The sacrifices we make in order to achieve our goals should only be known by us. If others found out about them, it would greatly endanger our end goals. We may be able to achieve them, but we can never maintain them if our secrets are not safe with us. Learn to have privacy.
Naruto was well aware that he was disliked by the majority of the Konoha population. He didn't understand what he did to make so many people hate him. He made little effort to find those answers but couldn't. He didn't care that much about what people thought of him. Right now, he had more important things to do. Hiding under the merchant's table, he awaited the right moment for the signal. The streets were filled with various people who were there to buy their needs.
A little blonde girl in pigtails came to the shop owner and raised her hand so the merchant could notice her. The merchant couldn't see her due to her short stature. The little girl had to jump several times until she finally caught the merchant's attention. The merchant looked at her in surprise as the little girl had mud and dirt on her face. "Are you lost, little... YOU? What are you doing here?" spat the merchant in anger. There was visible hate in the merchant's voice at the end of his sentence.
The little girl jumped back. "What is your problem, old man? I am just here to buy some food." The attention of people at the market started to divert to the commotion that was happening at that moment. This was a cue for Naruto to execute his plan.
"If you are here, then your brother… RISHI, COME HERE NOW," shouted the merchant. Out came a tall, muscular man. He had long brown hair falling over his eyes and his whole face. "Oh crap," said the little girl as she saw the man coming out of the shop.
"What is it, Uncle?" Rishi asked as he came out yawning, indicating that he was asleep just now. "These two brats are at it again. Find his brother before he causes any trouble," said the merchant in horror, knowing that these two twins never came to the market with any good intentions.
While this was happening, Naruto had made his way into the shop. Looking around, he saw various foods on the shelves. His focus was caught on the freshly picked potatoes. Potatoes were favorites of his twin sister. He went to the shelf and started to put as many potatoes in the bag as fast as he could. There was little to no time before the other shop owners realized their plan and started looking for them, but that time was more than enough for him to fill his bags. It took around ten seconds to fill the bags with the potatoes.
"Like you could ever catch the Leaf YELLOW FLASH," the little girl shouted at the top of her lungs. This was a cue for Naruto to leave. He peeked through the shop as he saw that people still had their attention towards the commotion. He looked around and saw the shop owner facing the opposite direction, watching the commotion caused by the merchant and the little girl who had called herself the 'Yellow Flash of Leaf'. Some were shocked, but many were disgusted by the little girl's statements.
Naruto made his way out of the shop and grabbed 3 red balls from his backpack. He threw them in the air and shouted, "NOW, ERI." The little blond girl named Eri grinned as she saw the red balls thrown in the air by Naruto. She jumped back and shouted, "YOU WILL NEVER CATCH THE LEAF YELLOW FLASH." Saying this, she started to run towards the main gate of the market where her brother Naruto was already waiting for her. The orange ball exploded, and out came an orange smoke which engulfed the whole market. It was a small but harmless powder explosion which blocked the sight of people but was effective in helping them escape from the crowd.
"Did you see that explosion? It was awesome," said Eri excitedly while running with her brother towards their base. "I did, Eri. Now keep your eyes on the road if you don't want to trip or hit your head," said Naruto while running. Eri pouted, "You are no fun." Naruto paid no attention to that comment, as right now his mind was filled with different possible escape routes. He had to think faster if he didn't want to be caught by the police on patrol duty.
"I didn't think that two scrawny little kids would be able to pull off such a heist." That voice did not come from neither Naruto nor Eri. As Naruto looked back, he saw the man named Rishi still chasing them. Naruto had least expected that. He never thought that the plan he came up with was foolproof, but he was glad that it was only a civilian who was chasing them. If it had been anyone else like a ninja or the police, then they would be in great danger. But having someone on their tails had already cut a few possible routes that were available and safer for them to escape. He needed to lose that man. There was a small alley around 20 meters on the left.
"Follow my lead, Eri," Naruto said in a hurried voice. "Hai," came the response from Eri. Adding more speed, both of them took a sharp left. That was a dead end. At the end was a huge wall ten meters tall, but it had a small hole at the bottom right, enough for a child to squeeze through. Naruto reached into his backpack and took the last ball and threw it on the ground. An orange smoke engulfed the whole street in a matter of seconds. It was used as a smoke screen so they could squeeze through to the other side. It worked as both Naruto and Eri made it to the other side.
The other side was a jungle that led to several training grounds. Those training grounds belonged to the major clans of Konoha, as the clan members could use that training ground to train their children or sometimes even adults would come and sharpen their skills. Naruto and Eri made it to the other side and took their route through the jungle. He wanted to avoid any interaction with any clans at all costs because he knew if he got in problems with any clan, regardless of whether it was major or minor, it would not end well for them. So he took the route between the jungles.
After 20 minutes of continuous running, they arrived at their hideout. It was a small tree hut. Anybody could tell at a single glance that this tree hut was made poorly and only a child could make such a house. The house was just a pile of woods joined together using not nails but rope. The floor was also made of wood which had a torn carpet on it. At the corner of the house, there was a pile of clothes which were not their size. They used those clothes as a bed. The hut was located at the top of a tree which was a good idea to avoid any wild animal interactions such as bears. No one would want an uninvited bear guest at their house.
"Yata… Finally, we can eat again today. Ne neechan… hurry up and cook the food. I am hungry," Eri said as she sheepishly looked at the bag full of potatoes. Potatoes were her favorite. They could be used in any dish if used in the correct manner. Her brother knew how to cook those potatoes.
"Yea yea. Wait for a moment. I'm just tired of all that running," Naruto said as he let himself fall on the pile of clothes. It was a long day. Stealing food wasn't easy. He didn't want to steal from others, but he had no choice. To feed his sister.
"So this is where you live huh?" came a voice from the entrance of their hut. Naruto shot up towards the intruder, but in the next moment, he found himself hanging upside down. He looked towards the intruder and was shocked to see the civilian who was chasing them before. It was impossible for a civilian to cross that ten-meter wall, so that means, "Your tricks were great, kiddo. They would have worked on any civilian. But not on an ex-shinobi," the man named Rishi grinned as he looked around the house. He saw the girl who created a commotion back there. As he looked towards her, his grin grew larger as Eri screamed, looking at the man.