The streets of Konoha were filled with laughter and lively chatter.
Not long ago, Konoha had finally signed a ceasefire agreent with Kumogakure. Peace had at last returned to the village, if only slightly, and smiles had gradually reappeared on the villagers' faces.
"This mission was seriously exhausting. Kumogakure finally cald down for once. So where are we eating today?"
A kunoichi stretched lazily while chatting with her teammate as they walked through the village after returning from a mission.
"Ran."
Her teammate answered instantly.
"There you go again. Every single ti you co back to the village, you want ran."
The kunoichi sighed helplessly.
"But it really is delicious—oof!"
The shinobi turned his head, intending to passionately explain the greatness of ran, only to accidentally bump into soone.
The small figure stumbled backward.
Yet before the shinobi could reach out to catch him, the figure naturally perford a clean back handspring and landed steadily on his feet.
Then he straightened up calmly.
"Nice reflexes!"
The Konoha shinobi's eyes lit up with surprise. But he quickly rembered to apologize and hurried forward.
"Sorry about that, kid. I wasn't paying attention and bumped into—"
Then he finally saw the boy clearly.
And instinctively froze.
However, the other party seed completely used to this kind of reaction. He rely glanced up at the shinobi and casually tossed out:
"I'm fine."
Then he turned and walked away beneath the shinobi's gaze.
Maybe it was just an illusion, but as they passed each other, the shinobi vaguely heard the boy mutter:
"Ran, huh…"
"Hey, what's wrong with you?"
At that mont, the female teammate walked over and smacked the shinobi lightly on the shoulder.
"Ah, nothing. I just didn't expect it to be… that demon fox."
The Konoha shinobi—who had beco a Chūnin last year—wore a complicated expression.
Four years ago, his ntor had died during the Nine-Tails Incident.
Naturally, he couldn't simply forget that hatred.
But when it ca to this "incarnation of the demon fox" the Hokage spoke of…
Truthfully, he couldn't bring himself to feel much hatred toward the child.
After becoming a shinobi and carrying out missions outside the village, he had learned far more about the world than ordinary villagers.
Compared to the true darkness of the shinobi world…
What was so terrifying about a child?
"So that's him?"
The kunoichi blinked curiously while staring at the blond boy's retreating back.
"Hm. Doesn't look particularly special. Anyway, which ran shop are we going to?"
"...I suddenly lost my appetite. And it's way too hot for ran."
The Chūnin shook his head before sighing.
"Forget it. My treat. Let's go eat sothing good instead."
His teammate imdiately brightened at that suggestion.
This was Naruto's everyday life.
He had already grown accustod to the villagers treating him differently.
But compared to before, Naruto no longer cared about it as much.
Instead, he had started thinking about the strange things happening to him lately—
Over the past six months, several odd changes had appeared.
For example…
Every ti he fell asleep, he vaguely dread of a warm figure.
That person always seed to speak to him endlessly inside the dream, yet whenever Naruto woke up, he could never rember what had been said.
And every ti he woke up…
He would sohow perform actions he had never known before.
Like just now.
The instant he lost balance, his body naturally reacted with a back handspring as though he had practiced the movent countless tis already.
Yet he had no mory of ever learning it.
More and more things like that had started happening recently.
Sotis Naruto encountered objects he had never seen before, yet they sohow felt strangely familiar.
Sotis there were words he clearly shouldn't have been able to read…
Yet sohow, he could pronounce them naturally.
And…
Naruto raised his head and narrowed his eyes toward the blazing sun hanging overhead.
Many villagers had already hidden themselves beneath roofs and trees to escape the heat.
But Naruto didn't feel hot at all.
Just like how he hadn't felt cold during the snowfall before.
The only strange thing was that every ti he woke up, he beca unbelievably hungry…
As though he had spent the entire night running nonstop.
Grrrrrr…
His stomach growled loudly at the worst possible mont.
Naruto awkwardly rubbed his belly before reaching into his pocket.
All he found were a few dirty coins.
"Sigh…"
Thinking about the ran those two shinobi ntioned earlier, Naruto imdiately beca conflicted.
Every month, soone from the village gave him living assistance.
But it wasn't much.
At least, not from Naruto's perspective.
"With this much money, I could buy five loaves of bread…"
Naruto sighed bitterly.
"But if I want ran…"
He stood there struggling internally.
anwhile, inside Naruto's ntal world, there happened to be two beings even more troubled than Naruto himself as they held a not-particularly-intense discussion regarding his next al.
"There's a ninjutsu that can turn water and earth into edible food using chakra."
Minato said seriously while thinking.
"The taste isn't very good, but it's enough to fill soone's stomach. Quite a few shinobi used it during warti."
"If we start teaching him today, he should learn it by next month."
"No."
Kurama rejected the idea instantly.
"Didn't this old man already tell you? We can't teach Naruto ninjutsu too early."
"The mont Naruto starts using techniques nobody has ever seen before, he'll inevitably attract unnecessary suspicion."
Kurama rolled his eyes afterward.
"You really are panicking because you're his father. Hiruzen won't actually let Naruto starve to death."
"I should've left more money behind for Naruto…"
Minato still looked upset.
"If I hadn't listened to Kushina and secretly hidden so private savings under the bed or sothing, I could've left them for him…"
Kurama imdiately rolled his eyes even harder.
Internally, he couldn't stop himself from complaining.
This brat Minato was obviously insulting him indirectly.
Rather than blaming himself for not saving money, wasn't he basically blaming Kurama for attacking Konoha back then?
"Enough already. Trust Naruto to handle this himself."
Kurama swished his tails lazily.
"Besides, only physical training won't arouse suspicion right now."
"As for Fūinjutsu, as long as there's no practical reason to use it, Naruto probably won't use it in reality."
"And even if he does…"
"It's fine."
Minato explained calmly.
"The sealing techniques I'm teaching him belong to the Uzumaki clan. Aside from Lord Third, the only person in Konoha familiar with them should be my teacher, Jiraiya."
"No matter their reasons, neither of them would ever harm Naruto. That much I can guarantee."
"Jiraiya, huh…"
Kurama visibly relaxed upon hearing that na.
"Hmph. You don't need to explain him to this old man."
When it ca to Jiraiya's personality, Kurama honestly felt he understood the man better than Minato did.
After all, Kurama had personally witnessed the days Jiraiya spent traveling alongside Naruto.
"Oh right."
Kurama spoke again after settling back down.
"Even though this old man already understands why you insist on teaching Naruto sealing techniques first, I still need to remind you of sothing."
"Don't let Naruto learn about our existence too early."
"That could create a lot of unnecessary trouble."
Minato quietly watched Kurama lie back down inside the seal once more.
Although his expression revealed nothing, a question had always lingered in his heart—
Kurama had handed Naruto's entire education over to him, claiming that while he could provide Naruto with a Tailed Beast's power, he didn't understand how humans taught one another, which was why Minato needed to handle Naruto's foundational growth instead…
But Minato always felt that wasn't Kurama's only motive.
If the godlike enemies Kurama spoke of truly existed…
Then why…
Did Kurama seem completely unhurried?
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