Chapter 13 Fear

Little Naruto walked home, surrounded by eyes full of indifference and disgust. The malice from the villagers had not diminished at all; in fact, it had grown stronger.

But unlike before, no one dared to gather and whisper hateful things. The villagers' malice towards him now stemmed more from fear than anger. Everyone avoided him as though he were a dangerous animal.

As the saying goes, good news doesn't spread, but bad news travels fast. What happened that morning had already spread throughout the village by the afternoon. The only reason it didn't escalate further was because of the ban issued by the third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, and the actions taken by the security department, which kept everyone in check. Still, people were angry but too fearful to speak up.

This made Naruto feel more transparent than ever. Yes, he was the demon fox. It was only natural for them to be afraid of him. It was the complete opposite of how they treated him before, when they would bully and curse him freely.

With his hands in his pockets and a smile on his face, Naruto strolled through the streets of Konoha, as if he were in his own home. After all, no one dared to get close to him. Every person he passed would step aside, creating a clear path for him.

Wherever he went, the place would instantly fall silent, and even the birds seemed to stop chirping until he was out of earshot. Only then would they dare to whisper curses under their breath.

Even the stray dogs, sensing the Nine-Tails' chakra on Naruto, ran off without hesitation. It was a clear sign of how deeply people despised him.

Despite the oppressive atmosphere, Naruto wasn't in any rush to go home. He wandered around the village the whole afternoon, visiting the busiest areas. Whenever he sensed hostility from a shop, he would enter, touch things, and poke around just to make them uncomfortable. Several stores had to close early that day because of him.

Of course, there were some tough customers who cursed him outright, but Naruto would just look at them with a mix of regret and amusement. His expression made them feel powerless, and the moment they were dragged away by the security department, he couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction.

"You really enjoy this, don't you?" The Nine-Tails' voice echoed in Naruto's mind.

Naruto smiled in response. "Kurama, are you still angry?"

Kurama snorted. "Hmph. Even if I'm angry, what can I do? Can you let me out to beat you up?"

Naruto chuckled. "Haha, I'll come back for a rematch once I'm stronger."

The Nine-Tails sighed in frustration, realizing that Naruto, a boy with no sense of shame, never took things seriously. "Is this how you plan to get back at Konoha?"

Naruto paused for a moment before answering. "Well, there's not much else I can do. I can't exactly cause trouble in broad daylight."

Kurama fell silent for a moment, and the space around them seemed to grow darker. The seals on the door and the fences now looked stained with black lines.

Naruto's malice, once shackled, now flowed freely.

---

As dusk settled, signaling the transition between day and night—also known as the demon hour—Naruto's hunger began to grow. The smell of food from the nearby stores made his stomach growl. He stood in front of a particular shop, hesitating for a moment before deciding to enter.

The sign outside read "Ichiraku Ramen," its bold red and white characters standing out against the evening light. The steam from the ramen pots wafted out, drawing in pedestrians. After a moment's pause, Naruto pushed open the curtains and entered.

Inside, the shop was small but cozy, with a long counter and only a few customers at the bar. Behind the counter, a man and a woman were preparing orders. As soon as they saw Naruto, the woman, Ayame, immediately greeted him with a warm smile.

"Welcome! Oh, it's Naruto!" Ayame exclaimed, her surprise quickly turning into concern. "Where have you been all this time? We've been worried about you."

Naruto smiled and scratched his head, a genuine smile that was rare to see. "I've been practicing outside for a year. I just got back today and wanted to try all the new dishes you've got."

Ayame's face softened, and her eyes sparkled with affection. "We're so glad to see you back, Naruto. It's been too long."

Naruto looked around, but the air in the shop was different from the coldness outside. There was no malice, no fear, just warmth from Ayame and her father. This was one of the few places in Konoha where he felt at peace.

However, his senses soon picked up the sudden surge of hostility from another customer. He glanced over, curious, and saw a man with silver hair and a mask—Hatake Kakashi.

Naruto raised an eyebrow but didn't think too much of it. He simply sat beside Kakashi, as if nothing was out of the ordinary. Kakashi only gave him a fleeting glance before returning to his book, his eyes dead and unreadable.

"Naruto's grown quite a bit, hasn't he?" Ayame said with a laugh as she prepared his food.

Naruto stood up to compare his height with the bar and found that he was indeed taller now—he had grown a lot during his time away. "Guess it's because I've been eating wild game and training."

Ayame smiled. "That's amazing! You're learning ninjutsu now, huh?"

Naruto beamed with pride. "Yeah, I know ninjutsu now!"

Ayame's eyes widened in admiration. "At your age? That's incredible!"

"Speaking of ninjutsu, didn't Kakashi learn ninjutsu at a young age too?" Ayame asked, trying to spark a conversation between them.

Kakashi, who had been silently listening, gave a small nod without saying much. His eyes flicked briefly over to Naruto.

Naruto, noticing Kakashi's aloofness, grinned. "This one-eyed uncle is as strong as me?"

Kakashi only rolled his eyes, not bothering to engage.

The awkward silence that followed was quickly broken by Ayame. "Naruto, are you enrolling in the Ninja Academy soon?"

"Yeah," Naruto replied happily. "I'll make more friends there."

Just then, a loud crash interrupted their conversation. A man sitting at the bar had finished his ramen and, without a word, slammed his chopsticks down on the counter. He turned to Ayame with a sneer.

"Your ramen is the worst I've ever had. You should shut down this shop!" he spat.

Ayame was taken aback, her face turning cold. "Is that so? If it's so bad, why did you eat it all?"

The man ignored her and walked out, muttering insults. Ayame, enraged, yelled after him. "Come back and say that to my face!"

But the man was already gone, leaving only a bad taste behind.

Naruto watched the scene, his gaze hardening. He had already taken note of the man's scent.

"I'll be paying him a visit soon," Naruto murmured to himself.

Ayame, who was still upset, looked at Naruto apologetically. "Don't worry, Naruto. It's not your fault. That guy was just looking for trouble."

Naruto merely nodded, his eyes glowing with a cold determination.

Just then, he noticed something unusual—a few extra bills had been left on the counter. It was more than enough to cover the cost of the ramen.

Ayame smiled. "Looks like Kakashi really does care about you after all."

Naruto glanced at the bills, then looked back at Kakashi's retreating figure. "Hmm, maybe he does."