"Uh… hello. Can I sit next to you?"
A hesitant voice came from the side. Xia Ji turned and found himself looking at Naruto Uzumaki—the very protagonist of this world.
"Yes. I just got here too, and no one's sitting here," Xia Ji replied calmly, without any emotional ripple in his voice.
"Great!" Naruto's face lit up instantly. He plopped down into the seat, grinning from ear to ear.
Xia Ji already knew Naruto. Ever since learning this was the Naruto world, he had been curious about the boy fated to be at its center. Once, while shopping in the village, he had deliberately gone to see him.
But at the time, his plan had been to watch from a distance—nothing more. After all, Naruto was a jinchūriki. There were bound to be hidden guards keeping an eye on him. For an ordinary villager like Xia Ji, getting too close could bring trouble.
And not just from the Hokage's side. Hiruzen might be lenient after an investigation, but Danzo? Danzo would remember. And with his influence, it would take only the smallest push to ruin someone's life.
Then there was the public's hostility. Anyone seen getting close to the "monster" would be treated as suspicious—ostracized just the same.
So, the first time Xia Ji saw Naruto, he kept his distance, listening to villagers mutter "monster" under their breath, watching their cold, hateful stares. Even as a bystander, he had felt suffocated.
In such an environment, even a reincarnator like him would struggle to stay sane. Look at Gaara in his early years—though, to be fair, Gaara had been too young to understand his pain at first. If it had been Xia Ji in Naruto's place, he might have gone to extremes, even plotting to use the Nine-Tails' power to take revenge.
Didn't they call him a monster? Then why not become one? And when the time came, show them exactly what that monster could do.
The first time they truly met was later, in a small but ugly scene. Naruto had tried to buy food, paying extra, but was thrown out of the shop. The coins were scattered and stomped into the dirt as the villagers laughed.
Xia Ji had watched quietly at first, but the suffocating pressure in his chest grew unbearable. Without confronting anyone, he simply bought the same food with his own money and found Naruto in a quiet spot.
"Do you want these?" he'd asked.
"Yes—yes!" Naruto had replied, eyes wide in surprise.
Xia Ji had handed the food over, only for Naruto to hurriedly wipe the dirt off the coins and offer them in return. The amount was more than the cost, but Xia Ji had pretended to pocket them with satisfaction. He didn't care about the money—he just needed an excuse to avoid looking like he was openly helping Naruto.
Even so, it was more than he'd planned. His original intent had been to stay uninvolved, but reality made that difficult.
Later, they crossed paths again in the village. Naruto had spotted him immediately, his face brightening—but then his expression faltered.
Before he could call out, Naruto noticed the villagers' eyes on them. And he understood. If he approached, it might bring trouble to Xia Ji, just like everyone else who had once dared to be friendly.
So, he walked past without a word.
Xia Ji had felt both relief and bitterness. Relief at avoiding attention. Bitterness because even now, Naruto still thought of others first.
Now, seeing Naruto willingly sit next to him, Xia Ji guessed it was because there were no adults around to interfere. Children were simpler—if they didn't play with Naruto, it was because adults had told them not to. They didn't truly understand what "monster" meant.
To Naruto, the malice of adults was far deeper than that of children. And in school, perhaps, he could be a little closer to someone who bore him no ill will.
Thinking of Naruto's future personality, Xia Ji sighed inwardly. How had someone grown up under such constant malice still turned out so bright? Was it the Nine-Tails' influence? No… more likely the will of Asura.
But if that was true, it made Xia Ji uneasy. A personality forced by destiny—how could that not be frightening?
He hoped his guess was wrong. Otherwise, it was far too sad.
The classroom door slid open with a bang. A man with his hair tied back and a scar across the bridge of his nose walked in, coughing twice as he stepped to the podium.
The noise in the room barely quieted. This wasn't the war era—discipline at the academy was much looser now.
Xia Ji recognized the man instantly. This was Iruka Umino, Naruto's first teacher. A kind, qualified chūnin who had lost his parents in the Nine-Tails' attack. At first, he hadn't known how to face Naruto, but over time, Naruto's spirit had reached him.
Knowing his character, Xia Ji thought it might be wise to build a good student–teacher relationship here.
"I'm Iruka Umino. I'll be your teacher from now on. You can call me Mr. Iruka. Next, I'll call your names, and you'll stand up and introduce yourselves. I'll go first as an example."
He smiled warmly.
"Umino Iruka. My favorite food is Ichiraku Ramen. I like people with a positive attitude. I don't hate anyone for now. I dislike mixed rice. In the future, I want to be an excellent teacher who trains waves of excellent students."
With the demonstration complete, he picked up the roll call sheet.
"Nara Shikamaru…"
"Akimichi Chōji…"
"Yamanaka Ino…"
"Haruno Sakura…"
As the names rolled on, Xia Ji heard a mix of familiar and unfamiliar ones. When Haruno Sakura's name came up, his expression grew complicated.
According to his plan… he could only say sorry to her.