SEC Chapter 275 Similar Childhoods
Chapter 275 Similar Childhoods
The figure, roughly shoved to the ground and subjected to vicious insults, showed no signs of being a "monster." It appeared unusually small, perhaps only three years old.
With his dazzling golden hair and azure eyes, Naruto was chased out of the shop by the shop owner as if he were a plague demon.
"Okay, okay! If you don't want to sell, then don't... Why are you being so fierce?"
Naruto got up by himself, muttering to himself as he brushed the dust off his pants. He tried to sound nonchalant, but the slight tremor in his voice betrayed a hint of undisguised grievance.
This was clearly a scene of adults bullying young children, yet none of the villagers who were gradually gathering around stepped forward to stop it.
They merely whispered and murmured among themselves, their gazes towards Naruto filled not with sympathy, but with undisguised disgust and cold hatred, as if they were looking at something unclean.
"It's that child again...just looking at him gives me the creeps..."
"Stay away from him, and never get involved with him in any way."
"He's the one who killed the Fourth Hokage... Why did the Third Hokage allow such a monster to remain in the village?"
"I heard he's the one... the one who destroyed the village a few years ago..."
"Seriously, how come this kind of jinx can just swagger around on the street like that?"
The malicious whispers were like cold needles, piercing the small, helpless figure in the center of the field.
"Wait a minute! Aren't you going a bit too far?"
A man passing by, dressed in a ninja vest, seemed unable to stand it any longer and stepped forward, wanting to stop him.
But before he could finish speaking, his shoulder was firmly pressed down by his companion behind him. His companion shook his head heavily, his eyes filled with helplessness and warning. In the end, the chuunibyou swallowed his words and silently withdrew from the crowd.
"Is this...that person?"
Gaara stared blankly at the small figure, recognizing him—wasn't that Naruto Uzumaki, the one who had repeatedly shown him inexplicable kindness in the exam hall and in battle? This… was him as a child? The "monster" they spoke of?
"Is he...like me...?"
An indescribable tremor swept through Gaara's heart. He had always believed that he was a unique anomaly in this world, destined to be alone, and that no one could understand his cursed existence.
Therefore, he could only learn the cruel way of life of "loving only himself" through the despair of being assassinated countless times by his closest relatives.
However, the scene before him was so similar to his childhood experience of being feared and ostracized by the villagers and regarded as a monster by everyone! He was all too familiar with the pain and coldness of being rejected by the whole world and regarded as a non-human being.
The scene before my eyes began to change like flowing water.
He saw little Naruto sitting alone on the swing in the park. He looked into the distance and saw other children being held hand in hand by their parents, walking away with laughter and joy until they disappeared around the street corner.
He watched as Naruto mustered his courage to help several children who were being chased by stray dogs and were crying in fear, driving away the vicious dogs, but he accidentally cut his own arm in the process. He was about to comfort the shaken children when he noticed that they were looking at him with even more terror than when they were running away from the dogs, screaming, "Don't come any closer!" before running away without looking back.
He saw Naruto carefully place his coins on the counter of the general store, wanting to buy a cheap bread. The shopkeeper picked up the coins with two fingers, as if afraid of getting them dirty, and threw them into the cash box. Then he waved his hand impatiently, too lazy to even say "Take it."
Human hearts are made of flesh and blood; repeated cold treatment and invisible harm wear down stone like water dripping on a stone. Gradually, in Naruto's clear blue eyes, besides disappointment, a sense of weariness and confusion began to emerge.
He thought to himself, confused, "I don't really want to have much interaction with you guys... I just wanted to buy something to fill my stomach, I just wanted to help out a little... Why do you look at me like that even for something like this?"
An invisible barrier began to build between him and the village. His gaze gradually changed; the dependence and intimacy that belonged to a child were gone, replaced by a calm and detached observer's gaze.
In his eyes, the place where he was born no longer felt like his "hometown," but rather like a temporary refuge.
He began to consciously avoid those malicious streets, choosing deserted alleys and deliberately marginalizing himself, just to avoid seeing them.
In this somber scene of memory, occasionally, a figure brings a touch of warmth. It is a very old man, wearing a white divine robe somewhat similar to that of his father, the Kazekage.
The old man was almost the only one who would stop and look at Naruto with a calm, even gentle, gaze.
Once, Naruto couldn't help but complain to the old man that no one in the village was willing to sell him anything. The old man listened quietly, a thoughtful expression on his wrinkled face. He didn't say anything more, but later, Naruto's simple house would occasionally have some food and snacks that were enough to last for several days.
...Then, the scene shifted again, switching to a completely different scene from the previous gloomy tone.
There was a shop that warmly welcomed young Naruto—a ramen shop. The owner, whose eyes were always smiling, was unlike anyone else. He would greet Naruto loudly and, after he finished eating, would ask with concern, "How was it, Naruto? Would you like another serving of char siu?"
Gaara saw that bright, sunny smile on Naruto's face for the first time. But Naruto also noticed that whenever he sat in the shop, customers who might have come in would often hesitate or turn away.
Therefore, even though he was very reluctant, he could only suppress his longing and dare to come only occasionally, for fear of causing trouble for this rare warmth.
Later, something happened, and I don't know exactly what turned out. Almost all the shops used to keep their doors closed to Naruto, but from a certain day onwards, although the villagers' eyes were still cold, they began to mechanically, as if completing a task, sell goods to Naruto.
It was as if an invisible command had been issued. Was it that old man…? Was he a powerful figure like his father? Gaara couldn't help but wonder.
Although the outward rejection had lessened, the pervasive indifference and isolation hadn't disappeared. However, Naruto seemed less concerned about it anymore.
He devoted more of his energy to the ninja training he secretly watched, filling those long and lonely hours with sweat and exhaustion, thus passing the years without companionship.
Gaara watched these scenes from the perspective of an outsider, his heart filled with immense confusion and bewilderment.
Why? Why is this happening? This person has such a similar experience to me, rejected by the whole world, treated as a monster... Why can he still treat others with such enthusiasm and unreserved attitude? Doesn't he harbor even a trace of resentment in his heart?
You know, even the ramen shop owner and the old man could only offer him fleeting moments of warmth occasionally. Wait... companionship?
Gaara froze, and as the bloodlust subsided, the images of two people unconsciously surfaced in his mind... What about me? Am I really... completely alone?
He must have been dissatisfied with this place too, right? If so, how did he end up like this?
The scroll of memories continued to flash rapidly before Gaara's eyes, recording how that blond boy spent his lonely days alone. Until one day, the scene shifted to the training ground on the outskirts of the village.
Right there, Gaara saw a little girl with black hair, who met Naruto, who was training.