Chapter 18: Please Do Me a Favor

At first, Naruto was completely bewildered by the attacker's words.

He asked himself honestly—when had he ever provoked this middle-aged man enough to make him want to kill him?

At most, he had only fought back equally when villagers bullied him.

Even if the Akatsuki or Konoha's secret Anbu wanted to target him, it would be because of his status as a Jinchūriki, not without reason.

But this guy just came at him like a lunatic, trying to assassinate him without any logic.

What surprised Naruto even more was how weak this attacker was. How could there be such a weak assassin who didn't even consider the fact that he's a Jinchūriki?

That cleared the Akatsuki's suspicion right away.

On the other side, after painfully pulling the fruit knife out of his foot, Tenpū stared at Naruto in disbelief.

To him, Naruto was just a brat who hadn't even passed the Ninja Academy, completely powerless. As long as he distracted the Anbu, he could do whatever he wanted.

But unexpectedly, Naruto not only sensed his arrival but had already set traps.

Injured and poisoned with paralysis, Tenpū no longer had confidence in defeating Naruto. If he alerted other ninjas in the village, death would be the only outcome.

Panicked, Naruto's voice rang out again: "Who exactly are you? A ninja from an enemy country?"

"..."

Tenpū looked for an opportunity but couldn't confirm if Naruto was a Shadow Clone. He glanced around, searching for a chance to counterattack or escape.

At this moment, he had completely begun to see Naruto as a ninja.

Clones guarded the windows and doors, and forming hand seals took a few seconds.

Seeing the many shadow clones around him, Tenpū realized he was doomed. But before he died, he wanted to make Naruto suffer—this was his revenge against the Fourth Hokage.

Snorting coldly, Tenpū's face twisted with madness: "Who I am doesn't matter, but Naruto Uzumaki, do you know your true identity? Do you know why you're bullied?"

Naruto frowned; of course, he knew his identity.

Seeing Naruto remain silent, Tenpū continued: "Naruto, you're not a demon fox, you're the son of the Fourth Hokage—the hero who saved the village. Yet the Hokage's son is bullied as a demon fox. Isn't that laughable?"

He looked at Naruto, expecting a dramatic reaction.

Unfortunately, Naruto showed no confusion, no hesitation.

Instead, he looked at Tenpū as if he were a fool and sneered, "I'm the Fourth's son. So what? What are you trying to say? That I should be angry?"

Tenpū's expression grew even uglier as he shouted: "Why aren't you angry? You're the Fourth's son, treated like a demon fox! Shouldn't you question life and this world?"

Naruto shook his head, then gestured for his shadow clones to approach Tenpū and said calmly:

"More than that, I'm curious about your identity. Why did you come near me? Are you from the Third Hokage's faction, a spy from Hidden Cloud or Rock, or an agent of Konoha's Anbu?"

If Tenpū had been crazy earlier, now he was filled with fear.

Naruto was just a kid—how did he know about these factions? Especially Danzo Shimura, whom many Chūnin didn't even know existed.

And Naruto showed an unusual calmness for his age.

If he's not from the Third or Danzo's group, nor from Hidden Cloud, then is he a spy from another ninja village?

Looking at Tenpū's face, Naruto felt a little confused, but then recalled that this face looked familiar—that middle-aged man he had met once at Ichiraku Ramen.

Why would an ordinary Chūnin want to target him?

Not wasting time on guesses, Naruto formed hand seals again. Three to five shadow clones appeared in the room, then they swarmed Tenpū using gentle fist techniques.

Soon, Naruto had Tenpū restrained inside the room and started interrogating him with pressure point techniques.

Recognizing the Gentle Fist style, Tenpū gave up resisting completely. He began to doubt whether Naruto was really the Fourth's son or if he was truly possessed by the Nine-Tails.

How else could a kid so young master so many advanced ninjutsu, including the Hyūga clan's secret techniques?

Tenpū's bones were soft; he soon confessed everything.

Naruto's expression gradually turned strange after hearing the information.

This guy wasn't a spy, nor was Danzo behind him. He was just an unlucky Chūnin from Konoha.

Because of his lack of talent, he blamed the Fourth's death for preventing him from becoming an elite Jonin. So he spread rumors that Naruto was a demon fox and secretly targeted him.

After Naruto successfully resisted the bullying, Tenpū tried to assassinate him, adding more darkness to Naruto's life.

What was this—just simple revenge against society?

But these were only one-sided words. There were many details worth thinking about. One man alone couldn't have spread the demon fox rumors so widely; someone with intention must have pushed things along.

After all, a low-level Chūnin like Tenpū probably wouldn't even notice if he was being used.

Still, the existence of such a person made Naruto's already limited goodwill toward Konoha drop even further.

Not resisting dangerous assignments or pressure from superiors, but joining others in bullying a Jinchūriki orphan who lost both parents—these shadowy corner ninjas truly embody the Will of Fire, huh?

Snorting coldly, Naruto crushed Tenpū's heart meridian with a Gentle Fist strike and watched him collapse weakly.

Looking down at the dead body, Naruto felt no discomfort in killing—or rather, he had grown numb to negative emotions like this.

But thinking of how Tenpū had once been his father's subordinate and had received favors from him…

Now, because of his own shortcomings, Tenpū spread harmful rumors and even tried to psychologically scar him.

Naruto felt an indescribable sadness, perhaps influenced by the body he inhabited, his body trembling slightly.

The Nine-Tails noticed Naruto's odd state and suddenly said: "Hey, kid, don't get down over this. You're my Jinchūriki—I won't allow you to have weak emotions."

"You mean about killing? It's fine. It's like killing fish in everyday life."

Naruto looked at the Nine-Tails and forced a smile.

The Nine-Tails gazed deeply at Naruto and shook his head gently.

"Not about that. It's about something else. That guy just said your dad was the Fourth Hokage... The son of the Hokage, being discriminated against, that must feel bad."

Naruto smiled dismissively:

"Oh, that? I've known for a long time. The unique Uzumaki surname, the same hair color and looks as the Fourth Hokage, and the way the Third Hokage treats me—all prove I'm the Fourth's son."

He paused, then added, "Besides, haven't you beasts always enjoyed the same treatment?"

The Nine-Tails was silent for a moment—those words hit him hard.

But had Naruto understood the tailed beasts' feelings so early? The Nine-Tails hadn't realized.

During the silence, Naruto picked up a kunai from the ground and cut his own arm sharply.

Looking at the gaping wound and the flowing blood, Naruto calmly said to the Nine-Tails:

"By the way, Big Fox, I haven't asked you before—now, please do me a favor. Use your chakra to control my body."

"I need your power!"

(End of Chapter)

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