Encountering Naruto

"Slurp, slurp."

The noodles were wonderfully springy, and the broth was deliciously rich.

Bowl after bowl disappeared. Danzo's body was that of a ninja, and with its high consumption came a considerable appetite.

At the little noodle stall, Teuchi occasionally exchanged a few pleasantries with the customers, creating a harmonious atmosphere. Danzo did not join them, instead focusing seriously on the ramen in his bowl.

"Jingle, jingle."

The curtain was lifted, and a familiar Aura came from behind him, making Danzo's hand holding the chopsticks tremble slightly.

"It's Naruto." When Teuchi saw the newcomer, his expression stiffened. He glanced at Danzo, who was silently eating his noodles, then forced a smile and greeted Naruto.

Silence.

The customers who had been laughing and chatting suddenly fell quiet. After turning to look at the pitiful figure standing at the entrance, their faces darkened, and they hurriedly paid their bills and left.

The once-lively noodle stall was suddenly left with only Danzo and Naruto, who stood behind him at a loss.

"Uncle Teuchi, did I cause you trouble again?" Naruto's childish voice carried a sob. He had never cried when others bullied him.

But Uncle Teuchi treated him very well, and yet he had caused him to lose business. Naruto cared deeply about that.

But he was simply too hungry.

"No, no. How could that be? What would little Naruto like to eat today?" A trace of heartache flashed across Teuchi's face as he hurriedly invited Naruto to sit down.

Others might not know Naruto's identity, but how could Teuchi, who had been in Konoha for years and had connections everywhere, not know?

Yet the more he knew, the more pity he felt for Naruto.

Naruto cautiously glanced at Danzo, who was still at the stall, then kept several steps away from him and went to the other side of the noodle stand.

"I found an Ichiraku Ramen voucher at the entrance today!"

Naruto excitedly sat down, holding up a slip of paper with his tiny arm.

Teuchi silently took the slip from Naruto's hand and said with a smile, "All right, all right. This voucher can be used three times. Today is the first time, so I'll keep track of the remaining two for you."

"Ayame, Naruto's here!" Teuchi called toward the back of the stall, where his daughter had been preparing ingredients.

"Why did you only come now, you little brat?" Ayame walked out from the kitchen and called out in dissatisfaction.

Had the little guy finally noticed the voucher she had left at the entrance?

To make sure he could eat while preserving his pride, Ayame had thought for a long time before coming up with the voucher idea.

There was also a trace of heartache in her eyes.

No more customers entered the noodle stall, and it became quiet.

Teuchi took the chance to rest as well. He carried over a stool and sat beside Naruto, listening to him talk about the interesting things that had happened to him.

The two of them listened to Naruto attentively, but it was easy to tell that every interesting story Naruto told involved only himself.

Danzo said nothing. He lowered his head and ate his noodles while paying attention to Naruto's words.

His expression was calm, but he felt somewhat distressed inside.

This matter had left a deep impression in the memories of the original owner. Danzo knew exactly why Naruto was in his current situation.

Although Naruto was chatting with Teuchi and Ayame, his eyes occasionally drifted toward Danzo.

This uncle did not seem to have that kind of malice.

Naruto thought this and could not help looking at Danzo again.

Noticing Naruto's gaze, Danzo raised his head and met those azure-blue eyes.

Clear and pure.

When Danzo looked at him, Naruto was like a startled fawn. He quickly turned away, pretending he had not been sneaking glances.

Ayame also noticed that the man she had called uncle earlier had not distanced himself because of Naruto's identity.

She could not help looking at Danzo curiously.

Seeing Danzo staring expressionlessly at Naruto, Teuchi awkwardly smiled and stepped in front of Danzo, blocking his line of sight. "Old friend, if you've finished your noodles, shouldn't you settle the bill?"

He was worried that Danzo might be like those people outside and harbor bad intentions toward Naruto.

This old friend had already been a jonin when he was young. His current status was probably anything but ordinary.

Naruto had a bad reputation in the village, but he truly was a good child.

Was he being chased away?

Danzo looked at Teuchi's awkward expression, frowned, and sighed inwardly once more.

Since arriving in this world, he had indeed stopped taking the blame for Sarutobi, but he still had to bear the sins committed by the original owner of this body.

Strictly speaking, he and Naruto were actually enemies.

But Naruto was different from everyone else. If anything happened to him, the future of the entire ninja world would undergo earth-shaking changes.

That was clearly not a change Danzo wanted to see.

Since he could not act and nip their hatred in the bud, he had to find a way to turn hostility into friendship—or at least leave a good impression in Naruto's young heart.

Danzo stood up. Ignoring Teuchi's attempt to stop him, he walked step by step toward Naruto and looked at this Children of Heroes who had suffered because of the original owner.

Danzo's gaze and approach clearly made Naruto nervous. He hurriedly waved his hands. "S-sorry, I wasn't trying to look at you."

Naruto's nervous and timid behavior made Danzo's heart tighten again. He quickly reached out and stroked Naruto's golden hair, saying gently, "Don't be nervous."

"Your name is Uzumaki Naruto, right?"

Naruto's previously fearful body suddenly froze, and he stared blankly at Danzo.

The warmth from his hair and the smile on the man's face gave him an inexplicable sense of warmth, making him want to draw closer to Danzo.

"Yes! My name is Uzumaki Naruto!"

It was the first time someone had taken the initiative to speak to him. Naruto answered carefully, neither too loudly nor too softly.

Danzo withdrew his hand from Naruto's head, sat beside him, and continued, "I've heard of you. The monster of the village. No one is willing to play with you."

It sounded like an offhand remark, but it deeply pierced Naruto's heart.

"Danzo!" Teuchi growled.

Perhaps because Naruto had sensed that Danzo's attitude toward him was different from everyone else's, the harsh words hurt him far more than they would have coming from anyone else.

Suppressing the pain in his heart, Naruto forced a smile and said with an ugly expression, "They're just talking nonsense. I'm not a monster."

He wanted to salvage this uncle's impression of him.

Just one more.

Just one.

If only there could be one more person who treated him well, like Uncle Teuchi and Sister Ayame.

Naruto harbored that small hope in his heart.

His voice was soft and low, yet it entered Danzo's ears clearly.

He was quite strong-willed, just a little lacking in confidence.

Then again, if he had not been strong-willed, he probably would have gone dark long ago in an environment like this.

As if he had not sensed Naruto's emotions, Danzo continued, "If you're not a monster, why doesn't anyone else like you? And from the look of you, you're obviously feeling guilty."

"Are you a monster or not?"

His expression was calm, but his words were somewhat aggressive.

Naruto looked at Danzo sitting beside him and staring intently at him. An inexplicable sadness rose in his heart. Did even this uncle, who had seemed decent, have prejudices against him?

Along with his sadness, Naruto was also confused.

Why did he have to suffer all this unfairness?