Chapter 2 (Patreon)

Half an hour later, in the Hokage’s office, Hiruzen Sarutobi stared at the investigation report on the shop explosion, his expression grim.

The conclusion was clear: the explosion had most likely been caused by a shinobi. The report also suggested a connection to the shopkeeper’s mistreatment of Naruto earlier that afternoon.

‘Who could it be? Someone in Konoha who knows who Naruto really is and feels sorry for him? Kakashi, perhaps? Or one of Minato’s other former subordinates?’

After considering it for a while, the Third Hokage gave his orders.

“Have Anbu keep watch over everyone who might be involved. If you identify the person responsible, eliminate them immediately.”

He paused, then added, “And improve Naruto’s living conditions. Starting tomorrow, increase his food allowance.”

The next morning, Naruto woke to find two cartons of milk on his table.

He blinked in surprise.

‘Did the Third Hokage finally decide to treat me a little better after what happened last night?’

Apparently, quietly putting up with everything had only made it easier for people to mistreat him.

Just then, the system’s voice rang out in his mind.

[Ding! Beginner mission completed. Special reward granted: Uzumaki Sage Body.]

[The resulting change in hair color has been concealed.]

‘A special reward? The Uzumaki clan’s Sage Body? Does that mean I’ll have the full strength of their bloodline?’

Excitement rose in his chest.

‘I have Kushina’s surname, but this body hasn’t inherited all of her clan’s abilities. My hair takes after Minato’s, too. If this reward would turn it red, at least the system’s already taken care of that.’

An abrupt change like that would have been difficult to explain. He was grateful the system had thought of it.

As he considered the reward, warmth began to spread through his body. His muscles, bones, and every part of him seemed to fill with new vitality.

His chakra reserves were growing as well. He could feel the difference clearly, and he could barely contain his delight.

The [Uzumaki Sage Body] drew out the powerful physical vitality of the Uzumaki bloodline, inherited from Asura, the son of the Sage of Six Paths.

Along with it came [Mind’s Eye of the Kagura], [Heal Bite], [Adamantine Sealing Chains], [Vast Chakra Reserves], and [Talent for Fūinjutsu], among other abilities and traits.

He only had to think of Kushina Uzumaki, Nagato, and Karin to understand how useful those abilities could be.

With the [Mind’s Eye of the Kagura], he could sense the nature, movement, and amount of chakra over a range of tens of kilometers. He could also suppress his own chakra to avoid detection when in danger, or sense changes in someone else’s chakra to tell whether they were lying.

[Heal Bite] allowed him to rapidly restore chakra and heal injuries, either by biting his own skin or letting someone else bite him. Its effectiveness was extraordinary. In the original story, Karin had even helped heal Tsunade after her body had been severed in two.

[Adamantine Sealing Chains] allowed him to manifest multiple chakra chains from his back. Besides serving as powerful weapons, they could form barriers and restrain tailed beasts.

The advantages of [Vast Chakra Reserves] hardly needed explaining.

Then there was [Talent for Fūinjutsu]. It would help him learn sealing techniques quickly and understand how to combine what he had mastered, with an instinctive grasp of the formulas and symbols involved.

Taken together, these abilities gave him a way to keep track of his surroundings, detect enemies, conceal himself, restrain opponents, heal injuries, and sustain powerful attacks. His talent for sealing techniques opened up even more possibilities.

It was exactly what he needed in his current situation.

In fact, the moment he received the [Uzumaki Sage Body], he sensed the Anbu watching him.

The shinobi was sitting in a corner of his room, hidden from sight.

Naruto kept his expression unchanged, but inwardly, he frowned.

‘Inside my room? Has someone been sitting there watching me all these years?’

He would have to find a way to get the man out. He couldn’t even pick his nose without someone watching. How was he supposed to have any privacy?

Naruto got out of bed. Keeping the hidden Anbu’s presence in mind, he feigned surprise as he picked up one of the cartons on the table.

He was about to drink when a sour, rotten smell reached his nose.

He checked the date printed on the carton.

It had expired two months ago.

‘You’ve got to be kidding me.’

His fingers tightened around the carton.

‘I’m just a kid. Is treating me like this really necessary?’

This time, he made no attempt to hide his anger or hurt.

Coming to this world alone had been hard enough. Yet the original Naruto had endured this treatment for twelve years, from infancy all the way to the boyhood he remembered.

Then the shopkeeper’s insults and threats from the previous night came back to him.

The frustration he had been trying to contain surged up again.

For a moment, he considered putting the milk down and pretending he had noticed nothing.

But if he let this pass, would he be forced to keep eating spoiled food? And if the person responsible knew he would put up with it, what else might they do behind his back?

He couldn’t simply ignore it.

[Ding! New mission: Resolve the spoiled milk incident and prevent it from happening again.]

[Option 1 — The Crybaby’s Choice: Report the incident to the Third Hokage and obtain an apology from the Anbu responsible.]

[Reward: Bottomless Tissue Box ×1. Cry as much as you like. You’ll never run out.]

[Option 2 — The Devil’s Choice: Kill the Anbu responsible and settle the matter permanently.]

[Reward: Bloodline Upgrade Scroll ×1.]

Naruto did not choose immediately.

‘A tissue box? Is this thing helping me or making fun of me? Still, I’m not going to kill someone over a carton of milk.’

First, he wanted to hear why the man had done it.

Taking a deep breath, he spoke in a low voice.

“Why did you give me expired milk?”

There was no answer.

But two meters away, he sensed the hidden Anbu’s lips curl into a smile.

The man was silently laughing at him.

‘You give me rotten milk, and now you think it’s funny?’

Naruto turned sharply toward the corner, his face flushed with anger.

“I asked you why you gave me expired milk!”

The Anbu stiffened. Realizing his concealment had been seen through, he revealed himself.

A shinobi wearing a dog mask appeared before Naruto. Judging by his build and voice, he was a man, and a fairly young one.

“How did you find me?” he asked, startled.

Naruto ignored the question.

“Why did you give me expired milk? What did I ever do to you?”

The masked Anbu chuckled.

“Why should I explain myself to you? You’ve eaten expired food before. If you hadn’t noticed this time, you would’ve drunk it anyway. What’s the problem?”

Naruto clenched his teeth so hard his jaw hurt. Still gripping the carton, he headed for the door.

“If you won’t tell me, I’ll take this to the Third Hokage.”

At the same time, he prepared to select the first option on the system interface.

‘That reward is still ridiculous... But I’m not going to kill someone over a carton of milk.’

He had been an ordinary, law-abiding person in a peaceful world. Taking someone’s life wasn’t something he could do lightly, and however cruel this Anbu had been, giving him spoiled food didn’t warrant killing him.

Besides, Naruto doubted he could beat the man in a fight.

Before he could reach the door, a short sword flashed toward him and pressed against his neck.

The blade nicked his skin, leaving a thin line of blood.

“Tell anyone, and I’ll kill you,” the dog-masked Anbu said coldly.

He didn’t actually dare to kill Naruto. All he could do was threaten him into silence.

Even so, the killing intent he released was real. It bore down on Naruto, making his body tremble.