Having instinctively glossed over the embarrassing bits about being "worthy of him," "marrying him," and being "the canon couple," Hinata told Hiashi how Naruto had rescued her, chased off the bad guys, encouraged her to cheer up and stay strong, and walked her home...
Seeing Hinata's cheeks flushed and her eyes sparkling, with none of her earlier timidity, Hiashi felt momentarily dazed.
This had to be... an illusion, right? Yes, exactly, an illusion. The child was only three years old.
After Hinata finished, Hiashi didn't tell her to stay away from the blond boy. He only reminded her, "Don't go wandering off by yourself anymore. If you want to go out, tell someone in the family and have an adult take you."
With an adult watching over her, Hinata shouldn't have any chance to spend time with that blond.
Hinata returned to her usual timid self and nodded weakly.
What a headache. Hiashi rubbed his temples and sighed. "Hinata, don't let your uncle's sacrifice go to waste..."
The new year arrived, and Naruto's grand money-making venture entered deep waters and suffered a serious setback.
The fruit shop owner fired the first shot in the resistance against Naruto.
"Demon Fox brat, you could sit outside my shop until the end of time, and I still wouldn't give in to you!"
His entire family had died in the Nine-Tails Incident, leaving him as the only one left.
The fruit shop owner held a deep grudge against Naruto, whom he blamed for all of it. He would rather let his shop go under than surrender to him.
His defiant stand united the other merchants who had lost family in the Nine-Tails Incident.
"Well said! We support you! We absolutely can't let that brat keep acting so smug... We won't give in either!"
They refused to apologize, refused to pay compensation, and even refused to sell Naruto anything.
They hated Naruto more than they cared about money. If they could make his life miserable, then even if their shops went under, it would be well worth it.
But the result was completely unexpected.
The resisters' shops didn't go under. Instead, business boomed more with every passing day. Villagers flocked to shop there, even forming long queues, like the place was a popular photo-op.
The villagers gloated, "Brat, we know what you're up to. You can forget about getting your way. The longer you sit here, the more we'll support the shopkeeper..."
The villagers despised Naruto for using their hatred to pressure merchants into apologizing and paying compensation, then pocketing a hefty sum.
They wanted Naruto to suffer and live in misery. That was the only thing that would satisfy them.
They couldn't stand the thought of Naruto living a carefree, happy life while they unknowingly helped him along.
It made them sick.
So the villagers had long since come up with the idea of doing the opposite and making Naruto miserable instead.
Unfortunately, the earlier merchants had been too spineless. The villagers hadn't even had time to support them before they caved.
Now a merchant with a backbone had finally appeared, and they were thrilled. They hurried over to support the shopkeeper.
Dig in! Keep digging in! Don't let up! We'll back you all the way!
When Naruto moved on to sit outside another shop, the villagers followed and queued up there too. The shopkeeper's business soared, earning him a tidy profit.
The merchants who'd been holding back watched enviously. They could punish the hated Demon Fox and make money at the same time. They were in!
"We hate the Demon Fox too. Come buy your things at our shop!"
They all joined the wave of resistance against Naruto, including the merchants who had already caved and apologized.
They wouldn't sell him a single grain of rice. They didn't even have any expired food, as if they wanted to starve Naruto to death.
The resistance spread like a tidal wave. With so many people joining in, it even turned into a competition.
If you didn't oppose Naruto wholeheartedly, you might as well not oppose him at all.
Just refusing to sell him things wasn't enough. They had to curse him with all their might. But even that wasn't enough; some were even considering getting physical...
Bang! Bang! Bang!
But after Naruto's lesson with the rocks, the merchants remembered his background—and the Anbu protecting him...
They needed to make money, but they also needed to live long enough to spend it.
The merchants gave up on the idea of getting physical. They didn't dare curse Naruto to his face, either, so they could only curse him behind his back and spread increasingly vicious rumors.
"How can there be so many people?"
Outside the dango shop, Shisui Uchiha stared in astonishment at the line stretching out to the road.
Was the place really so popular? But the last time he'd come here, it hadn't looked like this!
"There..." Uchiha Itachi, holding his little brother Sasuke Uchiha's hand, gestured for Shisui to look toward the shop entrance.
The blond kid was sitting outside the dango shop, carving something. He looked focused and serious, completely ignoring the disgusted, cold stares from the people in the queue beside him.
"That boy..."
Sasuke looked at Naruto, and a strange feeling welled up inside him. Naruto instinctively raised his head, and their eyes met.
The little brat?!
The two beside him... The one with the tear-trough lines must be Itachi, and the one with the dango-shaped nose must be Shisui Uchiha.
After figuring out who the three were, Naruto didn't think much of it. He nodded to them in greeting, then lowered his head and continued carving his wife.
This time, he'd chosen a busty one: Raiden Shogun.
The three Uchiha were momentarily stunned when Naruto greeted them.
"This child..."
Shisui knew who he was. In fact, most ninja did, since Naruto's identity wasn't much of a secret.
But any ninja with even a little sense knew that Naruto was their village's Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and had to be treated with caution. Only ordinary people with something wrong in their heads didn't realize it.
After thinking for a moment, Shisui asked, "Is the good business here connected to him?"
He'd just returned from a mission outside the village and didn't know what had been happening.
Itachi nodded. "The villagers hate him. Whichever shop he sits outside ends up doing well."
Shisui didn't understand. "But what's the necessary connection between those things?"
Couldn't you explain it a little more clearly?
Itachi didn't keep him in suspense and briefly explained the reason.
Sasuke was still confused. He wondered what a Demon Fox was and why everyone hated him so much.
Shisui's expression darkened. "Hasn't the village done anything about this?"
A Jinchuriki was a village's most important asset. It was bad enough that they weren't treating him well, but they were also subjecting him to a prolonged cold shoulder. Had they taken a few pounds of stupid pills?
Itachi sighed softly. "The village... may have other plans."
As devoted sons of Konoha, Itachi and Shisui cared more about the village's interests than the Hokage did. They wanted to change the Jinchuriki's unwanted situation.
But—
The two exchanged a glance and couldn't help smiling bitterly.
Ever since the Nine-Tails Incident, "Uchiha must not get involved in the affairs of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki" had become an ironclad rule in Konoha.
Even though the Third Hokage trusted them greatly, they were no exception.
Besides, the Uchiha could barely look after themselves, and they didn't have the energy to get involved.
Sasuke grew impatient. He tugged at Itachi's hand. "Brother, are we still going to eat dango?"
Itachi smiled. "No, let's go somewhere else."
They didn't know any better, but making money by bullying a child was still pretty disgusting.
Shisui agreed. "Let's go somewhere else. It's my treat."
Before you continue