On the Cultivation of an Actor

At the time, Naruto had assumed that, at worst, he would be isolated, alienated, and face a slightly difficult life. After all, he was the orphan of the Fourth Hokage, wasn't he? Even if his identity couldn't be publicized for certain reasons, many in the upper echelons surely knew who he was. There were plenty of Hidden Leaf Village ninjas who had once been cared for by the Fourth Hokage. As the son of the Fourth Hokage and the current Nine-Tails Jinchuriki—the equivalent of a sole, designated nuclear weapon in a major power from his past life—his life should have been manageable, at the very least.

It shouldn't have devolved into such a miserable state, right?

However, Naruto was disappointed. The life he had led over these past five years had far exceeded his worst expectations.

In the Hidden Leaf Village, where even an orphan from another village could enjoy a family-like warmth as long as they weren't a spy (at least on the surface), Naruto had been subjected to inhumane treatment. He was reviled, isolated, and lacked normal, stable provisions. Often, he had to forage for wild vegetables in the forests on the eastern side of the village or catch fish and shrimp in the streams just to fill his stomach. That alone showed just how difficult his life had been over these five years.

Naruto couldn't help but wonder if the high-ranking leaders of the Hidden Leaf Village had lost their minds.

Even setting aside his status as the Fourth Hokage's orphan.

Just considering that he was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

Did the village not fear that by acting this way, they would cause Naruto to harbor resentment and seek revenge against the Hidden Leaf Village in the future?

And, to be fair.

Setting all of that aside.

After experiencing such a childhood, Naruto couldn't fathom how the original protagonist had grown up to constantly spout lines like, "I will inherit the Will of Fire," "I will become Hokage," "I will protect everyone in the Hidden Leaf Village," and "I want others to acknowledge me."

It felt like a cruel joke played by the heavens.

By any normal person's logic, that just didn't make sense, did it?

At that moment.

Naruto truly doubted whether the original protagonist had been brain-dead.

How could anyone be such a fool?

Calling the original protagonist a "naive idiot" was putting it lightly.

Of course, the Naruto of this life wouldn't care whether the original was a saint, a martyr, influenced by the chakra inheritance of Asura, or simply controlled by that damned old man Shimura Danzo using Shisui's exclusive Mangekyo Sharingan technique—Kotoamatsukami—after the Uchiha clan massacre.

The current Naruto wouldn't be foolish enough to talk about gaining others' acknowledgment, becoming Hokage, or protecting the Hidden Leaf Village.

To him, that was a colossal joke.

Survive!

Then, take revenge!

These were the goals Naruto wanted to achieve most.

Not just against those outside the village, but certain people within the village were also his targets.

Yet, Naruto was well aware that until he had true self-preservation capabilities, these thoughts were nothing but pipe dreams. He couldn't even let a shred of such intent or emotion show.

Because once it was detected.

Naruto believed that he wouldn't even need that venomous scum Shimura Danzo to act; even the seemingly gentle and kind Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, would eliminate him without hesitation. For the sake of so-called "greater good" and the overall interests and peace of the Hidden Leaf Village, that old man was capable of doing anything and sacrificing anyone. Even if Naruto were the Fourth Hokage's orphan, the Third Hokage would kill him without a second thought. In the eyes of the Third Hokage, the safety of the Hidden Leaf Village was paramount, surpassing everything else; nothing could compare to it or be traded for it.

Therefore, Naruto knew clearly that he had to learn to disguise himself. Perhaps he could take certain steps a bit faster, but in terms of personality, dreams, and ideology, it was best to maintain a high degree of alignment with the original.

Not to mention that the Third Hokage would come to "visit" and "care for" him from time to time.

Just the Anbu members constantly monitoring his surroundings were enough.

Naruto knew he had to maintain the professionalism expected of an actor at all times.

As for why Naruto could detect those Anbu.

Perhaps it was a small perk brought by his transmigration.

Since he was young, Naruto had discovered his perception was incredibly sharp, especially toward malicious gazes. After he was able to refine chakra, this perception became extremely clear. Even when the Third Hokage observed him using the Telescope Technique, Naruto would feel a faint sensation. It wasn't obvious, but whenever that slight sense of dissonance surfaced in the depths of his mind, Naruto knew the Third Hokage was watching him. The same went for the Anbu. Of course, limited by his currently weak strength, his perception was poor in both range and, especially, precision. However, because Naruto was only a five-year-old child, those Anbu didn't use very advanced concealment techniques while monitoring him, which was one of the reasons he could discover them.

And even if he discovered them, Naruto still had to act as if everything were normal.

He absolutely could not expose any strange aura or movement.

Only that stubborn Third Hokage could protect him before he grew strong enough; on this point, Naruto was clearer than anyone.

In the original story, it seemed the Third Hokage only withdrew the Anbu monitoring Naruto after he officially became a ninja. While this was partly because Kakashi became his instructor, it was also because, after twelve years of observation, the Third Hokage had finally put his mind at ease regarding Naruto.

Therefore, until he became a ninja, and even more so until he possessed the strength to protect himself, he had to maintain the lowest possible profile.

As for his future path.

Naruto already had a very clear plan.

He just had to wait for the necessary moment to execute it. For now.

"I'll just take it one step at a time and slowly build my foundation."

While eating his lunch, Naruto pondered his plans for the coming period. In the next two or three years, once he could move about independently, his top priority would be to train his body and figure out how to better fill his stomach to ensure proper nutrition. Thanks to the people of the Hidden Leaf Village, his diet since childhood had been severely lacking in both quality and quantity. This forced Naruto to be self-reliant; whether it was foraging for wild vegetables or catching fish and shrimp, the thing Naruto had done most over these five years was replenish the necessary nutrients for his body.

Why was the Naruto from the original story so short?

It was because of malnutrition from a young age.

A ninja's body was the source of their power.

On this point.

Naruto was very clear.

And now, having just turned five years old.

Naruto could finally guarantee the intake of necessary nutrients.

The next priority, naturally, was to begin true fundamental ninja training.

Not long ago, Naruto had just successfully refined his chakra.

This meant that Naruto had already taken the most solid first step as a ninja.

"Next, let's start training."

After finishing lunch and tidying up a bit, Naruto pushed open the door.

He once again followed the path along the street, heading toward the forest in the eastern part of the village. For the past two or three years, Naruto had been picking wild vegetables, wild fruits, and catching fish and shrimp there. Because of the presence of fierce beasts, the average villager generally would not go near that place.

Although Naruto had not refined chakra before and was just an ordinary child, he knew he was being watched by the Anbu, so he had absolutely no need to worry about such things.