Chapter 1: A Slightly Different Naruto.

During the time of the Jinchuriki's birth, the seal was at its weakest point. Under the guidance of someone with ill intentions, the Nine-Tailed Fox attacked Konoha. The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, and his wife, Kushina Uzumaki, sacrificed their lives in the battle. Countless high-ranking and middle-ranking shinobi sacrifices brought immense pain to Konoha. The remaining people, besides grieving at the Memorial Stone, had to stand up and defend against external enemies.

After the threat of the golden flash was lost, the major opposing villages began making their moves against Konoha, ready to devour this crumbling giant tree. However, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, promptly stepped up as the acting Hokage. With the cooperation of the Anbu Black Ops, they used thunderous means to eliminate numerous spies who infiltrated Konoha. The major villages reluctantly withdrew.

-- Four years later --

"Monster, get out of the village, you freak!" A rotten egg flew towards Naruto's young and tender face, hitting him with both the foul-smelling liquid and shattered shell, delivering a double blow. Despite this, people didn't stop. Insults and projectiles never missed a moment.

"Why would the Third Hokage keep such a monster in the village?"

"Child, don't look, be careful of the monster eating you. Hurry, run!" Such words constantly reached Naruto's ears. Even though he had matured early, Naruto still found it difficult to bear.

"I just went to the Third Grandpa to get some food. By the way, did my parents massacre the village? Why am I being called a monster? Grandma always talks about how amazing my parents were in front of me. Is she lying to me?" Naruto muttered to himself as he returned home covered in leaves and dirt.

He had thought that with his grandmother's care, he would grow up safely and attend elementary school. However, reality wasn't as Naruto had imagined. His grandmother had passed away a month ago, and his grandfather was the Third Hokage. In Naruto's understanding, the Hokage was like a village leader, busy and with no time to take care of him. Sometimes, he could only go to get food by himself. So, here's the question: why was he specifically targeted whenever he walked down the street?

The night in Konoha was brightly lit. The villagers seemed to forget their pain and immersed themselves in entertainment after dinner. The adults chatted about amusing incidents of the day, while children hid behind their parents, enjoying their cajoling, either to buy new toys or to get extra snacks.

"Why do I even exist?" Naruto sat on the railing of a rooftop, overlooking the peaceful scene below. If he had parents, he should have been one of those children as well. However... he had contemplated revenge after being treated like this. But he was just a little brat with only a tiny bit of chakra. How could he survive like this?

Whoosh! A strong gust of wind blew, opening the cloth curtain of a stand and sending the children's balloons flying. It also carried Naruto's small body along with it.

"...!" Naruto reached out his hand in mid-air, trying to grab onto the railing, but then gave up. In this world, he was despised by everyone. Even if he managed to survive, he would only harm himself. It would be better to close his eyes and fall vertically.

...

"Did I die?" Naruto opened his eyes and wondered if he had died. It felt like a long time had passed, and he found himself in an unfamiliar space. The dimly lit space was filled with shades of orange, and the sound of dripping water echoed continuously. The path behind him was blocked by a wall, and the water by his feet was knee-deep, leaving him with no way out. The only path ahead emitted the breath of a fierce beast, sending shivers down his spine.

"Did I fall into a sewer? Who stole the manhole cover?!" Naruto twitched and reluctantly continued walking forward. Dying in a sewer wasn't suitable for his status.

"What a big iron door. Is the exit behind it?" After walking for a while, Naruto saw two huge iron doors in front of him. A large seal was pasted on the lock, giving off a terrifying feeling.

"Roar!!! You brat! I have been sealed inside your body for four years, and I've grown accustomed to it. But I didn't expect you to calmly attempt suicide. You're the most carefree Jinchuriki I've ever seen. Do you know that if you die, I'll die too, you brat!" A giant fox extended its claws through the crack in the door and let out a furious roar. The Nine-Tails, who had been residing within Naruto's body, felt manipulated. Based on its understanding of humans, they were all greedy for life and feared its power. However, this brat unexpectedly jumped off a building. In desperation, the Nine-Tails had no choice but to pull its consciousness to this place and figure out a solution.

"Huh? A spirit beast? Why does it live in the sewer?" Naruto's eyes turned into question marks. Despite his appearance, he was just slightly more mature than other children. He couldn't accept such extraordinary circumstances.

"You idiot! This is inside your body. Your consciousness came here, but your body is still suspended in mid-air." The Nine-Tails was enraged, and its nine tails were flailing around. It couldn't bear the fact that it almost got killed by a mischievous kid who didn't seem to care about anything.

"Oh, I see. Well, this was just an accident. I didn't intend to commit suicide, but I also didn't plan to continue living." Naruto touched his cheek and realized it wasn't a dream. He apologized sheepishly.

"Hmph, aren't you surprised? Look at my gigantic body and scream in terror." The Nine-Tails, startled by Naruto's actions, couldn't wait to hear the Jinchuriki's screams. It licked its paw, revealing its crimson tongue.

"I'm not afraid of the sun, and I don't transform on the night of the full moon. There must be something sealed inside me. Also, judging by the villagers' behavior, you must be powerful, strong enough that even the Hokage couldn't do anything. That's why they had no choice but to let me keep on living." Naruto thought for a moment, connecting the events around him and the Nine-Tails' words, and came to a conclusion.

"Of course, I am known as the strongest Tailed Beast, the Bijuu of the Infinite Chakra!"

"That's just a simple deduction. Well, after looking at your nine tails, I'll call you Nine-Tails."

"What a joke! It was me who turned you into a rat that everyone hates. Without me, you could have enjoyed a normal life. Come on, hate me! Only through hatred can you become stronger. Look at those who bullied you. One day, when you possess power, you'll crush them like ants."

"Hate? Why should I hate?" Naruto stared blankly at the Nine-Tails, not understanding why the fox wanted him to hate.

..." The Nine-Tails, who had observed humans for thousands of years, realized Naruto wasn't lying. He genuinely had no hatred.

"You just said that if I die, you die too. There's no doubt that we're connected. I don't hate myself; in fact, I find it interesting. After four years, I finally have a friend I can talk to. By the way, how can we get out?" Naruto questioned, pulling himself together.

"Tear off that seal and unlock the door. The unlocking seal is..." The Nine-Tails, still stunned by Naruto's actions, revealed the truth.

"Rip."

"Hey, hey... you?" Astonished, the Nine-Tails was taken aback by Naruto's actions. The seal was torn off effortlessly by a four-year-old child. Furthermore, Naruto intended to unlock the door's lock, but his arm was grabbed.

"What's going on, Naruto? How old are you? Why did you break the seal?!" The foolish dad, Minato Namikaze, made his entrance. He had imagined his son growing up into a handsome young man but was surprised to see a small child engaged in the most dangerous act.

"Who are you? I'm going to open the seal and let him out," Naruto responded.

"Huh, huh, huh??" Minato's eyes widened, resembling a comic, his mouth hanging open. Lost in thought, he didn't notice Naruto's actions, who condensed chakra in his hand, swirling it around his own belly. The cage containing the Nine-Tails was also opened. Naruto found it strange because the Nine-Tails only taught him the sealing method, but this technique felt familiar, as if it had been imprinted in his mind a long time ago. He executed it skillfully, utilizing the little chakra he had.

"It's done. It's open."

"Hey, Fourth Hokage, I must not be dreaming, right? It seems like the seal has been opened," the Nine-Tails stretched its paw, realizing that the iron gate that had kept it bound no longer existed, meaning it could escape at any time.

"It's a dream, definitely a dream. I don't believe it," Minato clutched his head and lamented, on the verge of tears.

"Nine-Tails, you're powerful, right? Come with me, let's go to the shopping district and smash those guys' shops," Naruto unconsciously walked into the 'cage' of the Nine-Tails and climbed up to its head, pulling its ears.

"Smash, smash shops? Why?" the Nine-Tails asked.

"For revenge," Naruto said, though there was no trace of hatred in his eyes, only a faint smile.

"Naruto, look at what you've done. What's the matter with you?" Minato became angry. The seal that he and his wife had worked so hard to set up had been broken, and Naruto was even threatening to seek revenge on the people in the village.

"Fourth Hokage, take a look at this." The Nine-Tails shook Naruto off its head, opened its genjutsu, and replayed Naruto's most severe memories of being beaten, including the scene of him jumping from a building.

"How about it? My original intention was for him to become a hero of Konoha, loved by the village, and to grow up using your power as the inheritor of the new generation's Will of Fire." Betrayal, that word struck Minato's heart heavily. The sacrifices he and his wife had made for the village had resulted in this kind of response from Naruto. It was certain that the Third Hokage hadn't revealed Naruto's identity to the village, but it seemed like he had exaggerated the situation to make the village people despise Naruto even more.

"Nine-Tails, come out with me quickly. With your power, I'm sure I can live a better life. Let's go, let's go," Naruto urged from the other side, still trying to incite the Nine-Tails to come out.

"Get lost, brat." The Nine-Tails, annoyed by Naruto's attempts to climb on its head again, used one of its tails to flick him away, and Minato quickly caught him.

"Naruto, I'm sorry." Minato held his son tightly. In his eyes, Naruto's jump from the building (misunderstanding) was due to his despair with life. It was almost as if Minato had indirectly forced his son to the brink of death. The thought was like a knife piercing his heart.

"Hey, don't act weak. You must be itching to get out after being locked up for so long, right?" Naruto was dissatisfied with the fox pretending to sleep by covering its eyes.

"Brat, this is Konoha. If I were to escape, I would definitely be attacked. The Third Hokage is still alive, and if he decides to sacrifice himself again to seal me, the next seal will be even stronger. It's better for you to leave the village first, then I can come out," the Nine-Tails lifted its eyelid and glanced at Naruto before closing it again.

"You're right, but I'm despised by everyone in this village. I might die one day. It's better for you to get out quickly so that I won't drag you down with me." Naruto nodded, then thought about his own experiences and said bitterly.

"Alright, Naruto, stop talking." Minato held Naruto tightly. His son, at the age of four, had contemplated suicide. It was evident the treatment Naruto had received.

"But my grandmother, who took care of me, died, and the people in the village hate me so much..."

"You still have me, you have your mother too, she's here. But she buried her chakra deeper, and she will appear later."

"Are you my dad? But both of you are dead." Naruto didn't quite understand Minato's meaning and asked in a dazed manner.

"Reanimation Jutsu, a technique that can revive the dead...," Minato sighed and explained a forbidden jutsu he had seen before.

Honestly, he didn't intend for Naruto to learn such a forbidden jutsu. Even if he mastered it, the revived dead wouldn't have any consciousness; they would be mere walking corpses. Moreover, he had used the Dead Demon Consuming Seal before his death, permanently sacrificing his soul to the Shinigami, unable to be reincarnated. But he never imagined that in the future, there would be someone like Orochimaru who would complete the Reanimation Jutsu to a terrifying extent.

"Is that so? As long as I learn it, I can see my mom and dad, right? I understand now!" Naruto finally had a glimmer of hope for his future life. He vowed solemnly that he would definitely learn it.

"Naruto, although it's unfair, I still hope you won't resent the people in the village. Many people have been left with scars in their hearts after that disaster. Their actions are just a release of their fear. I know it's very unfair to you, and I'm sorry, as your father."

"It's not a big deal. Since it's what Dad wants, I will do my best. I will make everyone in the village acknowledge me!"

"Naruto, you must not tell anyone about the Nine-Tails being released, not even the Third Hokage." After seriously warning Naruto, Minato let him leave.

"Fourth Hokage, you actually let your own son learn forbidden jutsu. No matter how you look at it, it's not something a Hokage would do."

"Nine-Tails, as you can see, I am just a gathering of chakra. I'm about to disappear now, but I'm genuinely worried about Naruto. Can't you lend me some of your chakra?"

"What did you say! You sealed me inside this brat, and now you're asking me for chakra? You shameless human!" The Nine-Tails' nine tails stood upright, ready to pounce on and tear Minato apart.

"Please, I beg you!" Minato knelt on the ground and forcefully knocked his head down. At this moment, he wasn't the Fourth Hokage or the golden flash; he was just a father worried about his child.

"Tsk, it's not interesting to break a clone made of chakra. I prefer shattering your real body." Suddenly, the Nine-Tails thought that Naruto would be disappointed if he couldn't see Minato the next time he came. Friend... this dead brat seemed to have said something like that. Shaking its head, it dismissed those boring thoughts and extended one of its tails, inserting it into Minato's back, continuously supplying him with chakra.

"Thank you, Nine-Tails."

...

"Bang!" Naruto's body fell heavily into a stall, smashing numerous fruits.

"I'm still alive, thank goodness."

"Not at all! You wretched monster, you smashed my merchandise!" A burly man emerged from the shop and shouted angrily at the shattered watermelons on the ground.

"I'm sorry!" Naruto was about to turn around and run away, but he suddenly remembered what he had just said to Minato. He resolutely stopped in his tracks, turned around, and faced the people on the street who despised him.

"From today on, I won't run away anymore. I will make all of you acknowledge me. I will become the Hokage!" Naruto climbed onto a table by the street, raised his hands towards the sky, and shouted loudly.

"What nonsense are you spouting, you monster? Just die already!" The villagers, moved by Naruto's youthful voice, picked up vegetables, slippers, and stools, throwing them at him.

"Words alone won't work, it seems!" Naruto had long mastered the skill of dodging garbage and quickly evaded the projectiles, climbing onto a rooftop to escape.

The empty room remained the same, a small, rundown house with nothing but the smell of instant noodles. Naruto lay on the bed, recalling the events of the day. It was so wonderful to be able to see his father.

"Bang!" Just as Naruto fell asleep, a figure suddenly appeared in the room. The Third Hokage, holding a smoking pipe, looked at Naruto on the bed and glanced around. Though it was only a moment, he had indeed sensed the presence of the Nine-Tails' chakra.

"Father..." Just as he was about to check the seal, Naruto mumbled in his sleep. The outstretched hand froze in mid-air. The Third Hokage sighed, then disappeared from the room.