"Look, it's that kid again!"
"Is that brat still hanging around the village?"
"Didn't they say he died?"
"No wonder I slipped in the bathhouse yesterday it's gotta be this kid's curse."
"That damned demon fox..."
"Quiet! Did you forget the Third Hokage's decree?"
"Tch. Why does the Hokage protect this thing?"
"…"
Although Naruto had vanished from the village for nearly a year, the hatred villagers held toward him hadn't faded—it had intensified, even under Sarutobi Hiruzen's restrictive edicts forbidding discrimination. In fact, the Hokage's overprotective orders only deepened the resentment of the villagers, who whispered and glared at Naruto more viciously than ever.
Naruto, now more composed, paid no mind to the venomous glares or whispered curses. He walked steadily, expressionless. Only the shallow-minded would be rattled by petty insults. He, Uzumaki Naruto, aspired to raise the strength of Konoha's shinobi to Kage-level and ultimately guide the village toward the path of the Sage of Six Paths.
It was his way of repaying hatred with strength, of answering evil with virtue.
"You ran into us, didn't you?! Watch it!"
"Huh?" Naruto halted, catching a commotion up ahead. He turned and spotted a small cluster of boys circling a frightened girl in a light pink yukata. His eyes narrowed with mild surprise.
Several taller boys surrounded a little girl, clearly upset.
"S-Sorry, I didn't mean to," she stammered. The fear in her eyes was obvious. Porcelain skin, flushed cheeks, short hair, gentle features and above all, those unmistakable white eyes. Her identity was unmistakable.
Hyuga Hinata.
But it seemed the brats didn't recognize the emblem of the Hyuga Clan. One of them shoved her hard. Hinata, unprepared for the aggression, stumbled and fell to the dirt path. Mud splattered her yukata, the pale pink fabric darkened with dust.
That push caused her to look up. Her white eyes pale and clear were revealed, causing the boys to pause briefly, then burst out laughing.
"Ha! Look at her freaky eyes!"
"She's got those creepy white ones just like that other monster!"
"A monster like him. Let's stone her too!"
The boys snatched up pebbles from the roadside, pretending to threaten her with them.
The malice of children is raw and instinctive untainted by politics or reason. A child who is slightly different becomes a target of unfiltered cruelty.
Naruto found it darkly amusing. The Hyuga Clan was the most prestigious family in Konoha after the Uchiha yet even their heiress could be treated this way by ordinary civilians?
"Still the same, even after all this time…"
Naruto's voice, calm and cold, cut through the scene. The boys froze in place. Hinata, curled on the ground with her arms over her head, looked up eyes widening in recognition.
They had met before, nearly a year and a half ago. Back then, Naruto had only recently crossed into this world. He encountered a similar situation and defended her. That time, though, he'd lost control of his chakra and sent the bullies to the hospital. It took much pleading to Hiruzen just to get a slap on the wrist.
"You—You're that demon!"
"Weren't you executed?"
"How are you alive?!"
"Monster! He's gonna eat us!"
Naruto was no longer the scrawny kid they remembered. After nearly two years of grueling training and meals filled with chakra-nourishing ingredients, his body was stronger, more defined he stood a full head taller than his peers, and his presence alone radiated silent power. The four froze in place.
"Naruto-kun!" Hinata cried in recognition, her voice small but filled with relief.
She had tried for over a year to find and thank him properly. But he'd vanished.
Naruto said nothing to the boys. Instead, he approached Hinata slowly, eyes filled with visible disappointment.
"Naruto-kun?" Hinata looked up, confused, her voice faint and unsure. She saw a shadow in his eyes that reminded her of her father, Hiashi.
"Monsters eat other monsters! Run!"
The four boys bolted in fear, their screams trailing behind them.
"They wouldn't have been hard to stop, right?" Naruto asked.
His tone was flat but to Hinata, it sounded harsh and father-like.
"F-Father says… power… power can't be used to hurt people casually. Hurting others is wrong…" Hinata murmured, shrinking.
"You have power, yet you'd rather suffer than defend yourself?" Naruto's voice remained neutral, but the hurt in his gaze deepened.
"I thought we could be friends."
The regret in his tone made Hinata's head shoot up, eyes shimmering with confusion and panic.
She didn't understand Naruto had helped her before. He held her hand, guided her home, was always kind. Why would he say they couldn't be friends?
"Why...? Naruto-kun…"
She was so flustered, she could hardly form a sentence.
Her pale eyes blurred with tears, as if the purity in her heart was trying to reach him.
Naruto's face remained unchanged. He wished Hinata could evolve beyond the fragile flower he remembered. If she stayed the same as in the original timeline hesitant, weak—she would only weigh him down.
In all of Konoha, she was among the few who bore him no ill will. Even Hiruzen, who treated him kindly on the surface, occasionally let slip faint malice.
He didn't want that to taint her too.
Living in darkness makes you crave even the faintest light.
This time, Naruto saw only warmth from Hinata genuine and untainted. But warmth without strength was a liability. If she remained this fragile, they would only hurt one another.
"Did you see the way they looked at you?" Naruto asked suddenly.
A crowd had gathered. Their stares were full of disgust. And within them, Naruto sensed several individuals whose killing intent was sharp and malicious.
'So this is the elders' next little test?'
"Why? Why do they look at you that way?" Hinata asked, eyes darting from face to face.
"Because you're weak," Naruto replied flatly. "You're invisible to them."
His eyes scanned the crowd. The same boys from earlier now hid behind their parents, feigning innocence—playing the victim.
Hinata followed his gaze. Her confusion grew. Naruto had saved her why did they hate him?
Whispers filled the air.
"Is he going to attack again?"
"I knew it. Letting that demon roam was a mistake."
"He should have been sealed tighter."
"Forget the Hokage's orders!"
"That girl he's got her under a genjutsu!"
"He's gonna eat her!"
"Call the Hokage! Call the ANBU!"
The hostility surged. Naruto stood silent, expression blank.
"No!"
A soft but powerful voice rang out, silencing the mob. Everyone turned.
Hinata's cheeks were flushed. Her tiny fists gripped the hem of her yukata. Her entire body trembled but she shouted anyway.
"Naruto-kun isn't bad! He saved me! He's a good person!"
She had never shouted like that before. It was the first time she'd defied the village.
But the villagers weren't moved.
"She's brainwashed!"
"Just like the demon fox evil!"
"Where's the Uchiha police when you need them?!"
"Get him out! Drive him out!"
Hinata was stunned. Her words made things worse. She tried to speak again but stopped when she felt a warm hand on her head.
"That's enough," Naruto said gently.
Hinata looked up, locking eyes with him those sky-blue eyes, so calm despite the hate around them.
"Hinata, leave now. Things might get dangerous."
Villagers had started picking up stones again.
"I—I don't want to…"
She cried. She wanted to stand beside him.
"Miss!" a stern voice interrupted. A Hyuga branch ninja emerged from the crowd, his flak jacket gleaming. The sight of a true Hyuga silenced the mob for a moment.
He stepped in front of Hinata, shielding her from Naruto.
"Step away from the heiress, demon—"
He stopped mid-sentence. Naruto's eyes gleamed faintly red, the illusion of glowing needles dancing in them. The Hyuga froze, unable to speak.
"No—it's not like that!" Hinata shouted. But the Hyuga lifted her into his arms and ran—faster than when dodging enemy shuriken. Even he, a trained ninja, had felt fear.
A real monster…
That fear reignited the villagers' rage.
"Get him out!"
Thud—
A rock flew through the air and smashed into Naruto's forehead. Blood trickled down his cheek, painting his face red.
Hinata, watching from the fleeing Hyuga's arms, felt her heart shatter. That image of the kind Naruto—alone, bloodied, facing the jeering mob—seared itself into her soul.
This is all my fault…
Still too weak…
Naruto wiped the blood away slowly, eyes calm.
Stones, rotten vegetables, and insults followed.
If only he had the power to level the village in a single strike, like Brother Chao...
Then he wouldn't have to endure this.
Ding.
---