The shopping street was bustling from early morning, with villagers and ninjas mingling in the usual hustle of Konoha, the most prosperous village in the Land of Fire.
"Special deals today! Don't miss out!"
A girl with buns in her hair, Tenten, was actively promoting the weapons at her shop. Naruto, blending into the crowd, was eyeing the ninja gear with interest.
Kyūbi: "Hey! Kid! Put that kunai down!"
The Nine-Tails fox watched in horror as Naruto swiped the weapon, using the crowd as cover. It wasn't the theft itself that shocked him, but the fact that the son of the Fourth Hokage had such tendencies.
Naruto: "It's not stealing… for a ninja, it's borrowing."
He slipped the kunai into his jacket with surprising dexterity.
Kyūbi: "Quit lying to yourself! You're the worst brat in all of Konoha!"
The contrast between the hero Minato had been and his son was so staggering that it made Kyūbi dizzy.
Naruto: "I'm Uzumaki Naruto, future Hokage. How could I ever steal?"
Suddenly, Naruto stopped in his tracks. Around him, the crowd had backed away, their eyes filled with fear and contempt. The noise from the stalls abruptly died.
Kyūbi: "...Your eyes are scarier than theirs."
Where the villagers saw a monster, Naruto looked back at them like a god regarding insects.
As he passed a mask shop, the owner—a gruff man in his forties—spat at him: "Get lost, brat!"
A mask hit Naruto in the back.
Shopkeeper: "Take that and scram! No one wants anything you've touched!"
In the crowd, Hinata felt her heart shatter.
Hinata: "Why... do they treat him like that?"
She took a step forward, but her servant Hyūga Aoi firmly held her back.
Aoi: "Don't go near him, young mistress."
Her tone was icy, her usually gentle face now cold as stone. The memories of the Nine-Tails' attack were still vivid among the Hyūga.
Hinata was about to protest when a clear voice rang out:
"Hey! Don't you think you're going too far?"
All eyes turned to a bold little girl perched on a pole, hands in her pockets.
Sako: "Is that how you treat a kid? What a disgrace for grown-ups!"
Hinata felt a sting in her heart as she watched this beautiful stranger stand up for Naruto.
Without realizing it, she activated her Byakugan, the veins around her eyes suddenly bulging.
Hinata (thought): "She's… a girl…"
A strange feeling overwhelmed her — as if something that belonged to her was slipping away.