Chapter 2 – Uzumaki Naruto
"Hey, uh... is this seat taken?"
The blond boy standing in front of Natsuri looked a bit nervous as he asked.
Natsuri glanced at him—short blond hair, whisker-like marks on his cheeks. The unmistakable protagonist of this world. Uzumaki Naruto.
"It's free. I just got here too," Natsuri replied calmly, his tone flat.
"Awesome!" Naruto beamed and immediately plopped down next to him, looking visibly relieved.
Truth be told, Natsuri already knew Naruto. Ever since realizing he'd been reincarnated into the Naruto world, he'd been curious about the story's main character. So, during his wanderings around the village, Natsuri had intentionally looked for Naruto.
But back then, he never intended to talk to him—just to observe from afar. Naruto was a jinchūriki after all, and there were always Anbu watching him. For an ordinary villager like Natsuri, there was no benefit in getting close. In fact, it could be dangerous.
Even if the Third Hokage didn't mind, Danzo definitely would. A guy like Danzo could use the smallest excuse to make someone disappear. And on top of that, associating with Naruto meant getting ostracized by the entire village. To them, he was a "monster." Just being near him made people cast cold, judging stares.
The first time Natsuri saw Naruto, the kid was just walking quietly, eyes to the ground, while people whispered and glared at him. Natsuri felt suffocated just watching.
If their roles had been reversed… even with all his past life experiences, Natsuri wasn't sure he could've held it together. Honestly, he probably would've snapped like early Gaara did.
Actually, maybe even worse. If he had been in Naruto's shoes—rejected, hated, and alone—he might have gone full dark side. "You call me a monster? Fine. I'll become one." That kind of mindset would've been inevitable.
But Natsuri and Naruto only really interacted once before today—during a small but unforgettable incident.
Naruto had tried to buy food from a stall one day, but the vendor kicked him out, claiming he had no right to be there. They even threw his money on the ground and stepped on it. Everyone around just laughed like it was normal.
Natsuri had been watching from a distance. And for once, he couldn't just stand by.
So he quietly bought the same food Naruto had tried to get, followed him to a quieter spot, and held it out.
"You wanted this, right?" he asked casually.
"Y-Yeah…" Naruto had looked up, surprised and hesitant.
Natsuri handed him the food, and Naruto, clearly flustered, quickly dug out his dirty, trampled money. He wiped it clean with his shirt and offered it to Natsuri with hopeful eyes.
Natsuri counted it. It was actually more than the food cost. So, he made a show of smirking like he'd made a profit and walked away without another word.
The whole thing had been intentional. He wasn't interested in Naruto's money. But he had to make it look like a regular transaction, not an act of kindness. That was the only way to avoid drawing attention from the people watching Naruto—and from Danzo's eyes in the shadows.
Even helping that much had been a huge risk.
Watching Naruto suffer in the anime had been painful enough. But seeing it happen in real life? That hit different. Still, Natsuri knew better than to try and play hero. All he could do was find small ways to help, quietly and carefully.
Naruto, of course, didn't understand any of that. What he remembered from that moment was simple: for the first time, someone treated him like a person. Someone wasn't afraid of him. And that tiny kindness lit up his world.
Later on, Naruto spotted Natsuri in the village again. His face lit up with joy… but he stopped before approaching. He could already feel the eyes of everyone around him. If he got too close, he'd just bring trouble to Natsuri. So he walked past with a disappointed look.
Natsuri had sighed in relief at the time—relieved not to get dragged into anything. But deep down, he also felt a pang of guilt. This kid had been through hell, yet still cared about not causing trouble for others.
And now, Naruto was sitting beside him, smiling like nothing had happened. Probably because there were no adults around. Kids were simple. They avoided Naruto because the adults told them to. Most of them didn't even know why.
To Naruto, the cold stares from adults hurt more than anything the kids did. But here, in this classroom, maybe he felt like he could finally have a chance to connect with someone.
Natsuri glanced at him and sighed. The Naruto in front of him was still cheerful, still innocent. But what had shaped that unbreakable spirit? The Kyuubi inside, the hatred outside… It was a miracle he hadn't snapped already.
Maybe it really was Ashura's chakra, shaping Naruto's personality from the inside. If so… that was kind of terrifying.
He shook the thought away as the classroom door finally opened.
A young man walked in, hair tied back in a ponytail, a scar across the bridge of his nose. He headed to the podium and cleared his throat.
No one paid attention. The classroom stayed noisy and chaotic. Times were peaceful now, and even ninja students had become a bit too relaxed.
Natsuri recognized the man instantly—Umino Iruka, Naruto's first real mentor. A chūnin. He remembered Iruka's story—his parents had died in the Kyuubi attack. At first, he didn't know how to treat Naruto. But eventually, he came to see Naruto as more than just the Kyuubi's vessel.
Iruka was a good teacher. Kind, responsible, and sincere. Natsuri made a mental note—maybe he could try building a relationship with him. It might come in handy later.
"I'm Umino Iruka. Starting today, I'll be your teacher. You can call me Iruka-sensei. Let me introduce myself as an example."
He smiled and continued, "My name is Umino Iruka. My favorite food is Ichiraku Ramen. I like people with a positive attitude. I don't dislike anyone in particular. My least favorite food is mixed rice. My dream is to become a great teacher and help raise amazing students."
Then he pulled out the attendance sheet and started calling names one by one.
"Nara Shikamaru…"
"Akimichi Chōji…"
"Yamanaka Ino…"
"Haruno Sakura…"
Natsuri recognized some names, others not so much. But when Sakura's name came up, his expression twitched just a little.
Right. That's one more person he'd have to apologize to eventually.
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