Chapter 1: Naruto, Menma, and the Lazy Fox

Chapter 1: Naruto, Menma, and the Lazy Fox

Konoha Year 54.

Three years had already passed since the Nine-Tails Rampage.

But the hatred and pain it left behind remained deeply etched in everyone's hearts.

This hatred should have been buried in the deepest part of people's hearts, only surfacing when mourning relatives who died in the Nine-Tails Rampage.

However, under the manipulation, indulgence, and neglect of certain individuals, all the malice was directed onto a single child.

"Hey, that kid, that's *the one*. Why is *that thing* allowed to remain in the village?"

"Have you heard? Lord Fourth died because of him, you know."

"Just being near him makes me uncomfortable. Such bad luck!"

"Lord Third is truly too kind. A guy like that should have been killed immediately."

Wherever the small figure went, people avoided him as if they had seen the God of Plague.

The originally bustling and prosperous street instantly became deserted.

People stood on either side of the street, watching the small child with disgust and indifference.

Their whispers were also filled with malice and hatred.

Little Naruto was only three years old. Although he didn't understand why, he had long since discovered the villagers' aversion towards him and had grown accustomed to their hateful gazes and vicious words.

Little Naruto simply walked on his own, heading towards Hokage Rock.

Hokage Rock was the highest place in the village. When the weather was good, he liked to stay there, gazing at the sky and letting his thoughts wander.

Just then, a ball suddenly rolled to his feet.

Little Naruto stopped, bent down to pick up the ball, revealing a very sunny smile.

He was just about to return it to the child in front of him.

A woman hastily pulled the child back, scolding quietly, "What are you doing? Didn't I tell you not to go near him? Why are you so disobedient!"

"Why, Mom?"

"*That thing* eats people!"

"Don't play with him! Who knows what he might do to you!"

Several other adults also earnestly warned their own children.

Little Naruto's azure eyes dimmed, and the smile on his face became extremely forced.

The ball in his hand fell to the ground.

*"Why do they look at me like that? Did I do something wrong...?"*

Their gazes made him feel like a monster – the monster that killed their relatives.

What was "that thing"? He clearly had a name. He was called Uzumaki Naruto, not a monster, nor "that thing."

Little Naruto walked away with his head lowered, his once light steps becoming heavy. The question that had troubled him for years resurfaced in his mind.

After he left, the street became lively again.

Children played and chased each other; adults chatted about gossip and rumors.

No one cared about the thoughts of "that thing."

As the "Demon Fox Incarnation," his sole purpose seemed to be serving as everyone's punching bag.

Little Naruto passed through the streets, through the woods, crossed the small stream, and finally stopped when he reached Hokage Rock.

He sat on the Fourth Hokage's head sculpture, looking down at the bustling, noisy village below.

Once again, he felt utterly isolated from the entire world.

This feeling of loneliness, far from the crowd, brought him both a sense of security and deep grievance.

Little Naruto knew clearly.

No one liked him. He didn't belong here. He had never experienced the happiness those people had.

They had homes, families, friends, and milk and instant noodles they couldn't finish and didn't worry about expiring.

And he had nothing.

Little Naruto lay down, raising a hand to block the dazzling sun, watching the birds flying in pairs in the sky.

His mood sank even lower.

*Why do I exist? What am I living for?*

*What can I possibly do to make them remember and acknowledge 'Uzumaki Naruto'?*

Pondering this question, little Naruto closed his eyes.

But when he opened them again...

He found himself in a place resembling a sewer.

Water ten centimeters deep covered the floor; the environment was dark and damp.

Sounds resembling a beast echoed from afar, and indistinct *crunching* noises could be faintly heard.

Seeing this, Naruto showed a panicked expression.

"What is this place?" He looked around, shouting, "Hey! Is anyone there?"

*Is anyone there...*

*Anyone there...*

*there...*

Only his echo and the strange noises reached his ears; no one responded.

Naruto first looked back at the blocked path behind him, then forced himself to suppress his fear and walk towards the source of the sounds.

Reaching the end, a bright flash of light made his vision swim.

When Naruto adjusted to the change in light, the scene before him made his jaw drop, his eyes widening like saucers.

"Wh-what is this!?"

Ahead lay a boundless ocean and a sandy beach, with a small wooden cabin situated by the sea.

On the beach stood a huge iron cage, and inside the cage was actually a large... fox, dozens of meters tall?

The reason for the question mark was that the fox's current behavior completely contradicted its ferocious appearance.

Little Naruto finally understood what the strange sound that had terrified him was.

The large fox held a huge bag of potato chips in its left hand, occasionally grabbing a handful and stuffing it into its cavernous mouth, making crisp *crunch crunch* sounds.

Next to its right hand stood a drink bottle over ten meters tall; it occasionally leaned its head over to take a gulp through a straw with a *glug glug* sound.

The big fox even purred from its throat, like a pet thoroughly enjoying being stroked, its face showing an utterly human-like expression of comfort and enjoyment.

"Menma!" the Nine-Tails yelled. "Get me another bag of chips! BBQ flavor!"

"Eat, eat, eat, all you know is eat. Aren't you afraid of turning into a ball?"

Accompanied by the sharp retort, a figure walked out of the wooden cabin.

Black medium-short hair, wearing a white three-eyed fox mask, black fingerless sleeve-covers, and dark red bandages wrapped around his forearms and lower legs.

*"So cool!!"*

This mysterious and unique attire made the mentally immature little Naruto's eyes light up instantly.

"Hmph, I'm only seventy percent full right now," the Nine-Tails said, picking its teeth with a claw. "Besides, I'm a Tailed Beast. How could I possibly get fat?"

Uzumaki Menma didn't explain, just chuckled softly.

Although the "raw materials" for those snacks were the Nine-Tails' chakra, after being processed by the "Book of the Crimson Moon" in his hands, they transformed into beneficial items that could enhance life energy.

As for getting fat...

The ancients said it well: nine out of ten orange cats are fat, and the tenth is exceptionally fat.

Although the Nine-Tails, being a fox, wasn't a feline, it at least qualified as "orange."

And with its lifestyle of eating then sleeping, sleeping then eating, it would be an injustice to these chips and cola if it *didn't* get fat.

Actually, Uzumaki Menma was rather looking forward to it.

If the Nine-Tails really turned from an orange fox into an orange pig, when it eventually met the other eight Tailed Beasts, would the Nine-Tails refuse to leave Naruto's body out of sheer embarrassment?

"Fat or not aside, Kurama, you've really become slack."

Menma tapped its toenail, then pointed towards the utterly bewildered Uzumaki Naruto standing there: "Didn't you see a guest has arrived? Hurry up and say hello?"

Seeing the strange human and fox looking at him, little Naruto timidly raised his hand: "Um... hello?"

---