Not long after the Third Hokage returned from visiting Naruto, he issued a new village-wide order: no one was allowed to speak ill of Naruto behind his back.
And yet—humans are strange creatures. The more you tell them not to do something, the more they want to. Then they start inventing reasons why it's totally fine actually.
---
When Naruto came back from a day of hunting, he stood frozen in front of his home.
The net cage he used to catch fish had been shredded into rags. His tiny fish pond? Smashed to mud, the fish and shrimp inside stomped to death. The crops he'd carefully cultivated were uprooted and scattered. His wooden cabin had been reduced to splinters. His blankets and clothes had been smeared with something… yellow.
Everything he'd built over half a month. Piece by piece. It had been simple, but it was his.
Now?
> Gone.
> My home... it's gone.
Sure, the villagers couldn't defy the Hokage's order. But if they just happened to walk by, and accidentally destroyed the demon fox's "lair"? Totally understandable, right?
Maybe someone even encouraged it.
How did Naruto know?
Because the next time he saw a certain someone, the malice rolling off them was twice as strong.
> Of course. You can't have your "weapon" wandering out of your control, can you?
> I actually hoped for something from the Third… guess I was too naive.
> In his eyes, I'm not "Naruto Uzumaki"… I'm the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki.
There's a big difference between the two.
One is a person.
The other… a tool.
The Fourth's son? That could be a boy.
But the Jinchūriki? That's the village's weapon.
---
Angry? Sad? Looking for revenge?
No.
There was no point.
Naruto inhaled deeply, then let out a long breath. His voice came out hoarse—far too heavy for a boy his age.
> "I didn't realize human malice could be so disgusting."
> "To treat a harmless child like this… a child who's done nothing wrong."
> "I really, really hate this place."
> "This village called Konoha."
> "Fourth Hokage… what exactly were you trying to protect?"
---
He moved back to where it all began—his old apartment.
It wasn't big, but it had a living room and a bedroom. Supposedly, neighbors lived on the same floor. In truth, the entire level was abandoned. No one else dared live next to him.
As malice continued to press in from the surrounding buildings, Naruto stared into the mirror.
> "Guess I'll live here for now."
> "Time to get stronger."
In the shinobi world, power speaks louder than words.
---
Life in the village had one upside—it saved him the trouble of foraging. And since the Hokage's order, the food wasn't tainted with weird stuff anymore.
Still, Naruto couldn't dine out. No one welcomed him… except Ichiraku Ramen.
If he didn't cook, his only choices would've been instant noodles and milk.
Thankfully, Naruto knew how to cook.
---
Training was dull and slow. With no one to teach him, he was limited to basic taijutsu exercises. He knew about things like water-walking, tree-climbing, even Rasengan...
But without chakra extraction, all of it was just fantasy.
Naruto wasn't old enough to attend the Ninja Academy yet. Not that it was guaranteed he'd even be accepted.
After all, if a Jinchūriki lost control, putting him in a classroom would be suicide.
---
Drip. Drip.
The sound of water woke him up.
Naruto opened his eyes and found himself in a dark, damp, basement-like space.
> "This is… this is—!"
His eyes widened, and he jumped to his feet, shouting with excitement.
> "I finally made it here!"
He knew where he was—his inner world. The place where the Nine-Tails was sealed.
If he couldn't train outside… then this was the next best thing.
If he could just meet the Nine-Tails, he could learn how to sense chakra!
He stood and looked down. The floor was wet, but somehow he wasn't soaked. His clothes were dry.
> Weird.
The light around him was dim, but he could just make out the space.
It was massive. Empty. And there was only one path to walk.
Soon, he reached a huge iron gate.
In the center was a seal tag, scrawled with unfamiliar symbols.
> "This is it!"
He held back his excitement and carefully recited the speech he had prepared in his head.
This was it. His cheat code. His golden finger.
The strongest of all Tailed Beasts—the Nine-Tails, Kurama!
He took a deep breath and saw a figure moving behind the bars.
Then, at the top of his lungs:
> "HEY STUPID FOX, TIME TO PAY RENT—wait, what the—?!"
He blinked.
In front of him wasn't a giant red fox with nine tails…
It was a man. About thirty. Wild spiky hair. An orange-and-yellow gi.
Oh—and a glowing halo floating above his head.
> Who the hell…?
> Wait… I've seen this guy somewhere…
The man grinned, raised a hand, and waved.
> "Yo! I'm Son Goku!"
> "Man, I've been waiting here forever and thought no humans would show up!"
> "Is this what the afterlife looks like now? Where's King Yemma?"
> "Hey, do you have any food? I know I'm dead and all, but my stomach's still growling!"
He started rambling at machine-gun speed, a flood of nonsense words.
Son Goku? The afterlife? King Yemma? A halo?!
Naruto stared at him, brain stalling.
That spiky hair…
That outfit…
That vibe...
Suddenly, it clicked.
Naruto's eyes lit up. He clenched his right fist and smacked it into his left palm. Then he pointed dramatically and shouted:
> "YOU'RE KAKAROT!!!"
> "Huh?"
The man frowned, visibly annoyed.
> "You know my brother Raditz or something?"
> "Why does everyone keep calling me that?"
> "I'm not Kakarot! I'm Son Goku! A Saiyan raised on Earth!"