A Slightly Different Naruto

When a Jinchuriki gave birth, the seal was at its weakest. Guided by someone with ulterior motives, the Nine-Tails Fox attacked Konoha. The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, and his wife, Kushina Uzumaki, died in battle. Countless jonin and chunin sacrificed themselves, bringing immense grief to Konoha. Those left behind had no choice but to rise from their pain before the Memorial Monument and fend off foreign enemies.

With the threat of the Yellow Flash gone, the major hidden villages opposed to Konoha began making their moves, preparing to gnaw away at this tottering tree. But the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, stepped forward in time to temporarily resume the position. Working with the ANBU, he used ruthless measures to kill countless spies who had infiltrated Konoha, forcing the other villages to withdraw unwillingly.

"Monster, get out of the village! You monster!" A rotten egg flew through the air and smashed against Naruto's young face. The stinking liquid and shattered shell dealt him a double blow, but even so, the people did not stop. The insults and flying objects never missed for even a moment.

"Why would the Third Hokage let a monster like this stay in the village?"

"Don't look, child. Be careful the monster might eat you. Hurry up and leave." Words like these continuously poured into Naruto's ears. Even though Naruto had matured early, he was finding it hard to bear.

"I only went to Grandpa Third's place to get food. Did my parents slaughter the village or something? Why do they call me a monster? Grandma always told me how amazing my parents were. Was she lying to me?" Naruto muttered to himself as he returned home covered in vegetable leaves and dirt.

He had thought that, under his grandmother's care, he would safely grow up to the age when he could attend the academy. But things had not gone as Naruto expected. His grandmother had died of illness a month ago. His grandfather was the Third Hokage, which Naruto understood to mean he was some kind of village chief. Village chiefs were busy and had no time to take care of him, so sometimes Naruto had to go collect food himself. But that raised a question: why was he targeted like that every time he went out onto the streets?

Konoha was brightly lit at night. The villagers seemed to have forgotten their pain, immersing themselves in post-dinner entertainment. Adults chatted about the amusing things that had happened that day, while children hid behind their parents and acted cute, whether to buy new toys or get extra snacks.

Why do I even exist? Naruto sat on the rooftop railing, looking down at the peaceful scene below. If he had parents too, he would probably have been one of those children. But... it was not as though he had never considered revenge after being treated like this. Yet he was just a little kid, with only a tiny bit of Chakra. How was someone like him supposed to survive?

A gust of wind blew past, lifting the stall curtains, sending the children's balloons flying, and carrying Naruto's small body down with it.

"..." Naruto reached out in midair, wanting to grab the railing, but then gave up. In this world, he was someone everyone hated. Even if he struggled to stay alive, he would only hurt himself. He simply closed his eyes and fell straight down.

"Am I dead?" Feeling as if a long time had passed, Naruto opened his eyes to see whether he had died. Instead, he found himself in an unfamiliar space. The dim surroundings were filled with orange-yellow hues, with the sound of dripping water echoing continuously. A wall sealed off the way behind him. The water at his feet rose past his knees, leaving no apparent way out. From the only path ahead came the breathing of a fierce beast, making him shiver.

"Did I fall into the Sewer? Who stole the manhole cover?!" Naruto twitched, then could only force himself to continue forward. Dying in a Sewer was way too undignified.

"What a huge iron gate. Is the exit behind it?" Before long, two enormous iron doors appeared before Naruto. A large seal character was pasted over the lock, giving off a terrifying feeling.

"ROAR!!! You little brat! I've been sealed inside your body for four years. That's nothing—I've gotten used to it. But I never expected you to quietly decide to commit suicide without warning! This is the first time I've seen such a heartless Jinchuriki! Do you know that if you die, I die too? You little brat!" A gigantic fox stuck a claw through the gap in the doors and roared in shock and fury. The Nine-Tails, which had been living inside Naruto's body, felt as though it had been toyed with. From its understanding of humans, they were all greedy for life and afraid of death. They coveted its power while fearing it. Yet this little brat had suddenly jumped off a building. In its panic, it could only drag Naruto's consciousness here and think of a solution.

"Huh? A summon beast? Why do you live in the Sewer?" Naruto's eyes turned into question marks. Despite how he acted, he had only matured a little earlier than other children. He still could not accept something so far beyond his understanding.

"Idiot! This is inside your body. Only your consciousness came here—your body is still in midair." The Nine-Tails was so furious that all nine of its tails flailed wildly. It could not stand the thought that it had nearly been killed by some brat who had no idea what he was thinking.

"Oh, I see. Um, it was an accident. I didn't mean to kill myself, but I didn't exactly want to keep living either." Naruto touched his cheek and, realizing this was not a dream, spoke awkwardly.

"Hmph. Aren't you surprised? Look at how huge I am. Scream nicely for me." Having been frightened itself, the Nine-Tails could not wait to hear the Jinchuriki scream. It stuck out its scarlet tongue and licked a claw.

"I don't fear the sun, and I don't transform when I see a full moon. That means something must be sealed inside me. And judging by how the villagers treat me, you must be powerful—so powerful that even Grandpa Hokage can't do anything about you. That's why they can only keep me alive." Naruto thought for a moment, carefully connecting the things that had happened around him with what the Nine-Tails had said, and came to a conclusion.

"Of course! I'm the strongest tailed beast, known for having limitless Chakra!"

"That was just simple deduction. Hmm, looking closely, you have nine tails. I'll call you Nine-Tails."

"What kind of joke is this?! I'm the reason you became a rat everyone wants to beat to death! Without me, you could have enjoyed a normal person's life! Come on, hate me! Only hatred can make you stronger! Look at those people who bully you. One day, when you have power, they'll be crushed beneath your feet like ants!"

"Hate? Why should I hate you?" Naruto stared blankly at the Nine-Tails, not understanding why this fox wanted him to hate it.

"..." The Nine-Tails, which had specialized in observing humans for a thousand years, could tell that Naruto was not lying. He truly did not feel the slightest hatred.

"You said just now that if I die, you'll die too. There's no doubt that we're one and the same. I'm not bored enough to hate myself. Besides, I think it's pretty interesting. After four years, I finally have my first friend to talk to. Oh, right—how can you get out?"

"Just tear off that talisman and open the lock. The Hand Seals for opening it are..." Still dwelling on Naruto's words and failing to react in time, the Nine-Tails directly blurted out the truth.

Rip.

"Hey, hey... you?" The Nine-Tails was stunned by Naruto's actions. That talisman had been effortlessly torn off by a four-year-old child. Then Naruto even tried to open the lock, until an arm grabbed hold of him.

"What is going on? Naruto, how old are you? Why can you break the sealing talisman?!" Idiot Dad Minato made his entrance. He had just been thinking that his son should have grown into a handsome young man by now, only to find a little brat doing the most dangerous thing imaginable.

"Who are you? I'm going to open the seal and let him out."

"Huh, huh, huh??" Minato's eyes turned gray-white like something out of a comic, his mouth hanging wide open. In his daze, he failed to notice Naruto had not stopped. Naruto gathered Chakra in his hand and circled it over his own stomach. The cage holding the Nine-Tails opened as well. Naruto found it strange. The Nine-Tails had only told him how to form the Hand Seals, but the method felt familiar, as if it had been imprinted in his mind long ago. He performed it with astonishing ease, and the tiny amount of Chakra he had was just enough.

"All right, it's open."

"Hey, Fourth, I'm not dreaming, am I? The seal seems to have been opened." The Nine-Tails stretched out a claw. The iron gate that had bound it was indeed gone, meaning it could leave at any time.

"It's a dream. It has to be a dream. I refuse to believe it." Minato clutched his head and wailed, practically on the verge of tears.

"Nine-Tails, you're strong, right? Hurry and come out with me. With your power, I'm sure I can live better. Come on, let's go smash up those guys' shops on the market street." Completely unaware of the gravity of the situation, Naruto walked into the Nine-Tails' "cage," climbed onto its head in a few quick moves, and tugged its ears as he spoke.

"Smash... smash shops? Why?"

"To get revenge." Though Naruto called it revenge, there was not the slightest hatred in his eyes—only a faint smile.

"Naruto, look what you've done! What is wrong with you?" Minato became furious. The seal he and his wife had painstakingly set up had been broken just like that, and Naruto was even declaring that he would take revenge on the villagers.

"Fourth, look at this." The Nine-Tails flung Naruto off its head, then activated the Mirror Jutsu and played Naruto's memories of being beaten most severely over the past few days, including the scene of Naruto jumping from the building.

"How...? My intention was for him to become Konoha's hero for sealing you away, loved by the village. Then, after growing up, he would use your power to become the next inheritor of the Will of Fire." The word betrayal slammed heavily into Minato's heart. Everything he and his wife had done for the village had resulted in Naruto being treated like this. The Third Hokage definitely had not told the villagers Naruto's identity. It seemed he had even added fuel to the fire, making the villagers hate Naruto even more.

"Nine-Tails, hurry and come out with me. With your power, I can definitely live better. Come on, come on." On the other side, Naruto climbed onto the Nine-Tails' head again, still urging it to leave.

"Get off, you brat." Growing impatient with Naruto eagerly climbing onto its head again, the Nine-Tails swept him down with one tail. Minato hurriedly caught him.

"Naruto, I... I'm sorry." Minato held his son painfully close. To him, Naruto's jump from the building had been caused by despair over his life. He had almost indirectly driven his son to death. The thought made Minato's heart ache as though it were being stabbed by a blade.

"Hey, don't chicken out. You've been locked up for so long—you really want to get out, right? Hey!" Naruto was extremely dissatisfied with the fox, which covered its eyes and pretended to sleep.

"Kid, this is Konoha. If I go out, I'll definitely be attacked. The Third Hokage is still alive. If he risks his life to seal me again, he'll definitely use an even stronger seal. Wait until you leave the village, then I'll come out." The Nine-Tails lifted an eyelid to glance at Naruto, then closed it again after speaking.

"That makes sense. But everyone in this village hates me. Maybe I'll die one day, so you should get out quickly. Don't let my death drag you down." Naruto nodded, then remembered his own circumstances and spoke miserably.

"That's enough, Naruto. Stop talking." Minato hugged Naruto tighter. His son had wanted to kill himself at only four years old. One could imagine what kind of treatment Naruto had suffered.

"But the grandmother who always took care of me died, and the people in the village hate me so much..."

"You still have me. You have Mother too. Your Mother is here as well, but she buried her Chakra deeper. She'll appear later."

"You're my Dad? But didn't you both die?" Naruto did not quite understand what Minato meant and asked groggily.

"Impure World Reincarnation. It's a ninja technique that can revive the dead..." Minato sighed and explained a Forbidden Jutsu he had once seen.

To be honest, he had not wanted Naruto to learn such a Forbidden Jutsu. Even if he learned it, the dead summoned would have no consciousness, merely ordinary walking corpses. Besides, before dying, Minato had used the Reaper Death Seal and permanently sold his soul to the Reaper, leaving him unable to reincarnate after death. But he never could have imagined that, in the future, someone named Orochimaru would develop Impure World Reincarnation into something terrifying.

"Really? As long as I learn it, I can see Dad and Mother, right? I understand!" Naruto finally had a glimmer of anticipation for the future. He solemnly promised that he would absolutely learn it.

"Naruto, even though it's unfair, I still hope you won't resent the people of the village. After that disaster, many people were left with scars in their hearts. What they did was only an outlet for their fear. I know this is deeply unfair to you. Dad failed you."

"It's no big deal. If that's what Dad wants, I'll do it properly. I'll make everyone in the village acknowledge me!"

"Naruto, you can't tell anyone that the Nine-Tails has been unsealed. Not even the Third Hokage." After seriously warning Naruto, Minato sent him out.

"Fourth, you're letting your own son learn a Forbidden Jutsu. No matter how I look at it, that's not something a Hokage should do."

"Nine-Tails, as you can see, I'm only a collection of Chakra. I'm about to disappear, but I'm really worried about Naruto. Could you lend me a little of your Chakra?"

"What did you say?! You sealed me inside this brat, and now you're asking to borrow Chakra from me? Shameless human!" All nine of the Nine-Tails' tails stood straight up as it looked ready to pounce and tear Minato apart.

"I'm begging you!" Minato dropped to his knees and heavily slammed his head to the ground. At that moment, he was neither the Fourth Hokage nor the Yellow Flash—only a father worried about his child.

"Tch. Crushing a Chakra clone isn't interesting. I'd rather crush your real body." The Nine-Tails suddenly thought that Naruto would be disappointed if he came in next time and could not see Minato. Friend... that brat seemed to have said something like that. Shaking its head to throw away those pointless thoughts, it extended one tail into Minato's back and continuously transferred Chakra into him.

"Thank you, Nine-Tails."

Thud. Naruto's body crashed heavily into a stall, smashing countless fruits.

"I'm still alive. That's great."

"Not great at all! You damn monster, you smashed my merchandise!" A burly man came out of the shop and roared at the Watermelons Naruto had smashed all over the ground.

"I'm sorry!" Naruto was about to turn and run, but he suddenly remembered what he had told Minato. He resolutely stopped, then turned to face the people on the street who glared at him with hatred.

"Starting today, I won't run away anymore! I'll make all of you acknowledge me! I'm going to become Hokage!!!" Naruto climbed onto a table by the street, raised both hands toward the sky, and shouted.

"What are you bragging about, you monster? Just go die!" The villagers were moved by Naruto's childish voice, then picked up vegetables, slippers, and stools and threw them at him.

"Looks like talking really is useless!" Naruto had long trained himself to dodge garbage. He swiftly evaded the flying objects, climbed onto a rooftop, and fled.

The empty house was still the same: a useless little room that smelled of nothing but instant noodles. Naruto lay on his bed, carefully thinking back on everything that had happened today. Being able to see his father had been wonderful.

Bang. After Naruto fell asleep, a figure suddenly appeared in the room. The Third Hokage held a pipe in his mouth as he looked at Naruto on the bed, then glanced around. It had only lasted for an instant, but he had definitely sensed the Nine-Tails' Chakra just now.

"Dad..." Just as he was about to inspect the seal, he heard Naruto muttering in his sleep. His outstretched hand froze in midair. The Third Hokage sighed and disappeared from the room.