Naruto had thought that, at worst, he would be isolated and shunned, and life would be a little difficult. After all, wasn't he the Fourth Hokage's orphan? Even if they couldn't reveal his identity for certain reasons, plenty of people in the village leadership must have known who he was. More than a few Konoha ninjas had once been under the Fourth Hokage's care. As the Fourth Hokage's son—and now the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki—he was much like the sole designated nuclear weapon of some great nation in his previous life. Surely, no matter what, he should have been able to get by.
Surely things wouldn't get so miserable that he'd be reduced to this?
But Naruto had been disappointed. Everything about the past five years had far exceeded his expectations.
In Konoha, where even an orphan from another village could enjoy the warmth of a family so long as they were confirmed not to be a spy (at least, that was how things appeared on the surface), Naruto had been treated inhumanely. He was hated and isolated, with no regular, reliable support for daily necessities. Often, he even had to forage for wild vegetables in the mountains and forests east of Konoha, and catch fish and shrimp in the streams, just to fill his stomach. That should give you an idea of how hard his life had been over the past five years.
Naruto couldn't help wondering if Konoha's leaders had all lost their minds.
Even setting aside the fact that he was the Fourth Hokage's orphan—
Naruto was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
Didn't the people of Konoha worry that he would bear a grudge and take revenge on the village one day?
And honestly—
Putting all that aside for the moment—
After a childhood like this, Naruto couldn't imagine how the original Naruto had grown up and still gone around saying, "I'll inherit the Will of Fire," "I'll become Hokage," "I'll protect everyone in Konoha," and "I'll make everyone acknowledge me."
It was as if the heavens were playing some enormous joke.
No normal person would think that way, would they?
At that moment—
Naruto genuinely wondered if the original Naruto had been out of his mind.
What kind of idiot was that?
Calling him a naive fool would have been putting it mildly.
Of course, this Naruto didn't care whether the original Naruto had truly been a saint or a selfless martyr, whether he'd been influenced by the legacy of Asura Chakra, or whether that damned old bastard Shimura Danzō had controlled him with Shisui's Mangekyo-exclusive ocular technique, Kotoamatsukami, after the Uchiha Clan Massacre.
This Naruto wasn't going to stupidly say he wanted to be acknowledged by others, become Hokage, or protect Konoha.
To Naruto, that was a huge joke.
Survive!
Then take revenge!
Those were the goals Naruto wanted to achieve most.
His targets weren't only outside the village. Some people inside it were on his list, too.
But Naruto also understood that until he had the strength to protect himself, all of that was just wishful thinking. He couldn't let even the slightest hint of those intentions or emotions show.
Because if anyone noticed—
Naruto was certain that the venomous scum Danzo wouldn't even need to act. The Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, who seemed so gentle and kind, would also eliminate Naruto without hesitation. For the sake of so-called justice, and for Konoha's overall interests and peace, that old man was capable of doing anything and making any sacrifice. Even though Naruto was the Fourth Hokage's orphan, the Third Hokage would still kill him without hesitation. In Hiruzen's eyes, Konoha's safety was something that stood above all else, incomparable to and irreplaceable by anything.
So Naruto knew he had to learn to disguise himself. He could perhaps make slightly faster progress in certain areas, but in terms of personality, dreams, and thoughts, he had better remain as close to the original as possible.
It wasn't just that the Third Hokage occasionally came to "visit" and "check on" him.
Even the Anbu members constantly watching him from nearby—
Naruto knew he had to maintain an actor's composure at all times.
As for how Naruto had noticed the Anbu—
Perhaps it was one of the small perks of having crossed over.
Naruto had realized from a young age that his senses were unusually sharp, especially when it came to detecting hostile gazes. After he learned to mold chakra, that sense had become much clearer. Even when the Third Hokage watched him using the Telescope Technique, Naruto would feel the faintest stirring. It wasn't obvious, but whenever the slightest sense of something being off surfaced in his mind, Naruto knew the Third Hokage was observing him through the Telescope Technique. The same was true of the Anbu. Of course, Naruto's current weakness limited this ability; both its range and, especially, its accuracy were poor. But since Naruto was only a five-year-old child, the Anbu didn't use any particularly advanced concealment techniques while watching him. That was another reason he could detect them.
And even after noticing them, Naruto still had to act as if nothing was wrong.
He absolutely couldn't let any unusual expression or movement slip through.
Only the stubborn Third Hokage could protect him until he grew stronger. Naruto understood that better than anyone.
In the original story, it seemed the Third Hokage hadn't withdrawn the Anbu watching Naruto until he officially became a ninja. Kakashi becoming Naruto's Jonin instructor had surely played a part, but another important reason was that after observing Naruto for twelve years, the Third Hokage had finally come to trust him.
So until he became a ninja—and especially until he was strong enough to protect himself—he had to keep as low a profile as possible.
As for the road ahead—
Naruto already had a clear plan.
He just had to wait for the right moment to put it into action. For now—
I'll take it one step at a time and build a solid foundation first.
As he ate lunch, Naruto considered his plans for the coming period. During the next two or three years, once he could move around on his own, his top priorities would be training his body and figuring out how to fill his stomach and get enough nutrition. Thanks to the people of Konoha, Naruto hadn't had enough food growing up—not just in quality, but in quantity, too. That had forced him to fend for himself. Whether foraging for wild vegetables or catching fish and shrimp, most of what he'd done over the past five years had been to get the nutrients he needed.
Why had the original Naruto been so short?
Because he hadn't gotten enough nutrition growing up.
A ninja's body was the source of his strength.
Naruto understood that perfectly.
Now that he had just turned five—
He could finally say he was getting enough to eat.
The next priority, naturally, was to begin proper basic ninja training.
Not long ago, Naruto had also successfully learned to mold chakra.
That meant he had taken the firmest first step toward becoming a ninja.
"Next, it's time to train."
After lunch, he tidied up a little.
Then Naruto opened the door and once again headed down the path along the street toward the forest east of the village. For the past two or three years, he had gone there to gather wild vegetables and fruit, and to catch fish and shrimp. Because dangerous beasts roamed the area, ordinary villagers generally stayed away.
Although Naruto hadn't learned to mold chakra before and was just an ordinary child, he knew the Anbu were watching him, so he had no need to worry about that.