Go take a look in the village?
Hearing Kakashi's words, Namikaze Mirai's expression turned grave.
Had something happened in the village?
He had stayed home these past few days and had not gone out.
He turned his head and looked toward Konoha beyond the courtyard.
The world in his vision changed, as though countless twisted threads linked the entire world together.
Among those threads, he could see countless individuals of different shapes radiating outward.
Biological Magnetic Field.
Namikaze Mirai's unique sensory ability.
When Root had surrounded and attacked him before, he had discovered them in advance precisely through the Biological Magnetic Field.
"There are many unfamiliar Biological Magnetic Fields nearby..."
Namikaze Mirai's gaze grew increasingly solemn.
It seemed necessary to find out what exactly had happened.
Konoha streets.
The Villagers gathered at the mouth of an alley chattered among themselves, their faces filled with disgust.
"Why hasn't that Demon Fox died yet?!"
"Exactly! The Fourth Hokage and his wife were killed because of him!"
"And so many Villagers died too. The Third Hokage actually tolerated a Demon Fox like that remaining in Konoha!"
"If I were that Demon Fox, I'd be so ashamed that I'd kill myself rather than suffer so many cold stares!"
Filthy curses emerged one after another, as though they wanted to vent all the hatred in their hearts.
The ugliest side of human nature was laid bare at that moment.
Yet they did not notice a figure slowly passing beside them.
A fruit vendor picked out rotten fruit from his stall and tossed it into the trash with a look of disgust.
"It's all because of that Demon Fox. So much of my fruit has rotted lately. What bad luck!"
"Yeah, when is that Demon Fox going to die?"
The same scene was playing out along nearly the entire street.
Every few steps, he heard all kinds of curses directed at the Demon Fox.
Cruel and vicious!
Namikaze Mirai walked past without saying a word.
Having used the Transformation Jutsu to take on another appearance, he looked like nothing more than an unrelated passerby.
Yet his hands could not help clenching into fists.
He finally understood Naruto's unusual behavior.
He raised his head and looked over the village before him.
The noon sunlight was warm and pleasant, yet he felt a bone-piercing chill.
Countless twisted malice rose from above the village like hazy black smoke, baring its fangs and claws as it converged into a grotesque smiling face.
Whoosh! Kakashi leaped down from a large tree nearby.
Before he could speak, he heard a chilling voice.
"When did this start?"
Kakashi's expression stiffened slightly.
Then he composed himself.
From what he knew of Namikaze Mirai, he understood that Mirai was truly angry this time.
"Probably the day before yesterday. At first, it was only a small-scale rumor. Since yesterday, it's gotten worse and worse. By today, nearly the entire village..."
Kakashi did not continue.
Rumors that Naruto was the Demon Fox had always existed, but they had never escalated so severely as they had today!
This scene stirred memories long buried within him.
A past he did not wish to touch.
Namikaze Mirai slowly narrowed his eyes.
He would never believe that such widespread rumors had spread without someone pushing them from behind.
This similar scene reminded him of something that had happened long ago.
Hatake Sakumo, Kakashi's father, Konoha's White Fang.
He had been a ninja even the Sannin had to respect.
Yet after failing a mission, he had suffered the scorn of nearly the entire village.
Under such pressure, Hatake Sakumo's convictions collapsed, and he used the White Fang Short Sword, which had slain countless enemies, to end his own life.
What had happened then was extremely similar to what was happening now.
It was as though an invisible hand was fanning the flames behind the scenes, secretly steering the direction of public opinion.
Namikaze Mirai understood the power of public opinion all too well.
In his previous life as an office worker, he had seen many cases of people driven to suicide by online abuse.
This kind of bullying by an entire village was even more terrifying than online violence! On the way back, Namikaze Mirai's eyes were ice-cold.
Those capable of influencing the Villagers' opinions and benefiting from this matter...
There seemed to be only one person.
"Demon Fox! Go die!"
A sudden curse interrupted his thoughts.
Looking over, he saw four or five children clutching stones and viciously hurling them at the window of Naruto's room.
Crash!
The window glass shattered into pieces.
The stones flew into the room, striking the objects inside with loud clattering sounds.
"Where did these little brats come from?!"
Kakashi charged forward with a shout.
"Run!"
The children who had been throwing stones a moment ago were so frightened that they immediately dropped the stones in their hands and scattered like birds and beasts.
Namikaze Mirai did not choose to waste time with those children. He rushed up to the second floor, toward Naruto's room.
Pushing open the door, he found the room already in a complete mess from the stones. Cold wind poured in through the shattered window.
Naruto was curled up in the corner of the bed, buried beneath the blankets, with only a tuft of golden hair exposed.
Namikaze Mirai reached out his hand.
The moment his fingertips touched Naruto's hair, Naruto's body trembled and he curled even deeper beneath the covers.
"Don't hit me. I'm not the Demon Fox!"
Namikaze Mirai's hand froze in midair, and his nose stung slightly.
Then he gently placed his hand down and stroked Naruto's golden hair.
"Naruto, it's me."
"Uncle."
Naruto poked his head out from beneath the blankets. His reddened, swollen eyes made it obvious that he had been crying.
"Am I really the Demon Fox...?"
He lifted his head, his pure azure eyes filled with yearning and grievance.
"Why does everyone call me the Demon Fox? What did I do wrong?"
Namikaze Mirai gently ruffled his golden hair.
"Silly nephew, of course you aren't the Demon Fox."
"Uncle will prove it to you."
At almost the same time, in a hidden alley.
Two Root members knelt on one knee and reported to the figure in the shadows.
"Lord Danzo, everything has been taken care of according to your instructions."
The face in the shadows slowly lifted. The sinister smile made the scar-covered left side of his face look even more grotesque.
"Well done."
Using public opinion to attack Naruto was precisely the best form of revenge Danzo had devised.
Namikaze Mirai was powerful. If he resorted to force, the outcome would very likely turn out as it had last time.
Public opinion was different.
As long as one seized a person's weakness, dealing with that person became very simple.
And Naruto was Namikaze Mirai's weakness.
Stirring up a public opinion storm was already second nature to Danzo and Root.
Many years ago, on that afternoon, he had used the very same method to force Hatake Sakumo to his death.
Now, he was merely reenacting it.
The smile on Danzo's ugly face grew increasingly sinister.
Now, all he needed to do was wait for the result.
At the center of this storm of public opinion, what would Namikaze Mirai do?
"Lord Danzo, something has happened!"
The sudden report interrupted his thoughts.
"What? Has Namikaze Mirai made a move?"
"No, it's the Uchiha."
Before you continue