Naruto, You Can Call Me Uncle.

"It's been three years. Three whole years. I wonder how many people still remember my name, Blue Flash."

In Konoha, atop its towering walls, a lone figure stood, his back to the village, gazing wistfully at the bustling settlement below.

From this vantage point, one could see the carved Hokage faces on the rock face behind the village, the last one being the youngest.

"And where is my poor nephew now?"

WHOOSH! Namikaze Mirai leaped from the high wall, his body arcing through the air before descending into the village below. Sunlight illuminated his sharply defined profile.

And… that brilliant golden hair.

"Who's there?!"

The ninja guarding Konoha's walls were drenched in sweat, frantically chasing after the figure who had so easily entered the village.

This was Konoha, the head of the Five Great Ninja Villages! For a ninja to just waltz in, treating their defenses as nothing!

If the Hokage found out, they'd be in serious trouble!

"Wait! Doesn't that person look a little familiar?"

Gazing at the golden hair shimmering in the sunlight, one of them looked stunned, a hint of confusion rising in his heart.

During that brief hesitation, the figure vanished in a few swift movements, disappearing among Konoha's buildings.

"We should notify the Hokage immediately. If it really is that person who's returned, the village might be in for big trouble…"

Recalling what had happened in the village over the past few years, and that person's notorious reputation, the two couldn't help but shiver.

Things could get really bad.

Really bad!

Konoha's streets were bustling with people. The shouts of vendors and the cooing of children nestled in their parents' arms blended together, creating a lively atmosphere.

Yet, amidst this, a lone figure walked by himself, isolated in a corner of the street.

His thin orange top, washed so many times, had turned yellow and crinkled, and his grayish-brown trousers were riddled with dirty tears. His face was sallow, and he looked thoroughly dispirited.

"Is that the kid?"

"Stay away from him, don't play with him!"

"Demon Fox!"

The curses and spittle pierced three-year-old Naruto's heart like needles, dimming the light in his clear blue eyes, like charcoal soaked in water.

"So many people in the village died because of him, and the Fourth Hokage and his wife too!"

"Why doesn't this guy just die?"

Malice, like black tentacles, enveloped Naruto, suffocating him, pressing down, making it impossible to breathe.

Three-year-old Naruto walked through the streets with his head down, offering no rebuttal, silently enduring a malice that even adults would struggle to bear.

He didn't know why he had to go through all this, why he was cursed by these people. It felt like he had been enduring it all since the moment he was born.

He was numb.

Naruto's steps suddenly halted. His gaze fixed on a mask hanging in a shop across the street, and the dullness in his eyes subtly brightened.

On the mask, simple red patterns outlined a vibrant red fox face. Naruto suddenly felt a longing for this mask.

He wanted this mask.

His small, clumsy hands fumbled in his pocket, only finding a few loose coins.

"Uncle, can I buy that mask with this money…?"

Three-year-old Naruto opened his palm, as if presenting his most precious treasure, holding out the few coins. His clear blue eyes looked up at the middle-aged vendor with longing and hope.

SMACK!

The vendor viciously hurled a hard mask at Naruto's forehead, making a sound like an egg cracking.

"Ow! Ow ow ow!!!"

Caught off guard, Naruto stumbled backward, landing hard on the ground.

"You rotten Demon Fox! Don't you dare dirty my shop! Just take it if you want it!"

The red-patterned fox mask bounced a few times on the ground, rolling to Naruto's feet. Tears instantly welled up in Naruto's eyes, but before they could fall, the surrounding schadenfreude and curses suffocatingly drowned him.

"That's how you deal with a Demon Fox! He's responsible for so many villagers dying!"

"A Demon Fox with a fox mask, how fitting!"

"See? Don't ever play with this guy, he's terrifying!"

Three-year-old Naruto couldn't hold back any longer. Large tears rolled down his cheeks.

"Why? Why are you doing this to me? What did I do wrong?"

He could only repeat his questions, barely audible, like the buzzing of an insect.

Why did he have to face such injustice? Why did these adults inflict all their malice on a mere three-year-old? What had he done wrong? But his weak voice was instantly drowned out by the surrounding jeering and contempt.

The villagers, drawn by the commotion, swarmed around Naruto like vultures scenting carrion, tearing at his flesh.

A large hand reached down and gently picked up the mask lying on the ground, brushing off the dust before crouching down and placing it into Naruto's hand.

Naruto's crying stopped. He looked up, gazing blankly at the gentle smile before him.

He didn't know why, but even though he'd never seen this man before, a strange sense of familiarity welled up inside him.

It was a feeling he'd never experienced.

Namikaze Mirai stood up, and as he turned, his eyes had already turned cold.

"Apologize to him!"

"Apologize? Apologize to this jinx? Are you kidding me?!"

The merchant narrowed his eyes, his gaze unkind as he scrutinized Namikaze Mirai.

The surrounding villagers, observing Namikaze Mirai, also showed surprise in their eyes, some even whispering and sneering.

Namikaze Mirai had been away from the village for too long; many villagers had forgotten his existence.

Even if some villagers felt he looked familiar, they couldn't quite recall who he was at the moment.

"I don't like repeating myself."

Several arcs of lightning flickered in Namikaze Mirai's azure eyes. The Electromagnetic Force stirred, compressing the surrounding air, and a terrifying pressure instantly enveloped the street.

During the Third Great Ninja War, the number of shinobi who died by his hand even surpassed that of the Yellow Flash!

"I'm so sorry! Please forgive me!!!"

The merchant, who had been so defiant just a second ago, immediately caved. He dropped to his knees, tears and snot streaming down his face, bowing his head like a pestle pounding garlic.

A foul, acrid smell emanated from his crotch, soaking a large part of his pants.

Facing such terrifying pressure, even battle-hardened Jōnin would struggle to endure it, let alone a merchant who wasn't even a shinobi?

The eyes of the onlookers were filled with terror. That terrifying pressure also spread to them; though not as intense as what the merchant felt, it was still far more than they could bear.

Naruto, sitting on the ground, watched that retreating figure with shining eyes. His spot was the only sanctuary from this terrifying pressure.

This was the first time someone had stood in front of him, shielding him from the storm.

"Who... are you?"

Naruto asked hoarsely, his nose stinging.

That imposing figure squatted down, his azure eyes full of gentle warmth. He softly stroked Naruto's hair, the golden strands gleaming brilliantly in the sunlight.

"I'm your father's brother. You can call me..."

"Uncle."