Chương 302

My mind was frozen. For the longest time I stood there, pinned under those blue eyes, staring directly into Naruto. My senses sharpened instinctively as they perceived the slightest shifts in the air. The chakra pulse I sent out absent-mindedly truly doomed my composure. With my knowledge of sealing arts, I didn't just see a kid. I felt the tectonic pressure of the seal on his stomach, the most masterful of Fuinjutsu seals I had ever encountered. As I stared into the abyss of that seal, the abyss looked back.

The fox sensed my prying chakra and responded with a simple, silent stare. It was a gaze saturated with so much concentrated hatred that my heart skipped a beat. Cold sweat broke across my forehead. A primal fear rooted me to the spot. My hands began to shake as I recoiled, retreating a half-step with wide eyes. It felt like standing next to a ticking bomb. The rhythm wasn't increasing or signaling immediate doom, but the terror of its presence made those ticks feel like they were getting faster.

They weren't, of course, but fear was never rational. My life, Genta's life, and the lives of everyone I loved hinged on that barrier and a small boy's ability to hold back a god of malice. I knew the truth. I knew the fox had broken through more than once. That realization made my blood run hot with a sickening fever. The air felt thin and the sunlight was suddenly too bright, until Genta's voice finally cut through the static of my panic.

"Noa, are you okay?" he asked, his playfulness replaced by sharp concern. I was consumed by fear. Although I heard Genta, I wasn't really listening. Takemura finally put his hand on my shoulder reassuringly. Finally, I noticed that he was standing next to me with a slight concerned face, yet he stayed there, stabilizing me as I took a deep breath and took control over my chaotic mind. He then nodded forward and I saw Naruto dropping his head a bit, looking at the floor, a sad look appearing in his eyes.

Then I realized it. The look on my face was exactly what he saw from the people of Konoha, who didn't sense the fox but shifted the blame and fear onto a helpless kid who had nothing to do with the attack, but actually saved the village by being the vessel that the Nine-Tails was sealed inside. He was scared that I would start shouting at him or worse, but I did not. I actually muted my chakra so I would not sense anything or anything would be able to sense me while exhaling a deep breath.

The ANBU spoke after things calmed down, "Takemura-dono, as per the order of the Hokage, from now on Naruto Uzumaki will be in your care." Takemura nodded, an excited look appearing in his eyes as he replied, "Tell Lord Hokage that the Senju appreciate his trust and will do our duty to the fullest of our abilities." The ANBU bowed slightly before giving a small bag to Takemura that had Naruto's belongings.

The bag was so small my heart actually constricted in my chest, the poor kid had even less things than I did when I was living in the orphanage. I sighed, first impressions matter a lot and I gave a horrible one to the poor kid but then my mind finally caught up to what was just said. My body stiffened as I almost screamed in my head, "What! Fugaku actually did something about one of the biggest issues in the village and is trying to end the poor kid's suffering!"

A newfound respect rose inside my heart for the fast-acting and decisive Hokage. Naruto was basically suffering because he was a political landmine, yet Fugaku found a solution so elegant it wouldn't cause any tension with the other large clans while addressing Naruto's poor living conditions and treatment. I realized this could improve Naruto's perception of the village, potentially making him a defender of the village even earlier than I remembered from my memories and changing the sequence of events drastically.

"Such a clever man," I thought to myself as Takemura pushed me slightly from the back towards Naruto, ushering me to welcome him. Genta was observing the small kid with interest but was at the same time eyeing the now unmoving puppet limb with suspicion, waiting for a surprise attack before reluctantly walking next to me. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings. A determined look appeared on my face as I approached the yellow-haired kid.

Although he did not know the ANBU agent, he slightly hid behind him, holding his legs as an anchor. I went down slowly to match his gaze and the kid flinched, my throat tightened a bit. He was scared that I would push him or shout at him, truly Konoha treated that poor kid horribly for him to have these reactions at such a young age. I tried to smile as I said, "Hello, I am Noa. Nice to meet you and welcome to the Senju compound." Genta grinned and said with a boisterous sound, "Welcome to your new home, kid!

Call me wise big brother Genta from now on!" A knuckle hit Genta's head with a resonating sound as he jumped around groaning in pain, as his father said with a jokingly angry tone, "What wise? You were biting on a wooden plate when I came to pick you up from Noa's house!" Genta complained, "Father, I am trying to show that kid how great I am, you are ruining my entry!" A tick mark appeared on Takemura's face as he narrowed his eyes.

"Entrance? What are you, a legendary Sannin? Get to be a Jonin first then speak about entrances!" Naruto chuckled a bit at the scene, his guard lowering as he let go of the ANBU's leg, amused by the interaction. The ANBU bowed slightly, "I will take my leave then, Takemura-dono," before flickering out of sight, causing Naruto to jump in surprise at the sudden action. We walked into the compound with Takemura in the front while Genta, Naruto, and I walked slowly in the back.

Naruto was a bit guarded but showed clear interest in the new environment; he looked around, and from time to time, an old Senju clan member greeted us, and we joyfully returned the greeting. Naruto could sense the sincerity of those peaceful folks and slowly opened up, infected by the quiet but cheerful atmosphere to the point of starting to greet them as well. Not long after, we passed by Miki's house as she waved her hand, ushering Takemura to come closer, which he did right away.

She observed Naruto with interest as she asked, "Who is this young man?" clear interest showing on her face. Naruto was surprised to see that look on an old person's face, usually, they looked at him with trepidation, fear, anger, disgust, or all of them together. However, those old people seemed like they didn't have any of those feelings. He got excited and responded before Takemura did, saying with a boisterous voice and unwavering determination, "I am Uzumaki Naruto, and I will be the next Hokage, believe it!"

He grinned while pointing a thumb toward his own chest. My eyes widened a bit, hearing Naruto's catchphrase in real life was surreal and a bit weird. It was like someone was speaking naturally and then added a random word at the end, however, his enthusiasm and cheerful conviction made it feel somewhat endearing as Miki laughed, amused by the kid's tone.

"An Uzumaki? What a nice young man you are," she said as she ruffled his bright yellow hair, causing Naruto to laugh, enjoying something very rare for him, genuine, positive human interaction. Miki then grabbed something from her clothes and opened her palm, showing candy. Naruto's eyes shone bright and he grabbed them as she continued, "If you work hard, I am sure you will do it, young man. The Uzumaki were always special people." Naruto grinned as Genta bowed slightly, "Thank you, Miki-baasama, for the candy."

Naruto noticed and imitated Genta before Takemura wished her good health and we continued walking towards Takemura's house. Naruto was about to pop one of the candies into his mouth, however, Genta said with a grim tone, "That candy has been in her pocket for a few years. I wouldn't eat it." A dark look appeared in his eyes as he added, "Not unless you want to spend the rest of your day in the toilet."

Naruto's eyes widened as he looked at the candy regretfully, as he was happy that he finally got a gift from someone. That is when I pulsed chakra into my palm and a mochi ball appeared in my hand as I gave it to Naruto, who jumped in surprise.

"What is that? How did you do that?" Genta grinned and replied, "He has a very advanced seal on his palm that he can hold all sorts of tasty food in." Naruto's gaze sparkled with interest as he looked at me, his eyes pleading, "That is so cool! Can you teach me how to do that?" A big smile spread across my face as I saw an opportunity to make it up to the kid and improve my image. I said with a tone full of intrigue, "I can teach you all sorts of things."

A/N: As expected, we've dropped about 100 ranks over the last few days, which is totally fair lol. Major story changes are never easy to adjust to, so that is understandable. If you are still reading and enjoying the story, please consider dropping a rating. It only takes a few seconds and means the absolute world to me. A written review would be an unexpected but highly welcome surprise <3