Chapter 3: Uzumaki Naruto Wakes UpUzumaki Naruto closed his eyes and began to sort through the surging information in his mind.They were like rivers flowing from different directions, converging, colliding, and merging in his consciousness. Some images were as clear as high-definition movies, while others were as blurry as if seen through frosted glass. He didn't resist; he just stood there, letting all the information flow through his consciousness like a riverbed carrying water.He saw the future.No, to be more precise, he saw everything about "Naruto" from the memories of that transmigrator.He saw a long story—about a blonde boy who grew from a despised vessel of the Demon Fox into a hero who saved the world. He saw himself (or rather, the version of himself in that story).It was a very beautiful ending.But Naruto didn't smile.Because he knew that the Uzumaki Naruto in that story was different from him. He asked himself, who would still go all out to seek the recognition of a group after being subjected to their collective cold violence? Anyway, he couldn't do it...He opened his eyes.Those blue eyes didn't have the clarity and innocence a six-year-old should have."So..."He spoke, his voice very soft, as if he were talking to himself."So, I am the Fourth Hokage's son."The moment he said those words, an indescribable emotion welled up in his chest. It wasn't anger, nor was it sadness, but a deeper, more complex throb. He finally understood—understood why the Sandaime sent him living expenses every month, understood why that old man always looked at him with an unspeakable guilt, and understood why the villagers called him "Demon Fox."Nine-Tailed.The Nine-Tailed was inside him.His father—Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage—had sealed the Nine-Tailed inside him on the night it attacked Konoha, trading his own life for the peace of the Village.And his mother—Uzumaki Kushina, the red-haired woman he saw for the first time in his memories—held him at the last moment of her life, and her final words to him were:"Naruto... don't be a picky eater... take a bath every day... make lots of friends... you don't have to become a powerful Ninja like me... as long as... as long as you can live happily..."That image was too clear.So clear it was as if he had experienced it himself.His nose tingled.But he didn't cry.He took a deep breath and suppressed those churning emotions, like putting a lid on a boiling kettle. The kettle was still gurgling, and steam was rising from the edges of the lid, but at least—it didn't overflow.A translucent panel appeared out of thin air before his eyes.[justice execution system]Host: Uzumaki NarutoAge: 6 years oldChakra Affinity: WindPoints: 15Mastered Ninjutsu: Multiple Shadow Clone JutsuSpecial Status: Nine-Tails Seal (Eight Trigrams Seal)Beginner's Gift Pack: ClaimedSystem Points: 15He stared at the panel for a long time."justice execution system," he repeated softly. "Every time I do something righteous, there's a reward."He remembered Hinata crouching in the corner on that snowy night, and the moment he stood up to block for her. Back then, he knew nothing—no System, no rewards, no plot. He just felt that the girl shouldn't be there alone.Then everything happened.The invasion of the transmigrator, the resistance of Ashura, both sides suffering losses,"Time to wake up."His consciousness began to surface.Like swimming up from the deep sea, surrounded by warm, enveloping water. Light shone down from above, getting brighter and brighter—The lights in the hospital room made his eyelids sting red.He felt his body—lying on a soft mattress, the quilt pulled up to his chest, a piece of medical tape on the back of his left hand, with a needle underneath, and cool liquid slowly flowing into his veins through the IV tube. His mouth was bitter, his lips were chapped, and his throat felt as if it had been sanded down.He tried to move his fingers.Then his wrists, elbows, and shoulders.Finally, he opened his eyes.The ceiling was white. The lights were white. The walls were white.He turned his head and saw someone.Sandaime Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi sat on a folding chair by the hospital bed, hands folded over his cane, chin resting on the back of his hands. The old man's hat was on his knees, and his gray hair shimmered silver under the lights. His eyes were half-closed, but the moment Naruto turned his head—the old man opened his eyes.Their eyes met.The Sandaime's pupils contracted slightly.In those blue eyes, he saw something that shouldn't belong to a six-year-old. It was a kind of quietness."Naruto?"The Sandaime's voice was very soft, as if he were afraid of disturbing something.Naruto looked at him without speaking immediately."Grandpa Sandaime."Naruto spoke. His voice was so raspy it didn't sound like his own, like sandpaper rubbing against rough wood."I... want to go home."The Sandaime was stunned.He thought Naruto would ask what happened, why he fainted, or questions he wasn't prepared to answer.But Naruto didn't ask.He just said he wanted to go home.The Sandaime was silent for a long time.He looked at the child on the bed—bruises from last night's beating were still on his face, the wound at the corner of his mouth had scabbed over, and his left cheek was still swollen. There was no questioning or blame in those blue eyes, only a quiet, flat exhaustion.That exhaustion wasn't physical. It was an exhaustion a six-year-old child shouldn't have."...Alright."The Sandaime stood up and put his hat back on. He walked to the bedside and reached out to feel Naruto's forehead—the fever had broken, and his temperature was normal."I'll call the doctor for a check-up. If there's no problem, I'll have someone take you back.""No need for an escort."Naruto propped himself up on the mattress. The IV tube tugged, and a sharp pain shot through the back of his hand. He frowned but didn't stop."I can go back by myself."The Sandaime looked at him, his lips moving as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he just nodded."Alright."
