The setting sun cast a long shadow of the blond boy.
Naruto Uzumaki.
The orphan of the Fourth Hokage, Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails.
This child should have been treated as the son of a hero.
At this moment, however, he resembles a piece of trash abandoned by the world, sitting alone on a dilapidated swing.
And around the park.
The villagers who had brought their children out to play were looking at him with eyes full of disgust and fear.
"Look, it's that little fox demon..."
Stay away from him, or you might catch his bad luck.
"He's the one who killed the Fourth Generation Lord! I really don't understand why the village still keeps such a monster around!"
The shrill whispers were not deliberately lowered.
Every word was like an invisible knife, stabbing deeply into Naruto's young heart.
Naruto gripped the swing ropes tightly.
His head was lowered, and his golden bangs obscured his eyes, making it impossible to see his expression.
But his slightly trembling shoulders betrayed the pain and grievances in his heart.
He didn't understand, since he hadn't done anything.
Why does everyone look at him with those scary eyes? Why doesn't anyone want to play with him?
Just as Naruto was fighting back tears and silently questioning the world in his heart.
A huge shadow suddenly loomed over him.
Naruto looked up.
What catches the eye is a pair of thick legs wearing flip-flops.
Above that was a pair of flashy beach shorts and powerful muscles that looked like they had been cast in black iron, gleaming with a dark gold luster.
"Hey, kid."
A slightly roguish voice rang out above Naruto's head.
Naruto stared blankly at the tall man in front of him.
The man had a crystal-clear white jade pipe dangling from his mouth, and he was looking down at him with a half-smile.
"Bang."
Kenya stretched out his toe and gently kicked the Naruto was sitting.
The swing swayed slightly.
"Even swinging on a swing takes this long."
Kenya exhaled a smoke ring, his tone tinged with a hint of mockery.
"What? Is the food in Konoha so bad that you're not getting enough to eat?"
Naruto was stunned.
From childhood to adulthood, apart from his Third grandfathers occasionally visiting him.
This was the first time a strange adult had spoken to him.
Moreover, there was something in this man's eyes.
There was no disgust, no fear.
There is only one kind of pure, even slightly ironic, equality.
"I... I'm not hungry!"
Naruto snapped out of his daze and, like a kitten whose tail had been stepped on, loudly retorted.
"I'm going to be Hokage! How could I possibly go hungry!"
Hearing the words " Hokage "...
Kenya couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Hahaha, with a body like yours, you think you can Hokage?"
He stretched out his large, dark gold hand and ruffled Naruto's golden hair without any hesitation.
He ruffled Naruto's hair until it looked like a bird's nest.
"Becoming Hokage isn't just about talking."
Kenya's smile faded, and his eyes became somewhat serious.
"If you want to be the boss, you need the fist to shut everyone up!"
Just as the two were talking...
The villagers who had been pointing and whispering about Naruto also noticed what was happening.
When they saw clearly the man who was talking to the "fox demon".
A series of terrified gasps erupted from the crowd.
"That... that's Senju Kenya?!"
"That monster who shattered the Hokage Rock with a single punch?!"
"Oh no! A monster and a fox spirit have teamed up! Run!"
Panic spread rapidly among the villagers.
A few villagers, who were a little bolder, tried to remain calm and shouted at Kenya:
"You... you stay away from that fox demon!"
He will bring disaster!
Hearing these harsh insults.
Naruto's body stiffened abruptly, and his eyes, which had just regained some luster, dimmed again.
He shrank back in fear, preparing to jump off the swing and run away.
He didn't want to drag the only older man who was willing to talk to him down with him, making him a monster in everyone else's eyes.
However.
Kenya grabbed his shoulder and pressed him firmly onto the swing.
Why are you running?
Kenya said coldly.
Then.
He slowly turned his head and looked at the villagers who were shouting.
He didn't speak.
Kenya merely narrowed his eyes slightly.
An invisible, domineering storm of will.
Centered on him, it swept towards the surrounding villagers!
Conqueror's Haki!
Although Kenya controlled the power, he did not knock these people unconscious directly.
But that absolute pressure, as if being targeted by a prehistoric beast, emanated from the depths of one's soul.
The shouts and curses instantly ceased.
Those villagers who were so arrogant just moments ago.
I felt my breath catch in my throat, and my heart felt as if it were being gripped tightly by a cold, large hand.
Fear overwhelmed them like a tidal wave.
Several people even felt their legs go weak and collapsed to the ground.
"Shut up, all of you."
Kenya, with a white jade pipe between his teeth, spoke softly, yet his voice carried a ferocity that made people afraid to look him in the eye.
"Who dares to utter another word of nonsense?"
"I'll make sure his head suffers the same fate as the gate today."
Dead silence.
The entire park fell into a deathly silence.
No one dared to doubt the man's words.
After all, the Konoha Gate that was blasted with a huge hole is still smoking.
Under the intimidation of Conqueror's Haki, the villagers were as if they had seen a ghost.
They scrambled and crawled away from the small park.
In the blink of an eye, the once bustling park was left with only Kenya and Naruto.
Seeing that the adults who usually bullied her were scared away by just one look from this man, she realized that they were all frightened away.
Naruto's azure eyes were filled with disbelief and intense admiration.
"Uncle... you're amazing!"
Naruto excitedly waved his little fist.
"Of course."
Kenya withdrew his Conqueror's Haki and returned to his lazy demeanor.
He turned around.
Like a magician, he pulled out a senbei (rice cracker) from his large pocket, a size larger than Naruto's face.
This scallop is grilled to a golden brown and crispy perfection, and coated with a tempting soy sauce.
It exudes a rich fragrance.
"Smack!"
Kenya slapped the extra-large senbei directly into Naruto's arms.
"Take it."
Kenya grinned as he looked at Naruto, Naruto) and staring blankly at him.
"This is a specialty of the Land of Waves; it gives you strength."
"Wait until the day you can shatter that Hokage Rock with a single punch."
"Then you're qualified to be that damn Hokage."
After saying that.
Kenya did not linger.
He turned around, pipe in mouth, hands in his pockets.
Accompanied by a group of bodyguards in suits, he swaggered towards the Senju mansion.
At sunset.
Naruto hugged the senbei that was bigger than his face tightly.
The enticing aroma of soy sauce wafted into his nose, but he couldn't bear to eat it.
He stared blankly at Kenya's tall, wild figure, which seemed capable of supporting the entire sky.
Tears finally welled up in my eyes.
This was the first time in his life that he had experienced what it felt like to be protected.
That kind of unreasonable and domineering protection.
It was like a beam of light that cleaved open the cold, dark world within him.
"Uncle!"
Naruto jumped off the swing and shouted at Kenya's back with all his might:
What's your name?!