The light suddenly dimmed. It was only early afternoon, when the sun should have been at its brightest, yet an inexplicable chill filled the room.
The windows were shut and the curtains drawn, which was why the house seemed so dark.
The fat woman who had brought him here had already left. Naruto could hear her footsteps retreating, along with her low muttering.
"Finally got rid of that damn demon fox. I'll be able to sleep well from now on. Honestly, Lord Third Hokage, why did he send it to us in the first place?"
Her words came in fragments, but based on what Naruto knew of that fat woman, he could guess most of it.
She was afraid of him. Naruto knew that. In fact, she was not the only one—many people were afraid of him. Aside from the children his age at the orphanage, but unfortunately, the adults had forbidden those children from playing with him as well.
So even now, he did not have a single friend. He did not know why the adults called him a "demon fox." He did not even know what "demon fox" meant.
He only knew that he hated that name.
"From today on, I'll be living alone..." Naruto got to his feet and picked up the key beside him, putting it away. It was the key to this house; he had just seen the fat woman use it to open the door.
Then he walked farther into the room and pulled open the curtains. Blinding sunlight immediately flooded inside. He hurriedly covered his eyes and began coughing loudly.
The house had been unoccupied for too long, and the curtains were coated in thick dust. As he pulled them aside, the dust filled the air and, caught unprepared, he breathed it in.