Warnings: This is an AU. If you don't like change, I suggest reading something else. If you're open to change, and enjoy new takes on familiar concepts, welcome! In this take on Naruto, she is a female, and Konoha is closer to the Land of Waves than it is to the Valley of the End. Naruto is different than in canon. If you like a Naruto who is similar to her father in every way, please redirect yourself to canon.
Full Summary: Observant, and slightly reserved, Uzumaki Naruto was drawn to the ocean, the gentle waves often times calling her home. Not understanding why the other villagers seemed so uneasy whenever they were subject to her presence, she mostly kept to herself, seeking out others only when it was necessary. Pushed into a situation that leaves her already fragile trust shattered, she experiences an ordeal that turns her world view on its axis. When asked to protect the brother of a close friend, she's faced with a hard decision, stay safe within the walls she's built up over the past six years, or expose the hidden truths of the Village she had once thought of as home.
Development: As it relates to character development, which really wasn't explored in canon for a majority of characters, development will happen here. Some of you may consider it out of character, whereas some of you may consider it development like I do. These characters will include Sasuke, Karin, Naruto, and Shizune, to name a few. If you don't appreciate development, please redirect yourself to canon.
Ratings: This story will have depictions of violence and rape, mentions of abuse and a few sadistic scenes that are unsuitable for younger readers. I wanted to explore how a person could develop and grow after experiencing something like this, because the first scene in this story recently happened to a girl the same age in my country, only it was more violent. If you decided to select the M rating, this serves as a secondary warning. If you can't accept that these scenes help to build the plot of the story, then this is a warning to stop.
Pairings: Right now, I have plans for pairings to be involved in this story, but I have not chosen how they will be developed at this point in time. I may have a poll in the near future, so look out for that.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Naruto Shippuden.
Chapter One - Broken Trust
The desolate apartment that stood roughly five stories high was riddled with graffiti, filled with broken furniture and was in desperate need of repair, but Naruto Uzumaki loved it anyways, faults and all.
She didn't appreciate the villagers' constant need to vandalize her apartment without her knowledge and she didn't appreciate that she was forced to reside in one of the loneliest parts of the village, away from the safety that the constant sounds and lights that the square would have provided. All of those things however, negative as they were, paled in comparison, to her view from the window on the left side of her apartment.
Living alone had become a constant, ever since she turned five years old, two years ago. Her presence for some reason, unsettled the Matron at the Orphanage, and the Hokage had shuffled her around from home to home, before finally allowing her to live on her own.
The freedom had been nice at first, the thought of no rules, no adults telling her what to do, telling her what to eat, and telling her how to behave had been amazing. The novelty had worn off after a few hours, and the sadness that had settled into its place not too long afterwards had stuck with her throughout the years that followed.
That sadness abated whenever she caught a glimpse of the sea. She hadn't noticed it at first, but whenever she could see the ocean, a sense of calm that she could never explain replaced the sadness she felt almost constantly. If she listened hard enough, she could almost imagine hearing a soft, motherly voice, calling out to her, and urging her to come home.
The voice would go silent whenever she looked away from the water, so she'd often chalked it up to her imagination. The Hokage didn't know, even though he visited her at least monthly to ensure that she was living as best as she could, and she never planned to tell him. She feared he would think she was unstable, and she didn't want him to feel as unsettled around her as everyone else in the village did.
While she was still living in the Orphanage, she'd tried her best to impress the Matron and her helpers, hoping that the uneasiness she could somehow sense from them all would dissipate over time. She cleaned for everyone she possibly could, she tried her hardest in her classes at school, and she swore up and down to protect them all by becoming a ninja one day.
These proclamations had never been enough. They'd marvel at her stamina to keep going after completing her own chores, and would report the occurrences to the Hokage. When she did well in school, they'd accuse her of cheating, and whenever she mentioned becoming a ninja, the uneasiness would triple and they'd stumble out of the room, leaving her alone to wonder what she'd ever done wrong.
She'd tried to leave those thoughts behind when she'd left the Orphanage, but ever so often they'd overwhelm her thoughts. She turned off the faucet that had been running while she was leaning against the sink, before skipping over to the window and settling down on the floor before it, staring out past the giant Fire Country Forest, her eyes seeking out the rippling sea.
"I constantly call out to you, and you refuse to come home."
This had become the norm whenever she was focused on the one bright spot in her life, and she'd taken to arguing with the voice whenever she had the opportunity to do so.
"I am home. I've lived in Konoha all my life."
She didn't get the opportunity to finish her conversation, and was broken from her little moment when she felt two figures approaching her apartment. She glanced away from the window and slipped it shut, turning away from the glass and fixing her attention on the door. Never before had any of the villagers tried to approach her apartment while she was there, and that thought unsettled her more than anything previous. She picked herself up from off the floor and took off in the direction of her bedroom, shutting the door quietly and locking it from the inside.
If they were here to rip apart her apartment like the many times before, then she was probably safe. Not definitely, but more than likely they'd ignore her, so she'd be safe. But if they were here for her, for whatever reason, then she needed to do something, anything.
She could hear the two strangers speaking from inside her apartment, and all she could think about is how they had gotten in without making any noise and she hesitated while puzzling out what to do. This hesitance would cost her dearly. She tried to find somewhere to hide, and it was at the moment when she had already slipped one foot under the bed that they managed to gain access to her room.
She tried to slip under to the other side of the bed but one of the two blocked her path, and the other grabbed her ankle from the other side and pulled her from under the bed in one swift movement.
"Now why are you trying to run away, little baita?"
She fought and struggled as hard as she could against their grasp, but apparently her hardest wasn't good enough. What could she, an eight year old girl with no ninja training at all, ever hope to accomplish against two fully grown adults who'd probably been on more missions than trips she'd ever made to the grocery down the street?
The one that had been blocking the window walked around to the other side of the bed were his partner sat with her on the floor, trying to pin down her struggling, clawing arms, before speaking once more.
"We've never been able to visit your apartment while you were home because the Hokage kept a careful watch on the guards he assigned to you, but he's accompanied a few of his Elite on a diplomatic Mission to Suna, so I'm afraid he won't be around for a few days."
"Usero yo!"
She'd heard some woman in the market place yell that at a man that was trying to grab her arm, before she slapped him and walked off. All that resulted in, in this particular situation was the grip that they had on her arms tightening, causing her to struggle even more.
They were stronger, faster, more agile, and escaping from them was about as realistic as a rodent escaping from a cobra. She didn't understand why they were here. She didn't know why she was hated. She'd never understood why so many persons within the only place she'd even known as home, held so much disdain for her very existence.
She couldn't understand what they were doing to her, and how could she, being as young as she was, being as ignorant as she was about certain facets of life, but the pain was all too real, and nothing they said or did could prevent her from crying out in agony.
She plead and cried out, begging for them to stop, hoping someone would ease up, wishing desperately that someone would hear, but every movement was met with resistance, and eventually, growing tired of her pleas, they balled up the fabric of her t – shirt and stuffed it into her mouth, reducing her pleas to half - hearted, muffled sounds no one would hear.
Neither of her attackers took any notice of that fact that every bruise they left behind and every cut that littered her skin wasn't fading away as was the norm for injuries she experienced. The threat of violence on her life had increased to such heights where her reaction, one of pain, genuine fear and anxiety, was inhibiting the almost instinctual healing abilities she possessed.
She hesitated before she tried moving once more, and the action resulted in her being flipped unto her stomach, the pressure of her face against the hard wood floor, cutting and slicing against the sensitive skin. She didn't remember how long the pain had lasted, but once they were through, there were blood stains on her floor, the little clothes she still had on, and copious amounts smeared across her face, arms and legs.
She'd given up crying when they'd stuffed the shirt into her mouth, and her eyes were hooded, her consciousness barely holding on to the reality presented. She didn't want to feel like this, didn't want to remember what it felt like to have two strangers touching her, hurting her, but she couldn't stop the events from replaying in her mind.
"If we leave her like this they'll find her and depending on who does the Hokage will definitely know about it…"
"…"
She couldn't make out what one of them was saying because her head was throbbing and she could barely make out their blurry forms, even as the stood less than two feet before her.
"But how are we going to get rid of her? They'll notice that she's gone!"
"…"
"You're right we can use the blanket. But where do we put her?"
"…"
She continued to fade in and out of consciousness, and soon she was being wrapping in one of the thinner blankets that was spread at the foot of her bed, her wrapped form hanging limply when she was picked up from the floor. The last thing she remembered seeing was her blood, stark in contrast as it was, to her wooden floor.
No one took any notice of the figures leaving her apartment from the side window, because people rarely lingered on this side of town. They took the bundle down to the back of the market, lurking around one of the stalls set up to sell wares, before skulking over toward where the travelling caravans were set up.
They tucked the bundle into one of the carts, being careful to conceal her form. They casually leaned against the cart, no one taking notice of their bloodied appearance because they were ninja, and no one wanted to bother them after their return from what was obviously a high ranking mission.
"There, now if anyone finds her in there, they'll think whoever owns this cart did it. If they never find her, then we won't have to worry about her putting the village at risk anymore. We can't lose."
The two strangers hung out around the market for about an hour, so as to avoid looking too suspicious, calling out greetings to stall members the recognized and waving to other ninja who happened to pass through the area.
They waved off the concerns of well meaning citizens or visitors who inquired about their injuries, explaining to those who asked that it was the blood of the enemy, something they both wholeheartedly believed to be the truth.
Author's Note
I had the idea, I wrote it, and now I'm awaiting the mountains of criticism I am sure to receive. I tried to make the scene as subtle as possible, while making it totally obvious that they were in fact raping an 8 year old girl. I tried not to make it too graphic because, fan fiction has rules, and I try to follow them as best as I can. I also didn't want to be too graphic because as necessary as the scene is for character development, and later themes, I don't feel that it is necessary to completely mortify and terrify my readers.
But yes, this has happened in my country lately, and I wanted to write a story about how I feel this could affect a person's psyche and I also wanted to write a Naruto story. So I combined the two elements. It's not the craziest thing I've done, that's for sure.
Just some definitions of words mentioned in the chapter.
Baita – Whore.
Usero yo – Fuck off!