As the black screen vanished, it was replaced by a screen with a white border, showing Naruto in this world.
[Armed with a recommendation list from the Third Hokage, Uzumaki Naruto easily entered the Ninja Academy.]
[It is just a pity that he seemed to have virtually no talent for Ninjutsu.]
[On the contrary, he was exceptionally gifted at making trouble!]
[From vandalizing the Hokage Monument and playing tricks on teachers to peeing against the wind...]
[If there is anything people cannot think of, there is nothing this Naruto cannot do!]
[Because of this, Naruto in this world was often followed by a massive crowd of "fans"!]
[The kind that chased after him to break his legs!]
[Over the years, Naruto had practically become intimately familiar with every street and corner of the Hidden Leaf Village.]
[He simply adored life inside the Hidden Leaf Village; everyone there was talented, and they spoke so delightfully...]
Sakura: "That's right, I knew it! This Naruto is the real Naruto I know!"
Ino: "Well, well, Naruto! So the guy who was always vandalizing the storefront of my family's flower shop back then was you! I've finally caught you!"
Uzumaki Kushina: "Our Naruto only did those things to gain everyone's approval! He's still just a child!"
Namikaze Minato: "Ahem, Kushina, Naruto really did the wrong thing."
Though Namikaze Minato said that on the surface, deep down he understood Naruto as well.
With no parents, no one to lean on,
and not even a single friend from childhood to now.
He finally managed to start school, thinking he would finally have companions,
only for everyone to shun him
and treat him like a monster!
With a Naruto like this,
he didn't turn to the dark side at all,
and instead merely pulled pranks and vandalized property.
Wasn't his purpose in doing all this
simply hoping that the villagers would spare him a glance
and acknowledge his existence?
Thinking of this, Namikaze Minato felt a pang of sorrow in his heart.
He truly was a somewhat incompetent father.
Back when the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox was released by the masked man,
he actually didn't have to die,
but in order to stay with Kushina,
and also to make Naruto a hero of the village,
Namikaze Minato ultimately chose to sacrifice himself using the Dead Demon Consuming Seal.
Yet, despite all his careful calculations, he never expected it to end up like this.
As Hokage,
he had done right by the village,
but he could hardly be considered a good father.
Regarding this,
Minato felt deeply self-reproachful in his heart.
However, since Kushina was able to come back to life,
I must strive to be revived as well,
and when that time comes, I'll pass down all my Ninjutsu to Naruto!
At the same time, to this day,
he also wanted to investigate the truth behind another matter:
Who on earth was that masked man back then?
Only a handful of people knew that the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox had been sealed inside Naruto,
yet somehow it evolved into the rumor that Naruto *was* the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox!
Was this the intention of the Third Hokage,
or was it deliberately orchestrated by the masked man?
And after all, what on earth was the purpose of doing such a thing?
Even someone with Minato's gentle disposition could not tolerate this.
Back then, the title of the Yellow Flash had been forged in a sea of blood!
The scene continued.
[As Uzumaki Naruto gradually grew older, the number of people he knew around him also slowly increased.]
[People from prominent families, such as Nara Shikamaru, actually did not deliberately avoid Uzumaki Naruto.]
[Naruto finally had people he could exchange a few words with, but this still couldn't quite be called friendship.]
[Gradually, as age increased, the academy's curriculum shifted from basic literacy and common knowledge to lessons on Ninjutsu and Chakra.]
[This also led everyone to discover that aside from having a bad head, Naruto's Ninjutsu was an absolute mess too!]
[Let alone the most basic Ninjutsu, even refining Chakra was something he frequently failed at!]
[Naruto became a bona fide dropout.]
[By contrast, a child named Uchiha Sasuke slowly stepped into Uzumaki Naruto's field of vision.]
[Aside from Haruno Sakura, he was the second person Uzumaki Naruto cared about.]
[Good-looking, with a great family background and outstanding talent for Ninjutsu, he was a true top student—you could even call him the Shinobi World version of a wealthy, handsome prodigy!]
[Naturally, Uzumaki Naruto was extremely jealous, and thus secretly regarded Sasuke as the target he needed to surpass.]
[Even in routine combat drills, he would always pick Sasuke as his opponent.]
[Amidst everyone's skeptical gazes, Uzumaki Naruto unhesitatingly raised his fists and charged straight at Sasuke, who had his hands tucked into his pockets.]
[The outcome goes without saying: Uzumaki Naruto was knocked flat to the ground with a single punch!]
[Iruka, the teacher in charge, announced the end of the match, and the two reluctantly performed the seal of reconciliation.]
[Uzumaki Naruto was reluctant because how could he possibly have lost? It made no sense!]
[Sasuke's reason for being reluctant was that winning against a dropout was utterly pointless!]
[“That smug look of yours is seriously repulsive!”]
[Unable to win through combat, Uzumaki Naruto immediately resorted to acting shameless, pointing right at Uchiha Sasuke's nose and cursing.]
[But Sasuke couldn't care less. A cold smirk played at the corner of his mouth as he turned and walked away, leaving behind a chorus of gasps from the girls.]
[“Waah, Sasuke is so cool!”]
[“I really want to date Sasuke!”]
[Naruto could only drool with envy, grumbling indignantly, “Hmph, a bunch of fanboys and fangirls, that's all!”]
[Yet among those fanboys and fangirls was Haruno Sakura, the one he liked the most.]
[As for why Uzumaki Naruto liked Sakura, even Naruto himself couldn't quite explain it.]
[Perhaps it was because Sakura genuinely looked cute and was also a top student!]
[Of course, Sasuke was a top student too, it was just a pity that he was a boy!]
[This was the joint reason for Uzumaki Naruto's hatred and affection.]
[Catching up to Sakura and defeating Sasuke were Uzumaki Naruto's short-term dreams.]
[Until one day...]
[“Did you hear? The Uchiha clan has been wiped out!”]
[“Overnight, the entire Uchiha family died, leaving only Sasuke behind!”]
[“Really? No way, how could such a huge commotion happen without a sound?”]
[“That's because the news was sealed off! This is an absolute top secret, I'm only telling you, you mustn't tell anyone else, okay?”]
[“Oh oh, got it! I'm famously tight-lipped, you know.”]
[“That's good!”]
[“Hey Rock Lee, did you hear? The Uchiha clan...”]
[Before long, this piece of news—hailed as a top secret—spread just like the news that Naruto was the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox: everyone knew it!]
[Uzumaki Naruto looked at the desk that originally belonged to Sasuke; today, this top student and genius hadn't shown up, which was a break from tradition!]
[Could what they were talking about actually be true?]
[Uzumaki Naruto slumped over his desk, looking somewhat listless.]
[Teacher Iruka didn't bother him; after all, just having Naruto stay inside the classroom was already giving him the utmost respect!]
[Uzumaki Naruto turned his head sideways, looking out the window. It was the tail end of summer, and the cicadas on the trees were singing their final swan song.]
[Young Naruto let his mind wander, blankly wondering if, when summer truly passed, any cicada would be able to live until winter.]
[As he pondered this, before he could figure it out, lulled by the gentle summer breeze, he drifted off to sleep.]
[When he woke up again, school was already over, and he was the only person left in the entire classroom!]
[“What the heck, not a single person woke me up!”]
[Uzumaki Naruto rested his hands behind his head and strolled out leisurely.]
[There was nobody home anyway, so he had no reason to rush back.]
[“Might as well go eat ramen tonight. Come to think of it, old man Teuchi is the only good person in this village; every time, he never turns down my request for noodles.”]
[“I just have to go a bit later, otherwise I'll disrupt the old man's business.”]
[Thinking this, Uzumaki Naruto had already walked to a riverbank within the village.]
[Right by this riverbank stood a bridge, and for some reason, Uchiha Sasuke was sitting right there.]
[Catching sight of Sasuke's back out of the corner of his eye, Uzumaki Naruto, in a daze, momentarily thought he was looking at himself.]
[Swinging on the swings alone, fishing alone, eating instant ramen alone, going home alone...]
[Uzumaki Naruto suddenly felt an unreasoning impulse; he wanted to walk up and say a few words to Sasuke.]
[Even though he hadn't thought of what to say.]
[Yet the moment he took his first step, he stopped.]
[Recalling the arrogant, aloof look Sasuke had worn after knocking him down earlier, Uzumaki Naruto said crossly,]
[Hmph, I wouldn't be friends with you anyway!]
[Coincidentally, at that moment Sasuke also noticed Naruto and saw the upturned corner of Naruto's mouth.]
[Sasuke let out a cold snort as well, as if saying, I don't give a damn about a guy like you either!]
[“Whatever, going home to eat instant ramen!”]