Only the Strong Deserve Friendship

Early morning,

the sun had just risen over Konoha,

and there was a faint chill in the air.

After eating bread and drinking milk, Naruto Uzumaki put on a mask and headed out.

Five-year-old Naruto had always wanted friends to play with, but for some reason, the other children were unwilling to play with him.

They were even openly hostile toward him.

Whenever a child did approach him, an adult would pull them away.

Young Naruto was not stupid. He could vaguely sense that the entire village of Konoha seemed to dislike him.

It was just that he truly felt so lonely. He longed for friendship.

So, clever Naruto had stayed up late and come up with a plan: wear a mask. That way, no one would know he was Naruto Uzumaki, and they would be willing to play with him, right?!

With that expectation in his heart, Naruto stepped out of his home.

Poor Naruto. He did not know that the moment he arrived on the street, his distinctive protagonist-like blond hair gave him away.

On the street, whether it was pedestrians standing outside shops or children chasing and roughhousing, everyone stopped what they were doing the moment Naruto appeared and turned to look at him.

"Isn't that the brat who's the Nine-Tails Fox incarnate?"

"That's him. Don't think wearing a mask means no one will recognize him. I'd know him even if he turned to ash."

"Wearing a mask in broad daylight, sneaking around... Is he going off to do something bad?"

"He definitely is. Why else would he wear a mask? Don't forget, he was the one who got the Fourth Hokage killed."

Whispers rose nonstop, accompanied by disgusted stares.

Why?

As he listened to those whispers,

the last trace of hope in Naruto's heart was ground away.

Naruto felt terribly wronged. A mist of tears welled up in his eyes as he kept asking himself:

Why?

Why exactly?

Why does everyone hate me so much? What is it about me that they hate? Tell me, and I'll change until you like me, okay?

And stop falsely accusing me! I really wasn't the one who got the Fourth Hokage killed!

Covering his face, Naruto fled the place in tears.

He ran and ran until he was completely exhausted. Only after Konoha had vanished behind him did Naruto stop, crouch down, and wipe away his tears.

He only wanted friends.

He truly had not done anything bad! Naruto felt so wronged.

"Young Naruto!"

Just then, a gentle and loving voice suddenly appeared in Naruto's mind.

"Who?"

Startled, Naruto stood up and looked around through tear-blurred eyes. Only then did he realize that he had run to the Back Mountain. There were trees all around, but not a single person in sight.

Then who was speaking?

"It is I, the great Body Tempering System." As though it had heard Naruto's inner question, the voice rang out in his mind again.

"The great Body Tempering System? What is that?" Naruto shouted, his young, crisp voice echoing through the valley.

"Ahem, ahem. Don't speak so loudly. Whatever you want to say, just think it in your heart," the system said awkwardly.

"Oh." Naruto answered, then asked in his mind, "Who are you?"

"Never mind who I am for now, young Naruto. Do you have any wishes? Tell me, and perhaps I can help make them come true," the system replied, avoiding the question.

Naruto's eyes lit up, and he immediately said, "I want friends. Lots and lots of friends."

The system seemed stunned by Naruto's simple wish. After hesitating for three seconds, it asked again, "That's all?"

"That's all."

Naruto nodded, then asked doubtfully, "You can't make it happen? But that's my only wish!"

"That's very simple. Let me show you something."

As soon as the system finished speaking, Naruto discovered in astonishment that a blue, translucent projection had appeared before his eyes.

Within the projection stood a tall young man wearing a Purple-Gold Crown, his entire body radiating dazzling golden light. Every gesture he made carried an indescribable aura.

The next second, the young man moved. He raised his hand, clenched it into a fist, and threw a punch. Wherever it passed, stars burst apart one after another.

Naruto's mouth fell open in shock at the sight.

Even the Hokage was not this powerful, right?!

Then came another scene. The young man crossed the void with his physical body, grasping a blade of grass and slashing it through the emptiness. Space split apart, turning into fragments that fell across the Nine Heavens Ten Earths.

Then came yet another scene. The young man battled a host of immortals. Golden blood spilled from him and transformed into countless copies of the young man, joining the battle. In that fight, the sun and moon lost their light, the universe shattered, and corpses fell like rain.

When the battle ended, only the young man remained standing in the void, his face filled with loneliness.

Was this the loneliness of being invincible throughout the world? Lonely Naruto seemed able to feel the young man's state of mind, but what did that have to do with him gaining many friends?

Once again, the system saw through Naruto's thoughts and said unhurriedly, "Don't rush. Keep watching. There will be a surprise, Naruto."

Naruto continued watching.

The projection changed, and Naruto saw the young man again. More precisely, he saw the young man as a child. The instant Naruto saw him as a child, his heart trembled.

In the image,

the young man as a child had no friends. Even when he walked down the street, people cursed at him, threw stones at him, and hurled rotten vegetables and stinking eggs at him.

But the young man as a child did not lower his head, nor did he cry. Instead, he stubbornly raised his head and met the disgusted gazes fixed on him.

Even this invincible powerhouse had no friends when he was young, just like me?

Naruto felt a trace of kinship.

The scene flashed. The young man gradually grew up and worked hard to become stronger. Then, during a friendly "spar," he defeated his opponent. The opponent lay on the ground and became the young man's first friend.

After more and more friendly "spars," the young man gained increasingly more friends.

Naruto's eyes grew brighter and brighter.

Perhaps he knew how to make friends now!

The projection flickered, then went dark. The system asked in Naruto's mind, "Young Naruto, do you understand now?"

Naruto clenched his fists excitedly and nodded earnestly.

"Thank you, System. I understand now. Only the strong deserve to have friends."

"Very good, Naruto. Then what if they refuse to be friends with you?" The system gave Naruto another difficult question.

Naruto scratched his head and thought. A moment later, a smile appeared on his face. "Then I'll fight them. Fight them until they become my friends."

"Watch your wording. That is called a friendly spar."

The system promptly corrected Naruto's improper choice of words.

Naruto also knew he had used the wrong words. He chuckled and said innocently, "Right, a friendly spar. A friendly spar."

The system was very satisfied with Naruto's willingness to correct his mistake and solemnly asked, "Then, Naruto, are you willing to follow my guidance and learn the Unbreakable Body Tempering Method?"

"I am."

Naruto nodded excitedly.

At the same time, he had already begun imagining the entire village of Konoha becoming Naruto's friends.

Just thinking about it,

what a harmonious and joyful scene that would be!

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