The sun had finally sunk completely below the horizon.
Konoha had already lit its lanterns, and the village—once covered in silver—now glowed like a pale golden sea. Snow at night made the scenery even more mesmerizing.
Aoba didn't start heading home until it was fully dark.
His uncle Shirakumo Yamanaka and the older sister who had been looking after him were both out on missions for the village, so he could return home at any time he wanted.
He walked down Hokage Rock, following the dim yellow light and the old stone steps.
But as soon as he descended and passed through a small food street, Aoba unexpectedly ran into two people again.
He saw a little boy sitting on the shoulders of a taller boy, beaming happily as he pointed at a stall selling dumplings.
"Brother, I want that dumpling!"
"Okay. Whatever Sasuke wants, I'll buy it for you."
Aoba had never met these two before, but from their ages and the way they acted like brothers, he immediately recognized them.
Of course, the most obvious clue was the Uchiha clan crest on the taller boy's back.
Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Sasuke.
But at this moment, Itachi's laugh lines weren't very visible yet.
Sasuke seemed to notice Aoba staring, and he turned to look at him. He probably felt embarrassed being watched while acting so spoiled.
Sasuke quickly climbed down from Itachi's shoulders.
Itachi, sensing Sasuke's unusual behavior, also looked in the direction his younger brother was staring at.
But all he could see was the crowd of people passing by.
It was unclear what Sasuke was looking at.
Aoba found it oddly fascinating to see the protagonist from the story in real life, and he couldn't help but observe them carefully.
He even wished he could take a picture of that scene.
He wondered: after the Uchiha clan was wiped out, when Sasuke remembered this moment, what would he feel?
"Oi!"
While Aoba's mind was drifting off, he suddenly felt someone collide into him, and he stumbled backward onto the ground.
The force pushed Aoba two steps back as well.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm really sorry!"
Aoba hadn't even apologized yet, but the other kid kept bowing repeatedly.
The voice was clear and young—definitely a child.
"I…"
Aoba had intended to apologize, but when he saw the boy's face, the words got stuck in his throat.
In this short stretch of road, he had encountered so many people he'd never seen before—today, all of them appeared at once.
Now, standing before him was the boy who had collided with him and was still bowing in apology.
He had short blond hair, bright blue eyes, and six whisker-like markings on his cheeks.
Aoba couldn't help but sigh. He grabbed the boy's shoulders to stop him from continuing to bow.
"It's my fault. I was walking while daydreaming and didn't watch where I was going. It's not your fault!"
Whether Naruto had been watching where he was going or not didn't matter—he definitely hadn't.
After apologizing, Aoba stepped forward and brushed the snow off Naruto's clothes.
But once Aoba finished cleaning him up, Naruto stared at him in a stunned daze.
Aoba waved his hand in front of Naruto's face to snap him back to reality.
But when Naruto looked at him again, his eyes were suddenly filled with tears.
"It's… it's my first time…"
Naruto's words came out broken and stuttering, but Aoba didn't have time to care what Naruto meant.
A crowd had begun to gather around them. People whispered quietly, but their hostile glances were not hidden at all.
Aoba had become the center of attention.
That kind of gaze made Aoba feel uncomfortable.
Whether Naruto was a fox demon or not, he was still a child. There was no need to vent hatred on a kid.
The people of Konoha should really thank Minato Namikaze for his powerful seal back then.
Otherwise, who would dare gather around like this?
Aoba's personality had its flaws, but he was basically a kind person who hated seeing others bullied.
But there was only so much he could do.
He leaned toward Naruto's ear.
"Ready? We're running."
"Huh?"
Naruto, still stumbling over his words, looked confused when he heard this.
"Sometimes it's okay to run away."
"I… I…"
"Go!"
Before the crowd could fully close in on them, Aoba grabbed Naruto and dashed into the mass of people.
Everyone scattered to avoid them, afraid of catching bad luck, and the scene instantly became chaotic.
Aoba and Naruto disappeared.
"Th-thank you!"
As Aoba pulled him through the crowd, Naruto couldn't help shouting. His eyes shone with a strange brightness.
"Running away isn't shameful!"
"You don't have to live for their approval."
For no reason, Aoba said those words. Maybe he didn't like Naruto's personality in the original story.
"Huh? Wh-what do you mean?" Naruto was still confused.
"Don't think too highly of yourself. Their approval means nothing to you. You don't live because of them. You live for yourself. Your happiness matters more."
"We'll meet again."
After saying that, Aoba didn't wait for Naruto's response. He let go of Naruto's sleeve and sped up, disappearing from Naruto's view in an instant.
In the chaotic crowd, Naruto tried to run after Aoba's retreating figure, but once he escaped the crowd, Aoba was already gone.
After running into a deserted street, Aoba finally let out a breath.
"Today has been full of weird encounters."
"I hope I don't run into anything else."
But as soon as he thought that—
Aoba suddenly heard a childish voice calling out.
"Oi! That little brat!"
"Her eyes are white? That's so ugly!"
A group of unruly kids—
Three boys were surrounding a white-eyed girl wrapped in a scarf.
"Your eyes are so creepy."
"You're basically a monster."
"Are you a white-eyed monster?"
They mocked her, laughing cruelly.
Hinata Hyuga was trembling with fear. Her entire body froze, her face turning pale.
Her white eyes were misting over, and her shaking hands clutched her scarf tightly.
"Hey, are you going to cry already?"
"You're so useless."
"We haven't even touched you and you're already crying."
The three boys had no sympathy. If anything, they were becoming more aggressive.
Hinata had already covered her face and was sobbing on the ground.
But the boys still didn't stop.
Aoba's mouth twitched. Of course he ran into this.
He looked around again but didn't see Naruto.
Did he accidentally ruin Naruto's destiny or something?
"No choice."
Aoba sighed. He didn't really agree with the idea that greater power meant greater responsibility.
But when something like this happened right in front of him, he couldn't just stand by and watch.
And he was saving those three boys too—if the Hyuga family's young heiress returned home with bruises, someone would have trouble sleeping.
In just a moment, the three boys were about to start pushing her.
Aoba picked up several stones from the snow.
He weighed them in his hand, feeling their weight.
Hmm. This weight was enough to hurt but not enough to cause serious damage.
"You three are being too noisy."
Aoba's calm voice rang out, and the boys stopped their actions.
They turned toward the sound. A boy about their age was standing not far away, tossing a stone in his hand.
Hinata, who had been crying, lifted her head as well.
"You're such a busybody, huh?"
The chubby boy in charge sneered, relying on his size and numbers. He wasn't afraid of the stones Aoba held and spoke confidently.
"Heh."
Aoba let out a laugh without expression.
Then, as the three boys grew angry, he threw the stone in his hand.
With his advanced shuriken throwing technique, the stone hit exactly where he aimed, and the force wasn't light.
The three boys immediately screamed in pain, each one with several large bumps forming on their foreheads.
"Aah!" ×3
The boys clutched their heads, screaming. But when they looked up again, they saw Aoba bending down to pick up another stone.
They turned pale with fear and backed away while shouting.
"Don't come any closer!"
They scrambled away, rolling and running, escaping the scene as fast as they could.
Aoba walked over to Hinata. Her eyes were slightly red from crying, and her baby-faced cheeks were swollen.
He felt like he hadn't hit them hard enough.
The Hyuga family's guards really were useless.
"Th-thank you…"
Hinata lowered her head and whispered.
"Do you know how to get home?"
Aoba asked.
"I…"
"Gurgle—"
Before Aoba could finish, Hinata's stomach answered for her.