Even the Timid Longed to Grow Stronger

After finishing the grilled fish, Hiruzen Sarutobi and little Naruto sat beside the fire.

Together, they looked up at the moon and stars.

Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke. "Look at those stars up there."

Little Naruto raised his head. Hiruzen continued, "Each one of those stars is like the sun in our world."

Hiruzen turned to him. "There are so many of them, aren't there?"

Little Naruto looked bewildered. "Is the sun that big thing that comes out during the day?"

"That's right," Hiruzen replied. "Did you know this world is so vast it has no end?"

Hearing this, little Naruto gazed at the old man with newfound admiration.

"You know so much, Grandpa," little Naruto said, his face full of admiration.

Hiruzen turned to face him and spread his arms. "You know, before a world this vast..."

"Human beings are terribly small."

"And every one of those tiny people carries so many worries."

"But those worries are tiny, too."

Little Naruto studied the moon and stars.

"Really?" he said earnestly. "The world must be huge."

He gazed calmly at the sky and murmured, "It really goes on forever, doesn't it?"

"Are my mom and dad somewhere in this big world too?"

At the mention of Naruto's parents, Hiruzen's eyes slowly dimmed.

For a moment, he looked as though he were trying to avoid something.

Beside him, little Naruto noticed nothing. His eyes shone with hope.

Deep down, he kept telling himself one thing.

Someday, he would find his mom and dad.

Then he would ask them why they hadn't wanted him.

The video faded to darkness once more.

Konoha

Hokage's Office

Minato Namikaze seemed to have noticed something.

But nothing had been confirmed yet.

All he could do was wait for the Light Screen to give him an answer.

Deep down, Minato was beginning to suspect that the child named Naruto

might truly be his son.

Hiruzen Sarutobi watched his future self in the video.

He saw the guilt in those eyes and the words his future self could not bring himself to say.

Could that boy named Naruto be Minato and Kushina's son? Hiruzen wondered.

Did something happen to Minato and Kushina in the future?

But if he's their son, how could he...

How could his life be so hard? And why would the villagers treat Minato's child that way?

I don't understand.

The more Hiruzen thought about it, the more helpless he felt.

Yet he could not bring himself to voice his suspicions.

He could only wait for the Light Screen to give everyone an answer.

He wanted to understand how his student's son could have ended up living like that.

Silence fell over the Hokage's Office once more.

At home, Kushina Uzumaki had watched the child go hungry.

The sight of him struggling to eat wild grass pierced her heart.

Then there was the strange look in the Third Hokage's eyes.

Blond hair. The name Uzumaki. And he was called Naruto, too.

The more Kushina thought about it, the more her head hurt. A suffocating dread gripped her.

She wanted an answer right now.

Is that boy named Naruto really my little Naruto, who hasn't even been born yet?

Akatsuki

After seeing little Naruto's miserable childhood, Konan could not hold back. "Nagato, once that child is born..."

"Could I go to Konoha and bring him here?"

"It's too late for that, Konan," Nagato replied calmly. "Everyone knows now that he's the future savior of the Shinobi World."

"In the future, he may be the only one who can stand against that black-haired Naruto Uzumaki with the golden Rinnegan."

"So taking him won't be easy anymore," Nagato explained.

"But Nagato," Konan asked, unable to bear it, "that child is the future savior of the Shinobi World."

"Anyone who wants to harm the Shinobi World will try to kill him before he grows up."

"A savior who hasn't come into his power is still just an ordinary person."

"Our goal is to bring peace to the Shinobi World, Konan," Nagato explained patiently. "I'll find a way to protect him."

"If we find him, we can bring him into Akatsuki."

"If it comes to that, the two of us can raise the future savior of the Shinobi World ourselves."

Konan nodded, delighted.

Little Naruto's suffocating life struck a chord with Konan and Nagato. They had both grown up as orphans.

Nagato knew pain firsthand. After watching little Naruto, he could not help seeing himself in the boy.

The Light Screen in the sky

changed once more.

This time, the title was no longer about little Naruto.

It read: "Though I Am Timid, I Long to Grow Stronger."

Kumogakure

Raikage's Office

"Damn it! Every time, we're this close," Raikage A complained irritably.

Mabui, who always carried a book, pushed up her glasses. "Lord Raikage, please keep your voice down."

A whirled around in a fury, only to see that the speaker was Mabui.

He could only sigh.

Sunagakure

Fourth Kazekage's Office

Rasa sat with a stern expression and his fingers interlaced. He addressed Chiyo behind him. "Chiyo, have you noticed that the thing broadcasting the future up there..."

"It always cuts off right at the crucial moment? Every time, it feels like we almost got the answer."

"Lord Kazekage, stop complaining," Elder Chiyo replied calmly. "As far as I can tell, the broadcasts are random."

"There's been no fixed schedule from the start."

"But I don't think that's a bad thing. Everyone wants information."

"Everyone wants to know who the savior of the Shinobi World is."

"But to me, none of that matters so much."

Rasa looked at Chiyo in confusion.

Elder Chiyo caught his curious glance.

"I know what you're thinking, Lord Kazekage," she said calmly. "But please, don't rush."

Then she said, "Withdraw our surveillance of Konoha."

Before Chiyo could finish, Rasa cut her off. "Be quiet, Chiyo! Don't forget that I'm the Kazekage."

"Even without you, I'll find out who this so-called savior of the Shinobi World is," Rasa declared.

"I'll pay any price to get my hands on him—and Sasuke Uchiha, too."

Chiyo turned away, despondent. "Lord Kazekage, if you insist on this..."

"You'll bring an indelible disaster upon Sunagakure. When that happens, you'll be remembered as its greatest sinner."

Chiyo's parting words struck Rasa as an insult.

"Hah. I, Rasa, cannot be wrong. Even without you, Chiyo, I can protect Sunagakure."

The Light Screen in the sky

began playing again.

The blurry image slowly came into focus.

Hyuga Main Family Compound

An adorable two-year-old girl stood there.

She wore a pink kimono and had short, dark-blue hair.

She was Hinata Hyuga.

Little Hinata's inner voice seemed to reach every viewer.

My name is Hinata Hyuga. I was born into the Hyuga, the foremost clan in Konoha.

My father, Hyuga Hiashi, is the head of the clan. He is very strict with me.

At just two years old, I have to start learning the clan's secret techniques and Gentle Fist.

Little Hinata's words faded.

The Light Screen showed two-year-old Hinata again.

Under Hyuga Hiashi's stern gaze, she swung

her tiny fists with all her might. But no matter how hard she tried,

her father was never satisfied. And when she saw the disappointment in his eyes...

Note: I never intended to follow the original story. If I had, I wouldn't have chosen to write fanfiction.

No one would come here just to reread the original plot, and I certainly wouldn't spend so much time every day putting myself through that for so little money.

I'm already exhausted, but I need money. I have no choice but to keep working and figuring things out.

I just want to give everyone a different kind of story that I've put my heart into.

I won't make it absurd for the sake of it. Characters who should be bad will be bad, and those who should be good will be good.

I will never go out of my way to vilify any character. Life is hard enough already. I don't want people reading my work

to feel irritated or stifled. I want you to feel happy when it's time to be happy, laugh when it's time to laugh, be moved when it's time to be moved, and cry when it's time to cry.

I'll say this one last time: if you like it, please stay. If you don't, please choose another book.

I deleted the comments insulting and slandering me this time, but I won't do it again. I'm tired of deleting comments.

I really hate malicious words. My life is already in a terrible place, and I'm worn out.

There's no need for people with bad intentions to go out of their way to target me.

I'm just an ordinary person whom life has nearly crushed.

Just a woman on the verge of being crushed by it.

I'm not going to hurt anyone.

I only want to earn a living.

My health is poor, and I have to spend a lot of money every day.

I'm already exhausted.

Please try to understand.

And to everyone who enjoys this story, thank you so much. I'll update faster. Thank you.