章 137: Dominic Torreto vibes
The eyes of everyone narrowed as Naruto appeared. He held his head low and looked around with fear and trepidation. Hate had been directed at him ever since someone labeled him a demon child.
The orphanage had cast him out, people despised him and gazed at him with eyes brimming with malice, the friends he once had at the orphanage abandoned him, and some had even physically assaulted him.
He felt like he was trapped in a never-ending nightmare, and the worst part was that he didn't even understand why he was hated. All he knew was that he was called the demon child, and apparently, some kind of demon lurked within him, the same demon that had destroyed the village. That's all he could piece together from the hushed whispers.
He had tried to examine himself, but he couldn't find any trace of such a demon within him. The only relief he had was the Hokage, who had provided him with a home and money for his own sustenance. But he was just a child; how could he take care of himself?
When Corazon had stood up for him, Naruto's curiosity got the better of him. He began secretly following Corazon and discovered that he lived nearby, working for someone named Aoto. It was during this covert investigation that the shopkeeper and others arrived, pounding on Aoto's door.
Naruto felt guilty but didn't know how he could be of help, until Aoto called his name. At first, he had wanted to run away, but upon seeing the Hokage, he summoned the courage to step forward. Even though he had emerged, he could still sense the same hatred in the eyes of everyone present, except for Aoto and the Hokage.
"Hello, Naruto. My name is Aoto Yamazaki," Aoto introduced himself with a warm smile, instantly making Naruto feel a bit better. Yet, he couldn't ignore the hushed whispers around him, branding him as the demon child.
"Hello," Naruto replied timidly, bowing with proper manners.
"Naruto, would you like to work with me here?" Aoto asked directly, not beating around the bush.
"What?" Naruto exclaimed.
"Is he serious?"
"This will ruin his business!"
Whispers and murmurs filled the air, but no one dared to voice their thoughts openly. The Hokage contemplated intervening, but he reminded himself that he wasn't Naruto's parent, so he refrained from interfering. Naruto was taken aback; he hadn't expected Aoto's first words to him to be an offer of employment.
"Um... I don't know what kind of work you're talking about, and I'm still too small," Naruto hesitated.
"No need for formal work. You can assist me in moving things from time to time, and as you grow older, you can contribute more to my business and assist my colleagues," Aoto explained. Naruto fell silent, and those around them continued to gaze at Aoto like he was a fool.
The entire village knew about the demon child, and if Aoto indeed "hired" him, it would spell doom for his business. After all, hadn't he become wealthy with such ease? Now he risked losing it all.
"I can't do it. If I work with you, the villagers won't come to buy from your shop anymore, and uncle I don't know you well enough." Naruto said after careful consideration, surprising everyone present, including Aoto himself. He hadn't expected Naruto, whom he thought of as a bit of an idiot, to think so considerately about his business.
"Did he become an idiot later in life? Maybe he was sane during his earlier years?" Aoto wondered, perplexed by Naruto's unexpected insight.
"You don't have to care about them. They will be banned from buying anything from my shop and that includes the new version computers, eating at KFC, or let their kids study in the medical school or get help from the doctors who would pass from the medical school.." Aoto said. And those words went straight like a dagger through the hearts of the people present.
They understood the banning thing, but the computers? What was that about? The people of Konoha didn't know that the computers was the brainchild of Aoto or the fact that the medical school was totally funded by Aoto himself.
The people wanted to speak up and ask but seeing the glaring eyes of Aoto, they shut their mouth. They knew that one wrong word and Shikuro would definitely beat them up and they had a feeling that Hokage wouldn't stop them.
"And about not knowing me well, you can trust me. I am not some kind of spy that wants to kidnap you. You can ask the Hokage about it. But in return you will be my family." Aoto said.
"Family?" Naruto muttered. The word family held weight for him as he yearned for it for such a long time that he thought he would never get one.
"Naruto.. You can trust Aoto.. He has done a lot for Konoha and like you he also lost his family." Hiruzen too supported Aoto. He wanted Hokage to say that he wasn't some kind of spy but he spoke more than Aoto expected which was good.
"Family! If I stay here, will I get more money to eat?" Naruto asked as he felt like he was getting less money to eat and didn't have enough savings. Aoto listening to this laughed and said.
"You can eat as much as you want at my home, but not bad things that will harm your health." Aoto said.
"Hokage-sama, aren't you going to check Corazon if he is some kind of spy?" One person among the crowd felt like the whole point was getting deviated and wanted to remind him.
"Corazon isn't some kind of spy, we have already checked. Just because someone threw money at other didn't make the other a bad person. What I would advice is reeling on the human vices and lead your life free of it, and only then you can find peace and happiness. Don't do something which you don't want your kid to do in the future. The will of Fire should passed on, but we have to make sure that fire isn't a poisonous one." The Hokage said in a loud voice for everyone to listen.
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