"But I felt inferior. I was a coward. I didn't dare approach you. I was afraid that my bad luck, the way everyone despised me, would taint your life and make you hate me too."
After hearing those words, Sasuke's cool expression softened, a faint warmth rising in his eyes.
The corners of his lips lifted slightly as he replied in a low voice, "Actually, I knew all along."
"I noticed ages ago that a little figure was always hiding in the shadows, secretly watching me."
"Back then, I wondered too. What exactly did you want, following me around and watching me every day?"
After all these years, the feelings they had left unspoken in their youth were finally laid bare.
Naruto shook his head with a smile full of heartache, then slowly began recounting the bleak childhood no one knew about.
"That old bastard, the Third, gave me my living allowance on time every month. It was a fixed amount, but more than ordinary orphans received."
"To outsiders, he treated me wonderfully. He looked after my daily needs, protected me as I grew up, and did everything anyone could ask of him."
"But he also knew that all of Konoha was ostracizing me and targeting me."
"Whenever shopkeepers saw it was me, they deliberately jacked up their prices, charging me two or three times what everyone else paid."
"Even when something was reasonably priced, it was usually near its expiration date, poor quality, or defective stuff about to go bad."
"With everyone targeting me and making things difficult, that meager allowance couldn't possibly last a month."
"Growing up, I was often hungry. Not knowing where my next meal would come from was normal."
"Other children had carefree childhoods. Mine was full of hunger, cold stares, and rejection."
"People only