My Name Is Namikaze Naruto

Naruto once thought that he would be isolated and marginalized at most, making his life a bit harder. After all, wasn’t he the orphan of the Fourth Hokage? Even if, for some reason his identity couldn’t be made public, there must be many in the higher-ups who knew who he was. There were plenty of Konoha ninjas who had been cared for by the Fourth Hokage. As the son of the Fourth Hokage and now the Jinch?riki of the Nine-Tails, it was like being the sole designated nuclear weapon of a major nation in his previous life. No matter what, his life should have been manageable.

It shouldn’t have been that miserable, right?

However, Naruto was disappointed. These past five years, everything had gone far beyond his expectations.

In Konoha Village, where even an orphan from another village, as long as it was confirmed they weren’t a spy, could enjoy a warm, family-like environment (at least on the surface it was warm), Naruto suffered inhuman treatment. He was hated, isolated, lacked stable living supplies, and often had to go to the forests in the eastern mountains of Konoha Village to gather wild vegetables and catch fish and shrimp from the streams to barely fill his stomach. This made it clear how difficult Naruto’s life had been for the past five years.

Naruto even started to wonder if the higher-ups in Konoha had lost their minds.

Even without mentioning Naruto’s identity as the orphan of the Fourth Hokage.

Just the fact that Naruto was the Jinch?riki of the Nine-Tails.

Wasn’t Konoha afraid that Naruto would bear a grudge and seek revenge on the village in the future?

And to be fair.

Even putting all that aside.

After experiencing such a childhood, Naruto couldn’t imagine how the protagonist in the original series could grow up and still say things like, “I will inherit the Will of Fire, I will become the Hokage, I will protect everyone in Konoha, I want everyone to acknowledge me.”

It seemed like a huge joke from the heavens.

Would any normal person think this way?

At that moment.

Naruto truly doubted if the protagonist in the original series had lost his mind.

Such an idiot?

Saying the protagonist was a naive fool was an understatement.

Of course, this lifetime’s Naruto wouldn’t care whether the original protagonist was a saint, a benevolent person, influenced by Asura Chakra, or simply controlled by that wretched old man Danzo Shimura after the Uchiha massacre with Shisui’s Mangeky? Sharingan technique—Kotoamatsukami?

This Naruto wouldn’t foolishly seek others’ recognition, become Hokage, or protect Konoha.

To Naruto, that was a colossal joke.

Survive!
Then take revenge!

This was Naruto’s most desired goal.

Not just those outside the village, but even some within the village were targets for Naruto.

However, Naruto also knew clearly that until he had the ability to protect himself, all these thoughts were just dreams. He couldn’t show even a hint of these intentions or emotions.

Because if they were detected.

Naruto believed that not even the insidious Danzo needed to act. The seemingly kind and gentle Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, would mercilessly eliminate Naruto for the so-called greater good and the overall interests and peace of Konoha. This old man would do anything and make any sacrifice. Even though Naruto was the orphan of the Fourth Hokage, the Third Hokage would unhesitatingly eliminate him if it meant protecting Konoha. In the eyes of the Third Hokage, the safety of Konoha was above all else, incomparable and irreplaceable.

So, Naruto knew he had to learn to disguise himself. Perhaps he could take some steps a bit faster, but in terms of personality, dreams, and thoughts, it was best to align significantly with the original protagonist.

Not to mention the Third Hokage occasionally came to “visit” and “care” for him.

Just the ANBU members are constantly monitoring him.

Naruto knew clearly that he had to maintain his self-cultivation as an actor at all times.

As for how Naruto could detect those ANBU.

It might be a slight benefit of transmigration.

From a young age, Naruto noticed his perception was exceptionally strong, especially towards malicious gazes. After he could refine chakra, this perception became extremely clear. Even when the Third Hokage used the crystal ball technique to observe him, Naruto would have a slight sense of it. It wasn’t very obvious, but whenever Naruto felt a bit off, he knew the Third Hokage was watching him. This applied to the ANBU as well. Of course, due to his currently weak strength, Naruto’s perception range and accuracy were poor. But because Naruto was only a five-year-old child, the ANBU didn’t use high-level concealment techniques while monitoring him, which was another reason why Naruto noticed them.

And even when he noticed, Naruto had to pretend everything was normal.

He couldn’t reveal any abnormal intentions or movements.

Only the stubborn Third Hokage could protect him until he grew stronger. Naruto knew this better than anyone.

In the original series, it seemed that after Naruto officially became a ninja, the Third Hokage withdrew the ANBU monitoring him. This was partly because Kakashi became Naruto’s sensei, and the Third Hokage finally trusted Naruto after twelve years of observation.

So, until he became a ninja, and more importantly, until he had the power to protect himself, Naruto had to stay as low-key as possible.

As for the future path.

Naruto already had a clear plan.

But he would only execute it when necessary for now.

“Just take one step at a time and lay a solid foundation.”

While eating lunch, Naruto thought about his plans for the near future. In the past two to three years, once he could act independently, his top priority was to train his body and ensure better nutrition. Thanks to the people of Konoha, Naruto’s diet from a young age was insufficient in both quality and quantity, forcing him to be self-reliant. Whether gathering wild vegetables or catching fish and shrimp, Naruto spent most of his time in the past five years ensuring he got the necessary nutrients.

Why was Naruto in the original series so short?

It was because of malnutrition from a young age.

A ninja’s body is their source of strength.

In this regard.

Naruto was very clear.

Now, at the age of five.

Naruto could finally ensure he got the necessary nutrients.

The next priority was to start the real ninja training.

And not long ago, Naruto had successfully refined chakra for the first time.

This meant Naruto had taken the first solid step towards becoming a ninja.

“Let’s start training.”

After finishing lunch and cleaning up briefly.

Naruto opened the door and headed down the path towards the eastern forest of the village. In the past two to three years, Naruto had been gathering wild vegetables and fruits and catching fish and shrimp there. Because of the presence of wild beasts, ordinary villagers wouldn’t go near.

Even though Naruto hadn’t refined chakra before, he was just an ordinary child. But with the ANBU watching over him, Naruto didn’t need to worry about the wild beasts.

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