Sakura's words left Naruto momentarily stunned.
As he reflected, he realized she was right—he did have many friends.
Maybe his situation wasn't as bad as he thought.
Perhaps he had been too fixated on the negative.
Sure, the villagers shunned him, but as long as his friends didn't, wasn't that enough?
Seeing Naruto calm down, Yoruha spoke again:
"Have you ever considered that maybe the villagers don't dislike you because you're the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki, but because you're always pulling pranks and causing chaos? They're probably just annoyed with you, which makes them avoid you."
Naruto froze, his mind processing Yoruha's suggestion.
The idea wasn't without merit.
While the villagers might fear him due to his status as the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki,
the actual dislike could stem from his own actions.
Naruto believed that his pranks would draw attention and make people acknowledge him.
But his antics likely reinforced their negative perceptions,
making the villagers more convinced that he, as the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki, was inherently troublesome or even evil.
This dynamic became evident during the Chunin Exams.
When Naruto demonstrated his abilities and refrained from mischief,
the villagers could accept and even acknowledge him.
Unlike other ninja villages where Jinchuriki might be hated or even assassinated,
Konoha's attitude was relatively mild.
Konoha's Jinchuriki rarely faced attacks from their own people.
The First Hokage's wife, the village's initial Jinchuriki, lived a secluded life.
The second Jinchuriki, Kushina Uzumaki, had a tougher time than Naruto.
Before marrying Minato, she was constantly monitored by the Anbu,
surrounded by defensive barriers.
Yet even she was never targeted by Konoha's ninjas.
Compared to Kushina, Naruto's life was far freer.
He never faced restrictions like being confined within barriers.
From childhood, he had full freedom in the village—
even when defacing the Hokage Rock, his punishment was merely to clean it up.
This leniency was clearly the Third Hokage shielding him.
The Hokage Rock represented Konoha's successive Hokage—
a memorial sculpture of immense symbolic importance.
Naruto's act of vandalizing it was akin to disrespecting revered ancestors,
yet his punishment was minimal.
If anyone else had done it, they would face far harsher consequences,
possibly imprisonment or worse.
From Yoruha's perspective, the villagers' rejection of Naruto largely stemmed from his extreme methods of seeking attention.
These actions only deepened their preconceived notions of him.
Naruto didn't know how to respond.
"Think about it," Yoruha said. "The villagers fear you might lose control because of the Nine-Tails. Isn't it natural for them to keep their distance?"
"But if you stopped being so disruptive and pulling pranks, wouldn't they start seeing you differently?"
"Take Shikamaru, Iruka-sensei, Sakura, and Sasuke. Don't you think they know you're the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki?"
"Why do they accept you?"
"It's because they've spent time with you and realized you wouldn't harm anyone."
"But the villagers haven't had that same opportunity to get to know you, so naturally, their perception remains unchanged."
"The impression you leave in that instant becomes their entire perception of you," Yoruha said.
"And everything you do in that moment only deepens the image they already have of you in their minds."
"It's normal for them to keep their distance. Honestly, I think the villagers are kind and simple folk for not resorting to hitting or cursing you."
Hearing this, Naruto fell silent.
Yoruha continued, "So, if you can gain control over the Nine-Tails within you and turn its power into a force that protects the village, who would still reject you?"
Naruto was stunned. "Control the Nine-Tails inside me?"
"But that's the Nine-Tailed Fox! How could a human possibly control something like that?"
"It's such an evil creature. I don't even want anything to do with it."
Yoruha was speechless for a moment—this was the Nine-Tails they were talking about, the strongest of the nine tailed beasts!
And yet, Naruto was so dismissive of it.
"Do you have any idea how powerful the Nine-Tailed Fox inside you really is?"
Naruto nodded. "I know."
His expression grew complicated as he added, "I remember once, when I was a kid, the Nine-Tails' power broke out."
"Even now, I can still recall how overwhelmingly evil and strong that power felt."
Yoruha was surprised that Naruto could still remember the feeling after losing control.
"Tailed beasts are strategic weapons for every ninja village, and Jinchuriki are critical assets," Yoruha explained.
"But there's always a risk of the Jinchuriki losing their consciousness to the beast, so villagers naturally worry about that and keep their distance."
"The Jinchuriki in other villages don't have it any easier."
"You, being able to move about freely, are already far better off than most."
"In some villages, Jinchuriki have even been assassinated by their fellow ninjas."
"When a Jinchuriki loses control and causes destruction, people tend to blame the Jinchuriki rather than the tailed beast."
"So it's not surprising they're unwelcome."
"You know that the Fourth Hokage sacrificed himself to seal the Nine-Tails and save the village, right?"
Naruto nodded, his face full of respect. "The Fourth Hokage has always been my hero. I want to become a hero like him someday."
Yoruha smiled. "If that's the case, don't you think the Fourth Hokage had hopes for you when he sealed the Nine-Tails inside you?"
"Maybe he wanted you to one day control the Nine-Tails' power. By mastering it, you'd become incredibly strong—strong enough to protect the village and be a hero, just like him."
Naruto stared at Yoruha in disbelief. "Really? Is that what the Fourth Hokage wanted?"
This was the first time Naruto had ever heard about a connection between himself and the Fourth Hokage.
He felt a surge of joy, as he had always idolized the Fourth Hokage.
Yoruha nodded. "Why else do you think the sealing technique he used allows the Nine-Tails' chakra to merge with yours?"
"Have you ever wondered why your chakra reserves are so much larger than others'?"
"Compared to your peers, your chakra is immense—far greater than Sasuke's."
At the mention of his name, Sasuke, who had been listening intently, froze for a moment.
He turned to Naruto with a puzzled look.
Sasuke hadn't realized Naruto's chakra reserves surpassed his own.
Naruto, equally surprised, exclaimed, "Really? My chakra is really greater than Sasuke's?"
He was ecstatic. Having always viewed Sasuke as his rival, learning that he surpassed him in any way was a huge confidence boost.
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