The door creaked open.
Standing there was a young man in a simple cotton jacket—not fancy, but decent enough. Naruto recognized him right away. It was the store clerk from the grocery shop—the same guy who once refused to sell him a kettle.
But now, the man wasn't wearing that usual look of disgust. Instead, he had an awkward smile and was holding… a brand-new kettle.
"Hey, Naruto," the guy said with a forced laugh. "You mentioned before your kettle was broken, right? I brought you a new one."
Naruto blinked, confused.
"How much is it?" he asked. "I can get the money."
The clerk waved him off. "No, no, it's a gift. Just take it."
Before Naruto could say more, the guy gave him the kettle and left in a hurry.
Naruto stared at the kettle in his hands. "What... just happened?" he asked silently.
But there was no response from Toji.
The door closed.
Then—knock knock knock.
Naruto opened the door again, still confused.
Another guy was standing there. Also, young. Also holding… a kettle.
This one was from a different store—the second general shop in the village.
The two of them just stared at each other for a moment, both holding kettles. It would've been funny if it hadn't been so strange.
"You're… giving me a kettle too?" Naruto asked.
The man scratched his head and laughed nervously. "Yeah, well, better to have a spare, right? Just a little something from me. I hope you'll accept it."
He handed over the second kettle and quickly walked off, just like the first guy.
Then came a third clerk.
Then a fourth.
Each with a kettle and some rushed excuse. Within minutes, Naruto was standing in his doorway, arms full of four kettles, still stunned.
That's when it really hit him—people were treating him differently.
He lit up with joy and shouted excitedly in his mind:
"See?! I knew it! I knew it! As long as people knew who I really am—my father's son—they'd stop hating me! They'd accept me!"
He burst into laughter.
"I did it! I did it! No one hates me anymore!"
Toji didn't respond. And to Naruto, that silence felt like victory.
He'd always argued with Toji's pessimism—always pushed back against the idea that people were cruel. And now, finally, he felt like he had proof he was right.
The world wasn't as dark as Toji said.
Not everyone was ungrateful.
But Naruto didn't even realize he was starting to think in Toji's terms. Just by saying "not everyone," he was already accepting that some people were.
Before he could process it more, there was another knock on the door.
This time, Naruto was ready.
He dropped the kettles and ran to the door, grinning.
"I'm coming! I'm coming!" he called.
This time, a small boy stood there, holding a fruit basket almost as big as he was. Behind him were his parents, wearing stiff, apologetic smiles.
Naruto recognized them immediately.
The boy had pelted him with snowballs not long ago—and not just one or two. He'd been the most enthusiastic. And his parents? They'd just stood there, smirking, saying nothing to stop him.
The parents nudged the boy forward.
Peeking out from behind the basket, the boy muttered, "I'm sorry. I was wrong to throw snowballs at you. I won't do it again. These fruits are for you."
It was awkward and clearly rehearsed—but Naruto didn't care.
He smiled big and laughed. "Hahaha! It's okay. I don't blame you. Let's play together sometime!"
The parents mumbled a quick apology, bowed slightly, and hurried off.
The line of visitors didn't end there.
All afternoon, villagers came to Naruto's house. Some brought gifts—food, clothes, toys. Some just came to apologize. Others made up weak excuses to drop something off and leave without saying much.
Of course, the ones who'd already known about Naruto's parentage—the clan heads, the higher-ranking shinobi—were noticeably absent. But it didn't matter to Naruto.
By the time the sun started to set, the area in front of his door was piled with gifts.
And Naruto? He was beyond thrilled.
He dove into the pile, laughing like he'd never laughed before. He ripped open a fruit basket, popped a banana in his mouth, and rubbed his face against his new clothes like they were made of clouds.
"See?!" he shouted in his head. "I told you! I knew it! Once they found out who I was, they'd stop hating me! Hehehe! I can play with everyone now!"
Toji still didn't say a word.
Naruto took that silence as confirmation that he'd won—that he'd finally proven his vision of the world was right, and his was wrong.
He felt victorious.
What Naruto didn't know, though, was that this was all part of Toji's plan.
He'd seen the change coming. The villagers' shift, the gifts, the apologies—it wasn't a surprise. He had even nudged things along to make sure they played out exactly like this.
Because if Naruto was going to walk the path Toji had in mind, then he needed this moment. He needed the high. The pride. The belief that he had finally been accepted.
Only then could the next step begin.
So Toji simply let Naruto bask in the glow of life.
Soon enough, the illusion would crack.
And when it did Toji would be waiting.
But for now, he looked on in silence, while Naruto lay happily in a pile of gifts, believing the world had finally embraced him.