"Why do you always wear a mask, Naruto-kun?"
Hinata gazed curiously at Naruto's white fox mask. Did he have some special interest in masks?
"Because of some unpleasant things. It's better to wear one."
Naruto glanced at the pedestrians around them, looking thoroughly displeased.
A bunch of troublesome fools. If only...
"Unpleasant things? Naruto-kun, can you tell me what they are?"
Hinata wanted to help Naruto with his troubles.
Naruto fell silent. Hinata's gaze remained determined. After a long moment, Naruto lifted his mask.
"This is why."
When a passerby shouted "Demon Fox," the street fell silent, then descended into chaos.
Before long, a path cleared through the busy street. The pedestrians on either side pointed and whispered, looking at Naruto with coldness, disgust, and even hatred.
Hinata stared blankly. "Why... is everyone treating Naruto-kun like this?"
Her voice was tinged with sadness. As she looked around, the village she'd known all her life suddenly felt so unfamiliar.
"Probably because I throw rocks at people."
Because he had a habit of throwing rocks, Naruto's reputation was much worse than it had been in the original story.
But it didn't matter. He didn't care.
Naruto picked up a pebble from the ground and threw it at the head of the passerby who'd shouted "Demon Fox."
Thud!
A huge lump swelled on the man's head. He glared at Naruto, but didn't dare curse him out loud.
After all, the villagers had learned Naruto's rules over the years: they could say whatever they wanted behind his back, but if they insulted him to his face, they'd get pelted with rocks.
After they left the unpleasant street, Hinata was still feeling down.
Naruto took her soft little hand and smiled. "Hinata, don't worry about those things. They aren't worth it... Let's do something