The next morning, Naruto woke up at six. He did not stay in bed.
He had only one goal for today.
'If the villagers won't sell me food,' he thought, 'then I will find food myself.'
He remembered something from the anime. Kid Naruto used to fish by himself. He used to gather fruits in the forest near Konoha.
If the original Naruto could survive like that…
So could he.
But first, he needed to know where the forest was. And for that, he needed a map.
After washing his face and brushing his teeth, he put on his clothes and stepped outside.
"Library," he muttered. "I need to find the library."
There was only one problem. He had no idea where the Konoha library was.
So he started asking people for directions.
The first person ignored him completely.
The second person frowned and walked away.
The third person muttered, "Damn demon," under their breath.
Naruto kept his expression blank.
He asked another shopkeeper.
"Where is the library?" he asked politely.
"Other side of the village," the man said quickly, pointing left.
Naruto walked left.
After fifteen minutes of walking, he realized the direction was wrong.
He had been lied to.
For almost two hours, he wandered around the village.
Some people refused to answer.
Some cursed at him.
Some gave wrong directions on purpose.
His legs began to ache. But he did not give up.
Finally, he saw a shinobi standing near a tea shop.
Naruto walked up carefully.
"Excuse me," he said. "Can you please tell me where the library is?"
The shinobi looked down at him.
For a moment, Naruto braced himself for another insult.
But instead, the man simply pointed down a street.
"Go straight. Then take the second right. Big building with a red roof. You can't miss it."
Naruto blinked.
"…Thank you."
He followed the directions carefully.
Straight.
Second right.
And there it was.
A large building with a red roof.
The Konoha Library.
Naruto stood in front of it and let out a slow breath. Step one complete.
Now it was time to find a map.
Naruto stepped inside the library.
It was quiet. Too quiet.
The smell of old paper and ink filled the air.
Behind the front desk sat a middle-aged man wearing round glasses. He was reading a thick book. When Naruto entered, the man slowly looked up.
Their eyes met.
Naruto waited.
He was ready for the usual reaction.
The cold stare.
The disgust.
The whisper.
But none came.
The man simply looked at him for a moment… then calmly returned to reading his book.
No hate.
No anger.
No fear.
Just… normal. Naruto blinked. That alone felt strange.
He walked up to the desk. "Excuse me," Naruto said politely. "Where can I find a map of Konoha?"
The librarian looked up again.
"Geography section," he said calmly. "Third aisle to the left. Top shelf."
Naruto hesitated.
"…I can't read," he admitted.
The librarian looked at him more carefully this time. His eyes moved over Naruto's face, then settled.
"I see," he said.
He closed his book and adjusted his glasses.
"In that case, I recommend starting with picture books and basic language books. Children's section. Second aisle on the right."
That caught Naruto's interest. He could speak the language of this world.
But reading and writing? He knew nothing.
Still…
Food first.
"I need the map first," Naruto said quietly.
The librarian tilted his head slightly.
"May I ask why?"
Naruto hesitated. Should he tell him?
After a moment, he decided to be honest.
"I want to find the forest," Naruto said. "The villagers won't sell me food. So I want to catch food myself."
The words hung in the air. Naruto watched carefully for a reaction.
But the librarian's face did not change.
Not even a little.
After a few moments of silence.
He spoke calmly.
"If you help me clean and organize the books," he said, "I will buy food for you."
Naruto froze.
"…What?"
"If you work here," the librarian continued, "I will buy the food you need from the shops. You will not have to deal with them."
Naruto narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Are you messing with me?" he asked carefully.
"No," the librarian replied simply.
Naruto studied him. No sarcasm. No hidden smile. Nothing suspicious.
"I'm not working from morning to night," Naruto said quickly.
The librarian nodded.
"Four hours," he said. "From five to nine in the evening."
He continued, "At the start of your shift, you give me a list of what you want. I will buy it. At the end of your shift, you can take the food home."
Naruto listened carefully.
"But," the librarian added, "I will not give you money. Only food. And if I find you being lazy or careless with the books, the deal ends."
Naruto stood still. This felt too good to be true.
Nothing like this happened in the canon anime.
No random adult helping him.
Just cold stares and loneliness.
But this was not canon.
And this deal solved his biggest problem.
What did he have to lose?
Nothing.
If it worked, his food problem was solved. If it didn't, he was back where he started.
The librarian stood up and walked around the counter.
He extended his hand.
"My name is Shirozu Hiroji."
Naruto looked at the hand for a second.
Then he reached out and shook it.
"I'm Naruto Uzumaki."
Naruto smiled.
Hiroji gently pointed toward the children's section.
"If you want to learn to read and write, you should start there," he said. "Picture books first. Then simple language books."
Naruto did not look excited.
He had lived a full life before this one. Now he was about to sit on the floor and read children's books with big drawings and simple words.
But he knew something important.
If he wanted to survive in this world, he needed to master it.
And the best way to learn the written language was to start from the beginning.
So he nodded.
"Okay."
Naruto walked toward the children's section.
The shelves were shorter. The books were colorful. Some had large drawings of animals, fruits, and simple objects. Others had basic sentences written in large letters.
He picked up one.
It felt strange.
But he sat down cross-legged and began slowly sounding out the words.
Back at the counter, Hiroji watched him for a moment.
Then his eyes shifted toward the window. Outside, across the street, there was a tall tree.
From a normal person's view, it was just a tree.
But Hiroji's gaze lingered on one branch slightly longer than needed.
His expression did not change.
He adjusted his glasses.
Then calmly returned to his seat behind the counter and opened his book again.
He began reading as if nothing unusual existed.
Naruto did not notice the glance.
He did not notice the quiet awareness in the librarian's eyes. He did not know that Shirozu Hiroji was not just a simple librarian.
Years ago, Shirozu Hiroji had been the Head of ANBU.
One of the most dangerous men in the village.
And now, for reasons unknown to Naruto.
That man had decided to help him.