Chapter 17 — You Shouldn’t Exist in This World

After feeling sorry for the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, the Cloud Ninja continued to carry out their mission.

Before long, the hidden Cloud ninja lurking in the shadows became alert as a masked figure approached them from not far away.

From the way the person was dressed, they looked no different from an ordinary Konoha villager.

But at this time and place—in a secluded alley—there was no way this was an ordinary person, unless they had come specifically for them.

It seemed their presence had successfully caught the attention of Konoha's Anbu.

The Cloud ninja squad leader smiled slyly, already having prepared an excuse for being in this spot.

Soon, the masked man reached the squad leader, who stepped forward with a stern expression and said, "You're a Konoha ninja, aren't you? Our lead Jonin went missing. Was that your doing?"

Through recent contact with their superiors, they had learned that the lower ranks of Konoha's ninja were tough, but the higher-ups were generally weak.

They only needed to intimidate a little, and these people would probably retreat out of fear of breaking the peace talks.

The masked man said nothing in response but, after glancing over the Cloud ninja, calmly said, "Good, everyone's here. Let's get started. We must capture the Jinchuriki today!"

Hearing this, the Cloud squad leader's face changed slightly—but the man had already disappeared from where he stood.

It was unclear whether he had used the Body Flicker Technique or a clone.

One of the Cloud ninja nearby asked the leader uncertainly, "Captain, is the plan changed? Are we really going to attack the Jinchuriki?"

"Attack? No way! That's a spy from another village! We've been set up."

The squad leader ground his teeth, but it was already too late to stop the masked man.

From their vantage point above, Konoha's Anbu watching the scene had noticed the activity and were leaping across rooftops, heading toward the area.

Listening to the sound of air rushing past their ears, the Cloud ninja quietly exchanged words.

"What should we do now, Captain?"

"Try to explain to them clearly—these are outsiders trying to go after the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki..."

Before they could finish, Tsukikage Hayate and Uzuki Yukari had already appeared in front of the Cloud ninja, their expressions serious.

"We've been watching you for a long time. Explain why you're here."

The Cloud squad leader looked at them, skeptical. "If we say we just happened to be passing through, would you believe that?"

Even he knew that excuse was weak, but for now, it was all they had to go on.

Hayate sneered, "You think we'd believe that? Come with us."

Meanwhile—

Naruto yawned out of boredom and headed to the bathroom to wash up.

Since there was no sign of any commotion, it was better to wash up early and get some rest. His current strength wasn't enough to get involved in such a major incident; rash action would only raise suspicion.

At that moment, Naruto suddenly felt a surge of alertness, his gaze shifting toward the window.

His malicious intent sensing ability had activated. Someone filled with intense ill will was approaching his location.

The Nine-Tails inside the sealed space opened its eyes and warned, "Hey, Naruto kid, someone with bad intentions is approaching. Judging by the chakra, it should be a ninja."

Naruto knew it was a ninja, but the problem was he didn't know their identity or how strong they were.

And wasn't he the Jinchuriki? Where were the Konoha Anbu who were supposed to be watching him?

Reading Naruto's thoughts, the Nine-Tails replied, "Those tail-followers sent by the Hokage are tangled up with another group. They won't get here anytime soon. You're on your own."

Naruto's expression turned serious.

As the Jinchuriki, he had never thought about running away from battle. He just hadn't expected his first encounter to come so soon.

Is this the butterfly effect?

After a moment of calm reflection, Naruto began searching his room for a weapon. He was, after all, a ninja now, and with the enemy unaware of his presence, maybe he could strike first and gain the upper hand.

At that moment, the Nine-Tails spoke softly, "If you're truly in danger, you can hand your body over to me. I'll take control. Being controlled by my chakra gives you a chance to wake up. But if you die, you really die."

Naruto didn't argue, tacitly agreeing.

Downstairs in the apartment building—

The masked man climbed over the courtyard wall, glanced up at Naruto's room, then slowly removed the disguise covering his face, revealing an ordinary-looking passerby.

This was none other than the disheveled middle-aged ninja Naruto had met once before at Ichiraku Ramen.

But compared to that time, the man's eyes now held determination, his formerly slovenly aura replaced by cold ruthlessness.

Scaling the wall and heading upstairs, without any Anbu interference, he easily entered Naruto's room.

It was his first time inside the fox demon's room. It looked like any normal kid's.

However, judging by the bathroom light and sound of running water, the fox demon was bathing and wouldn't come out soon—he had plenty of time.

After thinking for a moment, the man looked over Naruto's room carefully.

Seeing a close-up photo of Naruto on the bedside table, the man picked it up, apparently lost in some memory, a faint smile appearing.

But soon, his expression twisted into a grimace, and he crushed the photo.

His name was Tenpū, an ordinary Konoha ninja. He had no prestigious teacher or family background. Without a miracle, he was destined to remain stuck between Genin and Chunin ranks all his life.

But the appearance of Naruto's father—the Fourth Hokage—had given him hope.

The Fourth Hokage was an orphan, with a lower status than Tenpū, yet he rose through talent and effort to become a Jonin, and eventually the Fourth Hokage.

With such a role model, Tenpū began to believe that hard work would pay off.

Things had gone as he expected: after joining the Fourth's command, he was rapidly promoted to Chunin squad leader and even had the chance to become a Special Jonin.

But everything changed on the night of the Nine-Tails' attack.

When the Fourth Hokage died in battle, the old retainers like Tenpū suffered repression. Some were sent to dangerous frontline missions, others sidelined, denied promotion.

Repeated harsh missions caused Tenpū to accumulate internal injuries, ending his chances of becoming a Special Jonin.

All because the Fourth Hokage died unjustly.

Minato Namikaze, as Hokage, you could die for the village in battle—but what about us, your loyal subordinates who worked hard for your rise?

They were resentful but powerless, forced to quietly accept the older generation's orders.

They only felt some relief when seeing Naruto being treated as a demon fox, hated and discriminated against by villagers. In their hearts, they sneered—this was the price of the Hokage's recklessness.

Snapping out of his memory, Tenpū approached the bathroom door and slowly pushed open the glass.

Looking at the blurred figure in the steam, he didn't hesitate and stabbed forward, muttering, "Uzumaki Naruto, how I wish you were never born. You shouldn't exist in this world, you damned fox."

Soon, Tenpū realized something was wrong—the kunai in his hand hadn't pierced flesh but thin air.

Then, a sharp pain came as a fruit knife stabbed into his foot, blood slowly oozing out.

At the same time, a voice rang out, "The one who shouldn't exist in this world is you!"

(End of Chapter)

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