The boys scattered, fleeing in a rush. Normally, they might have seized the chance to stay close to the son of the Fourth Hokage, but today their luck had run dry. No one wanted to test how Naruto felt about them after such behavior—better to slip away before things turned worse.
Naruto stood blinking after them, confused by their reaction. Still, as long as the situation was resolved peacefully, that was enough for him.
His identity here differed from the Naruto of the original tiline, yet in spirit he remained the sa—sunny, straightforward, unchanged in heart. Only his environnt and circumstances had altered.
"They're gone now, so don't worry. What's your na? I'm Namikaze Naruto," he said brightly, turning toward the girl he had protected.
"T-that… my na… is Hyūga Hinata. Th-thank you, Namikaze-kun…"
The mont mirrored the original scene, though the details had shifted. Hinata's eyes, however, shone with the sa admiration as always—her heart caught by the boy who stood for her.
"Oh? Hinata, huh? That's a really good na!" Naruto replied warmly, his cheerful grin unchanging.
Hinata's cheeks flushed pink, her small hands fidgeting as her hair swayed gently. Their eyes t in an innocent exchange, a spark of connection igniting between them.
Three figures, two paths.
nma watched from a distance, his expression stiff, his heart tightening.
"So that's how it is, Naruto… We really are different after all!"
His gaze lingered one last ti on the smiling pair before his eyes lowered. He turned sharply, walking away through the falling snow.
Two worlds divided—Naruto basked in the warmth of companionship, while nma walked alone through winter's cold. The gulf between them stretched vast, like heaven and earth.
The Hyūga clan's guards erged quietly to escort Hinata ho, while Anbu in the shadows continued their watch over Naruto. Their presence marked the importance of the children—precious heirs of powerful lineages.
"Miss Hinata."
"Master Naruto."
The destined bond between them had ford even earlier than in the original tiline, and with a harmony that seed fated—truly a match made in heaven.
All of it belonged to them. None of it touched nma.
The ripples faded, leaving him in silence.
Back at his apartnt, nma handled the fish and vegetables he had gathered, his hands moving with practiced efficiency. His face remained blank as he cooked, sat, and ate alone. The emptiness and cold he felt were emotions no one else could glimpse.
"I shouldn't have hoped for anything more. These things don't belong to —they belong to the son of the real Fourth Hokage."
nma's heart grew cold.
December of Konoha Year 53 was the coldest winter he had known since his arrival in this world.
And on the last day of the year, with a new one about to dawn, his solitude was broken.
"Little nma, have you been eating well and resting properly?"
The Third Hokage arrived once again, carrying gifts—snacks and food children would love. Hiruzen Sarutobi had made this routine over the past five years, visiting nma roughly once a month. On New Year's Eve, he never failed, believing it was the best way to show care.
In the original tiline, these visits left Naruto deeply moved, regarding the Hokage as soone who cared for him.
But nma was different.
He recognized that Hiruzen might hold genuine concern, but above all, he viewed nma through the lens of the village and his duty as Hokage.
Orphan? Son of the Fourth Hokage?
No.
In Hiruzen's eyes, nma had only one true identity: the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki of Konohagakure.
"Yes, Third Grandpa. I've been eating well and resting properly. I also exercise regularly. Look—my body's much stronger than before."
nma's words were asured. He couldn't act with Naruto's reckless honesty, but he could display a careful, natural closeness to Hiruzen. It was a performance born not of deceit, but survival instinct.
Because in Konoha, only Hiruzen could shield him, granting limited protection and a fragile freedom. Compared to Shimura Danzō, Hiruzen was the lesser evil. The old war hawk would strip him bare, a weapon with no will.
Hiruzen, for all his flaws, still carried fragnts of justice.
"Oh? That's good. Eat more, sleep more, exercise more. Our little nma is growing well," the Hokage said kindly, his eyes soft.
"Yes, Third Grandpa," nma replied with dutiful respect.
"The New Year is almost here. Do you have any wishes for it?" Hiruzen asked.
"I… I want to grow up quickly. I want to beco a great ninja—recognized by everyone."
nma's tone carried a seriousness beyond his years, his words spoken with deliberate conviction.
"Oh? A great ninja recognized by everyone? That's a fine dream, but you'll need to work hard to achieve it," Hiruzen said warmly, ruffling his red hair.
"Yes. I'll work hard, Third Grandpa," nma nodded firmly.
"Well, you'll be turning six soon. That ans it's nearly ti for you to enter the Academy," Hiruzen added.
"The Academy? Really? Third Grandpa, I can really study there!?"
nma's eyes lit up with genuine excitent. For once, it wasn't an act.
His age, his tiline, everything weighed on his mind. He wasn't Naruto. He was nma. The path ahead wasn't guaranteed to mirror the story he rembered.
The original tiline was only a reference.
To assu everything would play out the sa was the gravest mistake of all.
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