Naruto had just turned three.
Following the Third Grandpa's orders, Naruto Uzumaki had finished his literacy lessons and was finally granted permission to leave the house.
Fed up with loneliness and eager to find someone to play with, Naruto dashed out, excited and full of hope.
To him, everything on the streets—the people, the shops—felt incredibly fresh and new.
"Isn't that the kid who's the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox?"
"I heard the Nine-Tails eats people. Wasn't it his fault the Fourth Hokage died?"
"Why did the Third let him stay in the village? He's dangerous. One day he'll get us all killed."
"A walking curse."
But as Naruto passed by, whispers followed. Along with the hushed voices came glares filled with disgust and loathing.
Even though he was still very young, Naruto could clearly feel the deep malice from the eyes of the adults around him.
And this wasn't just a few people. Naruto realized almost everyone treated him like an enemy.
He tried to play with the kids who often hung around his neighborhood, but they rejected him without hesitation. Their parents had told them not to go near Naruto.
If a younger, clueless child didn't know better and tried to play with him, they'd quickly get pulled away and scolded.
Soon enough, even those little kids began looking at Naruto with the same disgust.
Even when Naruto tried to use the allowance the Third Grandpa gave him to buy essentials, he'd be turned away without a second thought—shoved out of the store like trash.
Little Naruto couldn't understand. Why were they all treating him like this?
He hadn't done anything wrong.
Maybe there was some kind of misunderstanding?
If that's the case, he figured, maybe he could just clear it up.
So, standing in the middle of the street, under all those hostile, hateful stares, Naruto shouted at the top of his lungs, putting all his strength into it:
"I'm not the demon fox! I'm Naruto Uzumaki! I don't eat people!"
He truly believed that if he just explained himself seriously, things would get better.
But...
It was pointless.
Days passed. Nothing changed. People still looked at him with the same anger, the same disgust—and it only got worse.
One morning, after his usual breakfast of instant noodles, Naruto went back out again to try talking to people.
But out of nowhere, eggs and wilted vegetables came flying at him.
Caught off guard, he couldn't dodge them. In seconds, he was covered in filth.
Someone in the crowd hurled a rock that struck Naruto right in the head, making it throb with pain and leaving a huge bump on his forehead.
"Kill that Nine-Tails brat!"
"Do it for the Fourth Hokage! Avenge him!"
"This kind of kid doesn't deserve to live in Konoha!"
Eyes bloodshot with rage, someone charged at Naruto with a weapon, murder in their gaze.
Naruto looked at all the twisted, furious faces rushing toward him. Fear welled up inside him. His chest felt tight, and tears gathered in the corners of his eyes.
"I'm really not the demon fox... I'm Naruto Uzumaki!" he cried out.
But no one listened.
A long staff swung down toward him with a vicious whoosh, aimed to strike him down.
Naruto squeezed his eyes shut in terror.
But the blow never came.
Two masked ninja jumped in front of him. One blocked the frenzied mob, while the other scooped Naruto up into their arms.
"I'll get Naruto out of here—you hold them off."
...
It was almost evening.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, opened the door to Naruto's home.
Walking into the living room, he saw Naruto sitting at the table, staring blankly into space. He looked downcast, clearly replaying the events of the day in his mind.
Naruto had bathed and changed clothes, but the big lump still swelling on his forehead was a painful reminder that today's nightmare was very real.
"Naruto."
A gentle voice broke the silence. Naruto looked up, and his eyes lit up—it was Grandpa Third!
As far back as he could remember, the Third Hokage had visited Naruto once a month to check on him, bring him his monthly allowance, and offer a warm smile. To Naruto, he was the kindest, most familiar face in the world.
Naruto had no family. To him, the Third Hokage was the closest thing he had.
He looked up, eyes full of confusion and hurt, and asked, "Grandpa Third... am I really the Nine-Tails?"
Hiruzen's voice was soft and reassuring. "Naruto, you're not the demon fox. I've already ordered everyone to stop talking about it. What happened today won't happen again. You can go outside without worrying."
But Naruto didn't look too convinced. Even with Hiruzen's firm answer, a seed of doubt had been planted by the cruel words of the villagers.
If he really wasn't the demon fox...
Then why did they all hate him so much?
"Don't overthink it, Naruto. You are who you are. You're not the Nine-Tails. Now go eat something and get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow will be better. Grow up strong, and soon you'll get to go to the Ninja Academy."
"There, you'll meet lots of friends. But if you stay gloomy like this, no one will want to play with you, you know?"
Hiruzen could see the hesitation in Naruto's eyes and gently tried to cheer him up.
"Okay! I'll go eat!" Naruto suddenly perked up, opened the fridge, and grabbed some instant noodles and milk. He started boiling water.
He had lived this way as long as he could remember. Even though he was still small, he'd already learned how to take care of himself.
Seeing this, Hiruzen smiled, lit his pipe, and quietly slipped out.
Naruto finished his meal and crawled into bed. Before long, he drifted off into a fuzzy sleep.
And then—he found himself in a vast, empty space.
He was sitting on the ground.
In front of him lay a book.
The cover was colorful, decorated with vivid illustrations.
Bold, blocky characters were printed across the artwork. Flipping the pages, he found even denser writing inside.
They were Chinese characters.
Some of them looked kind of like the ones he had just learned to read, but not exactly. Having only just learned how to read, Naruto stared at the pages in confusion, completely lost.
The book seemed to sense his struggle. The text began to shift and transform.
Moments later, the strange blocky characters had all changed into the common writing of the ninja world.
Now Naruto could finally understand what the book said.
The Three Character Classic!