"Get lost, you fox demon! I don't want that mask!"
Just because Naruto had glanced at the red-and-white fox mask while passing by, the shop owner tore it off the display and slammed it down in front of him.
The crowd instantly cleared a wide space around the boy, as if avoiding something filthy.
From a distance, hateful and indifferent gazes fell upon him.
Voices, deliberately lowered but still audible, whispered:
"That boy… he's the Nine-Tails."
"That's right. The monster that killed the Fourth Hokage."
Naruto looked at them indifferently. He picked up the fox mask as if no one else existed and brushed the dust off it.
He had been living an ordinary life when he suddenly transmigrated into the shinobi world.
Even after several years, he still couldn't completely ignore this suffocating, isolating atmosphere.
Humans were social creatures, after all.
He often wondered how the original Naruto had endured it.
How he had grown up to become such an optimistic and bright inheritor of the Will of Fire.
Childhood trauma often takes a lifetime to heal.
Sometimes Naruto even wondered whether the Will of Fire was truly Konoha's greatest ideology… or simply the most powerful genjutsu in the shinobi world.
Feeling the undisguised hatred in the villagers' eyes, Naruto briefly had the urge to become like Homelander.
To grab every single one of them who insulted and ostracized him—and erase them from existence.
He was not some naive shōnen protagonist who believed kindness solved everything.
"Minato… Obito already forgave you… don't laugh at him…"
To Naruto, that kind of logic was the greatest joke of all.
He had transmigrated into this world to repay kindness and avenge grievances—to live freely.
Unfortunately, he still had to endure.
In the shinobi world, strength was everything.
If he possessed the power of the First Hokage—Hashirama Senju—and his Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands…
Then today's humiliation would not exist.
Once he mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique (Hiraishin no Jutsu), where in the Five Great Nations couldn't he go?
He could leave Konoha whenever he wished.
The Hidden Cloud Village (Kumogakure) seemed like a decent option. United, pragmatic, loyal to strength.
Unlike the other villages, Kumogakure had relatively fewer rogue-nin issues. The only major incident had been the rebellion of the Gold and Silver Brothers—an internal coup.
And there was Samui.
Tall, blonde, composed. Fair-skinned, mature, and striking.
In his previous life, he had been quite the fan.
But first—
Food.
Instant noodles it is.
Naruto entered a small grocery shop along the street.
The middle-aged owner greeted him with a cold, disgusted expression, arms crossed, saying nothing.
Naruto ignored him. He had long grown accustomed to that look.
Though, he mused sarcastically, it would be more interesting if it were a beautiful girl glaring at him instead.
The villagers saw him as a scourge, wishing he would return to the Pure Land as soon as possible.
The higher-ups of Konoha had remained silent all these years. Only the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, visited occasionally and provided minimal living expenses.
Naruto searched the shelves for instant noodles.
"Kid. Get out. My shop doesn't welcome you."
The voice was cold and deep.
Naruto raised an eyebrow.
Seeing that Naruto didn't move—and instead calmly looked at him—the obese shop owner's face twisted in anger.
"Damn fox brat… can't you understand human speech?!"
He spat at Naruto's feet.
"Didn't you hear me?!"
"Get out! Freaks like you aren't welcome here!"
[Option 1: "Everyone Must Die." Kill the man in front of you.Reward: Senju Sage Body (Incomplete)]
[Option 2: Knock the shop owner down.Reward: Nine-Tails Chakra Mastery]
[Option 3: "Swallow Your Pride." Leave silently.Reward: Random A-Rank Ninjutsu]
A translucent panel appeared before his eyes.
The cheat system… had finally arrived?
Naruto nearly laughed in relief.
Especially at the thought of gaining strength faster—and escaping this suffocating life in Konoha.
Though he possessed the Uzumaki bloodline—naturally strong life force and enormous chakra reserves—and housed the strongest tailed beast, the Nine-Tails…
At present, Kurama provided him no usable combat power.
Worse, the leaking chakra disrupted his control, making proper chakra molding nearly impossible.
Otherwise, how could the descendant of the Uzumaki Clan—and reincarnation of Asura—rank at the bottom of the Academy?
Senju Sage Body…
A physique comparable to Hashirama's vitality.
Even incomplete, it would drastically enhance his strength.
But killing a villager would certainly draw Danzō Shimura's attention.
And Danzō would not hesitate to confine him underground.
As for ninjutsu…
His chakra control was terrible. The Nine-Tails' interference made training extremely difficult.
Before he could decide, the shop owner strode forward, cursing.
"Brat! How dare you ignore an adult?!"
He reached out to shove Naruto.
"Bastard! Is that how you treat customers?!"
A crisp, childish voice cut through the air.
A flash of light blonde passed Naruto's peripheral vision.
A little girl with neat, shoulder-length blonde hair rushed forward.
Because of her height, she punched straight into the man's abdomen.
The owner collapsed to his knees, clutching his stomach, face pale.
The blonde girl grabbed his collar with surprising strength.
"You're going too far!"
"Apologize to him!"
"Or you'll regret it!"
The owner glared at Naruto, then at the girl gripping him.
"Are you his friend, brat? How dare you attack—"
[Option 2 Completed.Reward Obtained: Nine-Tails Chakra Mastery (Entry Level 1/10)]
Naruto suddenly felt chakra surge through his tenketsu.
The chaotic flow stabilized.
The previously turbulent Nine-Tails chakra began to obey him—just slightly.
Strength flooded his limbs.
So this was chakra drawn through the gap in the Four Symbols Seal.
Suppressing his excitement, Naruto finally looked properly at the blonde girl who had just "saved" him.
Only now did he connect her to the image in his memory—
High ponytail. Black outfit. Fishnet sleeves. Bare midriff.
Yamanaka Ino.
The young lady of the Yamanaka Clan.
And apparently…
His very first ally in this world.