"Look, that kid over there..."
"Blonde hair, blue eyes, whisker marks on his face..."
"That's him, right?"
"The demon fox..."
"I really don't get what the Third was thinking, letting that thing stay in the village."
"Shh! Don't speak recklessly!"
After an uneasy silence, someone muttered sourly, "Well... at least he looks good."
On the streets of Konoha, Naruto walked through the crowds that parted around him like he carried a plague. The whispers weren't subtle if anything, they were meant for him to hear but he didn't react. Not even a twitch.
He didn't care. Not about their glares, not about their hate. Frankly, he didn't care about anyone in this world.
As long as they didn't get in his way, they could loathe him all they wanted.
After all, he wasn't really "Naruto." He was a transmigrant someone who had come from another world and all he wanted was to live this life in peace and comfort, no drama, no ambition.
That goal wasn't easy, especially with the Nine-Tails sealed inside him, but it wasn't impossible. After all, he had a cheat.
He ignored the burning gazes of villagers and focused instead on something only he could see: the system panel floating before his eyes.
Detected negative buff: "Ugliness" – removed.
Detected negative buff: "Asura Chakra" (Effect: Intelligence Drain) – removed! Gained: Asura's Sage Body, Wood Release...
Detected negative buff: "Chakra Instability" – removed! Gained: Nine-Tails Chakra.
Detected negative buff: "Kushina Uzumaki's Chakra" (Effect: Will Interference Risk) – removed! Gained: Uzumaki bloodline, Uzumaki Sealing Arts, Kagura Mind's Eye, Adamantine Sealing Chains...
Detected negative buff: "Minato Namikaze's Chakra" (Effect: Will Interference Risk) – removed! Gained: Chakra Refining Technique, Clone Techniques, Body Flicker Technique, Rasengan, Flying Thunder God, Uzumaki Sealing Arts...
Detected negative buff: "Chakra Instability" – removed! Gained: Nine-Tails Chakra.
Detected negative buff: "Chakra Instability"...
Hmm... this system was seriously obsessed with appearances.
Technically, it wasn't a "system" in the traditional sense more like a glitchy cheat engine carried over from a bootleg game he'd played before transmigrating. Originally, it could only erase negative buffs. That was it.
But something had gone wrong during transmigration. The foreign chakra energies in this world must've tripped a bug, because instead of just erasing the negative effects, the system copied and pasted the entire skillset directly into Naruto's body.
Was it strong? Absolutely. But it came with caveats.
For starters, the ability only activated when someone else forcibly poured chakra into his body. And really, who else could that happen to but Naruto Uzumaki? Anyone else wouldn't have stood a chance at this god-tier starting hand.
Still, don't be fooled by the wall of skills it wasn't like he could actually use them.
The stronger the technique, the more precise chakra control it required. But chakra control wasn't considered a "skill" by the system it was classified as an operation.
Right now, Naruto didn't even know how to form a proper hand seal.
Slap his hands together and nothing happened. His fingers were as stiff as tree branches. Battle experience? Zero.
The best he could manage was a basic Clone Technique, or maybe if he brute-forced it with his massive chakra reserves he could toss out a few sealing chains to play fetch with.
The only consistently usable ability at the moment was Kagura's Mind Eye, a high-level sensory technique.
It was like having a drop-dead gorgeous partner throwing themselves at you, only to realize you're still three years old. All desire, no capability.
Still, Naruto didn't mind. The skill points were unlocked. It wouldn't take long to learn chakra control and turn potential into power.
One interesting note: the Nine-Tails itself was apparently considered a positive buff and wasn't removed. However, its leaking chakra that corrupted the seal and disrupted Naruto's own flow was considered a negative buff and so every drop of that energy got funneled into Naruto instead.
Thanks to the system's bug, not only did he absorb the chakra, but he also inherited its nature and properties.
In short: Naruto was now a walking, talking tailed beast.
And that power was only growing, as the Nine-Tails continued to wear down the seal day after day.
A fine little labor-fox, that Kurama.
Given such a perfect starting point, Naruto had no reason not to slack off.
So, he did just that.
He holed up in his crappy apartment for three whole years, refusing to step outside. It wasn't until his caretakers were withdrawn probably by someone in the higher-ups growing impatient that he finally stepped out into the village streets.
Funny thing? Despite being shut in for three years, the moment he stepped outside, everyone immediately recognized him. Naruto couldn't help but think the village elders truly believed he was an idiot.
But it didn't matter. He couldn't use Flying Thunder God yet. Once his chakra control improved, he could teleport out of this dump whenever he wanted.
What could they do about it?
He liked the look on their faces disgust mixed with helplessness.
Naruto strolled boldly through the village, attracting countless stares.
Some were filled with hatred, others with fear. A few, not knowing who he was, simply marveled at how good-looking he was.
Ever since the system erased his "Ugliness" debuff, his face had grown more and more like his so-called father's sharp, clean features, long narrow eyes. The whisker marks didn't detract from his looks they gave him a wild, dangerous charm.
(For the record, we're going with the manga version of Shippuden Naruto somewhere between Minato's elegance and Naruto's youthful edge. The anime version's wide face and flat chin are... unacceptable.)
Turns out, the whole "forehead protector ruins your looks" thing? Total nonsense. Kakashi wore a mask his whole life and was still a heartthrob.
Canon Naruto wasn't ugly, either. He had a heroic face handsome in a rugged way. But since he inherited Kushina's softer jawline and eye shape, there was always a slight sense of... innocent stupidity.
And then there was his fashion sense. Let's just say when the tide goes out, you see who's swimming naked. Compared to Minato, Kakashi, or even Sasuke, Naruto never quite measured up in the looks department.
Not that Naruto cared. He'd always been decent-looking, and now that he was undeniably handsome, it was just fun watching people wrestle with their envy.
After soaking up enough hostility for the day, Naruto made his way to a secluded forest near the village's back mountain.
Activating Kagura's Mind Eye, he ignored the ninja tailing him.
Two sealing chains burst from his back with a loud clatter, lashing into the forest. Moments later, they returned, dragging along two freshly speared rabbits.
At the riverside, Naruto used the chains' pointed ends to skin the rabbits with clumsy effort. The chains vanished, and he started cleaning the meat and guts by hand.
Then came the fire. Luckily, he had a lighter and brought some salt with him.
Before long, the smell of roasted rabbit wafted through the woods.
He tore off a leg, blew on it, took a bite. The rich flavor exploded on his tongue. Naruto let out a satisfied sigh.
"Not bad."
Sunlight filtered through the canopy above, casting golden patches on his face. For a brief moment, with a smile on his delicate features, he looked every bit the carefree child he should have been.
But not everyone was feeling relaxed.
In the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi stared at the image inside his crystal ball, his face stiff with shock.
This was Naruto's first public appearance since infancy. Naturally, as the Third Hokage, he'd kept a close eye on the boy.
Naruto's calm reaction to the villagers' hostility was unexpected but not entirely surprising. Hiruzen had hoped the boy would be clever and introspective. After all, he was Minato's son.
This just meant they'd need to tread carefully when dealing with him in the future. No more treating him like a fool.
Then he saw it: Adamantine Sealing Chains.
Hiruzen's brain practically short-circuited.
This was bad.
The Uzumaki clan, distant kin of the Senju, possessed extraordinary chakra and vitality even more so than the Senju in some ways.
But here's the catch: the Uzumaki weren't a bloodline clan.
(Official canon confirms this. They don't possess chakra nature affinities or mutated organs, so they're classified as a special-constitution clan, not a bloodline limit clan. Don't @ me.)
In other words, abilities like the Adamantine Chains and Kagura's Mind Eye weren't inherited they were created, techniques built upon immense chakra and vitality.
So the real question was... who taught Naruto those techniques?
Danzo?
The image of that scheming man flitted through Hiruzen's mind, but he quickly shook his head.
It was possible, but unlikely. Danzo would love to sabotage Hiruzen's relationship with Naruto, sure but a perfect Jinchūriki? That wasn't Danzo's style.
And besides, Naruto had been under constant surveillance for the past three years. Not even Root could slip through.
Could it be... Kushina left behind her chakra?
The thought made Hiruzen's expression turn grim.
If that were true, then Naruto likely knew his parentage. If Kushina could do it, then so could Minato.
That would explain his indifference toward the villagers...
Hiruzen trusted that Minato had prepared Naruto well he wouldn't lash out. But anyone, even a child, would feel bitter upon learning they were the child of a hero and yet treated like garbage.
And Naruto was only three. That kind of resentment could take root early.
Right now, they didn't know for sure where Naruto learned the Adamantine Chains. But if it really was Kushina's doing, then Hiruzen definitely couldn't show up in front of the boy anytime soon.
"Go get Shikaku."
After a long pause, Hiruzen issued the order.