Naruto:- The PARANOID Fellow

CHAPTER WORDS -1347

AN:- WELCOME TO CHAPTER 2 OF THIS TRANSLATION, DO CHECK THE AUTHOR'S NOTE AT THE END OF THE CHAPTER TO SEE WHAT THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION HAD AND WHAT I HAVE CHANGED.

Chapter 2:- What is the Will of Fire?

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After two hours of listening to the Third Hokage drone on, the academy's opening ceremony finally came to a close.

Natsuki Matao stretched his legs, which had grown sore from standing so long, though he kept his expression neutral. Every word from Sarutobi had felt like a warning, a reminder of where he now was. He wasn't just in some idealized version of Konoha—he was in the real thing, where countless people suffered in silence for the sake of maintaining peace.

As a transmigrator, Natsuki knew this world all too well. He wasn't just some clueless child—he had lived a previous life where he'd read everything about Konoha, from the manga to fanfiction stories, and he had seen how the village operated from every angle. He didn't hate Konoha outright, but he knew the truth. He knew how the so-called "Will of Fire" had destroyed lives, twisted ideals, and sacrificed countless people for the sake of maintaining the village's power. People like Naruto and Sasuke had been victims of this system, and knowing that made it impossible for him to drop his guard here.

Once the speech ended, students filed back to their classrooms. Teachers stayed behind for a meeting, but Natsuki was assigned to First Year, Class A.

The classroom was laid out in tiers, with each desk shared by three students. Natsuki's desk was located in the second-to-last row by the window, and his name, "Natsuki Matao," was printed in bold on the desk. When he approached, he noticed a girl already sitting by the window—a young girl with long black hair, about his age. She was gazing out of the window, her hand supporting her chin, exuding a quiet and distant air.

"Hey, I'm Natsuki Matao. Nice to meet you." His voice was calm but polite as he sat down beside her. Even though he had already predicted this moment, being in it felt surreal. this is the first person in this world he is interacting with one-on-one. He had read about these characters, understood their personalities in theory, but it was still jarring to interact with them face-to-face.

The girl turned her head slightly, her sharp black eyes meeting his briefly. She answered in a cold, detached voice, "Uchiha Ruri."

Uchiha? Figures.

Natsuki didn't push the conversation further. He knew how guarded the Uchiha were, especially the ones who carried the pride of the clan so heavily. He'd seen Sasuke's journey countless times, and knows even if this person is similar to him, her end is simple-

she will die.

He turned his attention to the stack of textbooks on his desk. There were several titles that stood out: The Chronicles of Konoha Ninja Village, The Hokage's Sayings, and, The First Hokage and the Will of Fire. but the one that stood out most was The First Hokage and the Will of Fire.

Even though he already knew what the "Will of Fire" truly meant, Natsuki decided to flip through the book. He had to blend in. Acting suspicious this early would get him unwanted attention, and the last thing he wanted was for someone like the Hokage or the ANBU to start watching him closely.

The opening lines of The First Hokage and the Will of Fire read:

"Where the leaves dance, the fire burns. The fire's shadow will continue to illuminate the village and help new leaves bud."

Natsuki sighed inwardly. He knew what this meant all too well. It sounded noble: the older generation sacrifices themselves so that the younger generation can grow and flourish. But he also knew how often this philosophy had been twisted. It wasn't just about protection—it was about using those "new leaves" as disposable tools for the village's survival.

As he read further, he couldn't help but think of all the people who had been victims of this so-called "Will of Fire." The obvious names came to mind first: Naruto Uzumaki, who had been isolated and ostracized for years simply because he carried the Nine-Tails inside him; Sasuke Uchiha, who had lost his entire family in the Uchiha Massacre, a tragedy orchestrated by Konoha itself. But there were others, too—people who had been consumed by this ideology and sacrificed for the "greater good."

Neji Hyūga had died because of this twisted sense of duty, giving his life to protect the very system that had enslaved him and his branch family. Itachi Uchiha had been forced to slaughter his own clan for the sake of Konoha's peace, burdened with the village's sins until the very end. And then there was Obito Uchiha, who had once believed in the village's ideals, only to be crushed under the weight of betrayal and loss, turning into one of the greatest enemies Konoha would ever face.

Even the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, had fallen victim to this. He had sacrificed himself to seal the Nine-Tails inside his own son, all to protect Konoha. But the village had repaid him by neglecting Naruto, leaving the boy to grow up in pain and loneliness. The hypocrisy was staggering, him scarificing Naruto to the village just so he could do the same later on.

With each page, Natsuki's discomfort grew. This was exactly what he had expected, but seeing it in black and white, in a textbook meant for children, was still shocking. They were grooming the next generation to believe that sacrificing themselves for the village was the ultimate honor. But Natsuki knew better. He knew how little the village truly cared for individuals—how people were discarded as soon as they became inconvenient.

Cold sweat began to form on his forehead as he continued to read. He had expected propaganda, but seeing it so blatantly presented in a school textbook, aimed at molding children into tools for the village, was unnerving. The system was even more insidious than he'd realized. This wasn't just about teaching loyalty—it was about brainwashing.

A soft voice broke through his spiraling thoughts.

"Are you okay? You're sweating a lot. Are you feeling sick?"

"Huh?"

Natsuki turned his head to see a girl sitting on the other side of him. She had long black hair, like Ruri, but her eyes were different—completely white, with no visible pupils. A Hyūga.

"You're sweating a lot," she repeated, her voice gentle and concerned. "Are you feeling unwell?"

Natsuki quickly wiped his forehead, trying to regain his composure. "Oh, no, I'm fine. I think I just drank some bad milk last night. Stomach's been acting up."

The girl gave him a skeptical look but didn't press further. "Alright. I'm Ayane Hyūga. Let me know if you need anything."

"Natsuki Matao," he replied, forcing a smile. "Nice to meet you."

Ayane smiled back gently, and Natsuki felt a slight sense of relief. His main goal is to not be standing out, and he was almost doing the thing he didn't want to.

On his other side, Ruri cast a quick glance at the book he had been reading. There was a flicker of curiosity in her expression, though she remained silent. She had noticed how disturbed he'd been while reading it, and it seemed to have piqued her interest.

Natsuki leaned back in his seat, trying to push aside the lingering sense of dread. He had known this was coming, but seeing the true depths of Konoha's manipulation was still unsettling. He would have to be careful. He couldn't trust the village, but he couldn't afford to make enemies just yet. For now, he had to play along, even if every page of this book made his stomach turn.

THE END

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AN:- HOW DID YOU GUYS THIS SECOND CHAPTER OF THIS TRANSLATION? I HOPE YOU LIKED IT, AS I HAVE CHANGED A LITTLE BIT HERE AND THERE WHICH WILL IMPACT THE FUTURE OF THE STORY DRASTICALLY. HOPE YOU GUYS LIKE IT!