Kapitel 4: Chapter 4: I'm Not the Problem
...
But the wooden stick didn't hit Naruto's head as it had before.
Just as the old man swung.
A glint of steel.
The kunai sliced through the soft wood, the broom head falling to the ground, kicking up dust.
"Damn it! My broom!" The rage had overwhelmed the convenience store owner's mind, not realizing what the counterattack meant, only fretting over his property. He raised his hand, about to strike again. "That damned brat, you never bring anything good..."
He couldn't finish his words.
Naruto had already grasped his wrist, sweeping a foot to trip him and send him tumbling to the ground.
A kunai flashed.
The convenience store owner looked up, still wanting to curse.
Clang~
The kunai pinned the ground beside his nose, vibrating slightly, as fragile as a bowstring.
This made him momentarily blank out.
A tingling sensation ran from the tip of his spine, electricity pulsing through his body, hairs standing on end.
The pain brought him back to his senses.
His arm bent at an unnatural angle, not broken, but the muscles, tendons, and skin stretched to their limit, agonizingly painful.
These sensations overpowered the anger in his mind.
Filling him with panic, realizing he was the one being "hunted" "Wh-What do you want to do?"
The Demon Fox...
"Buy some things." Naruto continued looking into the store, staring at the clock. "Don't worry, I'll pay. Welcome me this time, won't you?"
The convenience store owner gritted his teeth "I won't welcome you..."
Naruto applied force, increasing the angle of the arm.
The store owner broke out in a sweat, hastily changing his tune "Welcome, welcome! Of course you're welcome."
Naruto gave a cold chuckle, grabbing the kunai and tossing it back into his pocket, walking into the convenience store.
If this had been three years ago, he wouldn't have used this method.
But...
In his three years in the Soul Society, he had learned that for certain "necessary" matters, violence was far easier to solve problems than other means.
"Food" was not an essential commodity in the Rukongai.
Ordinary souls did not feel hunger.
Only those with sufficient spiritual power had a need to eat.
So... food prices were exorbitant.
If he didn't want to starve to death, he could only resort to some unsavory methods.
In the first half-year, this was how Naruto got by.
It was only after finding a job and having a stable income source that he abandoned "looting," using an entire year to finally repay the total value of the food he had stolen.
Entering the convenience store...
The digits on the clock ticked.
It wasn't broken.
So... he had spent three years in the Soul Society, yet hardly any time had passed in Konoha, the flow of time seemingly stagnant?
He pondered this question as he selected the ingredients, a piece of meat, two potatoes, some seasonings, and a bag of rice, costing less than 600 ryō, the market price.
Naruto hadn't taken advantage of the situation.
But after he left... the convenience store owner hurriedly closed up shop, reporting to the Konoha police.
Lawless!
He knew he shouldn't have let that damned brat into the Shinobi Academy.
Now that he had learned a bit of skill, he dared to lay hands on these poor, innocent people.
What next?
...
Hokage Tower.
The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, was diligently reviewing paperwork.
A shinobi entered after knocking on the door "Lord Third, that Uzumaki brat has caused trouble again!"
Sarutobi was used to such occurrences, his tone calm "What mischief has Naruto gotten into this time?"
"He got into a conflict with a convenience store owner, injuring the man." the shinobi gritted his teeth, extremely resentful.
Sarutobi's expression became grave.
Uzumaki Naruto was a troublemaker.
But previously it had just been pranks, limited to the school, aiming to draw attention to himself.
But now... he had actually injured someone?
This was the first time, a breach of his limits.
It had escalated into an outright conflict.
"Where is Naruto now?" Sarutobi asked.
The shinobi replied, "He went home."
Sarutobi breathed a sigh of relief, him being at home meant the situation hadn't deteriorated "Understood, I'll give him a good scolding."
"Naruto really took it too far this time."
Naruto's residence was not far from the Hokage Tower, in a low-rent apartment complex in the village center.
Sarutobi reached it in just a few minutes, knocking on the door.
Furrowing his brow, puzzled inwardly.
His guidance for Naruto had always been quite restrictive, and he had previously been very obedient, even when bullied to that degree, never raising a hand against anyone.
But today...
The door soon opened, Naruto in an apron, a kitchen knife in hand, his eyes lighting up at the sight of Sarutobi "Grandpa Hokage!"
In Konoha, this was the person who treated him best.
Bearing the title of Hokage, he was also the most powerful and knowledgeable individual in the entire village.
Naruto was so happy to see him!
And with all the questions swirling in his mind - why had he gone to the Soul Society, why had he returned, why had he experienced three years in Konoha yet remained unchanged.
Sarutobi looked past Naruto into the room, a bit dazed.
A room that could be seen to its end.
Clean...
Tidy...
Only the ingredients on the table - potatoes, meat, and rice cooking on the stove.
Nothing like Naruto's usual residence.
In just a few days, such a big change.
But the important thing was the "assault" incident, these changes were irrelevant. Sarutobi set his face sternly "Naruto, you went too far, why did you hit that convenience store owner?"
Naruto paused.
Was that why he had come?
Why the tone of "interrogation."
He spoke, his tone matter-of-fact "He attacked me first."
Sarutobi shook his head, his sharp tone undiminished "If you didn't provoke him, why would he attack you, and what kind of prank did you pull on him? You should restrain yourself..."
"I didn't pull any pranks, I just wanted to buy some ingredients." Naruto cut him off, righteous. "He attacked me first, I just got to the door, hadn't even said anything, and he tried to hit me."
"I just stopped his attack, wanting to do business with him."
"And I paid money for the things I bought."
Sarutobi opened his mouth, a bit surprised.
Was that how it was?
His tone softened somewhat, but he had no intention of changing his stance "But you still shouldn't have hit him, Naruto, you've forgotten my teachings - no matter what, you shouldn't lay hands on the people of the village..."
Naruto paused.
Two streams of memory surged from his mind.
One was when he was in the Soul Society, starving hungry, forced to steal food from others, the store owner chasing him with a knife, cursing him vulgarly.
But after Naruto worked to pay back the debt, the store owner was relieved, frankly saying Naruto hadn't done anything wrong at the time, he just had to act that way to show he couldn't be casually robbed, that weakness would invite bullying, and if he really thought Naruto was a problem, he would have just reported him to the Shinigami.
Becoming "ugly" for survival was not sinful.
Naruto was willing to make amends for his mistakes, and that made the whole thing beautiful.
The other memory was more distant, related to this Third Hokage, fragmented.
Whenever he had fought back against bullies as a child... this man would appear by his side, comforting him.
At the time, it had felt so warm, the Third Grandfather being the only one in the village willing to look after him.
But reflecting on it now...
Those who bullied him had never received any punishment, not even a scolding, appearing the very next day, still freely tormenting him.
Those consoling words, looking at them now, were just teaching him to be weak and submissive.
In comparison...
Naruto felt he actually preferred hearing the store owner's curses.
"So I should have just starved to death?" Naruto interrupted Sarutobi, speaking coldly.
Sarutobi was taken aback.
Naruto stated firmly, word by word "I spent money to buy the things, the market price, not shorting him a single ryō."
"He tried to hit me, I stopped him, his injury was his own doing."
"What did I do wrong?"
"Was I supposed to just let him beat me, let them curse me? Not allowed to fight back at all?"
"Was I supposed to just eat instant ramen every day? I wanted to eat some normal food, is that wrong?"
"Was I supposed to go to the mountains and forage for fish and mushrooms?"
The pent-up emotions erupted in a barrage of questions, like a shuriken flying at Sarutobi, leaving him stunned, unable to parry.
It wasn't that he didn't know how to answer.
He just hadn't expected that after all these years, Naruto had been so long-suffering, how could he suddenly, without any warning, explode like this.
"Naruto, they may have some misunderstandings, but you have to understand the village is a whole..." Sarutobi pulled out his usual rhetoric, wanting to continue using the "village's greater good" to morally blackmail him.
Naruto didn't buy into this.
Or rather, the previous Naruto would have cared deeply about this "village" as his sole belonging.
But now...
He simply interrupted Sarutobi again "Grandpa Hokage, since the problem is with them, then please go solve their problem."
"Why come to lecture me, the victim?"
Boom!
The door slammed shut.
Naruto had no desire to talk to Sarutobi right now.
Nor to share the doubts and secrets in his mind.
The accompanying shinobi shouted "Uzumaki Naruto, how dare you treat Hokage-sama this way!"
"Come out and properly apologize..."
His cries were stopped.
Sarutobi waved a hand "No need, this was also my oversight."
He sighed heavily, burdened, and a bit ashamed.
His gaze fell on the door.
He could hear the sound of the knife chopping on the cutting board inside.
He really owed so much to the Fourth...
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein