The sun was already high in the sky. Naruto lay on his old, creaky bed with his hands behind his head, one leg crossed over the other, a look of deep melancholy on his face. He couldn't help but let out a long sigh.
"Ahhh—I knew it would be tough, but this is just too much! It's only been three days. How am I supposed to survive the rest of the month like this?"
Naruto had thought that, as a transmigrator, his childhood would be at least a little better than in the original story—certainly not as miserable. But just three days after transmigrating, he had already run out of money. The fridge was empty except for a few expired cartons of milk, and he had no idea where his next meal would come from.
As he sighed, he glanced out the window. Through the glass, he could vaguely make out a figure wearing a mask perched on a tree not far away. Though the mask concealed the person's face, the spiky white hair gave him away—it was clearly Kakashi, the Anbu operative.
When people are troubled, their minds tend to wander. Seeing Kakashi, Naruto couldn't help but reflect inwardly.
[Tsk! What a shame. Kakashi, you had such great potential but because of Uchiha Madara schemes Rin had to use your hand to kill herself. That made you lose the heart to become strong, and now you're just some lousy Copy Ninja. What a waste of talent.]
Kakashi, sitting on the tree branch, was engrossed in his favorite novel. When Naruto's thoughts suddenly echoed in his mind, Startled, he immediately put the book away and drew a kunai and whispered sharply, "Who's there?"
He looked around, trying to locate the source of the voice, but it seemed to have come from within his own head, making it impossible to pinpoint its origin.
"What's going on? Is this some kind of Yamanaka clan technique? But why would a Yamanaka be saying this to me? Are they feeling sorry for me? Trying to encourage me with nonsense?"
Just as Kakashi was growing suspicious, the voice in his head spoke again.
[Ahhh—What a pity about that Sharingan. If Kakashi had focused on his sword skills, with his natural talent and a Sharingan, he could have at least become the second coming of Konoha White Fang. Obito should have shown up earlier and taken that Sharingan back. Too bad Obito's also a fool, saying something about never taking back what he's given away.]
Obito? Showed up? What's going on? Is Obito alive? This voice sounds like... Naruto!
Kakashi had been so focused on whether he'd fallen victim to a Yamanaka technique that he hadn't paid close attention to the voice itself. Now that it spoke again, he immediately noticed how much it sounded like Naruto.
I have to confirm this!
Kakashi's gaze locked onto Naruto, and in a flash, he appeared at the window next to Naruto's bed.
Naruto was still lost in his thoughts when Kakashi suddenly appeared, startling him. He quickly sat up in bed, pretending to be flustered.
"W-Who are you? What do you want?"
[Damn! What's gotten into Kakashi? Why did he suddenly come over to interact with me? Wasn't he supposed to be monitoring me from the shadows? Then again, I am his teacher's son, so it's not entirely out of the question for him to make a contact with me without revealing his identity.]
If Kakashi wasn't sure before, hearing that voice again now confirmed that it was indeed coming from Naruto. He was also certain that this wasn't the secret technique of the Yamanaka clan, but rather, for some unknown reason, he could hear Naruto's inner thoughts.
Although Kakashi had only recently been assigned to monitor Naruto, Naruto's growth had been under strict surveillance all along. Every day, ANBU operatives kept a close watch on him, and all the details were compiled into reports for the Hokage. Kakashi had read all of those reports.
Naruto had never interacted with anyone from the Yamanaka clan, let alone learned their secret techniques.
Now, Kakashi didn't even have the time to ponder why he could hear Naruto's thoughts, because he was completely stunned.
What's going on? Does Naruto already know his identity? Damn it! Who leaked the information? No, there are not many people in the entire Leaf Village who know this, and among the ANBU, only I am aware. It's absolutely impossible for it to have been leaked. So why...?"
Kakashi's mind was flooded with so many questions that he hadn't spoken a word since arriving at the window, leaving Naruto utterly confused.
[What the hell is Kakashi up to? He comes over to interact with me but doesn't say a word, making me feel awkward whether I sit or lie down. Can't he just leave if he's got nothing to do?]
Kakashi snapped out of his thoughts upon hearing Naruto's inner voice. He removed his mask and stared directly at Naruto.
"You're Uzumaki Naruto, right? Nice to meet you. I'm Hatake Kakashi."
Naruto cursed inwardly but put on an innocent expression on the surface.
"Do you know me? Everyone else calls me the fox demon. Not many people call me by my name. Is there something you need from me?"
[Damn! Damn! What's going on? An ANBU member taking off his mask? Is that even allowed? And for crying out loud, he's wearing a mask under his mask! How much of a recluse is this guy?]
After hearing what Naruto said aloud and what he thought inwardly, Kakashi was utterly speechless. But right now, he didn't want to dwell on these trivial matters.
The reason he broke ANBU protocol by removing his mask was that he desperately wanted to uncover the truth. He had always believed that Rin and Obito were dead, and that Rin had died because of his own mistake. But Naruto's inner thoughts had just overturned all of that.
However, he couldn't just come out and ask directly. Based on his judgment of Naruto's inner thoughts, it seemed Naruto didn't know that Kakashi could hear them.
"Nothing in particular. I just wanted to get to know you."
Upon hearing this, Naruto's face briefly showed a hint of disappointment, but he quickly forced a small smile.
"Is that so... It's really nice that someone wants to get to know me!"
[Like hell I've got time to waste chatting with you! You've got your important surveillance duties, but I've got nothing. I haven't even figured out lunch yet, and I'm not in the mood to chit-chat. Damn it, just thinking about lunch makes me hungry. I need to find a way to slip away and maybe catch some fish by the river.]
Even Kakashi couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth under his mask upon hearing this. He hadn't expected Naruto's outward appearance and inner thought to be so different.
However, upon further reflection, a child growing up in such a poor environment might find that being different on the outside and inside is the best form of self-protection. This thought made him feel a pang of sympathy for Naruto.
"By the way, Naruto, I was just about to go for lunch. Since it's our first meeting, how about I treat you to ramen? What do you say?"