox is killing—"
The shopkeeper, clutching his stomach in pain, tried to scream, but halfway through his cry, a small hand clamped over his mouth.
"Don't want your life anymore? Or maybe your family's lives don't matter to you?"
Naruto's small hand, surprisingly strong, gripped the shopkeeper's face, causing him immense pain and muffling his voice into pig-like squeals.
Noticing the man's cries had ceased and seeing the terror in his eyes, Naruto chuckled mockingly.
"Oh, you can be scared, huh? Didn't you enjoy beating me with that broom before? You seemed to have a lot of fun then, didn't you?"
Naruto sneered at the shopkeeper's terrified expression, then bent down to grab a bag of chips, tore it open, and ate a handful.
"Ugh! Disgusting. I thought this stuff was supposed to be good. All that time I spent longing for it was wasted."
Naruto spat the chips onto the shopkeeper, his face filled with disgust.
Then, he grabbed two cups of instant ramen and a carton of milk, casually walking toward the exit.
...
Just as the shopkeeper breathed a sigh of relief, the young boy stopped at the door.
"If you dare tell anyone about this… heh heh heh…"
A bizarre laugh escaped Naruto's lips.
To the shopkeeper, the ten-year-old's small figure now loomed large and terrifying, like that of a demon.
The boy's aura of suppressed rage and mercilessness was more intimidating than that of some ninjas.
...
Walking home with his stolen goods, Naruto pierced the milk carton with a straw and took a deep sip.
"So, even these despicable people can feel fear. And their fearful faces—aren't they even uglier than their usual ones?"
Naruto murmured to himself as he walked away step by step.
From afar, his small figure seemed to carry a tinge of loneliness.
...