Stellar Fox

Chapter 1

UPDATE! 

10/15/2024 - Remastered, once again and no longer one liners.

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In this story, all Uzumaki had red-wine colored hair.

Disclaimer, I do not own Naruto, Honkai Star Rail, Honkai Impact 3 and other characters appearing in this series.

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A seven-year-old boy, small and scrawny, with spiky red-wine-colored hair and six whisker-like birthmarks on his round cheeks—three on each side—was rummaging through a pile of garbage cans in a back alley. His clothes hung loosely on his bony frame, torn and dirtied from days of wandering the village's outskirts. He was starving, and the pangs in his stomach were a constant, aching reminder that he hadn't eaten in over a week.

He dug deeper through the trash, tossing aside spoiled food and crumpled wrappers. His hands, covered in dirt and grime, sifted through the mess with a desperation that only someone who had been truly hungry could understand. The air was filled with the stench of decay, but the boy barely noticed, he was too focused on finding anything he could eat.

His situation was dire. 

The villagers, with their hostile glares and whispers, had shunned him for as long as he could remember. They treated him like a walking curse, muttering "demon fox" or "monster" whenever he passed by. And it only got worse when a drunken villager had ambushed him a week ago, snatching away the small envelope of money the Hokage, the leader of the village he lived in, had left for him. It was all he had to survive, and now that was gone too.

He kicked at a stray can, the noise echoing down the empty alley. "Stupid dumbass villagers... hating me for no reason, calling me demon fox and monster..." he muttered, voice cracking with frustration. His small hands clenched into fists, and for a moment, his eyes burned with anger. But that fire quickly faded into exhaustion, the hunger and fatigue weighing heavily on him.

Just as his shoulders slumped, his gaze caught something glinting under a discarded box. He hurriedly pushed it aside, revealing a half-eaten sandwich, a bruised apple, and a piece of bread that wasn't entirely covered in mold. Relief washed over him, and a smile tugged at the corners of his lips. It wasn't much, but it was enough.

His grin widened, his cheeks stretching with a mix of triumph and hunger as he grabbed the scraps and stuffed them into his mouth. He chewed quickly, barely tasting the stale, dry bread and sour apple. Each bite felt like a small victory, a temporary relief from the gnawing emptiness in his belly.

When he finished, he leaned against the alley wall, letting out a loud burp that echoed through the narrow space. He chuckled quietly at the sound before reaching into his jacket to pull out a small bottle of water he had swiped from a shop earlier that morning. The shopkeeper had looked away and Naruto took the chance.

The boy drank the water in big gulps, feeling the cool liquid soothe his parched throat. As he drained the last of it, he scowled again, looking at the discarded food around him. 

"Why the hell did they throw away such good food? Don't they know there are people like me who need it badly?!" he muttered to himself, his voice tinged with frustration. He flung the empty bottle into the trash can with a sharp clatter and dusted off his hands before stepping back out onto the street.

He tried to ignore the familiar glares of the villagers as he walked. Their eyes followed him with a mixture of fear and disgust, as if he were some wild animal that didn't belong among them. He kept his head down, fists stuffed into his pockets, forcing himself not to react. But each glance and muttered word felt like a stone being thrown at him, chipping away at whatever hope he had left.