At this moment, Mizuki's words continued, each one stabbing into Naruto's heart like a sharpened blade.
"Ever since then, there has been an unspoken rule in the village." Mizuki's smile grew increasingly twisted, vicious light gleaming in his eyes. He deliberately drew out his words, savoring the pleasure of watching his prey slowly fall into despair.
"A rule?" Naruto's azure eyes were filled with confusion, his fingers unconsciously clutching the corner of his clothes. He could feel the cold sweat on his back soaking through his shirt, and an unprecedented terror seized his heart. Why... why had everyone always looked at him with such disgust? Why did the villagers' curses after every prank always contain words like "monster"?
Mizuki suddenly leaned forward, his grotesque face full of mockery. "But Naruto, you're the only one who knows nothing about it." His deliberately lowered voice carried a sickening smugness. "Like livestock being raised in a pen, living in lies until the moment before slaughter."
"What? Why am I the only one who doesn't know? What kind of rule is it?" Naruto's voice began to tremble. Though he had long been used to being isolated, the truth deliberately hidden from him still filled him with rage.
"Hehehe..." Mizuki let out a chilling sneer, as grating as fingernails scraping across glass. He deliberately paused for several seconds, savoring the pain on Naruto's face.
"What exactly is this rule?" Naruto fought back the surging emotions within him, his voice already thick with tears.
"The rule is that no one must ever mention that you're the Demon Monkey." Mizuki sneered, every word striking Naruto's heart like a heavy hammer.
"Huh? You... what did you say?" Naruto was struck dumb, his whole body frozen in place. His mind went blank, leaving only the roaring rush of blood