But the wooden stick couldn’t hit Naruto’s head like it used to. In that split second when he moved, a cold light flashed. The kunai sliced through the soft wood, and the broom head fell to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

“Bastard! My broom!” The convenience store owner’s anger overwhelmed his mind, unaware of what the other’s counterattack meant, fixating only on his own belongings. He raised his hand, wanting to attack again, “Damn guy, you just bring bad luck...”

Before he could finish his words, Naruto grabbed his wrist, lifted his foot, and tripped him, sending him crashing to the ground. With a sweep of the kunai, the convenience store owner looked up, still wanting to curse.

With a clang—the kunai grazed the tip of his nose and pinned it to the ground, vibrating slightly, its life string trembling as fragile as a thread. This made him momentarily lose focus. A sharp pain shot through his tailbone, electrifying his entire body and causing his hair to stand on end. The pain snapped him back to reality.

His arm bent at an unnatural angle, not broken, but the flesh and muscle were stretched to their limits, causing discomfort. These sensations drowned out the anger in his mind, making him panic as he realized he was the one being “hunted”: “What... what do you want?”

A demon fox...

“Buying things,” Naruto continued to look inside, focusing on the clock, “Don’t worry, I’ll pay. Will you welcome me this time?”

The convenience store owner gritted his teeth, “Of course I won’t welcome you...”

Naruto exerted force, increasing the angle of his arm. The convenience store owner started to sweat and quickly changed his tune, “Welcome, welcome! Of course, welcome.”

Naruto smiled coldly, tossed the kunai back into his pocket, and walked into the convenience store. If it were three years ago, he wouldn’t have used this method. But...

In the three years in the Soul Society, he learned that for some “necessary” matters, violence was far easier to solve than other methods.

“Food” is not a necessity in the Rukongai. Ordinary souls do not feel hunger. Only souls with spiritual power have a need to eat. Therefore, the price of food is extremely high. If one doesn’t want to starve to death, one can only resort to some unspeakable means.

For the first six months, Naruto survived using this method. It wasn’t until he found a job and had a stable income that he abandoned “robbing” and spent a year finally repaying the total price of the food he had taken.

As he entered the convenience store, the numbers on the clock jumped. It wasn’t broken.

So... did time really not pass much in Konoha during the three years he stayed in the Soul Society? He pondered this question while selecting ingredients.

A piece of meat, two potatoes, some seasonings, and a bag of rice cost him less than six hundred ryo. That was the market price. Naruto didn’t take advantage of the situation.

But after he left... the convenience store owner couldn’t wait to close the door and report him to the Konoha guards.

This was lawless!

He knew he shouldn’t let that damn brat into the ninja school. Now he learned a little skill and dared to act against these poor, innocent people. What about in the future?

Hokage Building.

The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, was busy reviewing paperwork. A ninja knocked and entered: “Third Hokage, that Uzumaki guy caused trouble again!”

Sarutobi Hiruzen, unfazed, replied calmly, “What prank did Naruto pull this time?”

“He got into a conflict with the convenience store owner and injured him,” the ninja gritted his teeth, filled with hatred.

Upon hearing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen’s expression grew serious.

Uzumaki Naruto was a troublemaker. But before, it was just some pranks limited to the school, aimed at attracting attention. But now... he actually injured someone?

This was the first time, and it crossed a line. It turned into a conflict.

“Where did Naruto go now?” Sarutobi Hiruzen asked.

The ninja replied, “He went home.”

Sarutobi Hiruzen breathed a sigh of relief; going home was good, the situation didn’t have to escalate: “I understand, I will talk to him properly.”

“Naruto really went too far this time.”

Uzumaki Naruto’s residence was not far from the Hokage building, located in a cheap apartment in the village center. Sarutobi Hiruzen quickly made his way over.

He raised his hand and knocked on the door, frowning, filled with doubt.

He had always been strict with Naruto’s education; he had been very obedient before, even when bullied to that extent, he never acted against anyone. But today...

The door quickly opened, revealing Naruto in an apron, holding a kitchen knife. Seeing Sarutobi Hiruzen, his eyes lit up: “Grandpa Third!”

In Konoha, he was the one who treated Naruto the best. Bearing the title of “Hokage,” he was also the most powerful and knowledgeable person in the village.

Naruto was so eager to see him!

Whether it was from emotion... or all the questions swirling in his mind—why did he go to the Soul Society, why did he come back, and why did three years pass in Konoha without any change?

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked past Naruto and into the house, feeling a bit dazed.

It was a tidy little place. Clean... neat...

Only ingredients were laid out on the table—potatoes, meat, and rice boiling on the stove.

It didn’t look like Naruto’s residence at all.

In just a few days, there was such a huge change.

But what was important was the “hitting” incident; these changes weren’t so significant. Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled and asked, “Naruto, today a convenience store owner came to complain to me, saying you hit him. What conflict do you two have?”

So that’s what he came for.

Naruto corrected him, “I didn’t hit him; he attacked me first.”

Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded, “Why did he attack you?”

“I just wanted to buy some ingredients to cook,” Naruto said confidently, “But as soon as I walked into his convenience store, before I could say anything, he tried to hit me.”

“I only stopped him from attacking me; I wanted to do business with him.”

“I also paid for the stuff.”

Sarutobi Hiruzen felt a bit relieved inside.

So that’s how it was?

It wasn’t some deliberate attempt to “retaliate and hurt,” that was great.

He softened his tone: “Even so, Naruto, you can come to me.”

“Hitting people isn’t a good thing after all, Naruto, do you still remember the teachings I gave you? You should never act against the people of the village...”

Naruto was stunned.

Two streams of memory surged in his mind.

One was from the time in the Soul Society when he was starving and had to rob others of their food; the owner chased him with a knife, cursing and showing an ugly face.

But after he worked to pay off his debts, the owner was very pleased and said that Naruto hadn’t done anything wrong; he just had to show that he couldn’t be robbed at will, that weakness would lead to being bullied, and if he thought Naruto had issues, he would have called the Shinigami to resolve them.

Becoming “ugly” to survive wasn’t sinful.

If Naruto was willing to compensate for his mistakes, then that was beautiful to the extreme.

The other memory was older, related to the Third Hokage, and was fragmented.

Whenever he was bullied and fought back in his childhood... He would always appear beside him, comforting him.

At that time, it felt warm; in the whole village, only Grandpa Third was willing to look after him.

But now looking back...

Those who bullied him faced no punishment, not even a scolding, and the next day they still appeared in front of him, continuing to bully him.

Those comforting words now seemed to teach him to be weak and submissive.

In comparison, Naruto felt like he preferred hearing the owner’s curses.

“Do I have to find Grandpa Third every time I want to buy something?” Naruto interrupted Sarutobi Hiruzen’s words.

Sarutobi Hiruzen was stunned.

Naruto spoke decisively, word for word: “When Grandpa Third is around, they respect you and will agree for me to buy things, but once you leave, they won’t welcome me anymore.”

“Every time I can only hoard a lot of things.”

“But I also paid money to buy things; I didn’t skimp on a single ryo.”

“If he wanted to hit me, I stopped him; if he got hurt, that’s his own doing.”

“Do I have a problem?”

“Am I supposed to be beaten, supposed to endure their curses? Can’t I fight back at all?”

“Am I supposed to eat instant noodles every day? Is it wrong for me to want normal food?”

“Am I supposed to go to the mountains to catch fish and pick mushrooms to eat?”

Accumulated emotions erupted, forming a series of questions, shurikens flying towards Sarutobi Hiruzen, leaving him dumbfounded and unable to respond.

He wasn’t unsure of how to answer.

He just didn’t expect that after all these years, Naruto had been enduring, and now it suddenly erupted without any warning.

“Naruto, they might have some misunderstandings, but the village is a whole...” Sarutobi Hiruzen pulled out his usual rhetoric, trying to morally bind him with the greater good of the “village.”

Naruto wasn’t buying it.

Or rather, the old Naruto would have cared deeply about this only belonging to the “village.”

But now...

He interrupted Sarutobi Hiruzen again: “Grandpa Third, since the problem lies with them, then please go solve their problem.”

“Why come to solve the issue of me, the victim?”

With a bang—

The door was slammed shut.

Naruto didn’t want to talk to Sarutobi Hiruzen at all right now.

Let alone the doubts and secrets in his mind.

The accompanying ninja shouted, “Uzumaki Naruto, is this how you treat Lord Hokage?”

“Come out and apologize properly...”

His shouts were cut off.

Sarutobi Hiruzen waved his hand: “No need, this is also my oversight.”

He sighed, feeling heavy in his heart, also a bit ashamed.

His gaze fell on the door.

He could hear the sound of a knife chopping on the cutting board inside.

He still owed quite a bit to the Fourth...