"Scram, scram! Don't stand in my way!"
Naruto had just stood on tiptoes, peering into a sweets shop, when he was suddenly and roughly shoved by a strong force! He rolled three times before coming to a stop with a "thump-thump-thump."
"Ouch~~~ What was that for!"
Naruto dusted himself off and looked up, bewildered, his voice still carrying a hint of lingering childishness.
The shop owner's face was as sharp as a monkey's, looking like a complete swindler! Seeing the crowd slowly gather, Naruto's little eyes darted around.
"Three years old is the prime time for a 'hit and run' scam! Boss, don't expect me to move without a hundred eighty thousand!" He sprawled out like a corpse in a big 'X,' acting like a hardened bandit who'd "welded himself here for the day."
"Plague god! I won't sell anything to you, you jinx!" The boss jumped up and down, roaring, his finger trembling as it nearly poked Naruto's brow.
"Huh?" Naruto's tiny brows furrowed.
He tried hard to recall his 'glorious achievements' from the three years since he transmigrated—he hadn't even sneaked out of the house many times, had he? Plague god? Him? A three-year-old toddler?
Impossible, absolutely impossible.
"Open your eyes and look closely!"
He tugged at his voice, his small chest heaving: "Who am I? Look carefully! Have we met? And 'plague god'?!"
The surrounding murmurs were like a lake disturbed by thrown stones, suddenly agitated.
"It's him... the Nine-Tails!"
"Quick! Don't let him get close!"
"What bad luck... how is he still alive?"
Naruto's ears buzzed.
Those onlookers' eyes were cold, filled with disgust... even harboring murderous intent?! Just one title, and everyone wanted him gone?
"Hear that?! Get lost! Or else…" The boss's voice rose, "Hmph!"
That cold snort sent chills down his spine.
Heh.
A ridiculous yet chilling rage surged, and Naruto almost couldn't suppress the adult's restraint to laugh out loud.
Just because he's an orphan? Alone?
Fine! Absolutely fine!
He fiercely memorized the boss's face and the shop's name, logging them into his "Grudge Little Notebook"!
The next second, he abruptly lowered his head, silently got up, pushed through the crowd, and disappeared.
Naruto kicked at stones as he walked back, the narcissistic little abacus in his mind completely shattered.
Before, he always felt a tingling sensation on his back, thinking it was because he was too handsome and dazzling.
Now the mystery was solved: that was the focal point of the entire village's resentment! The malice was so concentrated that the "misunderstanding theory" was pure self-deception.
How could a little toddler like him harm anyone?
The burden was too great; it must be a "legacy" left by the previous generation—those divine parents he'd never met.
Naruto sighed deeply.
Parents: Son, your beginner's gift pack is the "Full Village Hatred Halo," surprised?
Naruto: Me...
As for his parents' "glorious achievements"? As a transmigrator from the zygote stage, he truly couldn't help.
And his infancy? The development of his brain was probably equivalent to a goldfish's memory plus.
He vaguely remembered that on the day he was born, a grim reaper-like figure seemed to hold him in their hand like a potato. That scene was like a horror movie jumpscare, shocking him into a blackout. When he woke up again, he was an "Honorary Member of the Konoha Orphanage."
Hiss… Too much information!
Naruto gasped.
"So, I've been bouncing around in this hellish dungeon until today, and I should thank the villagers for being merciful enough not to strangle me back then?"
Tears came to his eyes, folks; this starting point was definitely Hell Mode!
"Damn it! Who wrote this transmigration script? Bad review, refund!"
Naruto kicked a stone, feeling a pang in his heart as he thought of his unfinished research (crossed out) grueling career—he was just attending a conference with his mentor; how did he get "re-employed" in another world by the 'Mud-Truck Knight' on a Tokyo street?
As for this world? Completely clueless! He only remembered a classmate mentioning it: it seemed to be a super popular shonen manga? What was it called again…
Ninja Legends?
Ninja Mobilization?
Konoha's Got Talent?
Characters? He only remembered two weird names: Sasuke? Naruto?
"Wait... Naruto... Naruto? Me?!"
Naruto slammed on the brakes, his CPU almost overheating: "By this naming logic, am I the protagonist? But can the protagonist be this miserable? Hunted by the whole village?"
"Could it be... I'm the final villain BOSS?!" He put himself in the shoes of his "hellish start."
The script suddenly made sense.
His blood pressure immediately spiked: "Damn! Is it too late to restart now?"
Ultimately, the will to survive overwhelmed everything: "Who cares! Even if I'm a villain, I have to live until the finale before I get my bento!"
He took a deep breath, suddenly feeling immense pressure.
'System?' he silently uttered.
A translucent panel, visible only to him—a cheat that even the violent tenant (Nine-Tails) inside him couldn't detect—instantly popped up.
[Initial Quest: Chakra Cultivation]
[Quest Description: Possessing Chakra = Novice Village Pass.]
Chakra... Chakra?!
"What the hell is Chakra?! Crap game! Ruining my youth!"
"Grrr~~~"
His stomach promptly declared its protest.
He reached into his pocket—a few scattered coins amounted to: a total of 16 ryo!
"Huh?"
Naruto was stunned, "Where's the 'fortune' from the beginning of the month? Swallowed?"
Forget it, hoping to buy food with this much money? Naive!
"Time to head to the docks for some cough! Into the mountains!"
Naruto decisively changed his strategic objective—the large forest behind the mountain, a natural self-service restaurant!
He turned and rushed home.
Minutes later, carrying a bulging small bundle (stuffed with all his valuables and emergency rations), he skillfully locked the door!
Strategic relocation!
This place couldn't be stayed in for now. Before, he was a clueless innocent, but now?
His list of enemies ≈ half, no, the whole village!
What if some justice-filled villager decided to send him off early… where would he go to cry?
Gamble on people's character?
Naruto shook his head like a rattle drum: "My life, it's safer in my own hands!"
He found a secluded and dry corner in the back mountain and painstakingly set up a simple "safe house." This would be his temporary residence for the next few days.
"Food, clothing, shelter, transportation—'shelter' is solved, 'food' needs to follow!"
He immediately activated jungle survival mode.
Picking mushrooms? Knew a little, but not much!
Bright and flowery ones? Resolutely say no!
Only plucked the plain, grayish ones that looked harmless, as if their ancestors for three generations were non-toxic.
Better safe than sorry!
Finally, he picked up the secondhand fishing rod he had purchased at great expense and ambled to the riverbank.
He'd bought it initially just for fun; who knew it would so quickly become a tool for survival?
Sigh, after his identity was exposed, even a fishing rod might become 'contraband'…
An hour later—
"The novice's luck truly doesn't lie!"
Naruto looked at his spoils: five plump river fish, beaming with joy.
As the last sliver of daylight was swallowed by the tree shadows, he deftly lit a campfire.
"Chef Naru's Little Kitchen is open for business!"
Half an hour later…
After a busy half-day, Chef Naru finally appraised the roasted fish in his hand, its exterior charred black, its interior... let's just say it's cooked. His solemn verdict:
"Mmm, edible! When you're surviving in the wilderness, who needs a bicycle?" (Translator's note: This is a Chinese idiom meaning "why ask for perfection when something is simply functional/available.")
"Sniff, sniff, sniff"
A strange sniffing sound abruptly broke the silence!
"Holy crap! What kind of demon beast?!"
Naruto instantly bristled with fear, almost shoving the roasted fish into the fire—a wrinkled old face suddenly popped out from the nearby bushes!
"Don't panic, don't panic~" The face smiled, its wrinkles blooming, "This old man is just a… common passerby who got lost star-gazing at night!"