Konohagakure, A Mess

The Nine-Tails' fur bristled.

Such a tiny wound should have been healed instantly by the body's self-repair.

However, the unmoving flesh and blood told the foolish fox it was dreaming.

It had to mobilize its Chakra to fill the wound.

The moment the Nine-Tails did this, it clearly realized that this annoying guy named Uzumaki Naruto before it actually possessed the power to harm it.

Moreover, what Naruto said was a fact it couldn't refute.

It really couldn't get out.

It didn't want to rack its brain anymore. It shifted back, closed its eyes, and rested its head on its crossed forearms, lying down.

The hateful fox that killed his parents was right before him, yet Naruto's anger wasn't intense. This was because he had no memories to fuel his rage, only a few words from others.

He sat down cross-legged. "Why did you kill my parents?"

The Nine-Tails ignored him.

"Do you know I had a miserable life because of you?" Naruto said, though his question sounded like a self-muttering statement.

The Nine-Tails couldn't help but open one eye slit.

Naruto continued, "If you can't give me a reasonable explanation, when my martial arts reach mastery, I will kill you."

The Nine-Tails was an amalgamation of many negative emotions, possessing a talent for sensing malice.

A killing intent, not fierce but pure and direct, was sniffed out by its twitching nose.

"Tailed Beasts are immortal."

"They can be killed."

"Immortal!"

"They can be killed!"

"How?"

"With a sword!" Naruto's eyes blazed, and his hand formed a sword shadow.

The Nine-Tails' pupils flickered, and for a fleeting moment, it doubted the very nature of immortality.

Although the doubt was quickly buried by theoretical reasoning, it planted a tiny, indelible concept in its mind.

"Answer me," Naruto asked again. "Why did you kill my parents?"

The Nine-Tails grew annoyed. Its purpose in summoning Naruto was to lure him into breaking the seal, yet now it was being interrogated repeatedly.

But the truth would only fuel Naruto's hatred, so it didn't shy away from speaking it.

It pointed to the sealing sticker and the Curse Mark. "Can I get out on my own?"

Naruto: "Don't ask me. Speak your mind, and I'll judge for myself."

The Nine-Tails' red eyes narrowed, and it spoke in a mocking tone, "A Uchiha clan member from Konoha peeled me out of your mother, used the Sharingan to control me, and killed your parents."

"Then, all of Konoha treated you like a dog and abused you throughout your childhood!"

"This! Is the truth!"

Its eyes were filled with hope, wanting to witness Naruto's pained and enraged face.

But second after second passed, and all it saw were a pair of calm, sky-blue eyes, so still they made its fur stand on end.

Naruto stepped on his reflection in the water and turned towards the pipe. "Konoha is messed up."

Outside the window, the night sky remained unchanged.

In Naruto's memory, Konoha was a place of gray tones.

The scarce light came from the few people who cared.

He tried to warm himself with their light, wanting to illuminate the world, but he never succeeded.

There were too few people who didn't dislike him, and most people were conformists, so they gradually came to dislike him too.

But he had a simple nature. Life was about living actively and finding ways to be happy.

His adoptive father admired him precisely for this.

As for the Fourth Hokage? He could only say he was a biological father he had never met.

His mother, however, had the grace of carrying him for ten months.

He remembered the kindness of one savior and one nurturer. Their memorial tablets were placed beside his adoptive father's. On holidays, he would offer three sticks of incense, and if their enemies found him, he would surely kill them.

Thus, he offered incense.

--

--

The missions for Genin were all boring chores, such as cleaning river debris or helping the wife of the Land of Fire's Daimyo find her cat.

At the end of the day, it all comes down to one thing—making money.

Ninja villages are like company platforms. After accepting a mission, they assess its difficulty and assign it to their ninjas. Remuneration is then paid according to a commission rate.

Ever since Naruto became a Genin, his orphan stipend stopped, and he became one of the countless child laborers in Konohagakure.

There's no shame in making money.

But the issue of compensation distribution is huge, very huge.

Although Kakashi is nominally their instructor, he is effectively their superior.

After accepting missions as a team, even if they do nothing, they still take fifty percent according to the Jonin commission tier.

For a typical D-rank mission with a reward of five thousand Ryo, Kakashi takes half, leaving twenty-five hundred for Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke to split.

What falls to Naruto is only a little over eight hundred Ryo. A bowl of plain ramen costs sixty Ryo, while miso chashu ramen is a whopping ninety Ryo.

He can't even dream of not starving, let alone achieving financial freedom.

At dusk, Naruto was in the market buying groceries.

His most important task right now is to grow. Every day, his wallet is emptied into his diet, but he still can't afford expensive ingredients like beef or lamb.

His efforts weren't in vain. In just two weeks, he grew a full five centimeters, reaching a height of one meter fifty-five.

After all, when he was younger, he didn't know how to cook and didn't know how to take care of himself. He was long accustomed to eating instant noodles and bread, just enough to fill his stomach.

Now, with his nutrition replenished, combined with just the right amount of exercise, and the nourishment of Chakra within his bones.

His height is growing almost daily.

With that comes smaller shoes and the need to buy new pants.

All of this costs money.

At this moment, Naruto stood by the butcher shop, staring at the clock hands.

After six o'clock, the owner would hang the discount sign, and he could buy an extra pound of pork.

Naruto glanced at the fresh red beef cubes in the icebox, shook his head, and settled his gaze on the lean pork he'd been eyeing for a long time. "It's pretty much the same. It all goes into the stomach anyway."

The owner said unceremoniously, "It's far from the same."

Naruto pretended not to hear.

Suddenly, he turned his head and looked towards the corner at the end of the market street.

His intuition told him that a faint gaze was drifting over him, different from the constant, cold surveillance.

His sudden turn of head indeed met half a face peeking out from the side of the wall, a Byakugan.

"Classmate Hinata?"

Her face instantly turned red. Hinata emerged from the corner and slowly raised her hand. "Nar... Naruto classmate."

Naruto realized who it was and felt a pang of self-reproach.

He figured Hinata must have seen an acquaintance and felt awkward passing by, wanting to wait until he finished shopping and left. But he had been lingering here waiting for the discount.

He flashed a big smile. "I'm buying groceries."

Hinata slowly lowered her hand. "Mhm... I just finished a mission and am heading home."

Naruto waved his hand casually. "Then hurry home. It's getting dark."

Hinata nodded and walked step by step behind Naruto. However, she stopped as she passed him, lowered her head, and walked to the butcher shop, pointing at the beef in the icebox. "Boss, how much is this?"

Upon seeing Hinata's Byakugan, the owner knew she was from the Hyuga clan. His smile immediately widened, and he asked respectfully, "How many pounds would you like?"

Hinata secretly glanced at Naruto, whose sleeves and pant legs were both too short. "I'll take it all."

The owner nodded repeatedly, taking the meat with his gloved hands and placing it on the scale.

With Naruto's intelligence, how could he not see Hinata's intention? She had discovered his financial predicament and wanted to help him!

As a man, he immediately shouted to stop the owner, "Boss! Stop! The discount starts in ten minutes!"

The disdain in the owner's eyes was barely concealed as he continued his work. Why would a young lady from the Hyuga clan care about a few insignificant savings from a discount?

Hinata lowered her head and said timidly, "Boss, wait... wait ten minutes."

The owner paused, looking from Hinata to Naruto.