Chapter 6: The Day of Ninja School Enrollment
The closer they got to the school, the more parents could be seen bringing their children. When these parents caught sight of Naruto, their expressions changed slightly, although they tried to hide it. Despite the presence of Iruka, they didn't make any overt gestures or obvious expressions of hostility, but there was a hidden look of disgust and fear in their gazes when they looked at Naruto. Though this look was very subtle, Naruto keenly sensed it.
Whenever any curious child looked at Naruto, their parents would immediately pull them away and turn their heads, sternly cautioning them not to have any contact with the blond child, not even eye contact.
It was full of malice.
Naruto, surrounded by these people, felt a wave of emotions for a moment. He couldn't help but tighten his grip on Iruka's right hand for a moment. But in an instant, he returned to his calm self.
Iruka, however, keenly felt that slight tremor.
Although he was only a Chunin, Iruka had some knowledge of things like Tailed Beasts and Jinchuriki as a ninja. Naruto was Naruto, and the Nine-Tails was the Nine-Tails. Naruto was just a pitiable child used as a container for the Nine-Tails. Iruka knew he shouldn't blame Naruto for his parents' death. Naruto was just a six-year-old child, an ordinary orphan who lost his parents on the night of the Nine-Tails' attack. This was the official data prepared by Konoha for Naruto.
Yet, he was treated by everyone in the village as if he were a monster.
Rejected and hated.
Thinking of this, Iruka's expression softened slightly. Of course, Iruka would never know that Naruto's momentary emotional turmoil and the slight pressure in his grip were not due to fear or any negative feelings but simply because Naruto couldn't control the faint traces of killing intent deep within him.
"I still have a long way to go with my own mindset," Naruto thought with a touch of self-mockery in his heart.
As for these ordinary villagers? Well, if you asked how much Naruto resented them, it wasn't certain. After all, they were not the direct cause of his difficult life. These ignorant villagers who didn't know about Jinchuriki or the nature of Tailed Beasts naturally saw Naruto as the Nine-Tails, which was only human nature. Not resenting them didn't mean Naruto had any fondness for them. If he had the chance in the future, Naruto didn't mind taking advantage of their ignorance to settle scores with these fools from Konoha. The ones Naruto wanted to retaliate against were the high-ranking officials of Konoha, especially Danzo Shimura, who prioritized the village's supposed stability and so-called greater good. Danzo was definitely on Naruto's hit list!
This had nothing to do with justice; it was just a matter of human nature seeking revenge. Naruto wasn't like his original self in the previous life, who naively wanted to protect Konoha and even tried to persuade Obito Uchiha in the final battle, eventually allowing him to redeem himself. No matter what hardship or deception Obito had experienced, this guy! He was still on Naruto's hit list.
Obito Uchiha was detestable, pitiable, and even adorable, but Obito Uchiha, also known as Tobi and later the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, was the most despicable existence.
It wasn't like Itachi Uchiha, Shisui Uchiha, and Kagami Uchiha.
The latter three were Uchiha clan members worthy of respect. Of course, Itachi Uchiha's existence was still somewhat contradictory, especially when he chose to eliminate his clan for the village. To be frank, it was challenging to explain and even whitewash that aspect. Itachi had greatness in him, but he also had a twisted and demonic side. He was a highly conflicted character, both admirable and detestable. Of course, regardless of whether it was Itachi or Shisui, Naruto had some respect for them, but he also had trouble understanding and even detesting certain aspects of them. However, as long as it didn't involve Naruto himself in this life, he wouldn't pay much attention.
And aside from these three, the rest of the Uchiha?
Haha!
Indra was much cuter than them!
"Alright, we're here, Naruto."
It wasn't a very long journey, just around ten minutes, and Iruka brought Naruto to the entrance of the ninja school. By this time, the entire school was surrounded by many parents and their children.
Iruka led Naruto to a less crowded area, bent down slightly, gently patting Naruto's head, and said softly with a warm smile, "Naruto, let the teacher take care of your enrollment paperwork first. You wait here for the teacher, okay?"
"Yes, Iruka-sensei."
Naruto tilted his head slightly, his face lit up with a bright smile, nodding vigorously in response.
"Please don't wander around, I'll be back soon," Iruka added before leaving, still a bit concerned.
To be honest, children in the world of Naruto were typically precocious, growing up as ninjas and stepping onto the battlefield at a very young age. Famous shinobi like Kakashi Hatake graduated from the ninja academy at the age of five and became a Konoha ninja, later becoming a Jounin at the age of twelve. Although Kakashi's genius was rare, children becoming shinobi at seven or eight and entering combat was quite common in various ninja villages.
But now? The situation in other ninja villages was unknown.
Konoha, on the other hand, seemed to have become more decadent in Naruto's eyes.
Ninjas were not child's play.
In Naruto's view, Konoha's Ninja Academy was overly focused on humanistic education. There was nothing inherently wrong with that, as he believed that the education system in the Hidden Mist Village was abnormal and twisted. However, Konoha's education was too gentle, in Naruto's opinion. Ninja, starting at the age of six and graduating from the academy at twelve, spent these six years without any bloodshed.
Naruto found it ridiculous.
Ninjas not shedding blood?
What kind of ninja was that?
Konoha's Will of Fire, as they called it, was something Naruto didn't necessarily think was wrong, but under the leadership of the Third Hokage, it had become completely distorted.
Being gentle didn't mean being weak, and restraint didn't mean concession.
Excessively pursuing so-called peace would only embolden one's enemies.
The Third Hokage had indeed made significant contributions to Konoha's development, but he had also become the main reason for Konoha's gradual decline.
Of course, these matters had little to do with Naruto. He had no attachment to Konoha. Even if his father was the Fourth Hokage, it wouldn't change anything.
Perhaps Iruka was worried about Naruto being left alone there, and within less than ten minutes, Iruka returned to Naruto's side after handling his enrollment paperwork. He was relieved to see Naruto waiting there unharmed.
"All right, Naruto, let's go to your classroom, sensei will take you."
"Yes!"
Naruto nodded and held Iruka's left hand again, following by his side as they headed into the ninja school.
(End of this chapter)
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