After Sora left, Naruto and Jiraiya also said goodbye to the old monk and set off on a new journey. They arrived at a small village on the border of the Land of Fire.
As soon as they entered the village, Naruto and Jiraiya saw a little boy being bullied by a group of older boys. They heard the boys jeer, "Why is a monster like you still in this village? Get out!" "Yeah, hurry up and leave, you monster!" "Get lost!"
The boys kept hurling insults at the little boy and throwing stones at him. He could only clutch his head and cry, desperately trying to dodge the stones. But there were far too many, and he looked so weak that he could not avoid them at all. Soon, his head was split open and bleeding.
Seeing the little boy bleeding, the stone-throwing boys burst into triumphant laughter. That laughter grated on Naruto's ears, reminding him against his will of what he had suffered in Konoha as a child. He looked at the adults around them, who turned a blind eye as though this was nothing worth their concern. Not one showed the slightest pity for the little boy. All they showed was disgust and rejection.
Finally unable to watch any longer, Naruto walked over. "What's wrong with you? Does ganging up on someone younger than you really make you that happy? You're trash."
The boys stopped when they saw someone standing up for the child. But when they realized Naruto was only about their age and was alone, their courage returned. One of them said, "This is our business. It's got nothing to do with an outsider like you. Get lost." Then he threw the stone in his hand at Naruto.
Naruto reached out and easily caught the