Naruto Is A Bit Too Sunny

"Don't disturb my fishing..."

Even a fisherman has a fisherman's fury.

Especially for a child who relied on fishing to supplement his meat intake, seeing the school of fish that had finally gathered by the riverside scattered was enough to make Naruto want to curse.

But when Naruto looked up and saw Youhu standing there with a sword, and the terrifying white mask on the other's face, Naruto's bravado instantly withered.

Seeing the wild boar that had been killed by a single strike of Youhu's sword, he trembled even more in fear.

"Am I going to die too?"

The thought popped into Naruto's mind. He was unpopular at school, disliked and shunned by villagers on the street, and labeled with the nickname Demon Fox by children his own age.

He didn't care about any of that; at worst, he would just get revenge later, or if he couldn't win, he would go home and cry by himself.

But he really didn't want to die. He was still just a child, and he didn't want to die before he could even become a ninja.

Someone who could kill a wild boar in one blow must be incredibly strong. He would surely be finished off with a single sword strike, too. Who on earth would pay money to take the life of a child like him?

How truly wicked.

"..."

Youhu knew the blonde child was Uzumaki Naruto, and he also knew that Naruto was the son of the Fourth Hokage and the village's Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

However, he pretended not to know Naruto's identity. He had stepped forward to kill the wild boar attacking Naruto purely to leave a good impression on him, making it easier to fabricate lies regarding Naruto in the future.

Yet, after he had rescued Naruto with the speed of lightning, Naruto looked completely terrified.

Was his white mask really that scary?

Youhu walked over to Naruto and patted him on the shoulder. "Listen here, brat, are you deaf? Don't stay in such dangerous places at night from now on."

It's a ninja from the village. I don't have to die?

Only then did Naruto snap out of his daze. He looked at Youhu in front of him; the man indeed bore the mark of the village. Had he really been saved from the wild boar?

"This uncle, was it you who saved me?"

"Otherwise? Did you think I was here to kill you? Of course, if you want to die, I won't stop you. See that wild boar over there? You can go over and perish together with it."

"No thanks, I don't want to die yet."

Naruto shook his head repeatedly.

Upon learning that Youhu was not a ninja sent to kill him, he felt that even Youhu's mask began to look kind and benevolent. Although he couldn't tell the ninja uncle's age, he seemed like a pretty good guy.

"Then what are you doing here?"

"I came over to fish. I didn't get enough to eat for dinner."

Naruto's stomach let out a loud gurgle, and he revealed an embarrassed smile.

Youhu dragged the wild boar over, kicked it toward Naruto, and said, "Did you bring any salt? This wild boar is yours. Don't come out this late anymore; it's dangerous here."

"Got it..." Looking at the wild boar in front of him, Naruto wore a face full of happy smiles.

At this moment, Kakashi walked over. He looked at the expectant Naruto, then glanced at Youhu, who was busy dressing the boar, as if waiting for an explanation.

"Captain, I saw this kid run into some danger just now, so I stepped in to help him out."

Youhu continued to process the boar as he spoke, "But it's not for nothing. We'll eat some roast pork together in a bit, and after we're full, we'll send this brat back to the village."

Kakashi was noncommittal about this and began to gather firewood nearby.

Patrol missions are important, but there is nothing more important than protecting the Jinchuriki, especially at a time when that masked man is lurking about. Protecting the Jinchuriki is the top priority of priorities.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Youhu went over to Naruto's side and began to chat with him, one sentence at a time.

Seeing that Youhu was willing to talk to him, Naruto opened his heart and spoke of his experiences since he could remember, which could pretty much be described as miserable.

Half an hour later, Youhu had cut the wild boar into pieces and placed them over the fire to roast.

Kakashi pulled Youhu to the side and questioned him with a gloomy face, "Youhu, why did you act on your own just now without listening to my orders? Do you have any idea what kind of consequences that could trigger?"

Youhu looked at Kakashi, his face showing confusion.

"The Guard Division's duty is to protect the villagers. I assumed the Anbu was the same."

Kakashi stared at Youhu, his tone turning cold, "I'm talking about his identity. He is the village's Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. I don't believe you Uchiha didn't know that."

"If the high officials find out you've been in contact with the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, they will surely punish you severely."

It was precisely because Kakashi saw the shadow of Obito in Youhu that he was so angry. He didn't want Youhu to be punished by the Hokage, nor did he want to intensify the conflict between the Uchiha and the village.

"So Naruto is the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. No wonder you're so worked up, Captain..."

"But I'm just an ordinary Chunin, and I've already offended Clan Head Fugaku. It doesn't matter if I interact with the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. Lord Hokage isn't that petty of a person."

Youhu said with a light chuckle, his attitude one of complete indifference.

At this moment, Youhu seemed to remember something and changed the subject, "But Captain Kakashi, don't you think Naruto is a bit strange? I feel like his state of mind is a bit off."

Hearing this, Kakashi glanced at Naruto in the distance. He didn't feel there was any problem.

"Is there a problem with Naruto? I see him eating quite happily. He doesn't seem to have any worries, and he's just as cheerful as the other children in the village."

"Captain Kakashi, don't you think the fact that Naruto is always smiling and cheerful is the biggest problem of all?"

Youhu shook his head, his expression solemn as he said:

"I just asked around about Naruto's experiences. He has no parents and is bullied by villagers and his peers every single day, yet he has always maintained an optimistic and positive attitude."

"Our parents sacrificed themselves too. Think about when we were Naruto's age—could you have smiled as happily as he does?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Kakashi fell into silence, thinking back to his own experiences in his youth.

After his father died due to rumors, he had been depressed for three whole years, treating himself as nothing more than a ninja tool to execute missions. It wasn't until he joined Teacher Minato's team that he began to turn things around, step by step.

Naruto's optimistic and positive demeanor truly did make him feel a bit strange.

Naruto didn't seem like a child who had suffered through hardships; instead, he seemed more like a mature ninja who had seen through everything. This gave him a chilling feeling deep down.

Youhu noticed Kakashi's expression and sighed, saying:

"Captain Kakashi, this kid is honestly a bit too sunny. I'm starting to wonder if he's ever been controlled by an Illusion Technique."

"Naruto has been controlled by an Illusion Technique?"

Kakashi was startled, but after activating his Sharingan to take a look, he didn't find anything unusual about Naruto. He realized that Youhu was likely spreading baseless rumors again.

Kakashi frowned and retorted:

"Naruto being controlled by an Illusion Technique? I think it's you who's been controlled by one. I've never met many Uchiha like you."

Youhu shrugged.

"Captain Kakashi, please don't resort to personal attacks. I was just throwing out a guess. If you don't believe me, then forget it. Maybe Naruto really is just a natural-born optimist."

"Let's head back and have some barbecue with Naruto."

Hearing the phrase "just throwing out a guess," Kakashi instinctively felt uneasy. This guy Youhu had a terrifyingly strong intuition. Could there really be something unclean clinging to Naruto?

Or perhaps, was Naruto being affected by the Nine-Tails Chakra?