Naruto: I, who fooled the ninja world, was hailed as a savior.

Chapter 144 Naruto Enters the Sealed Space

At this moment, Hyuga Kumokawa was walking down the road, holding Naruto's hand.

He was unaware of Uchiha Shisui's gaze, or rather, he could feel many surprised looks at that moment.

Meanwhile, two barely perceptible scrutinizing gazes were also hidden in the shadows, clearly belonging to the ANBU ninjas responsible for "monitoring" the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

Hyuga Kumokawa not only knew they were ANBU ninjas, but he also knew whose eyes were on them.

—Tenzo, and Kakashi Hatake.

However, given the goodwill I've built with the Third Hokage, as long as I don't show any particularly unusual behavior, there won't be any problems even if the two of them report to the Third Hokage.

There's no other way. Hyuga Kumokawa has spent so many years in Konoha, putting in so much effort and time to cultivate such a high level of favorability. Isn't he just keeping it for now?
Even Danzo Shimura, if he knew about his contact with the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, probably wouldn't go and whisper sweet nothings in the Third Hokage's ear like he used to.

Currently, Danzo Shimura's main focus is on the Uchiha clan. Otherwise, given Danzo's covetousness for him, he would have already come to instill his "Root Theory" and tried to brainwash him.

Based on Hyuga Kumokawa's understanding of Danzo, he would most likely train him to become the Fifth Hokage, just like he did with Orochimaru, and then rule from behind the scenes.

However, this is exactly what Hyuga Kumokawa wants. Once the Uchiha clan matter is settled, it will be time to use Shimura Danzo...

"..."

At this moment, Naruto Uzumaki, who was being led by Hyuga Kumokawa, was almost passively following along like a puppet.

He was unaware of Hinata Kumokawa's inner thoughts at that moment. He simply looked at the broad back of the man holding his hand in front of him, and then looked down at the hand that was still tightly gripping his.

The warmth and strength emanating from that hand felt so real, gradually dispelling his long-standing coldness and loneliness.

Why does this older brother seem to be glowing?

He was in a daze, letting himself be drawn by that warm power as he walked through streets that were familiar yet seemed somewhat different.

Finally, we stopped in front of a small shop that was filled with the enticing aroma of food.

"We've arrived," Hinata Kumokawa said, interrupting Naruto's thoughts.

Naruto Uzumaki subconsciously looked up and saw the noren (traditional curtain) at the entrance of the shop, as well as the shop's name on it.

Ichiraku Ramen.

Hinata Kumokawa pulled Naruto along, lifted the noren curtain, and went inside.

"Yo! Yun Chuan's here. Same as always?"

The busy middle-aged man looked up when he heard the sound, saw that it was Hinata Kumokawa, and a bright smile appeared on his face as he greeted him warmly.

“Yes, please, Uncle Hand-Struck, I’d like tonkotsu ramen again.” Hinata Kumokawa nodded and added, “And give this kid a ‘super-sized bowl of char siu rib ramen’ as well.”

"what?"

Upon hearing this, Shouda paused for a moment before noticing the somewhat uneasy boy hiding behind Hinata Kumokawa.

Meanwhile, another customer who was about to order food recognized Naruto Uzumaki. His expression changed instantly, and without even saying hello, he got up and left the store.

"Dad, is Yun Chuan here?"

At this moment, Ayame, who was helping out in the shop, also poked her head out. She smiled when she saw Yun Chuan's face, but paused slightly when she saw Naruto.

Noticing the gazes of the two, Naruto's body stiffened slightly.

He knew the customer left because of him, which worried him that his boss and his wife would be angry.

However, unexpectedly, Ayame and Teiji exchanged a glance, their smiles remaining unchanged.

"One tonkotsu ramen and one 'super-sized bowl of char siu rib ramen,' coming right away. Please wait a moment, gentlemen." The two said in unison.

After saying that, the two went to the kitchen, and Naruto, who was holding onto Yun Chuan's clothes, suddenly let go.

"Don't worry, Uncle Teji and his daughter Ayame are very pure people. In their eyes, anyone who likes ramen is a good person."

Hinata Kumokawa sat comfortably on a high stool in front of the bar, then patted the chair next to him, gesturing for Naruto to sit down, his tone relaxed and casual.

Naruto climbed onto the high chair, his feet barely touching the ground, dangling and swaying slightly.

After a moment, he seemed to have made up his mind, looked at Hinata Kumokawa beside him, and whispered, "Big brother, my name is..."

"Uzumaki Naruto."

Before Naruto could say his name, he was gently interrupted by Hyuga Kumokawa's voice, who chuckled, "My name is Hyuga Kumokawa."

Naruto looked up at him in surprise and blurted out, "You know my name?"

“Of course.” Hinata Kumokawa nodded. “It’s not just me, many people know your name, and you will know it in the future.”

"Many people know my name?"

Naruto scratched his head, puzzled.

Clearly, the older brother in front of him, named Hinata Kumokawa, was the only one who called him by his name; everyone else referred to him as "the fox spirit" and "that child"...

If so many people really know me, why haven't I met them?

Naruto didn't understand, but he didn't dare to ask again.

"One bowl of tonkotsu ramen, and one 'super-sized bowl of char siu rib ramen' are here."

Just then, Tetsuya and Ayame came out carrying two large bowls of steaming, fragrant ramen, which were carefully placed on the table in front of Naruto.

The golden broth is piled high with thick slices of char siu pork, richly sauced spare ribs, vibrant green scallions, a halved, soft-boiled egg, and seaweed sheets...

"Gudong!"

The enormous bowl almost filled Naruto's entire field of vision, and the warm aroma mixed with the scent of meat and fat enveloped him, causing him to subconsciously swallow the saliva that was rapidly secreting.

Seeing this, Ayame and Tetsuya's smiles widened, and they reminded each other with a smile, "Guests, eat slowly, be careful it's hot."

The father and daughter were indeed among the few truly pure-hearted people in the villagers of Konoha.

Naruto looked at the bowl of food in front of him, which seemed to be glowing with a dreamlike light, and then secretly glanced at Hyuga Kumokawa, who was smiling at him from the side.

This was the first time he had ever sat in a brightly lit shop, facing a large bowl of steaming food that belonged only to him, without any cold looks or malice.

An emotion he had never felt before welled up inside him, making his nose tingle.

"I'm starting to eat," Hinata Kumokawa said with a smile, picking up his chopsticks.

He awkwardly picked up his chopsticks, mimicking Hinata Kumokawa, and said in a low but very solemn voice, "I, I'm starting to eat."

Then, he picked up a small piece of pork rib, carefully blew on it, and slowly put it in his mouth.

The tender, fall-off-the-bone meat, the rich and sweet sauce, melts instantly in your mouth, blending with the wheaty aroma of the chewy noodles and the warm, delicious bone broth...

good to eat!

It's so delicious it's indescribable!
It was ten thousand times tastier than any food he had ever eaten before!
“Naruto,” Hyuga Kumokawa suddenly said, “it’s not your fault.”

Upon hearing this, Naruto stiffened and silently lowered his head.

The ultimate satisfaction brought by the delicious food intertwined with the loneliness and grievance of previously having to chew and swallow alone, as well as the complex emotions brought about by receiving recognition. The intense emotions, like a surging tide, finally broke through the dam that had been held up for so long.

Snap... Snap...

Large tears, which could no longer be held back, welled up and splashed into the steaming, golden soup, creating ripples.

Slurp! Slurp~
He buried his head in the rising steam of the ramen, not stopping eating, but instead, with tears in his eyes, he almost greedily ate the bowl of ramen, bite by bite.

Tetsuya and Ayame exchanged a glance and silently left. Hinata Kumokawa sat quietly beside him eating noodles, offering no words of comfort or even glancing at him.

The shop fell into a peaceful silence, with only the sound of two people eating ramen audible.

The warm sunlight from outside slanted in, gilding the noren curtain of "Ichiraku Ramen" and the two figures, one big and one small, with a soft golden edge.

Finally, Naruto finished off a steaming bowl of ramen, leaving not a single drop of broth.

My belly was round and full, and warmth spread from my stomach to my limbs, dispelling all the chill and hunger.

"Are you full?"

Having already finished eating, Hyuga Kumokawa turned to look at Uzumaki Naruto beside him and asked with a smile.

"Mmm! Super full! Thank you, Brother Yun Chuan!"

Naruto nodded vigorously, his voice becoming much louder, filled with unprecedented satisfaction and energy.

He even mimicked Hinata Kumokawa's tone when he said "Super~ Big Bowl of Char Siu Rib Ramen," drawing out the last syllable of "Super," with an undisguised, bright smile on his face.

"Then let's go, I'll take you home."

Hinata Kumokawa placed the money for the ramen on the table, led Naruto out of Ichiraku Ramen, and heard the voices of Teshiga and his daughter saying, "Welcome to come again next time."

Naruto seemed to have been unleashed, his steps becoming lighter, the gloom in his azure eyes vanished, and he chattered incessantly beside him.

"That middle-aged man who does hand-mapping is so nice, and Sister Ayame is so gentle!"

"Brother Yun Chuan, are you a ninja too? Are you as strong as the Hokage?"

"Brother Yun Chuan, you were so amazing before! Those people didn't dare to say a word!"

His questions were wildly imaginative and highly illogical, carrying the unique innocence and boundless curiosity of a child, circling around Hinata Kumokawa.

Hinata Kumokawa listened patiently, occasionally offering a few words of reply, or explaining things that Naruto was interested in in a simple and easy-to-understand way.

Compared to the cautious and timid Naruto of the past, and the Naruto who later became increasingly burdened and extreme due to the weight of his personality, this is his original self.

Hyuga Kumokawa knew that as rumors about Naruto grew, Hiruzen Sarutobi wouldn't have done nothing; it was just that his actions caused the villagers of Konoha to go from dislike to complete indifference.

The personality that Naruto developed in this environment was actually more twisted and extreme than that of Sasuke Uchiha, a member of the Uchiha clan.

It's always been like this since I was a child. In order to be seen and known, I'm willing to become a clown and play all sorts of pranks in the village.

However, at least Naruto hasn't become like that yet.

He is still a blank sheet of paper, which can be painted and changed by anyone.

Hyuga Kumokawa's kindness towards Uzumaki Naruto was certainly not pure, but it was also a result of his affection for the protagonist he once liked.

Otherwise, the system would have already determined that his behavior was a lie.

At least for now, he can give Naruto Uzumaki, who has no other choice, another option for the future.

Will we return to the original path, or will we face a different future...?

Happy times are fleeting.

When the familiar apartment came into view, Naruto's smile faded like a candle blown out by the wind, and his light steps gradually slowed down.

"Reached?"

Hyuga Kumokawa stopped in his tracks, looked down at Naruto who had suddenly fallen silent beside him, and smiled meaningfully, "Go on, we'll meet again if we have the chance."

"Well, I'm going up now. Goodbye, Brother Yun Chuan..."

Naruto muttered to himself as he walked to the second floor of the apartment building, took out his key, inserted it into the lock, and turned to look down at Hyuga Kumokawa.

"Get some rest," Hinata Kumokawa said from downstairs.

"Hmm!" Naruto stood inside the door, waved vigorously, and then reluctantly closed the door.

boom.

The door separated the outside world from that figure as well.

“I’m back…” Naruto whispered.

There was no warm light, no aroma of food, and no response from family.

There was only a suffocating, bone-chilling desolation.

He walked to his bed and, as if he had exhausted all his strength, threw himself straight onto it.

He lay on his back, his exceptionally large, deep blue eyes staring blankly at the blurry outline of the ceiling.

The room was eerily quiet.

He could clearly hear his own breathing and the sound of his heart beating in his chest.

why?
Why is he the only one?

Why is it that other people's homes have parents, hot meals, and laughter, while his has nothing?

What am I existing for, and what am I living for...?

Also, Brother Yun Chuan said I did nothing wrong, so why did they treat me like that? Why did they call me a fox demon and look at me like a monster?

As he pondered, Naruto raised his hand with a somewhat wistful expression, as if trying to feel the lingering warmth.

However, when I raised my hand to my eyes, I found a diamond-shaped black mark on my palm.

"When was this stuck on?" he murmured in confusion.

He instinctively reached out his other hand, wanting to erase the mark.

But the moment his fingers touched him, Naruto's vision suddenly went black.

hum!
His consciousness seemed to have been detached, and he didn't know how much time had passed before he opened his eyes again.

The room before me was no longer the quiet and familiar one, but a place resembling a sewer, with water up to my ankles and a dark and damp environment.

And then there are those cage bars in front of me, seemingly endless...

What place is this?
(8,000 words a day, I've tried my best, please vote for me QAQ)

(End of this chapter)