Naruto and the Three Character Classic

Naruto Uzumaki had just turned three.

Having completed his literacy lessons as required by the Third Hokage, Naruto Uzumaki had finally received permission to go outside.

Having long grown tired of being alone, and eager to find friends to play with, Naruto excitedly ran out the door.

Everything on the street, from the pedestrians to the shops, seemed so fresh and new to Naruto.

"Is that the brat who's the incarnation of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox?"

"The Nine-Tailed Demon Fox eats people, doesn't it? I remember the Fourth Hokage was killed by him."

"How could the Third Hokage let him remain in the village? It's far too dangerous. Sooner or later, he'll get us all killed."

"Plague God."

Yet as Naruto passed by, whispers gradually rose behind him, accompanied by looks of disgust.

Although Naruto was still young, he could clearly sense the intense malice in the adults' eyes around him.

And this was not an isolated occurrence. Naruto realized that almost everyone was hostile toward him.

He went looking for the children who often appeared near his home, hoping to play with them, but they rejected him without hesitation. Their parents would not allow them to interact with Naruto.

Occasionally, a young child who did not know any better would be quickly pulled away and lectured by their parents.

Before long, those children, too, began looking at Naruto with intense disgust.

Even when he used the pocket money the Third Hokage had given him to buy daily necessities, he would be refused without hesitation and driven out of the shops.

Young Naruto did not understand why they were targeting him like this.

Clearly, he had done nothing wrong.

Perhaps there was some misunderstanding?

If there was a misunderstanding, then all he had to do was explain it.

On the street, facing the hostile, disgusted looks cast at him by the adults, Naruto spoke up and shouted with all his strength, "I'm not a Demon Fox! I'm Naruto Uzumaki! I won't eat people either!"

Naruto felt that as long as he explained himself sincerely, he could change things.

But...

It was futile.

Day after day passed. Naruto changed nothing. The looks people gave him still held intense anger and disgust, and they only grew stronger.

On a new day, after eating instant noodles, Naruto went out into the street again, once more wanting to explain himself to everyone.

But from somewhere, eggs and vegetable leaves flew toward him.

Faced with the overwhelming attack, Naruto failed to dodge. In an instant, he was buried beneath it, his entire body covered in filth.

Someone in the crowd threw a stone that struck Naruto on the head, causing sharp pain and raising a large bump on his forehead.

"Kill that Nine-Tails brat!"

"Avenge everyone! Avenge the Fourth Hokage!"

"How can a brat like that be qualified to live in our Konoha?"

Someone shouted with reddened eyes, rushing toward Naruto with a weapon in hand and cold killing intent.

As Naruto watched those grotesquely twisted faces drawing ever closer, fear filled his eyes and his chest tightened. Tears fell from the corners of his eyes as he shouted, "I really am not a Demon Fox! I'm Naruto Uzumaki!"

But no one listened to Naruto's explanation.

A long stick sliced through the air as it swung down at his head.

Naruto shut his eyes in terror.

But the pain he expected never came. Two masked shinobi stood in front of Naruto. One blocked the surging crowd, while the other held Naruto in his arms.

"I'll take Naruto back first. Hold them off."

It was nearly evening.

The Third Hokage of Konoha Hidden Village, Sarutobi Hiruzen, pushed open Naruto's front door.

When he entered the living room, he saw Naruto sitting blankly at the dining table. His expression was downcast, and he was clearly recalling what had happened during the day.

Naruto had already bathed and changed clothes, but the bump on his forehead, which had yet to fade, clearly showed that what happened today had not been an illusion.

"Naruto."

A gentle voice rang out. Naruto looked up, and his eyes immediately brightened. It was Grandpa Third Hokage!

Ever since Naruto could remember, the Third Hokage had visited him once a month, checking on his life and bringing him the next month's living expenses. He always wore a kind smile and, in Naruto's eyes, was a gentle and approachable person.

Naruto had no family. He regarded the Third Hokage as the person closest to him.

Seeing him, Naruto could not help asking aggrievedly, "Grandpa Third Hokage, am I really the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen said gently, "Naruto, you are not a Demon Fox. I have already ordered everyone not to discuss this matter anymore. What happened today will never happen again. You can go outside without worry."

Yet Naruto was not very interested. Although Sarutobi Hiruzen had given him a definite answer, he could not help doubting whether there was truth in the villagers' words.

Was he really not a Demon Fox?

Then why did they hate him so much?

"Naruto, don't overthink it. You are yourself, not a Demon Fox. Eat something and get a good night's sleep. Everything will be fine when you wake up tomorrow morning. Grow up quickly, and then you can go to the Ninja Academy.

When the time comes, you can make lots of friends. No one will want to play with you if you're always so gloomy."

Sarutobi Hiruzen saw the doubt in Naruto's heart and comforted him gently.

"Okay, I'll go eat." Naruto suddenly cheered up. He opened the refrigerator, took out instant noodles and milk, and began boiling water.

Ever since he could remember, this was how he had lived. Though he was still young, he had long learned to take care of himself.

Only then did Sarutobi Hiruzen smile and take out his pipe to light it before turning and leaving.

After Naruto finished eating, he climbed into bed and soon drifted off in a daze.

Then Naruto discovered that he had appeared in an empty, boundless space.

At that moment, he was sitting on the ground.

A book lay before him.

There was a colorful illustration on the book's cover.

Within the cover illustration were some neat, square characters. When he opened the book, there were even denser characters than those on the cover.

They were Chinese characters.

Some of these characters resembled the ones he had just learned, but they were not entirely the same. Naruto, who had only just learned to read, was completely baffled and could not understand their meaning at all.

The book seemed to sense Naruto's predicament, and the characters upon it began to change.

A moment later, those neat, square characters had completely changed into the common script of the Shinobi World that he could understand.

Only then did Naruto finally understand the meaning of the words written in the book.

Three Character Classic!