Chapter 1

Winter.

Konoha Village.

Naruto Uzumaki, only three years old, was struggling to walk through the snow.

Each step was as difficult as a hurdle.

Despite this, Naruto's face always maintained a bright and cheerful smile.

The small boy made his way to a nearby grocery store and knocked on the wooden counter: "Boss! Give me a kettle, the one at home is broken."

"Go away, we don't do business with you!" The clerk shut the window at the counter without even wanting to look at Naruto again.

As soon as the window closed, a voice sounded in Naruto's mind: "Give up. No one will sell to you."

The speaker was Li Yaohang, who had been in the Naruto world for three years.

He shared the same surname as Rock Lee, but they had no relation at all.

Li Yaohang was originally a high-achieving student from Earth.

At a birthday party, he casually wished to soar through the multiverse, and unexpectedly, heaven gave him this opportunity.

However, he had guessed the beginning but not the end...

After arriving here, he discovered that his physical condition was unable to produce chakra, and he could only remain an ordinary person.

This was clearly very different from the kind of transmigration he had imagined.

Fortunately, heaven did not completely deny him a chance to turn things around.

After transmigrating, Li Yaohang awakened a system.

A darkening system.

As the name suggests, if Li Yaohang wanted to change his current situation of being at the mercy of others, or if he wanted to continue soaring through the multiverse, he had to complete the tasks in this world, which meant thoroughly darkening Naruto Uzumaki.

The system's primary initial function was to allow Li Yaohang to invade Naruto's consciousness and communicate, or to control Naruto's body when he was asleep, unconscious, or emotionally overwhelmed.

This was why Li Yaohang's voice could always be heard in Naruto's mind.

So far, Naruto still did not know who the owner of this voice was or what was going on.

No one had taught him.

No one had corrected him.

He thought it was perfectly normal for a voice to frequently appear in his mind and talk to him.

The only thing he clearly understood was that since he could remember, the owner of this voice had always been taking care of him and accompanying him.

When his home was in a mess, he would wake up to find it suddenly clean. He knew this was the work of the voice's owner, who controlled his body.

Because no one paid him any attention.

When his diaper was wet or dirty, the same thing happened.

Every time he woke up, he would find his dirty diaper replaced with a clean, dry one. He knew this was also the work of the voice's owner, who controlled his body.

Because no one paid him any attention.

He did not understand how the voice's owner managed to do these things, nor did he ever feel afraid of his body being controlled, as they had been together for so long, and he trusted the voice's owner would not harm him.

He had long considered the voice's owner his closest and only companion.

The only downside was that the voice's owner always liked to discourage him.

Saying things like, no matter how hard he tried, he would never make friends or gain recognition.

Naruto, of course, refused to believe this!

After all, the great Hokage of the village had said:

As long as he persisted and worked hard, he would definitely make friends!

Despite having some mental preparation,

The clerk's intense reaction still left Naruto stunned.

Regaining his composure, he quickly recovered his smile and optimistically responded in his mind: "No, not every store will be like this. Someone will sell to me."

Rejecting Li Yaohang's words, Naruto once again smiled and struggled through the snow to the next store.

Second store: "Go away, not selling! Not selling!"

Naruto did not lose heart, and his smile remained.

Third store: "Monster! Get lost!"

Naruto still kept his smile.

Undeterred, he went to the fourth store, but before he could even speak, the owner threw an empty can at him with a thud.

The can bounced off and landed, leaving Naruto stunned.

"Ah," Li Yaohang sighed, "How long are you going to keep trying? Haven't I told you? Do you really think that as long as you keep smiling, others will think you won't harm them? Will they recognize you and be your friend?

Don't dream. Give up."

Naruto did not argue this time.

But his smile remained.

This time, however, he did not go to the next store.

He turned and headed home.

As he walked, he came to an open snowy field.

Laughter and play filled the air.

A group of children, around Naruto's age, were playing and having fun.

The warm, comfortable coats they wore were a stark contrast to Naruto's tattered and thin coat.

Seeing this scene, Naruto's forced smile finally turned into a genuine one. His optimistic nature quickly pushed the recent unpleasantness out of his mind.

Just by looking, it was clear he envied these children.

He envied their ability to play happily together.

He wanted to join them and play with them.

But just as he took a step forward, Li Yaohang's voice sounded again: "Let's go. Don't look anymore. They won't play with you. Have you forgotten the previous times?"

The discouragement came again.

Naruto hesitated this time...

Because he knew Li Yaohang was right.

He just did not want to admit it.

The reason he always tried to maintain a smile in front of others was to try to change their perceptions.

And to prove that Li Yaohang was wrong.

He always believed the problem was with himself, not with others.

As long as he worked hard enough, he could change everything.

Although he did not want to admit it, Naruto's steps paused. No matter how much he did not want to, the past experiences were vivid in his mind, forcing him to face reality.

At first, he did not want to believe what the voice's owner said.

He was not willing to give up.

He was not willing to accept it.

After countless attempts, the result was always the same—rejection.

If he was lucky, he would be met with cold words and sent away.

If he was unlucky, he would be pelted with stones.

Recalling these past scenes, even the usually optimistic Naruto felt his face turn pale.

He was afraid.

He was afraid that if he stepped forward, he would face another bad outcome.

He had already faced enough rejection today.

He was afraid that one more blow would be too much to bear.

After some thought, Naruto felt a slight regret but ultimately chose to maintain his smile and continue his journey home.

However, while he was willing to hide, what about those children?

His noticeable yellow hair and his tattered coat, standing out in the snow, were like a beacon, quickly drawing the attention of the group of children...

(ps: New author, new book, seeking recommendations, reviews, comments, and support~)

(ps: Two updates daily. More when the book is released~~~)