Please Do Me a Favor
Naruto was momentarily confused when he first heard the attacker's words.
When had he ever provoked this middle-aged man to the point of a life-and-death struggle?
At most, when the villagers bullied him, he could only retaliate at their level—nothing more. Even organizations like the Akatsuki or Konoha's dark underbelly, led by Danzo Shimura, had reasons for targeting him. His identity as a Jinchūriki made him a threat, but they would never attack him without cause.
Yet, this man… he was erratic—so on edge that he stabbed himself upon arrival. It didn't make any sense.
What surprised Naruto even more was how weak the man was. How could someone this unskilled even think of assassinating him? He didn't seem to have any understanding of Naruto's capabilities as a Jinchūriki.
That ruled out the Akatsuki.
Tianfeng's Side
Tianfeng, gritting his teeth, yanked the fruit knife from his own wound. His eyes were filled with disbelief.
To him, Naruto was nothing but a brat—an orphan who barely made it through the Academy, let alone someone with real fighting ability. He had calculated that if he could lure the ANBU away, he could easily deal with the boy himself.
But he hadn't expected Naruto to not only sense his arrival but also prepare a countermeasure in advance.
With his foot wounded and his body paralyzed by poison, Tianfeng no longer had the confidence to subdue Naruto. If he attracted the attention of other ninjas, his fate was sealed.
Just then, Naruto's voice cut through the tension:
"Who are you? Are you a ninja from an enemy village?"
Tianfeng stayed silent, scanning his surroundings for an opening. But he hesitated—was this really Naruto, or just one of his shadow clones? If he made the wrong move, he might not get another chance.
At that moment, he stopped thinking of Naruto as a mere child.
The room was surrounded—clones guarded the windows and doorways, waiting for an opportunity. Just forming a hand seal would take a few seconds too long.
Realizing his situation, Tianfeng sneered, his expression twisting into something manic.
"It doesn't matter who I am, Uzumaki Naruto. But do you even know your true identity? Do you know why you were bullied?"
Naruto frowned. Of course, he knew his identity.
Tianfeng continued, speaking as if he was delivering a great revelation:
"Naruto, you're not a demon fox. You're the son of the Fourth Hokage—the very man who saved this village! And yet, his son was treated like a monster. Isn't that ironic?"
He stared at Naruto, eagerly awaiting a look of shock, anger, or despair.
But he saw none of it.
Naruto merely smirked at him, his eyes filled with something akin to amusement.
"So what?" Naruto asked, tilting his head. "What's your point? Should I be angry?"
Tianfeng's face contorted in frustration.
"Why aren't you angry?! You're the son of the Yondaime Hokage, yet you were treated like a demon fox! Shouldn't you question everything? Shouldn't you doubt the world?!"
Naruto shook his head, then gestured to a shadow clone, which stepped forward.
"That's not what I care about," Naruto said evenly. "What I want to know is who you are. Are you working for the Third Hokage? Are you a spy from Kumogakure? Iwagakure? Or are you one of Danzo's men?"
Tianfeng, who had been consumed by his own madness moments ago, suddenly froze in fear.
How did Naruto—just a twelve-year-old kid—know about Danzo Shimura? Even most chūnin weren't aware of Danzo's existence.
And yet, Naruto remained unnervingly calm.
Interrogation
Naruto studied Tianfeng's reaction carefully. Something about the man seemed familiar.
Then it clicked—this was the same middle-aged man he had seen at Ichiraku Ramen before.
But why would an ordinary chūnin target him?
Pushing aside his thoughts, Naruto formed a hand seal. In an instant, three more shadow clones materialized in the room. They wasted no time, pinning Tianfeng down and pressing chakra-infused fingers against his pressure points—Hyūga-style.
Tianfeng's resistance collapsed instantly.
Watching him crumble, Naruto couldn't help but feel disappointed.
This man wasn't a spy. He wasn't working for Danzo. He wasn't even following some greater mission.
He was just a bitter, incompetent chūnin.
Someone who had failed to rise through the ranks, and instead of taking responsibility for his shortcomings, blamed the Yondaime's death. He resented Minato for dying and "delaying his promotion to jōnin."
So, he had spread the "demon fox" rumors about Naruto and had secretly encouraged the villagers to bully him.
And now that Naruto had started resisting the abuse, this man had resorted to assassination—just to "teach him a lesson."
Naruto sighed. "So this is just some petty revenge against society?"
Of course, this man wasn't acting alone. The demon fox rumors had spread too far and too quickly for just one disgruntled chūnin to be responsible. There were others—higher-ups—who had allowed this to happen.
But in the end, it was the weak who carried out the dirty work.
Naruto scoffed. "The so-called 'Will of Fire' sure works in mysterious ways."
With a final look of disgust, he clenched his fist. The soft fist technique struck Tianfeng's heart directly. The man gasped, his body spasming before he collapsed lifelessly to the ground.
Aftermath
Naruto stared at the corpse, his face unreadable.
He felt no guilt.
Killing was as natural to him now as breathing.
But still… something inside him stirred.
This man had once been a Konoha shinobi. He had once served under Minato Namikaze. And yet, he had chosen to betray his own Hokage's legacy in such a pathetic way.
Naruto's hands trembled slightly. Not from fear, but from something deeper—something that made his stomach twist.
Inside his mind, Kurama's voice suddenly rumbled.
"Tch. Don't start brooding, kid. You're my Jinchūriki—you don't get to have weak emotions."
Naruto smirked bitterly. "You think I feel bad for killing him? Please. It's like gutting a fish."
Kurama fell silent for a moment, then said something unexpected.
"No, I wasn't talking about that. I meant what he said… about your father."
Naruto's smirk faded slightly.
"Yeah, well… I figured it out a long time ago," he admitted. "The name 'Uzumaki,' my hair, my resemblance to the Yondaime, the way the Third Hokage treated me—it wasn't hard to guess."
He paused, then added:
"Besides, haven't you tailed beasts always been treated the same way?"
Kurama's eyes narrowed. Naruto's words struck a chord.
Could this boy really understand the pain of the tailed beasts so soon?
Kurama wasn't sure.
But before he could say anything else, Naruto suddenly picked up a kunai and slashed his own arm deeply.
Blood dripped onto the floor.
Naruto turned to Kurama with a grim smile.
"Hey, big fox… I never asked before, but do me a favor."
His eyes burned with determination.
"Lend me your chakra. I need your power."
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